Sermons of Sun Myung Moon
Volume 1
Chapter 1: Let Us Become the Elite Troop of God
By Sun Myung Moon
April 8, 1956
Headquarters Church, Seoul, Korea
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.โ
II Timothy 2:1-13
Prayer
Father, let this be the hour when the life of the original nature that man possessed before the fall is thrust into us. Please allow us to become the altar of life where Your love overflows. Allow us now to feel this wall of death with our minds and bodies. Father, I pray from the depth of my heart that we can receive the grace of resurrection in this way and by building the glorious altar, go before all the dispersed altars with a new candle lit in our hands.
Is there anyone who was inflicted with wounds in his or her heart? Please show them compassion. Is there some trace in one’s body where Satan used to clutch? Please cleanse them. Father of love, I wish and hope earnestly that on account of that cleansing and/or compassion, they can restore their original hyung-sang1 from before the fall.
Father, please appear before us with the words of power. Please reshape our whole being. Beloved Father, we desire from the bottom of our hearts that You will allow the miracle of recreation. You have called upon each of us in this difficult environment, so we will now cross over this path of ordeals and tribulations. The time has come when we must offer the song of victory on the actual battle ground. Father, please increase our strengths, multiply our power, and come before us with the power of resurrection.
Grant liberation to the souls who have been imprisoned in the darkness. Please resurrect them with the fire of hope. My Father, I pray with utmost sincerity that You may bestow Your fire of life, which can light up the garden of truth, the path of which is blocked. Light up this world where evil governs and the grounds of the bitterness of the Father have existed for over 6,000 years.
We understand that the new history begins with the Father as the center. We also know the historical fact that if humankind does not set the standard of history in Heaven, then it cannot be a comprehensive standard of history
Father! Since You have put us in this position, please allow us to build a new history and please groom us as the Heavenly soldiers of the new era. Bestow upon us the grace to construct a new garden and return the glory of bliss to the Father. Beloved Father, I offer this wish from the depth of my heart.
We have broken through the walls of conflict and have come seeking the same path that the prophets and sages once walked. We have embarked upon a path from which we can never return. We know that the time has come when we must fight with independence and audacity and head toward a single goal. Please guide us to pour out the last drop of our energy, to make a resolute decision and stand on the front line facing Satan. Let us become the soldiers of Heaven who can raise the flag before anyone else and march against Satan. Father, please take in the current altar of conflict as a triumphant altar. Until You can control it as Your altar of peace and glory Father, please protect our path and sanctify our dwelling place. Father, please lead us to erect the white flag of joyful victory before this Korean people and the 2.4 billion people comprising humanity Father, although we are small in number, these members have united our hearts and gathered here to be intoxicated in Your love. Hence, even for this hour, please allow us to be immersed in Your concealed love.
Divulge the work of Heaven’s love and truth, which has been hidden for 6,000 years, and unfold the miracle of resurrection. Please allow us to become liberated from our minds and bodies and become the Father’s true sons and daughters. Father, we desire from our deepest hearts that You will raise us as children who can reciprocate with You and serve You with the honor of victory This day is a glorious day Please manifest Your powers before these altars, those who have gathered here representing the thirty million Korean people. Please let Your works be manifested. If there are altars without life, then please manifest the miracle of life. Regardless of time, environment and place, Father, please let Your work unfold.
Give rise to the beacon of life that has been fast asleep. Please allow it to step forward holding a banner of new life on the grounds of conscientious children, children who follow the Father. Beloved Father, I pray earnestly that there will come forth many children who can safeguard hidden altars.
We have gathered here so, Father, please sanctify our souls. If there is any self-centered concept or sinful element, the dark root that impedes chastity then please appear before us as the work of the Holy Spirit that resembles the flame of the Father and guide us forward. Father, this is our most sincere wish.
Please lead us to accomplish the mission assigned to us without any fault. Allow us to become sons and daughters who, offering all of their minds and bodies for the sake of the one will2 are dignified before the many thousands of faithful believers and members of the spiritual world. Let us fulfill all of their missions. In this hour, from the beginning till the very end, please do not let even one person fall subject to the accusations of Satan. Let the grace of resurrection, the blissful taste of new life, and the grace of new life be granted to as many people as possible. In this way let this be the hour when we can return the glory of the resurrection of new life to the Father. Beloved Father, this is our prayer, from the depth of our hearts.
We entrust everything to You now so let the fundamental miracle of the living life be manifested from the beginning to the very end. Let only the will of happiness unfold. We prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer
Father, although unworthy and sinful, today a handful of members have prostrated themselves before the sacred presence of the Father again.
Until now You have raised prophets and given Your commands through them. You have given the mandate through the Holy Spirit and Jesus, but we know that until now You have been unable to command directly. Please let the mandate that You could not decree directly be promulgated here. This being done, let the will of the Father, which You have tried to accomplish through the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, be manifested here.
We understand that the Father is trying to realize the dispensation of joy Before Your will, we long to pour out all of our heart and soul, offering all of our loyalty and bodies. Though these may be inadequate, Father, please extend Your hands of compassion.
On our hands and feet are the scars left by Satan’s arrows, and in our bodies we carry the battle wounds. Father of compassion! Please extend Your divine grace to hold our hands and feet, full of the scars of Satan’s arrows, to grip our wounded bodies, to apply the oil of life on us and to wrap our bodies with the bandages of resurrection. We yearn for a word of counsel so, Father, please advise us. We desperately desire it.
Please liquidate our vulgar minds and all sinful natures. Guide us to cling only onto the original heart that cherishes nothing but the Father.
Father, You have gathered us now so please give Your commanding words. Please allow us to find out what the center of the dispensation is that the Father wishes for and what is the center of the universal principles that the Father seeks.
Descend upon us in this hour. We have prostrated ourselves humbly and meekly to respond to the words that the Father gives us. We are ignorant and wounded, but because we hope that we can be an offering to You, please receive us. Father, we pray from the depth of our hearts.
Father, please govern over everything in this hour. We who have come seeking the dispensation know that we must bear the fruit of life, so in this moment when the last days are nearing, Father, please bestow Your outstretched hands of life. We know that though the world and history might change, the Father’s life remains unchanging, so please allow us to dash toward eternal life and the standard of immutability If there are children who do not meet the standard, please order each of them personally and lay Your hands of power on them. Allow them to resemble Your holy image. Father, I pray from the depth of my heart.
We have gathered before the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit, so please remove everyone’s subjective concepts and allow the miracle of life. Please be the center of their minds and bodies, the center of the whole congregation gathered here and the triumphant shield, so that this moment can become an hour of joy and fulfillment.
Father, we pray from the bottom of our hearts that with the elements of life that we will obtain from this day, we can create the flesh and blood of life and forge the eternal shield of victory so that even if we are to clash with Satan head on, we will not be wounded. We entrust everything to You, so please rule over us. We pray in the name of the Lord.
We who are the center of the conflict and the embodiment of hope
The title of the sermon that I will give today is “Let Us Become the Elite Troop of God.” I will speak briefly on this topic.
Initially the term “elite troop” did not exist. It came into being because of the fall of man. Because of the fall, the term had to emerge. In other words, it was invented because, by virtue of the remaining conflict, there was the need for sons and daughters who could conduct the fight in the place of God.
God chose these sons and daughters because His will could not be accomplished unless He raised them and led them through the course of conflict until a certain point in time. By repeating the changing history during the 6,000 years of long history God personally intervened on earth and fought with Satan. However, what kind of beings are they who must take responsibility for this history of the conflict of God and can fight on the front line?
God is not to fight directly and neither is Jesus nor the Holy Spirit. As you know very well, the faithful believers whom Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and God stand behind are the ones who must directly take responsibility for the fight.
This fight must be concluded at any cost. Yet even after 2,000 years since the coming of Jesus, this fight has not yet been concluded. Now the grounds for this fight must be broadened and the grounds for victory must be built. Who are the ones who must take on this responsibility? It is none other than insignificant and unworthy us.
When we reflect on this, we can learn that the hope of God does not lie with Himself. What is more, the hope of Jesus also does not lie in himself. Likewise, the hope of the Holy Spirit does not lie within her. The hope that the prophets and sages sought also cannot be found in themselves. Their hope lies with none other than us, the insignificant ones who dwell on this earth today
If God calls upon you who are on earth, what kind of criterion is He using? He uses the whole 6,000-year dispensation as the criterion to call upon you.
Therefore, you must clearly understand that you have the responsibility to bring a victorious conclusion to the many thousands of years of the history of humanity Moreover, you must understand that God is calling us in this manner. Not only that, we must become the true elite troop of Heaven who can take responsibility for this era, this history and for eternal history
Directly pioneering the great fate of the dispensation is not the work of Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God. It is a task we must do.
To become the heavenly elite troop
We must be able to stand as a third person and make a critical evaluation of ourselves, we who bear such a great mission as this. You must reflect whether you can answer confidently even if the Father were to appear personally before you and ask you. When the Father asks, ‘Have you become the elite soldier of Heaven who can be responsible for the whole dispensation and fight fully armed with audacity dignity and conviction,” are you able to say “Yes! It is true,” without any hesitation? Heaven is searching for those who can answer proudly
What are the conditions that qualify you as a member of the elite corps? We cannot find the qualifying conditions within us. How can we become members of the elite corps of Heaven? To become the elite troops of Heaven, we must follow the example of Jesus Christ, in whom we believe, the one who appeared as the archetype of the elite corps of Heaven. The background of the advent of Jesus, his life and ideals, are all things that we can take pride in before Satan. What is more, they are the content and conditions that we must inherit if we are to become members of the Heavenly elite troop. You must heed this.
The same thing can be said about his words and about the path of crucifixion that he demonstrated at the time of his death, as well as the way of resurrection that he left behind for us. These are the conditions and laws that we absolutely need to end all the historical conflicts and to become the elite corps of Heaven. We must fulfill these conditions.
Nonetheless, what we must understand here is that Jesus spent thirty years preparing, toiling, and suffering to be fully equipped with all the conditions that are necessary to become an elite soldier of Heaven. It did not happen in one day or in one moment. He had to pass through thirty years of a long period of tremendous ordeals. What is the course that Jesus walked after coming to the earth? He demonstrated the condition and course of tribulations that one must walk to win victory over Satan as the elite soldier of Heaven.
Jesus cried, “All is done,” on the cross, but he did not say this because he fulfilled everything on the cross. He uttered those words because even before he hung on the cross, he fully satisfied all the conditions needed to qualify as the elite soldier of Heaven. By putting it into those words, he meant that he had fulfilled all the missions that he had to as the elite soldier of Heaven.
Because Jesus was an impeccable member of the elite corps of Heaven, Heaven could resurrect him after he passed away on the cross. After the resurrection of Jesus, Jesus worked in Heaven and the Holy Spirit worked on earth and carried on the fight against Satan for 2,000 years.
The lessons to be learned from the life of Jesus Christ
Now there remains the course of tribulations to which we who are called upon by Heaven must adhere. You must remember that it is none other than the path of Jesus, who walked it throughout the thirty years of his life. When you examine the thirty-year life course of Jesus, he lived thirty years of private life, three years of public life and brought an end to his ordeals during the three-day period in the tomb.
There is no question that we ourselves must follow the path of crucifixion and resurrection. Yet the important thing is that the humanity of the whole world must all walk the same path.
After his death on the cross, Jesus received the grace of resurrection, but this did not take place in the simple and easy manner you might envision. It did not happen in one day or in several hours. You must understand that it was achieved when the heart of God, who had traveled through the long 4,000-year history became one with the heart of Jesus. On that foundation, Jesus walked thirty years of a suffering path and won the victory We are living a life of faith and are reading the Bible, yet we must never interpret the Bible according to our own whims. It is common for believers to take the view that the way of the crucifixion took place solely on the cross, but this is not true. You must understand that the way was materialized through his life of tremendous suffering that others do not know about. For thirty odd years, he could not eat or dress adequately Moreover, you must also realize that Jesus is the only begotten son of God who fully equipped himself with the remaining conditions to be qualified as a member of the elite troop of God.
Now we must analyze the lessons that the life of Jesus provides and come up with a new interpretation of matters that range from having faith in Jesus to his course of ordeals. You must also pass through the course of trials. While Jesus was passing through the course of trials and ordeals, there must have been many fights. We must learn from the example of Jesus who fought, not for ten or twenty years, but for thirty years and braved even death. What you must understand now is that you yourselves must take charge of the remaining path of suffering and path of death, to guard the cross and uphold the way of the crucifixion.
After Jesus passed away the responsibility to guard the castle of crucifixion that Jesus had constructed on earth and to make the first step in the fierce fight lay with the apostles. You must understand that now the responsibility to protect the castle of crucifixion lies on the shoulders of the apostles of the last days. The time has come when the final determination of victory and defeat must be made in the last fierce battle. The crucial question is whether you have become the elite troop that can stay on the course, and whether you can perform the second miracle of resurrection to be reborn, as Jesus was resurrected.
Jesus has continued to engage himself in the fight, even after going to the spirit world. He is fighting against Satan on behalf of the countless good believers. The Holy Spirit is the one who, copying the example of Jesus, has unfolded the battle on earth. It is our responsibility to receive the help of the Holy Spirit and fight the actual battle. In other words, it is we who must become Heaven’s elite corps who can take over the burden of the conflict.
The time when the grief and resentment of the 6,000 years must be expunged
The final conflict has unfolded. You must understand that the fight you are partaking in today is not for your own sake. This fight has been linked to you through Heaven and the Holy Spirit. What is more, the purpose of that fight is to expel Satan.
Accordingly we must now cross the pass of conflict and reach the original homeland. We must become the elite soldiers who can bear the remaining cross of Jesus and sing a victory song. We must become the elite troops of triumph and happiness, who remove the resentment of the 6,000 years and realize the hope of the 6,000 years.
The twelve disciples emerged as the representative elite troop responsible for the castle of the cross. The twelve disciples crossed the boundaries of death to protect the walls of the castle of the crucifixion. Even as they were offering their minds and bodies and shedding their flesh and blood, they did not hesitate in guarding the castle wall.
The traces of blood that the prophets and sages shed as they were walking the path of the gospel still remain visible on the walls of the castle of the crucifixion. Moreover, this land is ground which is soaked through with the grief and blood of the ancestors. It is the land on which the appeal of blood is left behind. The ones who must resolve this bitter resentment are none other than us. Although the death of Jesus Christ was a grievous event, the deaths of the prophets and sages were also bitter tragedies. You must learn to grieve for the deaths of the prophets and sages along with the death of Jesus Christ.
Now we must understand that the time has come when we must feel strongly indignant. The time has come when we must eradicate the grief and bitterness of God. What is needed at such a time is a heavenly elite corp. That is what this era demands. You must become the true sons and daughters who can say ‘Father! Please expel the resentment of the 6,000 years through me.” If there are many such true children among the thirty million people, then the path of survival will open for them. What is more, if these people become priests to protect the walls of the castle of the crucifixion and become members of the Heavenly elite troop, they will not perish. We who have faith today must become the Heavenly elite troop.
Jesus, who came to earth and passed away on the cross, built the holy altar of victory in the spirit world and has expanded it. As you can see by observing the spirit world, the pitch darkness of the fall has reached all the way to the feet of the throne of God. Since the time of Jesus, the one foundation has finally been laid through the repetition of conflicts, tribulations and toil. The fight has continued until today to broaden this foundation further. Even on earth the fight with Satan has continued. Now Heaven is hoping for the appearance of the Heavenly elite troop who can bring this conflict to a conclusion.
We must shape up and try harder. Jesus not only fought during his thirty-year life on earth until he crossed the pass of crucifixion and death; he has also continued the battle for 2,000 years since then. Humankind is ignorant of this fight. You must appeal to yourselves. Before you appeal to the people, to the family the society the world and the earth, you must first appeal to yourselves. You must follow the example of Jesus Christ, who has been fighting for the sake of the will for 2,000 years. You must carry on the struggle for the sake of the will. By doing so, you must win the victory both in heaven and on earth, so that heaven and earth can respond. You can then represent the heart of God and manifest the original beauty of creation. This is the purpose for which God has been propelling the dispensation forward for 6,000 years and the reason He sent Jesus Christ.
The task that the heavenly elite troop must accomplish
Now we must become the elite troop of Heaven and protect the walls of the castle of crucifixion. You must likewise become the Heavenly elite soldiers, but you must first distinguish to which rank in the elite corps you belong.
Because the history on earth is the history that horizontally unfolds the work of Heaven in image, just as there are twelve ranks of elite troops centering on the twelve disciples, there are twelve denominations on earth that resemble the pattern of the twelve tribes of Israel and countless minor ranks. This hierarchy of ranks was formed during the 2,000-year history You must know which rank you belong to. You must understand which rank you belong to in the Heavenly army It is structured systematically much like the army of the secular world, in platoons, companies, battalions, regiments, divisions and so forth. Moreover, you must understand what mission you are being given the commands centered on.
Now after passing through the course of conflict, we must usher in the era when the whole world of creation can rejoice. The center of that is none other than Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit whom we believe in.
What is the ultimate purpose of the Heavenly elite corps? It is to conclude the fight with Satan and receive accolades from God and Christ. It is to win victory in the fight and receive the rewards of Heaven on earth.
Now the fight is taking place in every sphere. It is unfolding in every place of the world. Moreover, the will of the dispensation is being unfolded in the whole of heaven and earth. You must become the Heavenly troops who win the victory in the fights on the individual level, on the family level, and on the societal, national and world levels, as well as bringing victory in the fight that is taking place in heaven and on earth.
Jesus is unable to bring an end to the fight that is taking place in heaven and on earth. Consequently, you must become the elite soldiers who protect all posts on all fronts and end the battles on all fronts. All things in the universe will act in harmony only after we reap the victory as one body with Christ as the head and offer a frill bow before Heaven.
You must now pass through the traces of blood left behind by the apostles. You must lead and take charge of the companies or battalions the apostles used to lead. Going one step further, you must take on the responsibility that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are bearing upon their shoulders.
The ultimate goal of the elite corps of heaven
God does not want any battle ground to remain on earth. Because the resentment was caused on earth, only when the victory is reaped and the grief is removed on earth can Jesus Christ’s battle be concluded and can he come again. What is he to do after coming again? He is to bring to an end the battle that has taken place for the last 6,000 years and receive the blessing from God. The banquet in which God raises both hands to celebrate, the banquet in which the triumphant elite soldiers all gather and receive the blessing is the banquet of the little lamb. He is going to host this banquet of the little lamb.
You must directly receive the commanding words of God, who is the commander-in-chief You must rise to the position where, in place of Jesus, you receive directives straight from God.
You must obtain the seal of the Father, just like in the verse in the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Revelations: “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” (Rev 14:1) You have been guided by the Holy Spirit and Jesus until now but this is not the whole story. Only after you receive the seal of the Father will you become an eternal member of the elite corps, effective not just on earth, but also after you go to heaven. You must never forget that you must proceed all the way to that point. While you become the elite corps of Jesus by winning all the fights, you must also become the original human beings in whom God can take delight, as well as true sons and daughters who have perfected the ideals of creation. Only when the victory song of Hosanna offered by this Heavenly elite troop shakes the whole earth will the grief and resentment of God be liquidated. Satan, also, will immediately be liquidated. You must understand this clearly, the fight remains. Accordingly, you must venture on the last offensive to cross over the pass of conflict to receive the seal of God and subjugate Satan before God. This is the only way that the confrontation with Satan will come to an end.
The conflict will not end, even after making Satan submit before the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. The conflict will come to a conclusion only when Satan is subjugated before God. The Father has been suffering as He walked through the 6,000 years of dispensational history with the purpose of raising this victorious elite corps. Understanding this kind of father, you must become the victorious elite troop of Heaven.
Chapter 2: Jesus Christ, the Pride of God
By Sun Myung Moon
May 16, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
II Corinthians 8:16-24
Prayer 1
Beloved Father, on this day You have granted the grace of redemption to all men. Please allow us in this hour not to forget Your bloody trail, in which You left the footprints of toil while passing through the course of history. Let us not forget the footprints of martyrdom left by the saints who walked before us.
Let the bows we offer before You this day and in this hour become an occasion for making a sincere offering in the same manner Abel once made the appeal of his blood sacrifice. Please lead us not to become those who gather centering on the body, which will rot away. Allow us to become sanctified so that, just as Abel became a fragrant offering before You and all creation, we can represent the thirty million people of this nation and build the Abel-type altar, even though we are an unworthy group, small in number.
What we sincerely wish, my beloved Father, is that You will lead us to not stand in the position of Cain and brag about ourselves while we are watching Abel shed blood. This I wish and desire most sincerely. Please allow us to become overwhelmed by the heart that faces the heart of Heaven and by the heart of the appeal of the blood. Traces of the blood of goodness still remain on this earth, and since it is blood-stained land that has been bruised by thousands upon thousands of years of lamentation, please allow the emergence of many children who can appear before You as the offering of happiness and who can offer bows of gratitude for this land’s sake from among these thirty million people. Please allow many more such children among the 2.4 billion people of humanity.
Beloved Father, I sincerely hope and pray for the appearance of throngs of children everywhere who can demolish the wall of sin and evil that has been built up for countless years and who can create the garden of joy and happiness in order to attend You amid joy and glory. In our lives we have forgotten the fact that there remains traces of Your toilsome efforts made in the attempt to seek me and to raise me up. Please let us not forget that the reason I can live comfortably today and lead our life of faith in peace is not because I am great, but because of the blood-stained, laborious works of numerous saints and sages throughout the course of history leading up to this point and the position I am in today. Father, I wish and pray earnestly that You will raise us up to become children who can bow before You as an offering of humility and docility, as one offering to be given, as one offering of happiness.
Father, please wake up this audience which is fast asleep. Please consider with mercy those people who are groping in the darkness without direction. For their sake, please quickly raise up those children whom You are going to raise and call those children whom You are going to call. Please erect a center who walks toward Heaven and grant that they may quickly become the beloved altar that can represent the whole.
Please let every one of these people reap the victory and lead them to be grateful toward Your holy grace and offer praises while facing the holy light. Beloved Father, I earnestly wish and pray for this. Father, although only a small group of people has gathered here today, we plead with You to take charge of us. Please govern us. Please penetrate the center of each individual and lead us not to be in the position where the center of the heart that we ourselves set, the heart of ego, begins from oneself and ends in oneself. Please lead us not to stand in the position where, based on our own concepts and understanding, we form our own thoughts and are intoxicated with self-satisfaction. Please lead us to honestly reveal our own concepts and assertions and to become humble and obedient offerings before the parental heart. Beloved Father, from the bottom of my heart, I pray that this can be a moment when we can agree on our own weaknesses in the dignified presence of You, Father, and take out everything that we have and offer it all to You. Father, since You have gathered these people and raised them and have already sounded the alarm bell inside this castle, You must be responsible for the whole. The mission of the whole must be completed and the work of the whole must be taken up, so please allow them to step over and stand above this era. Lead them to become the brave soldiers of Heaven who can stand on the front line and move forward to fight on. Beloved Father, from the bottom of my heart I pray that You will raise them to become the soldiers who can represent the thirty million people. Please raise them to be people who will not appear inadequate even when they stand before thousands of people of faith on this earth or go before the angels in heaven.
During this three-day period, there were many moments when we thought only about ourselves and lived only to love ourselves. We have wasted many hours trying to find justification for ourselves. Nonetheless, please forgive us for not having lived in the state that You wish for: forgetting ourselves for the sake of seeking You, for the sake of fulfilling Your wishes, and in order to make manifest Your full value. We feel that we have no other choice but to march forward and make a move.
Do not let those who have been seeking You come with the mentality to just receive blessings and a conceptual attitude of faith here in this hour. Do not let them have only the desire to be inspired in their heart. The history of the appeal, “Save me!” has already exceeded 6,000 years, and the time has come when the sound of the tearful prayer, “Please receive me,” is to be heard on the earth and to reach up to Heaven. Let this hour be the time when we can pray, “Father, please receive me. I give you all that I have, so please receive me.”
Please lead us to question ourselves as to whether or not we have become sacrificial offerings who meet Your expectations. Every time we stand before the holy body and presence of Father, let us deeply feel how inadequate and sinful we are so that we can lower our heads and bow before You. Please awaken us to the truth and let our heart of repentance be kindled. Please allow this hour to be an opportunity for us to feel our original nature and the substantial manifestation of goodness, and to bow in subjection to the glory of You, Father.
We know that this is what You wish and that heaven is being mobilized for the sake of this one purpose, so please move the Trinity and let the works of the Holy Spirit take place. Please preside over the whole event by placing it all beneath Your hands. Please lead us not to have concepts and understandings that diverge from the will of Father, and lead us to build the temple of the faithful in which the whole is offered to Father. Father, I pray and wish for this earnestly.
Please bless every place where the lonely crowds make impassioned pleas and wishes toward Heaven at this time. Protect those children who, because they have received the command of Heaven which they cannot but follow, have stepped forward with the pledge that they will not hesitate to walk even the road of death, the road of conflict, the road of persecution, the road of tribulation, and the hill of Golgotha.
Those who follow the footsteps of those who have walked a difficult course will also face many hardships, and I know that many wounds are inflicted on them while they are walking that path. Father, we cannot but ask You to bear the responsibility. Please accept them as sacrificial offerings in Your stead and bestow on them the blessing of the heart and love of You, Father, which is to be granted in the last days.
Let the work of direct dominion be in each of their hearts so they can be immersed in happiness and feel the joy of You, Father. Please be present everywhere they are so that they will not be fettered by the cross of the environment, and comfort and guide them with Your own hands. Since the end of the road of conflict is near, and the remainder of the hill to be climbed is not so high, Father, I most sincerely pray that Your hands will be with them to directly guide them to smoothly climb over it.
We have joined our hearts and came here longing to see the Father in this hour and wish to have a time of offering a deep bow. I pray in the name of the loving Lord that from the first hour to the last, He may govern the whole meeting with the protection and grace of love and bless us to become the offerings of grace.
Amen.
Prayer 2
The garden of creation is the garden of goodness, the garden of love, the garden of oneness and the garden of harmony. We know that it is our responsibility to become good in accordance with God’s love, and that it is also our responsibility to become one and to be in harmony. Before us remains the children’s course in which our daily life has to be good, and we have to be in harmony in regard to this one will. Father! Please command us in this hour again and guide us to walk this path that You have granted us to the very end. Grant that we may not become exhausted in the fight.
You must hold onto us so that we will not deviate from the standard You wish. Father, because we are fallen descendants, we are powerless and in mourning, so please bring to light the perfection that You have hidden in Heaven. We wish that You may find the value of the beauty of the harmony that You are trying to find. Please reveal the original beauty of the creation so that all things in all of heaven and earth can be in harmony and raise all creations as the one original body that can return glory to the Father through love. Father, I pray for these things with a most earnest heart. We know that the cause of the grievances of Heaven lies in man, and the cause of the grievances of creation also lies in man. The lamentation of many thousands of people lies in Christianity. Therefore, the responsibility to perfect oneself and eliminate the sorrow of the universe lies in these people, Father, so please raise them up and cultivate them to become ones who can perfect the original values. Please advise them.
Please bestow on them the whole ideology of love that You want, and through them, please deal with Father’s value of the whole that was lost. Please open the heart You have hidden and appear before them in order to enable them to consult with You. Loving Father, I earnestly wish and pray for this.
Father! We want to know the whole story about the toilsome work that You have done while gathering this weak group of people, Father! You must appear again and hold tight the wounded hearts, and You must counsel these wounded hearts.
Please allow them to become ones who can take others’ place to bear the grievances of a thousand years. In the course that Satan puts them through, there are tests and he initiates conflicts. As they walk the Heavenly path, lead them to become ones who center only on the one who stands straight before the cause of the whole. Please allow this to be the time in which they can become harmonious, centering on the will that the Father has set. I earnestly pray and wish this.
Have our minds become exhausted now? Have our bodies grown weak? Please bestow God’s fire of love in our hearts, and to our bodies give the fire of zeal, and please allow our minds and bodies to move. Allow the heavenly soldiers and angels in heaven and all spirits and all existing beings on the earth to move.
Through this, lead us so that by reciprocating with all things, we can restore the one center and be fully qualified to appear before all things as Your sons and daughters. I pray, beloved Father, from the bottom of my heart that in this way You will allow us to emerge as the pride before the Father who has been toiling for 6,000 years against countless satans. There are those who are mourning because they are trapped in death and those miserable ones cannot escape sorrow, so please hold onto them and grant them the heart with a center that can face the universal laws. Please give them wisdom and keen insight.
The time has come when we have to build the altar of Heaven on behalf of the thirty million people, and the time has come when we have to make the offering of a live animal of goodness. The time has come when we have to join hands and become one group, so Father, please dwell in Your children who have gathered here today and govern over their hearts, govern over their minds, and govern over their whole beings. God of love, God of ability, God of omnipotence, if there remain in them undesirable elements of evil, then please appear with eyes burning with fire and take care of their minds and hearts with Heaven’s power of the Holy Spirit and the fire of love. Father, even in this day, there are countless children of Yours who do not know the path they should take and wonder because they have not found the path of life. Yet was there anyone who cried out before You for their sake, putting his life on the line and taking responsibility for them? Was there anyone who built an altar of life for their sake and shed tears? If there are such ones, please quickly find them and raise them up, so there will be many children of Yours who would cry out in appeal for others, just as Jesus cried out while looking on the cross of death and as Elijah cried out, “I am the only one that remains.”
I pray, from the bottom of my heart, Father, that You would allow many altars of accomplishment that can contain the joyful news. Remain with these people, and please allow many more who exert themselves in ardent devotion, so that these people can overcome the tribulations of darkness and become the light of love shining down on all places in the world, moving forward upholding the revealed will of God. Beloved Father, since today, in this hour, we have come forth longing for Your blessings, we should first look at ourselves. Our hearts must not become critical. I pray from the bottom of my heart, Father, that You will lead us to eradicate our concepts which we have held until now and that we may only become the sacrifice offered for the sake of the Father’s will and remain as one being that can be used. I pray that You can appear in our minds and bodies based on the original beauty and our humble and obedient attitudes. I wish that You may allow the appearance of the Father’s works of love in this hour, so that the Father can personally perform the miracle of recreation, centering on us.
Father! These faithful children have come forth up to this hour, persevering through the difficult environment and the path of the cross, so even just for this one hour, please show the Father’s will of love which has remained hidden for 6,000 years, and let this hour that we bow before You become a great joy that cannot be traded even for an enormous sum of money. Please lead us to pioneer our lives with the blessing and inspiration we receive today, so that by revealing the great way of the universe, we can become grateful offerings in God’s dispensation.
Even if we are at this place, we are ready to run toward that place whenever You call us, so please allow us to become one with the standard that moves the heart of the Father and the standard of Your love. Through Your mind, let goodness be formed in our hearts, and let that goodness become a seed, so that starting from our body, a glorious garden of goodness can be created. Let that goodness expand forming a family, a church, a society and a nation.
We know that such a responsibility for the whole lies within us, and we know that we have the responsibility to take on the mission of the Father which still remains unfulfilled, and to fight with Satan. Even if we become exhausted, Father, please give us strength. From the bottom of my heart, I wish and pray that even if we fall into a state of weakness, Father, please urge us on. When we fall down, please raise us up and give us direction so that we may continue until the moment when we penetrate the last barrier and lead a victorious group to go before the Father and return the glory of Hosanna.
Father, today, please let the fire of inspiration and the love of the Father fall on the countless altars we are building on behalf of the thirty million people. Even if they are ignorant and cannot understand the dispensation of 6,000 years, please do not let that cause them to become resentful toward the Heavenly altar.
The time has come when the will is about to be fulfilled which Jesus was crying out in tears for while clutching the Temple of Jerusalem. The divine words, in which even a single stone lying on a stone would not be left untouched, is becoming a reality between the churches and denominations of today. Please hold onto these altars, whose reality makes it impossible for their hearts to become one. Lead them to repentance and link them with the life of Heaven. Until they become an altar that can take on the suffering of Jesus’ cross and sing praise and glory on behalf of the 6,000-year history, Father, please be with them.
Father, I wish that You would preside over all the ceremonies directly, that You would allow us to build the Father’s nation, and that You would raise us to become victorious people of mission whom You can bless. Even in this hour today, Satan is committing despicable acts, so Father, please lead us not to become people who collapse because of the adversities. Please stand firmly in the background until the end and lead us to become people who can protect the altar and block the dark arrows of Satan and be grateful even if we become a sacrifice in the process. Father! I pray and wish this from the bottom of my heart.
Father, we will leave in Your hands all that happens in this hour, so please allow us to yearn for You and to yearn for Your love so that we can offer our lives and follow Your path. Please let us not lose the standard that You, Father, expect. Allow the Heavenly will, which penetrates to the end of the sky, emerge among men. Please do not castigate our deficiencies, and please appear before us with love like a friend, and as an intimate father and guardian.
We know that because man has lost his original form, in order to raise this one man and find this one man, our Father has struggled and striven for 6,000 years. This being the case, Father, please hold onto our hands and allow us to have a time of inspiration when we can have repentance. Please bestow the blessings that can grab onto us, cling onto our necks, and kiss us on our lips. Please allow us the blessing, for which this unworthy group can thank the Father’s love, to reflect upon ourselves and to repent, to be full in our hearts and minds, and above all, in our heads. Those who are participating right now wish that they can appear before the Father with love, so please lead them away from facing accusations. Please lead those who have bowed down here to take responsibility for the fulfillment of Your hopes and not fall before the reproaches and sneers of Satan. Please raise us to be children who will humbly bow before the Father’s love till the last moment and, Father, I earnestly pray and hope that You will hold these people tight.
We are praying that the blessing which You have granted will appear in our minds and hearts. I pray in the name of the beloved Lord. Amen.
Prayer 3
Beloved Father! We have just recited the passage that talks about how to raise up Titus as a pioneer, Paul tried to move his heart for a long time. When we learn about Paul’s deep, earnest heart toward Heaven, we realize that it is God’s work that prevented that heart from fading away and left its traces on the earth to build an altar.
Father! The time has come when we have to look to the new world, jump over all the complex historical barriers, and stand before Heaven for the sake of the new dispensation. Father, please guide us until the day we can eradicate all of our complex past, transcend the complex realities, enter the bosom of love where Heaven can be present, and bow toward the Father in peace.
Whether we live or die, please allow us to become the shield for the 6,000 years of sorrow and restore the glory of the ultimate victory before You. Please allow the joy that comes from that to engulf the whole garden of creation. We pray and wish from the bottom of our hearts that You will allow us to join forces and fulfill the one will with Your help. Today we recognize that the dispensation is our destiny, so please allow us to question ourselves and to find an answer within to realize how much we lack. Please allow this hour to be the opportunity when we feel the desire to repent before the Father, and to go near the Father, to rely on You and by exposing ourselves to the Father, receive Your compassion. Please let such a heart be the foundation on which we can be fully recreated based on the holy and flawless image of Jesus. Beloved Father, I pray from the bottom of my heart that You will bless us so that we can entrust everything to Your will, depend on it, and become an obedient sacrifice before You. Please command the children who are sitting here. I know that at such a time there is no need for many words, so please let their hearts be moved by every word. Let them feel it with their bodies and grant them the blessing of compassion and inspiration that can give them joy. Please have dominion over us with the fire of the Holy Spirit, so that we can feel the Father’s inspirations and can move as one for the sake of the dispensation. We pray from the bottom of our hearts that You will grant us a precious environment of harmony in which we can give and receive and allow us to stand in the place You permit.
Please govern over the time that remains. I pray in the name of the Lord. Amen.
II Corinthians 8:24: “Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.” I am going to speak on the topic “Jesus Christ, the Pride of God.”
Adam and Eve Should Have Become God’s Pride
God, who created the world, created Adam and Eve as the embodiment of His pride toward all things in heaven and earth. Moreover, He created Adam and Eve to be His pride before the angelic world. When Adam and Eve stood before all the things of the creation, all things were supposed to bow before Adam and Eve.
The garden that was originally created to be like this was destroyed because of the fall of man. In other words, because of the fall, the value of all things could not emerge. Man, who could have emerged as the center of value of the invisible world, lost his qualifications, and man’s position as someone who should have appeared before the creation in God’s place and have been glorified as the center of harmony, was destroyed. This being the case, what is the standard God has been seeking until today, 6,000 years after the fall of man? He has been searching for one representative who can represent His heart, represent His hyung sang, represent the nature of God, and represent all the creations of the universe of which God can be proud.
Moreover, until now, Jesus Christ has been working hard for the sake of the One will. What kind of man was this Jesus Christ, who came 4,000 years after the fall of Adam and Eve? He was the substitute for God’s internal heart and external hyung sang. This is the reason God tried to manifest, through Jesus Christ, the “standard of pride” which He has set as the ideal of the creation. This is the original mission Jesus was supposed to carry out. Jesus had a grave responsibility to establish himself as the representative of God’s heart and hyung sang in every aspect of his existence and life. This is the way in which Jesus should have emerged as the substantial body of which God can be proud. First, God should have been able to boast to all things, and then to Satan, and then to the countless saints. Moreover, God should have ushered in the day of the restoration of the joy and glory God had wanted to attain centering on Adam and Eve. This was the will of God, who had set up Jesus as the central being.
God had the Israelites build the nation of Israel and sent Jesus Christ, who was supposed to stand before Him. Had the Israelites become one, praised and received Jesus with a heart of gratitude based on the standard of God’s pride, the historical sorrow would not have been prolonged as it has been for 6,000 years.
Jesus, the King of Faith, Who Stood High as the Pride of God
There was a huge gap between what Jesus saw with his eyes as he emerged as the pride of God and of what the Israelites were proud. In other words, the Israelites, who had been upholding the will of God’s dispensation of restoration, were proud of different things than Jesus was in respect to their being the chosen people. Jesus was proud for the sake of the will of God as he championed the will of God’s dispensation of restoration. For this reason, the Israelites faced a situation where they were supposed to forsake what they took pride in as a people before the words and actions of Jesus, who took pride in God’s will.
Had they given up what they took pride in and bowed before Jesus Christ, who appeared with a new source of pride for the sake of God’s will, the difficult path of the cross would not have stood before Jesus Christ. The concept of the way of the cross would not have existed in the history of Christianity. Although salvation would have been based on one’s attendance to the words of Jesus, there would not have been such a thing as salvation due to one’s faith in the cross.
Today, in reverence for the death of Jesus, we believe that the power of redemption lies in the cross, but this is not the whole picture. Christians today miss the point. The power of redemption lies in the words Jesus spoke while he was alive. What we have to understand is that while spiritual redemption is, of course, possible through one’s faith in the cross, if people had believed in and lived according to the words Jesus spoke while he was alive, physical and spiritual salvation would have taken place. What must Jesus first take pride in after coming to this earth? Adam and Eve could not substantiate the words of God because of the fall. They failed to believe in His words. Since man fell and the dispensational history was prolonged for 4,000 years because they did not believe in God’s words, Jesus as the one center established faith in front of Satan. In other words, Jesus emerged as the king of faith on this earth.
What manner of man was Jesus? What was the standard upon which Jesus could stand tall as the pride of God? Jesus came as the king of faith before humanity who, in the course of the 4,000 years of history, was left without even one person who could be trusted to uphold the will of God. For this reason, God was able to boast about the faith of Jesus Christ.
Many people claim to believe in God, but with that general kind of faith, it is impossible to make the internal connection between the high and the low that is built upon the heart of God. What is more, although countless saints and sages have come and gone, based on what they believed and followed, one cannot understand the principles of love that lie deep within God. Furthermore, Jesus tried to take responsibility for the whole process of faith in history, which countless saints had walked through, and to single-handedly put an end to the satanic history. Jesus, who was the culmination of the 4,000 years of history, came as the center of the universe and the champion of faith.
For the sake of this one standard, God raised Jesus up as the king of faith. Jesus represented the will of God and in God’s place taught His words. The words he proclaimed were not the truth of the Old Testament as it stood. His faith was not built on the faith of the Old Testament era. His belief was not limited to the words and prophecies of the past saints and sages. In other words, he did not have the concept of the Messiah that the Israelites believed in, based on the words of the Old Testament.
To explain the nature of the faith Jesus had, he was the representative of the faith that cannot be found in the Old Testament Bible and which did not exist in history leading up to his time. He had a new type of faith, which had not come into existence until that time in any environment in the world. Consequently, the Old Testament history had to recede before Jesus.
What must we understand, we who believe in Jesus Christ, the king of faith in whom God takes pride? We have to understand that if we look at Jesus with some limitation, then we cannot come to grasp the 4,000 years of history before his coming and his thirty years of life; nor can we grasp the eternal value of his life, which will influence the future eternally. Moreover, we have to come to grips with the fact that even if hundreds of millions of people are ignorant of the will of God and stand against it, we should have the standard of faith to say, “I will uphold that holy will alone. I will believe what no one else can believe in.” Only when this is done can Jesus stand as the Savior and the king of faith before humanity. Did Jesus, whom we believe in today, give all the words of truth while he was alive? If he did not, we need the words that the returning Lord will give us. Although Jesus was the king of faith whom God had sought and who could stand at last, 4,000 years after the fall of Adam and Eve, as the source of God’s pride before Satan and the world of creation, because of the faithlessness of the Israelites, God had to hand him over to the enemy. Therefore, Jesus Christ is to return with the standard to boast before all the creation and to give new words. As the champion and king of faith, Jesus revealed new words that were not in the Old Testament. Those words have been handed down to us as the words of the New Testament.
Since this era is a new one and a glorious era will come in the near future, we need to have the kind of faith that can be perpetuated in that glorious era. The hope and faith of Jesus Christ were not on the level of the faith man had believed in for 4,000 years. His faith was something that, through his life, reached many generations after him. It reached even to eternity and is the faith that can bring to light the love and goodness that could not emerge then.
Jesus Christ was the king of faith whom history had never seen before and in whom God could take pride. You must also have the same kind of faith as Jesus.
The Victorious King Jesus Who Triumphed Over Satan
The reason God could take pride in Jesus was that although countless people had fought with Satan for thousands of years, it was Jesus who was finally able to prevail over him as the victorious king. Accordingly, God was proud of Jesus.
For 4,000 years, countless ancestors before us have come to this earth and have fought against Satan. For the sake of God’s will to send the Messiah, countless saints fought with Satan. However, they could not subjugate him. Although they fought with Satan for 4,000 years, they could not conquer him and bring him to his knees, but when Jesus Christ came to this earth, he finally conquered Satan and made him submit. With what did Jesus bring Satan to his knees? He subjugated him with Heaven’s principle of love. You have to understand this. What we Christians have to understand today is that the only thing that works in subjugating Satan is the principle of love.
What kind of principle is the principle of love? Although many people have passed through the earth, Jesus Christ is the only son whom God deeply loved. Therefore, when we look at the thirty years of Jesus’ life, there is not one minute of it that does not manifest his filial piety. His daily life before God was something that could not be taken away even for a moment, at night or in the day, for it pleased God’s heart completely. His life was such an example of filial piety that when God looked down He would say, “On the earth, there is no one else but you alone.
Jesus’ singular determination in his heart was such that even if everything in his life was to perish, he was going to live for the sake of God. He had no other desire than to fulfill to the fullest his mission as the Savior of all humankind, even if that meant that his physical body would be neglected. He had no other desire than that which cried out, “Father! With the destruction of my own being, I will become the son of filial devotion, the embodiment of love whom You have sought for 4,000 years and Your beloved son who can return love to You.”
For this reason, even if hundreds of millions of people insist that Jesus is not God’s son, God cannot agree with that. No one can block the power of the father-son relationship that has come into being as the center of heaven and earth and is linked to the love of God. Even in the lonely place on the hill of Golgotha where Jesus bore the cross. Jesus knew that God’s will dwelt in that place and he understood well the Father’s heart of love, which had been waiting for 4,000 years.
Thus, as long as the Father’s will remains unchanged, Jesus’ pride as the son who can receive the love of the Father is eternal. Before all things in creation, God boasted of Jesus Christ as the incarnation of the Father’s unchanging love. God boasted before the satanic world.
In the 6,000-year history leading up to today, there are many people who have displayed filial piety before their parents. There are many sons and daughters of filial devotion in the bosom of Satan. Nonetheless, in order for God to be able to take pride in Jesus and in order for us to receive God’s love as Jesus did, we need to have more value and accomplishment than all the sons and daughters of filial devotion in history within the satanic realm. Only then can God say, “This is my beloved son,” and then one can become the son of filial devotion who is the only one in heaven and earth representing the Heavenly truth.
When Jesus looked at the multitude from this standard, he was at a loss. Because Jesus’ heart was such, he felt that there was a huge gap between his own value and what they valued. Of his own accord, Jesus prayed for their sake before Heaven.
Satan can be destroyed with the power that comes from the parent-child relationship based on God’s love. The reason is that the degree to which many people within the satanic sphere follow Satan cannot even approach the standard of Jesus’ love and servitude toward God. Wherever Jesus appeared with the love of God, it became a shield that is like an iron fortification. So, wherever followers gather centering on Jesus, they can subjugate Satan.
Jesus could become the pride of God because he combined all the victories and defeats of the ancestors during the 4,000 years and seized the one standard, which he used as his own foundation. What must we think about today? You have to think about how Jesus Christ was able to achieve more victorious accomplishments than all the victories of the saints in the preceding 4,000 years altogether, while humanity has been in conflict with Satan for 6,000 years. Moreover, we should be thinking about how our ancestors were victorious over Satan. We should also be in their shoes and think about it. What is God’s dearest wish for the saints on this earth now? It should not just be Jesus who subjugates Satan, but also all the saints of these last days who feel God’s love through Jesus’ love.
Jesus Christ led a victorious life for thirty years. He avoided that which would not bring victory. Jesus avoided the words that could lead him to failure and could allow Satan to approach. Although he might appear to some as an ordinary young man in a village, once he took responsibility for the whole, his words, deeds and hope could place the whole on the victorious foundation.
You stand today on the victorious foundation that Jesus laid down with so much hard work. You are receiving such blessings from Jesus. Now the question is how you can stand on the victorious foundation that Jesus built on the earth and how you can rise higher. You should understand that Heaven has come down to the earth for your sake, and until you return to Heaven, you should shed tears for the victory.
We should always fill our hearts with God’s love. We should feel the love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit and experience the love of Heaven. Although Jesus brought victory on the individual level, because he died on the cross, he laid a victorious foundation only spiritually. We who should consummate the 2,000 years of history must stand on the spiritual foundation of Jesus and, substituting for Jesus’ body, lay the victorious physical foundation. What is more, Satan will challenge it when God proclaims to this earth the new words that can complete spiritual salvation and complete the substantial salvation by stepping over the level of the New Testament. We have the responsibility to take charge of this fight and win it.
By what condition was Jesus Christ able to receive the love of God? Jesus could receive God’s love because he had become the prince who takes responsibility. From his early youth, Jesus worked as a carpenter in Joseph’s house, but he was still trying his best to complete his responsibility. Although he helped with carpentry and contributed to making a living for the family in the house of Joseph, in Jesus’ heart, that was only a part of what his life was about. What is more, while he held great dreams in his heart, he simultaneously fulfilled his responsibility even in the small tasks. You should never forget that this is the kind of man Jesus was.
Jesus Is the Prince Who Bore the Responsibility for the Hope of the Whole
The whole life of Jesus was spent fulfilling his responsibility and mission. On the earth, he completed the responsibility that will last for eternity. The thirty years of Jesus’ life secured on the earth the eternal and unchanging accomplishment of having completed his responsibility. Therefore, as long as the words of faith of Jesus Christ remain, his life will never be forgotten.
Jesus took responsibility for the historical dimension, not to mention for his own generation. Moreover, he also single-handedly took responsibility for the will of God that God had been working to accomplish for thousands of years. Other than Jesus Christ, there was not even one person on this earth who was willing to take responsibility on behalf of God. You have to understand that he alone completed the responsibility.
While Jesus felt lonely about having to be responsible for the hope of the whole, he also felt a greater sense of responsibility. Jesus’ daily life was a time of foundation-laying in preparation for the completion of the responsibility for the whole. Moreover, in the thirty-year preparation period, the three-year period of action, and the three-day period of completion, the only thing that occupied Jesus’ mind, his only thought, was subjugating Satan and substantiating God’s will on that foundation. He led a life in which he felt this responsibility to his bones. There was not a moment when Jesus forgot this responsibility.
Moreover, when he was carrying the cross and walking toward the hill at Golgotha, even at the last moment when all the people mocked him and Satan ridiculed him, Jesus’ determination to complete the responsibility given to him remained unchanging. Because Jesus passed through the crisis of the crucifixion with this singular determination, he could resurrect. Also, because he still had the responsibility to organize the disciples who remained on the earth, he came back after he went to the heavenly kingdom and, relying on the power of God, performed the miracle of resurrection.
Even after his death, Jesus was concerned about the disciples who had scattered, and even during the three days in the tomb he was determined to protect them for eternity. Consequently, he went to the shores of Galilee after his resurrection and searched for them.
We might wonder, from a humanistic perspective today, how he could treat them like that when they had no sense of responsibility. Although they had betrayed him when they faced difficulty, right after the resurrection, he went to Galilee and started to fulfill his responsibility. The character of Jesus, who raised them up to be unchanging disciples even when he was going over the hill of death, is an admirable character we should learn from today.
That is not all. We should understand that in addition to his disciples at that time, he was taking responsibility for the countless saints who came after him, and for us, 2,000 years later. The history of restoration is the history of the whole. Because God’s will is saving the whole, Jesus has taken responsibility for the whole of humanity.
What kind of responsibility is Jesus bearing? Jesus is not bearing the responsibility for worldly things or for leading a good life. He is taking responsibility for our lives. Ladies and gentlemen, although there are many difficult things in this world, there is no other task that is more difficult than this, because he is bearing the responsibility for life and death. The believers of today stand at a crossroads that can lead them either to life or to death. Jesus has the responsibility to pull those who stand on the precarious dividing line, which is like the blade of a knife, over to the life side. Similarly, throughout the thirty years of his life when he was entering the road of death and at all times, Jesus had the same unchanging heart. Although human beings might not feel this sense of responsibility and mission, Jesus is at work even now to complete this responsibility, mission and the will of God.
We Who Must Take on the Responsibility for the Whole
What should we do today to attend this Jesus whom we believe in? We should not push all of the responsibility onto Jesus. What kind of people should we become? Jesus took responsibility for the history of 4,000 years, for the people of that time, and for humanity 2,000 years after that, so we should also take on responsibility. We should not place our responsibility on the shoulders of Jesus. What is more, we should be thinking, Father! I finally understand the tribulations Jesus faced as he bore the responsibility for 2,000 years and feel grief for Jesus who is bearing responsibility for our sake and for the sake of the world.
Who is responsible for such a situation? It is we, we who are unworthy. Therefore, we should reflect on this and bow our heads down before Jesus. As we call out “Lord!” we should feel a heart that is like the melting of our flesh and bones.
Finally, God was able to hold onto Jesus, who was trying to take responsibility for the dispensation of 4,000 years, and say, “You alone are taking on the responsibility that I have to fulfill.” This is the reason that God could trust Jesus and entrust everything to him. God could address Jesus from the position of bearing all the burdens of responsibility. Just as Jesus stood tall before God, we have to learn to take on the responsibility for the whole. If the task proves to be difficult, then you should appear before God and Jesus with the mindset, Please give that difficult mission to me, and say to them, “Please reveal through me Your heart’s desire; please show it through me.”
These kinds of people are the ones who will remain in the end. If such a group of people does not come forward, how will Jesus, the only begotten son of God, realize the goal he has been striving after for the sake of humanity for 2,000 years? If Jesus, the only son of God, who has been putting his life at stake and has been walking the course of responsibility cannot find people who can take responsibility, then. . . . [This is highly unusual! Check to see if this is the beginning of the next sentence.] The time has come when we have to pray, “Please allow us to bear the responsibilities of history, of the present and the future that Jesus pledged to carry while he was on the cross.”
There have been many times in our lives so far when we have tried to shift the burden of responsibility to God. However, from now on, people must emerge who pray, “I will take on the responsibility and fight on behalf of Jesus, who has come to the earth as the king of responsibility, representing the aggrieved heart of God over 4,000 years. Even if the enemy Satan and countless people do not welcome it, I will take on the responsibility in his place and fight on.” Jesus can rest in the garden of peace only when such people step forward.
In the last days today, what we hear are the words, “Who can listen to my appeal for my life?” Nonetheless, who is the one who can listen to the appeal of life Jesus makes, he who inherited the life of God? God is looking for people who can.
Jesus has been praying for humanity from the right hand of God. The reason Jesus could not rest and had to pray until now is not because Jesus made some mistake. Moreover, it is not because Jesus cannot go before God. It is all because of us. Therefore, for the sake of Jesus, who has been working hard for 2,000 years, you should try your best to fulfill the responsibility of life, even if you have to lose your life. Because Jesus passed away on the cross, the responsibility of life remains on the earth. The time that this remaining responsibility of life must be completed is the time of the Second Coming. The time of the Second Coming begins when someone appears who can take on the responsibility of life. Because he is the one who is carrying the responsibility of life in history and in the future, you should join in the final battle and fight on his side.
The Beginning of the Time of the Second Advent
God wishes to love men by raising them up through the Jesus of faith, and through the Jesus of truth. He truly wants to love you all. When we are told today that we should follow the example of Jesus, at least in our hearts we should be able to say, Yes, that is true. If you cannot become such people, then how can Jesus, who could not rest for even a second until now, take a rest?
Therefore, you should take on these conditions that God has put forth as His pride. You should establish the conditions that stand as the pride of Jesus who has gone to the spirit world on the earth. By doing so, you will become the ones God can take pride in.
First, you have to be proud of the fact that you believe in things the world cannot believe in. Then you should be proud of the victory won in the fight with Satan. You should be proud of the responsibility that you bear in a world where people avoid responsibility.
On that account, the pride of God should reach all the way down to us through Jesus in the spirit world, and it should even extend down to the creation on the earth through us. Only when that takes place can God fulfill the ideal of creation in which He willed to raise men up as the central figures before the creation and to take pride in them. Finally, man and all things can offer bows of gratitude to God, who takes pride in them. Such responsibility of the whole lies on our shoulders.
We who are here today are very unworthy. Our faith is also pathetic. From now on, when men have to fight with Satan, we should pray, “Dear Father, please give strength to humanity so that they can fight and win over Satan. Please guide all of humanity so that they can bear the responsibility.” Moreover, you should face the enemy of the whole. Fighting alone and prevailing over him, you should be able to say, “God, I offer this joy to you.” God’s suffering and grief will be resolved through people who can show before God that they are taking on all the responsibility of the world and who can proudly show the center that is taking on the responsibility before the many saints and the world of creation. It is through such people that God’s will can be realized. You have to understand this clearly. Let us pray.
Father! Wherever we look, we find that we are responsible for everything, and when we look at the evil of this world, we realize that the life of Jesus was soaked with unceasing tears. Today we do not feel anything even when we see evil things, and we do not have a heart of grief toward the will of the universe and are unable to feel responsible because we are unrighteous and inferior. We have been people who do not have the desperate and earnest heart to defeat the enemy, who could not build achievements in the fight, and could not believe in the almighty God. We have failed to understand Jesus’ loyal heart toward God. Father, on this night I have gathered a small group before me and advised them. We know that Your desire to raise Jesus up as the pride before the world has been linked with us through the apostles and history. We know that You wish for this will to be realized through us. We know that we carry the central responsibility upon our shoulders that the many saints who rejoice in their new life can welcome.
Now, please allow us to be offered as the sacrifice to resolve the grief and suffering of Heaven and earth, creation and Jesus. I pray from the bottom of my heart, Father, that You will lead us to be children of filial devotion who will do their utmost.
You have created the concept of the bride and bridegroom through the path of the cross, and we know that the problem is how much we can put the love of Jesus into practice, how much we have been fulfilling our responsibility centering on the love of Jesus, and how much we have realized the value of faith through the love of Christ.
Since the Father has counseled us in this hour, please guide us to understand clearly that the responsibility to liberate Heaven is entrusted to each of us, and that it is through us that the fight to eradicate the suffering and grief of Heaven must be consummated. Since we have come to realize these things, please allow us to have a heart of gratitude toward the Father and the mind-set that we must accomplish more than anyone. Please guide us so that we will be grateful even when we are bearing the cross, and even when we are fighting with millions of satans; please lead us not to be unmanly. Even when we are in a difficult situation in which we have to bear the cross, please lead us to become children who can say, “Father! Please do not worry because I am here.” I pray from the bottom of my heart that You will guide them to become children who can comfort the Father, who is in deep anguish because He sees His children suffering. Please let the truth become the life and path for them, and please allow them to find the standard on which they can center their lives. Please lead them so that they can go before the Father with unchanging faith and in the center of life. I earnestly desire and request that You will release the miraculous creative power of the word so that such things can be fulfilled. I offer all these words in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Chapter 3: Jesus Is Searching for Us in This Way
By Sun Myung Moon
May 20, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Matthew 18:1-14
The title of the speech today is “Jesus Is Searching for Us in This Way.” This is the topic upon which I will speak.
Jesus Christ is the person who came on the earth as the one for whom God had poured out His heart in preparation for 4,000 years. Jesus Christ came to save humanity, representing the will of God and His languishing heart.
The Lamb that Fell Away
Fallen man is like the lamb that fell away from the herd of sheep. After the fall, humanity does not stand among the 99 lambs, but with the lamb that fell away. The millions of Heavenly soldiers and angels in heaven cannot return joy and praise to God because they have lost Adam and Eve, who are like the lost lamb. God has been working hard until now to claim back fallen men, who have prevented the Heavenly soldiers and angels from returning joy and praise to Him. Jesus was sent to the earth as the one God has been seeking for 4,000 years. Jesus, as the good ancestor of humankind, stood in the position of True Parents and persevered in his toilsome work in order to redeem our lives.
Today we have a simple understanding of Jesus Christ as the only begotten son of God in the 4,000-year history of the dispensation and the central figure who won the victory over Satan. He bore the cross for the sake of saving humanity, which had lapsed into sin and evil ways. What did God do to raise up Jesus as the center? He entrusted in Jesus all that He had been doing in His dispensation for the world and humanity. As a result, when Jesus Christ was lifted up as the new center of the providence, he stood in the position to be responsible for the salvation of the whole of humanity. When he was put in such a position, his mind and body must have been overwhelmed with unspeakable sorrow.
Jesus Christ Who Came Looking for US
When Jesus seeks us, what kind of course does he take? To save humankind, during the 4,000-year history, God established the word, and through many prophets and sages, He prophesied to the multitudes that the Messiah would come.
Therefore, the followers of Judaism were prepared to receive the Messiah based on the words and testimonies of the prophets. This is the history recorded in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ, who came on that prepared foundation, was supposed to consummate the 4,000 years of Old Testament history as the history of goodness. Accordingly, the new words of truth that he spoke contained within them the sorrow that had accumulated during the 4,000-year course of the dispensation of restoration. At the same time, they were the truths that revealed the heavenly laws all must follow in their life of faith.
How would Jesus have felt looking down upon the unfaithful groups of the countless followers of Judaism? They were supposed to listen and believe in the words that he proclaimed. You must understand that Jesus was crying out to them with an agonized heart.
God has been looking for me, this one man, until today. To claim back all of humanity, who are imprisoned in sinfulness, He has been working hard for a long time. Through the prophets, He gave the Israelites the law during the Old Testament era. To end the sorrowful history of 4,000 years, He sent Jesus Christ and proclaimed the new words of truth. Because the Jewish people did not believe in those words, they were not able to comfort the sorrowful heart of God. Instead, they exacerbated the grief in the heart of Heaven. This is what you must understand.
For this reason, Jesus went before the crowd who did not know the direction they must head in and who remained within the dominion of Satan and, pointing the way, he revealed the path to survival. Nevertheless, the Israelite people did not listen. Consequently, humanity lost the direction of life and the altar of 4,000 years of toil that God had built. If the Jewish people had become one on the foundation of God’s words, then they would have substantiated the words of God, and God would have been able to embrace them as children again.
The Jewish People Did Not Believe in the Words of Jesus
Because the Jewish people, who were originally supposed to become the examples, did not believe in the new words Jesus gave and could not unite, Jesus had to leave behind words of sorrow. For this reason, the Jewish people, who should have stood in the position of the hundred lambs, found themselves in a position similar to that of the lost lamb. We find ourselves in the same situation.
We have to understand the heart of Jesus toward the Jewish people, who were like the lost lamb. In order to elevate the lost Jewish people, Jesus cried out with a sad heart.
What we have to understand today is that God had been carrying on the dispensation with a heart full of pain for 4,000 years so that He could claim me; and after that, Jesus inherited the sorrowful heart of God. He has been calling to us, following us.
In his thirty years of life, what kind of course did Jesus walk? Jesus prepared for thirty years of private life, hoping for God’s dispensation to emerge. When he appeared to spread the new words after that period had passed, he was not speaking the words with joy. He propagated the message with the sorrowful heart of God.
Although Jesus spoke many words such as “Follow me,” or “Believe in me,” those who attentively listened to the voice that cried out from a lamenting heart were extremely small in number.
You must understand that Jesus spent thirty years of his life in such an environment with a sad and bitter heart. The desperate voice of Jesus, spoken aloud in his lifetime, is still pleading with you through the biblical passages. Even in this hour, Jesus Christ is making an earnest request to you from the spirit world.
Therefore, you must now learn the contents of Jesus’ request and find the way that you must walk. You will be greatly mistaken if you do not know the way in which you must head and what position you are in, the position of the lost lamb, and if you hold to the belief that this world will continue as it is. You yourselves might not know this very well, but while walking the 2,000-year course of history since his birth, Jesus is calling out with a sad voice, that calling has become your hope.
God’s Heart and the Voice of Jesus
Would you ignore this voice, which is so earnestly calling to you? If there is anyone who cannot hear, he or she should at least feel the heart of bitterness. Is there anyone among you with ears to hear who does not long for that calling voice? We must shape up in order to listen to this voice. If you hear the voice calling out to you but cannot move because your body is not strong enough, you should direct your heart and soul toward that place. To claim back this one person who is like the lost lamb, God has been struggling not for one day, not for one year, not for one hundred years, but for 6,000 years. The 6,000 years He suffered to find the lost flock of lambs in heaven and on the earth is Heaven’s history of redemption. Because we men cannot hear the voice of God calling out to us, He revealed it through Jesus, who was the embodiment of God. The words proclaimed by he who unveiled the invisible heart of God are the words of the gospel.
Because men cannot understand the mind of God, who exists in invisible form, and cannot hear His voice, Jesus came as the incarnation of God. Moreover, the Jewish people should have listened to the words he preached, and by going before him, they should have understood the true intent of God, which had not been understood for 4,000 years. Feeling the heart of God, they should have repented. Despite this, the Jewish people did not repent, but instead distanced themselves from Jesus. Therefore, from now on, you must make preparations so that you can understand the sorrowful voice of Jesus. What should you do in order to do this? The only way is that just as you listen attentively to words spoken in the worldly context, you should have the determination to believe in Jesus who stands before the multitude representing the heart and will of God. Jesus came as the representative of the invisible God and walked the course of atonement on behalf of ignorant man, who has only caused grief for Heaven for 4,000 years. Likewise, you should be able to fathom the heart of God who put Jesus in such a rueful situation and made him renew his determination.
If the Jewish people had been able to broaden their perspective and discern the voice that cried out on behalf of the internal heart of God, they would not have had any problem understanding the doleful words of Jesus, who came as the substantial body. Yet in what state were the Jewish people? They were content only with the words written in the Old Testament scriptures. They thought that God’s final words were all already written in the Old Testament.
This is not the only sorrow of God. The Jewish people did not realize that if they did not serve Jesus when God lifted him up to reveal and testify to His innermost heart, the sadness of Heaven would become the sadness of the earth. You should understand that Jesus was supposed to liberate God’s sorrow and suffering of the 4,000 years, but because the Jewish people did not recognize him, God’s sorrow could not be liberated. Furthermore, His sorrow continued.
Jesus Christ, who came to the earth representing the will of God and the 4,000-year history, had to go back without proclaiming the words of happiness. Consequently, 2,000 years of history have passed since Jesus, but when we look back on the 6,000 years of history today, we find that even now, the sorrow of God and Jesus is still deeply rooted on the earth. We should come to understand the sadness of God and Jesus and be able to consider God’s words of happiness and the words of Jesus. The reason Jesus came seeking us is not only to give words of sadness. In the laborious course of claiming back we who are like the lost lamb, God should not always speak grievous words. Since He spoke sorrowful words for 6,000 years, the moment the lost flock of lambs is found, there must appear words of such happiness that one can completely forget the 6,000 years of sorrow. You might think that such words of happiness will come from Heaven, but that is a great misunderstanding. Now we have to become the flock of lambs who will rush toward the heart of Jesus, who has toiled for 2,000 years, and toward the Lord who is to come seeking us.
We should not hesitate or be unable to find our direction after hearing the crying voice of the wounded Jesus Christ of sorrow. When Jesus Christ comes suddenly and calls you with a doleful voice, you should not flinch. What should you do? Before the sad voice of Jesus can be heard by you, you need to cry out in a sad voice first. You must be the first to shake heaven and earth with the cry, “My shepherd! Lord!”
Jesus who comes seeking you will then listen carefully to your cry; when he calls you again, he will not call in a sad but a happy voice. You should stand in such position.
We Must Testify to the Sorrowful Heart of Jesus
Today, we must testify to the sorrowful heart of Jesus. We should not just lament about having lost the shepherd, but we should also cry for the sake of finding the shepherd.
Likewise, we can only satisfy Jesus when we become people who can take responsibility for the path of suffering Jesus left behind. You must understand that today Jesus is searching for us with a sorrowful voice. In order to find us, he is repeating the pain of his life. Jesus, who represented the 4,000-year dispensation for the sake of saving humanity, could not live comfortably. He is coming looking for us today based on the foundation of his life of pain and suffering.
As you know, the thirty-year life of Jesus was a life of anguish. The thirty-year preparation period as the son of Joseph the carpenter was a life of pain and suffering, both internally and externally. He could not live freely in comfort like you. It is a great mistake to assume that he lived like the honored Savior of humanity. He was persecuted by his stepfather Joseph, Mary and even his younger brothers and sisters. He lived a life of agony in which he could not speak freely, though he had so much to say. His tribulations were not suffered for his own sake. He knew that if he did not represent the heart of God, there was no one else who could claim back the lost family, so he focused all of his heart and soul toward Heaven. Furthermore, when he saw people fighting among themselves in a pathetic environment for the sake of themselves and the surrounding environment, Jesus entered the course of a difficult and grievous life. Representing the living words of God of the 4,000 years, he put his life on the line and fought to build the ideal world.
Jesus did not receive proper treatment from the time of his birth until the time of his death. He led a lonely and difficult life just like the life in the wilderness. Such external tribulations are sufferings, but the internal anguish in his heart, hidden from others, is known only to God.
The Jewish people, who should have believed in and followed Jesus, did not recognize him and recognized someone whom they had little need to recognize. Living amid such people, Jesus longed for his life in the homeland.
His life, the things he ate and clothes he wore were not for his own sake and not for the sake of his own peaceful days. Jesus ate, clothed himself and did everything for others. He stepped beyond it all to live for the sake of God and humanity. The same can be said about each of his footsteps. However, there was not even one person who could understand the situation of the Messiah. There was no one who embraced the lonely heart of Jesus and said, “I understand your heart. I understand your feelings, so I will follow you wherever you go and become a friend who can comfort you.” Without a doubt, his disciples should have comforted him, but they could not comfort the innermost, heart of Jesus hidden from others.
For this reason, the thirty years of Jesus’ life became dotted with suffering and pain. From the first day of his three-year public ministry, when he preached the gospel, the words he spoke were not private words. They were not words spoken for his own benefit or for boasting about his skills. They were spoken to fulfill the will of God.
However, there was not even one person who tried to represent the people and become a friend to Jesus, who came to him with comforting words and good will. Jesus was mocked by the people in his own town and ridiculed by all the people.
Today, you live in an environment in which you can listen to the words of God in comfort. You should never lose this opportunity to relate with God in a free environment.
Jesus of Suffering
At that time, even when he was speaking the words of truth, Jesus had to do it secretly, and when he was listening to the words of God, he also had to hide. Consequently, they went into the wilderness. Even in the midst of that, Jesus tried to lure many people to the wilderness and teach them the words of God. You have to understand the heart of Jesus. He was determined to fulfill the will of God by propagating God’s words even if he had to use those means.
Likewise, during the course of his life, Jesus tried to spread the gospel to many people, but there was not even one person who welcomed it. No matter how desperately in earnest he was in his desire to disseminate the truth, there were many who did not understand. The more Jesus tried to fulfill the mission and responsibility given to him, the more people appeared who tried to obstruct him.
Miserable Jesus Christ, who was observing this and crying out to the multitudes in the wilderness all day, voluntarily began walking the thorny path leading to Gethsemane in order to appeal to God once more. You should reflect again on the hard-won accomplishments of Jesus, who went before God alone because his disciples all dispersed. Comforting God’s wounded heart, he tried to generate enough strength to fight with Satan again. You must understand that Jesus offered all thirty years of his life to lead the most painful of all lives. But this is not all. It is a great mistake to think that the suffering of Jesus came to an end when the thirty years of tribulations were over. Today, even after going to the spirit world, Jesus is still in great anguish.
Jesus is carrying on the dispensational providence centering on the one purpose of realizing the will of God, because the 2,000 years of history has been prolonged. He is leading a life of suffering even in this hour. His life of suffering was connected to the present.
How will this suffering then be resolved? It is not through all the things on the earth today. It is absolutely not through them. The only way for the longstanding suffering to be resolved is through your pain and suffering, you who can be responsible for today.
Therefore, Jesus disregarded the historical distance between you and revealed to you the suffering he experienced during the long process of the dispensation. You should realize this, and you should hold onto the painful hands of Jesus and comfort him. The responsibility lies with you today to place the deep-rooted suffering and grievance of Jesus on your own shoulders and give comfort to him. What happens when you have failed to stand in such a position? You should feel the tribulations of Jesus in your own environment. You should be able to analyze the suffering life of Jesus from within your own life.
What kind of sin did Jesus commit that he had to live all of the thirty years of his life in such pain and suffering? If he did commit a sin, it was that he was chosen as the Savior to bring salvation to humanity. You must understand that Jesus was in pain and shouted in desperation for the sake of humanity. We should have a repentful heart before Jesus today. Even within your own life, you can find traces of the suffering of the thirty years of Jesus’ life. You are to reap them, and you are to reap all of his suffering beginning from the time of his birth at the stable to his trials on the hill of Golgotha. You must even reap the traces of his suffering during the 2,000 years after the resurrection. You must understand this will of the whole.
The sorrow of Jesus did not end with just crying out in desperation. It did not come to an end with the tribulations and toils in his life. Many people today misunderstand and think that his sorrow came to an end through the difficult life he led and his death on the cross, but because the dispensation has been prolonged as a result, the sorrow of Jesus remains unresolved. Knowing this, you should put your life on the line and save Jesus from sorrow.
Since Jesus Christ has endured the pain and has walked this path full of grievance and suffering for 6,000 years until now in order to find us, and since he has put his life at stake and walked the road of the cross, you must hold onto Jesus.
Even when he was facing death on the cross, which put an end to the thirty years of his life, he earnestly appealed to God, “Oh Father. . ..” The appeal that the countless prophets had made with their blood in the 4,000 years should have been brought to fruition by the Jewish people. It was not, so how could they recompense their ancestors? There is no way they can compensate for it.
The person who requited the historical appeal of blood on behalf of the people and who paid indemnity was Jesus Christ. When the blood of Abel made the appeal through Jesus, there came about the liberation of the conditions laid by the countless prophets and sages who had shed their blood wherein they appealed to the earth, shattered and stained with blood, as well as to the Jewish people. The voices of lament and the cause that the countless sages and prophets had appealed for during the 4,000 years were answered through the death and resurrection of one man, Jesus. Because the grievances of the ancestors who had shed blood on the earth were addressed by the resurrection of Jesus, their will, for which they had reproached the earth and demanded liberation, had been realized. Only after that moment, men were finally able to bow as an offering before Heaven through Jesus who stood before us.
We Must Liberate Jesus
Jesus consummated the appeal of the blood of the sages and prophets who had been sacrificed because the Jewish people had not remained faithful to Heaven. At the same time, what did he leave behind for the future generations? Jesus left behind the blood of the death of crucifixion for ensuing generations. For this reason, when you stand before Jesus and when you reflect on your life, you will find that even in your own life there have been passes of blood that you had to cross. You must understand that while this is a compensation for the appeal that the sages and prophets made through their blood, it is also a recompense for the appeal of blood made by Jesus. So, when Jesus comes through the path of the cross and tells us to come, we should also go toward him through the path of cross. Now you have to deeply feel the zeal with which Jesus made the desperate appeal with his blood on the cross on the hill of Golgotha. His blood is now actively at work in your veins and arteries.
Jesus came seeking you by the way of the cross, but you have not understood his suffering until now, and you did not even take the cross away and reach out to him. Jesus, who walked the path of death and came to look for us while bearing the cross, is even now still crying out and appealing unceasingly for our sake. Even while suffering pain and walking the path of death, he is still working strenuously for our sake.
Now we are facing Jesus with the cross placed in the middle, and someone must resolve the grief and suffering caused by the cross. It is we of today who must do it. Without resolving it, we cannot graft onto Jesus and call him our bridegroom. This is the reason when Mary Magdalene called out, “Oh Lord!” right after the resurrection, Jesus stopped her. For the same reason, although Mary wanted to begin life in Heaven from the day she met the Lord, life in Heaven was prohibited for 2,000 years. We should understand this grief from the background of the cross, and we who have faith must bring the solution.
What did Jesus, who crossed the pass of crucifixion to come seeking us, leave behind? He left the mission of the bride and bridegroom. Accordingly, now the Lord will appear as the bridegroom in your prayers. You are the bride and the Lord is the bridegroom, and this is the appearance with which he will come before you. When you meet the Lord who comes as the bridegroom, you have to always think about the recompense of the blood shed on the cross.
What is left and what the Lord must give us is that he must find for us the path through which we can dismantle the cross and wish for the blessing to be given to humanity. He must show us the path through which we can go over the cross. We must cross the pass of the cross so that Jesus can hold onto us freely and we must bring liberation from grief by shaking off the cross. Unless we set the unchanging standard based on which we can dismantle the cross, the altar, heaven and earth, and the works of the Second Coming, will not be complete.
The Light, Water and Oil that Jesus Left Behind for Us
What did Jesus, who came seeking us, leave behind for us of this day? What is that which he has given us, having found us through his doleful life of suffering and death on the cross? Jesus left behind for us the light of life. He risked his life and came looking for us, and the gift that he brought was the light that lit up this dark world. Therefore, when we shed tears of gratitude while reflecting on the death of Jesus, we will come to understand his heart and his situation.
What is the next thing that Jesus left for us? He left behind water and oil. He left behind water and oil with which he can heal our wounds as we undergo tremendous ordeals and many wounds are inflicted on us. Accordingly, we must use the light Jesus provided for us to discover our wounds and wash them with the water and oil. Knowing our sins and realizing that we are naked, we must weave a holy gown and wear it. Such a time has come. Similarly, only after you have lit up your heart and mind to wash all the sins away, healed the wounds, and worn the gown, can you realize today the dream of Jesus who passed away 2,000 years ago. Now, we must light up the lantern in our hearts, wash our bodies with the water, and apply the oil to our wounds. Finally, after wearing the gown granted to us, we should bear the cross so that Jesus does not have to and bow before Jesus. This is the task man on the earth must fulfill. Do not wish for Jesus to bear the cross for you, but bear it yourself. It is not Jesus who should bear it; you must become the people who give out the light of life. Then being equipped with all the power, wear the gown that can represent the light of the eternal and unchanging value. After that, go over the cross to become the beloved brides who will hold onto Jesus and bow before him, saying, “Lord, please rest in peace eternally.” God is hoping these kinds of brides will appear.
Now you have to unravel the burdens Jesus left behind. You must inherit the light of the heart from Jesus, and receive from Jesus the blessings of water and oil, and then wear the holy gown. This gown is not to remain only with you as individuals. It will not apply only to you, but there must emerge many people who can become the brides by receiving the light, as well as the blessing of water and oil through you.
Prayer
Father of love! Please let us realize the grieving heart and be in awe before that heart by understanding how thorny the 6,000 years of history have been. We did not know what the gravest of all sins was, but when we come to the realization, we find that it was a great sin to consider the light that the Lord has given us only as our own. Although we possess the water and the oil, it was a great sin to hold it only for ourselves. Although we were wearing the holy gown, it was a grave sin not to have caused many people to wear the gown, although we have the responsibility to make people become faithful. It was a great sin on the scale of representing the 6,000 years that we could not make others believe.
Please let your children who have gathered here understand that more than committing sin themselves, it is a greater sin to cause another to commit sin, and it is a greater sin to have failed to give them the light, water, oil and the gown that Jesus left behind through his suffering. Father, please let the children who had scattered receive the hyung-sang of Jesus Christ and listen to his calling through the words I have spoken. Although they should be responsible for the historical difficulties and tribulations, including even the suffering of the cross, because they are inadequate and ignorant of Heaven’s will and the Father’s wishes, please encourage them and reveal Your will to them first; let them hear Your voice directly first. Loving Father, I pray from the bottom of my heart that, since they are trying to lead a life of goodness, You will lead them to live their life as they hope.
Please prepare them as the bride of the Lord and guide them to become children who can prevail over everything and bring glory to Heaven, and please govern over the new historical event. I entrust everything to You, so please govern us as You will and appear in the hearts of these who have gathered here. I pray that You will raise them up as the children who can represent the eternal glory of victory. I pray all these things in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Chapter 4: Jesus Christ Who Went and Came and Who Will Come and Go for the Sake of Heaven and Earth
May 23, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
John 14:2-12
Prayer 1
These young children have come before the Father’s knees seeking a way to gain new life, so Father, please receive them. We know that You have told us before that we are more precious than the whole universe. Since many people have gathered before this altar out of a desperate desire for life, Father, please allow those who have gathered here to represent the glory of the Father and to fathom the concerns and worries of the Father for the altar of happiness. I pray from the bottom of my heart that this hour can be the time when they can deeply feel Your heart.
We know that You have no choice but to believe in us, who are so unworthy, and we know that You have no choice but to rely on us to bring on the new history. Please forgive us, we who have failed to be trustworthy even when we knew that Heaven had no choice but to trust us and put us in positions of responsibility.
We could not even bear the responsibility to become those whom You could rely on, so Father, I pray from the bottom of my heart that You will forgive us in this hour. I pray most earnestly that You can accept us now as offerings who believe in the Father, who, depending on the Father, will be able to forsake even our lives and to offer them to You sincerely. Father, from among so many people, You have called upon us who are so inadequate, so please be in charge and embrace us with Your love of compassion.
Please lead us to offer all of our minds and bodies to the Father in this hour and to understand the Father’s heart of concern. I pray from the bottom of my heart, Father, that You will allow us to become the children who can take on and bring to fruition the one wish of Yours that You seek from us. When we see that Your heartbreaking situation and grief of 6,000 years of human history are continuing even today, we would like to beg Your forgiveness for the fact that we are the ones who are perpetuating the grief of our Father.
I pray from the bottom of my heart, beloved Father, that You will consider these people as the embodiment of the ideology and life of our Father and as the root of life in whom You can find joy. Please consider the children gathered here with sympathy. Father, I pray earnestly that You will lead them to pour out all of their hearts and to praise the love of the Father as exemplary children whom You have placed before the millions of saints, and to become the offering. Please govern over us, for we have entrusted everything to You. I pray in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Father! In this hour, bowing down before Your knees, hoping for the blessings of Your lofty and great love, are children who have been bearing their own cross and have been walking the thorny path headed toward Heaven even when they found themselves in lonely environments. Father, please come to them personally and embrace them with love, comfort their fatigued hearts, and revive their desiccated spirits.
If Father does not personally grab hold of us, where else can we go? We are pitiful children, so Father, please dwell with us personally and guide our paths personally, and help us to become children who can dash toward the cause You desire. Please personally govern over the bodies and minds of the children who have gathered here now, and since they have offered their hearts to you, Father, please bring on a new history and come to us with a compassionate heart.
Father! A steep and rugged path lies before us, so we pray sincerely that You will hold onto us personally and grant us the strength that can carry us through the road of death. Please embrace the ignorant ones who are just watching from the sidelines now, and please instill in them the audacity to dash forward to realize the will of Heaven. Please help them to march forward as the chosen children and brave soldiers of Heaven.
The apostles who bear the responsibility to awaken all the children who are fast asleep and to lead them to God have gathered here, so please help them so that they can fully carry out the missions they have taken on. I pray that You will help them become children who stand on a level higher than any other saints of the past and to love even Satan.
Help them to become children who respond to Your call and walk the right path. Lead them not to fall into the accusation and ridicule of Satan. Please help them not to become ignorant ones who interpret the heavenly laws centering on themselves. Please help them become children who can reveal the glory of the Father and increase the Father’s blessings on the earth.
Grant special blessing upon all the children who have gathered here in this hour in Your name, and please ignite the fire of life everywhere the worship service is offered so that they can come to understand the new dispensation of the last days. I pray earnestly that You will gather children who can multiply the glory of the Father on this earth.
How many children are there who are calling out to You, Father, building a hidden altar and seeking desperately for the way of Heaven’s will at this hour? The mission of finding these people also lies on the shoulders of the children who have gathered here, so Father, please give them the ability to fulfill that mission, and please gather all the children personally. Please let the day come quickly when we can raise high Your great and glorious will. We have the mission to find and raise before You the 2.4 billion people of this earth who are fast asleep. So, Father, please bring the fire of life and grant the miracle of resurrection to every place we confidently proceed with the words that You have given us, so that we can unveil the happiness and glory of the Father in this land.
Please give us the unshakable faith to believe that the responsibility lies with us to liberate the desperate heart of Jesus, who has been working strenuously for the sake of humanity for thousands of years, and to remove the grief of Jesus who appeals to the Father on our behalf. Please lead us not to abandon the standard of Heaven before we fulfill all of our responsibility as men. Allow us to become children with whom only Heaven relates. Father, please dwell in this place now, and help us become children who complete their responsibility and receive the blessings of Heaven.
Please help us not to forsake the missions we have taken up and raise us as capable children whom the Father can love, children who can reveal the glory of the Father until the last day, so that there will not remain any surviving grudge. Personally embrace those children who build a lonely altar in difficult circumstances and call out to You in appeal. Father, please work with them so that there will come forward many children of Heaven who can support the Heavenly will. Father, please grant miraculous works personally in this hour. Please bless us so that we can return to our missions after receiving the words of life with which we can walk the eternal course.
Please be with us until the last moment of this hour so that when the children who have gathered here go back, they can bring with them the beautiful spirit and great blessing of Heaven, so that as they go back they can offer praises to the Father. I pray all these things in the name of the most beloved Lord. Amen.
Prayer 3
Father! Please allow us to understand Jesus, who had to leave the disciples he loved and go to the eternal world by passing through the cross. Let this hour be an opportunity when we can deeply feel the heart of Jesus Christ. He gathered his beloved disciples, who had followed him through all the happy as well as the sad moments for three years, and with a heart of concern, made a desperate request.
I pray from the bottom of my heart that we can become beloved children who cultivate a sensitive and responsive mind by fathoming with our minds and by experiencing with our bodies, so that we can move in oneness with His will and offer ourselves as humble sacrifices. Please allow us to feel the heart of Jesus, who knew that many who had followed had fallen away and that only the twelve disciples remained; who sensed that even in such circumstances, Judas was shortly going to betray him. I pray from the bottom of my heart that we can deeply experience with our minds and bodies the heart of Jesus when he found that the three years of his public ministry, trusting and working with his followers, had come to such a tragic and lonesome ending.
Father! Please allow us to understand the anxious heart of Jesus who faced the road of death and was having a direct one-to-one conversation with Heaven. I sincerely hope that we can grow to become objects of comfort by offering ourselves as living sacrifices, bowing before the Father. Please do not leave us alone but be with us personally, so that this hour of gathering will not add to the grief we had when we came here. I sincerely wish that Father will take charge of all aspects of our lives. Please let the beloved children understand that Satan is found everywhere around them, and please lead them not to possess a soft and complacent heart that can cause them to yield to Satan. Beloved Father, let us have the right attitude toward You in our minds and bodies. Let this hour be the time when we can possess a spirit of carrying out the mission and building the victorious altar with all of our hearts and souls. Please remove humanistic mentality and knowledge from our environment. Wishing that the speaker and the audience can join their hearts into one and become a source of happiness and glory for the Father, I pray in the name of the loving Lord. Amen.
The topic of the sermon today is “Jesus Who Went and Came and Who Will Go and Come for the Sake of Heaven and Earth.” I will speak briefly on this topic.
The Position of Adam and Eve in the Universe
It is an undisputed fact that the reason God created all things in heaven and earth is that He wanted to become glorious. Consequently, He first created the invisible, angelic world. Then as the symbol of the invisible, substantial world, He created the visible substantial world. After that, He created Adam and Eve as the center and representatives of the spirit world and the substantial world.
Adam and Eve should have shared the same fate as heaven and earth, as long as the universe remained unchanged. In other words, Adam and Eve had the fate to move according to the way that heaven and earth moved. Accordingly, if Adam and Eve would change, then heaven and earth would also change. If the center of Adam and Eve were shattered, then the center of the universe would also be undermined. Adam and Eve were created with the binding condition that if the center of the universe were destroyed, as the result, the center of the Creator would also be damaged.
Because Adam and Eve fell, the center of the universe was out of line, and as a result, the center of the Creator was also put out of line. Consequently, God had to set up another center of heaven and earth, and by having the created world become harmonized centering on that, He had to make the center of the Creator and the center of the created things become one and the same, not two. When this can be done, earth will rejoice as heaven is happy, and heaven will rejoice when earth is happy. What is more, both heaven and earth will be eternal, and when heaven is intoxicated in unlimited love, the earth will also be intoxicated by boundless love.
As long as the fate of the Creator is not off the line, the fate of the created world will remain unchanged. Everything was ruined because the center of this created world, Adam and Eve, fell and thus everything was not in harmony in their direction and center. The history of the dispensation purposes to restore all this. Six thousand years of the history of the dispensation of restoration have passed, and we have arrived at today. God’s dispensation of love surfaced through many saints and sages. While love was revealed symbolically through them, the substantial dispensation of love was demonstrated internally and externally through Jesus, who came as the culmination of the love of the whole. Therefore, his heart represented the center of the invisible world, and his body represented the center of the visible, substantial world.
Because the Jewish people who should have recognized the identity of Jesus did not know him, God had to send him down the path of the cross. You have to understand that as a consequence, the whole of heaven and earth has sunken into darkness.
The Purpose of the Words and Life of Jesus
The only purpose for the coming of Jesus Christ was to establish the eternal, unchanging center of heaven and earth by cultivating the heart of the Father who created the universe. Jesus came to this earth to establish that center.
Jesus did not speak in order to set up some center for himself. He was not trying to establish the center for some district of Jerusalem or a village in Israel. He was trying to establish one center that could connect to the center of the whole spirit world and the center of the Creator. His acts were not merely the acts of an individual. His wishes were not an individual’s wishes. The battles he engaged in were not fought on the individual level. The goal that he hoped for was to stand firm as the unchanging center that can embrace the whole universe and all things. Transcending all things and passing through the invisible world, he then purposed to reach all the way to the position in which he could represent the heart of God, the Creator. You must understand this.
You must understand the words, life and actions of Jesus who had such wishes. His actions were the embarkation points to build heaven and earth anew. The words he spoke had the power of recreation for the purpose of realizing that one will.
You must understand that in the thirty-year preparation period and the three-year course of practice, Jesus spoke words in order to re- establish the unchanging center of heaven and earth lost at the time of Adam and Eve. Because the Jewish people did not believe in those words, Jesus, who was supposed to become the center of the spiritual and physical worlds, succeeded only as the center of the spirit world and failed to become the substantial center of the physical world.
What did Jesus live for until the time he went over the pass of the cross? First, he toiled and suffered for thirty years after coming to the earth for the sake of the land, but his purpose was not to reap the harvest of his accomplishment on the earth. The one center, supposed to be realized on the earth by joining the spiritual and physical worlds, should have been completed within one substantial being, Jesus. Because the spiritual and the physical were split, the body of Jesus, which was the center of the substantial being, was destroyed. You should know that as a consequence, because only the spirit of Jesus was consummated in perfection, the 2,000 years of history from the resurrection until today have been the time when the dispensation of restoration was carried out centering on the spirit world.
Jesus resurrected after he passed away on the cross. After his resurrection, he worked on the earth for forty days before he went back to the spirit world. Similarly, the fact that Jesus passed away and then resurrected, and after that ascended again, symbolically demonstrates God’s work of creation.
There is a verse in Genesis, “And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day.” (Gen. 1:5) Then there must be a night. The three-day period that Jesus spent in the tomb corresponds to the nighttime. The thirty years of his life was the daytime. Jesus worked hard for thirty years to find and raise his disciples. After this toilsome course, the resurrection was like ushering in a new morning.
The resurrected Jesus tried hard to erect a lantern on this earth, but he could not do it. Although it might seem that he was resurrected to set up a lantern on the earth, in actuality, because he resurrected centering on the spirit world, he could not remain on the earth but went back to the spirit world. What this signifies is that Jesus, who had ushered in the day time after passing through the night, greeted the evening again and left for the eternal world.
Jesus Had to Recognize People Who Said They Did Not Know Him
Then what is left? Nighttime is what is left. The eternal morning should have come when Jesus came, but because he passed away, a time period equivalent to the evening remained again. The responsibility for the nighttime was left unfulfilled by humankind. Because Jesus was forsaken, we have to take responsibility for that.
Just as Jesus completed the responsibility for the nighttime and established the standard of victory by winning over Satan on the cross, today countless Christians who remain on the earth have the fate to cross the pass of conflict in this nighttime. When you cross the pass of this nighttime, you will be resurrected by following the example of Jesus, and together with him will usher in the glorious new morning: the time of the Second Coming. Jesus Christ came to this earth and lived thirty years of his life for the sake of this earth. Because Jesus came for the sake of this earth and the people upon it, even if people on the earth oppose him and say that they do not know him, he has to recognize them.
When Jesus passed through the Garden of Gethsemane and went toward the hill of Calvary, even the disciples left him. When Jesus was hung on the cross, there was not one who said that he knew him. None of the disciples said that he knew Jesus. Although there was no one who claimed to know Jesus, because he came for the sake of the earth, he recognized the people on the earth who said that they did not know him. This was done when he resurrected and went to the shores of the Sea of Galilee looking for the disciples. Likewise, Jesus left a path on the earth through which men can come to understand. After forty days, he ascended.
Now, because Jesus recognized us even when we did not know him, even if we live in a land that does not acknowledge him, we must recognize him. Consequently, during the 2,000 years after Jesus came and left, men have been seeking him in their hearts. Just as Jesus came to the seashore looking for the disciples, to recompense for the grace of Jesus, the believers in the faith had to seek the path to Heaven that Jesus went for 2,000 years. This kind of lifestyle has continued until today. Now then, for what purpose did Jesus go to the kingdom in Heaven? Because Jesus, who came for the sake of the earth, had to fulfill the will of Heaven even after he went to the spirit world, he has been working until now for the sake of Heaven’s will.
If Jesus, who came for the sake of the earth, goes to the spirit world and does not establish the standard of having recognized men after he already set such a standard on the earth, people cannot dwell in the world where they are not recognized. So, for 2,000 years until today, he has been praying before God in order to set the standard of acknowledgment in the place he was not recognized.
It is written that Jesus prays on the right side of God for the sake of men, yet what kind of prayer is he offering? He is offering a prayer of blood and sweat. If men on earth say that they know Jesus on the earth, then when Jesus goes to the spirit world, he will say that he knows them. Similarly, unless Jesus changes the situation so that he can say before God that he knows them, the spirit world that men go to is not acknowledged by the Father. Therefore, ever since he went to the spirit world up to today, Jesus has been praying before God that he knows us. You must understand this well.
When Jesus comes back after going through this, how will he come? When he comes, he will combine the work on the earth and the work in heaven and then come. He will come taking on the responsibility for the work on earth and the work in heaven. Therefore, today we must also walk the same course of suffering as Jesus until the day that Jesus, who resurrected from the death on the cross and ascended to Heaven, comes again. Moreover, in this time that corresponds to the morning of resurrection after 2,000 years of night, when Jesus comes back having established the one center that Heaven welcomes, then you should sense in your heart that Jesus is coming toward this earth.
Until now, our mentality of faith has been such that we have been looking up to Heaven and admiring Jesus. This has been the motto and standard of our faith.
Today We Must Adore the Holy Spirit
Now there remains one thing we must adore. What would this be? We must adore the Holy Spirit, who is working for the sake of the earth. You have to understand this. Many people have been loving Jesus spiritually for 2,000 years until now, but today, they must also love the Holy Spirit. We must reflect that we the believers of faith and all of humanity must do that. Similarly, the time has come when we must love the Holy Spirit and perfect the body of the bride.
Since the Holy Spirit is the bride of God, we must make ourselves up as brides and prepare ourselves to be brides, and love (the Holy Spirit). When this takes place, Jesus can go to the spirit world and rest. What is more, we are to create the one center of heaven and earth, and, centering on the earth, we must enter in pursuit.
We who have been longing for the spirit world in our hearts must now love the Holy Spirit, who is working directly with us. Thus, by loving Jesus, who is the spiritual symbol, and by loving the Holy Spirit, who is the physical symbol, our mind that longs for spiritual Jesus and our body that yearns for the physical Holy Spirit can become one. Because of that unity, the center of heaven and the center of earth can finally become one within the mind and body of each of us. When done, Jesus can stand forward representing us, and the Holy Spirit can also stand forward representing us. We can appear representing the will of Jesus and the Holy Spirit and humanity. You must understand this.
With what kind of purpose does the Lord then come to the earth? You must create the center of Jesus and the Holy Spirit within yourself. You who have a living, physical body must follow the example of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who symbolize the spirit world and the physical world, and become perfect as the substantial central being that combines the spiritual and the physical. This central mission is the mission of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is returning to build this one center.
The Mission of the Followers in the Period of the Second Coming
What should we do then in this day and age to support the one providence? We should not merely think about how Jesus went to the shores of Galilee to look for the disciples he loved. Jesus Christ will not always come looking for you. Each of you is to become a bride and serve Jesus. Because Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the center of heaven, you must become the center of the earth by defining a center within you around which your mind and body can become one. Thereby, you establish the one standard based upon which you can be dealt with as one entity. At this time, you are not just to long for Jesus. Now the Holy Spirit must find a body, and we are to look for Jesus on the earth and serve him in her place. You must find and build one such center.
Jesus, who desires this one center, has put the Holy Spirit forward and toiled for 2,000 years for your sake. Now you are to return your debt to Jesus. Although Heaven sent Jesus Christ to the earth as the center who represented the spiritual and the physical and set the standard of completion spiritually, you must seek and serve Jesus Christ in order to bring to conclusion the remaining physical dimension that is not yet complete. If you can accomplish this fully, then in your heart you can attend Jesus, who has been working so strenuously until today.
Humanity must now go before Jesus and take after the mind and body of Jesus, as well as the mind and body of the Holy Spirit. They must then appear before heaven and earth and all things with confidence and become someone who can be proud before God for having raised up his or her individual self.
You must be able to take pride in yourself before Jesus and the Holy Spirit. What is more, you must be able to be proud of yourself before the apostles. By doing so, you can go before the Father and declare with pride, “Father, You who have worked arduously until now for 6,000 years! I am going to subjugate Satan, the enemy for 6,000 years, with my own hands. So Father, please trust in me and do not worry about Satan anymore.”
Moreover, you should have the attitude, “I have eradicated the grief caused by sin and evil, which has soaked all the gardens of created beings. So Father, please let this extricate all the lamentations bound tightly in heaven and earth.”
God could not rear and love His beloved children for 6,000 years. Although God wants to love us, He cannot sincerely elevate and love us. Although Jesus and the Holy Spirit can come to us and love us, God cannot love us until we believe in the words.
The Responsibility of Those Who Believe
For this reason, we today must represent Jesus. Erecting the one center, we must confidently pronounce, “Dear Father! I will be responsible for all the sins and grievances of men on earth. Father, You who have longed for a chance to love humankind for 6,000 years, please love me with the original love at the time of the creation.” You must go before the Father yourself and say courageously, “Father! Please love me. Father! Please love me.” God’s will behind the creation of heaven and earth can be realized in you through Jesus Christ only when this is done.
Jesus came for the sake of the earth and labored for the sake of Heaven. You must represent the whole world of creation and the unlimited spirit world and stand confidently as their central figure before Jesus, who has toiled for the sake of heaven and appeared as the center of heaven and earth. Only after you do that can you take part in the world where Jesus will bring the bliss of heaven and earth. Then God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and you can come together and live in the world of happiness. You must not forget this.
Prayer 4
Father of love! When we look at the 6,000 years of history broadly, it was nighttime until now. We are at the threshold of the morning that is now appearing, admiring the sight of daybreak.
When we look at it from a broad perspective, we are now on the verge of leaving the night behind us and entering the morning hour. Today, when we must greet the morning time, I have briefly spoken about how we must pass through the dark night to prepare for the blessing of resurrection; how we must focus our hearts on Jesus who dwells in Heaven and be the substitute body for Jesus who is concerned about the earth. Then we must become one with the Holy Spirit who has come to establish the physical center. Having done these things, we must then attend Jesus in that center to establish the spiritual center. Only after that can we be elevated as the one center that embodies the original heart of the Father who created heaven and earth.
Are we living only for the sake of the earth? I know that such a life is only half of what it should be. Are we living only for the spirit? This, too, only constitutes a half.
Until now we have lived a life in which we followed Jesus in order to climb up. From now on, please allow us to come down together and love the Holy Spirit in order to realize the hope of Jesus for the perfection of the bride. Please lead us to love the Holy Spirit’s spirit and nature as a bride and let her grace and virtue become a part of our minds and bodies. In place of Jesus being unable to consummate the physical plane, please allow us to stand as perfected beings with the help of the Holy Spirit and elevate us as the one central figure who can represent the whole ideology of creation. Based on this, please allow us to boast before all things as the original center of heaven and the center of the heart that is connected to heaven, earth and the center of the Creator. Please raise us up as the center of the garden of creation, so that we can attain the position of a son who can say, “I have the confidence to move the heart of love hidden for 6,000 years, so Father, please love me.”
The toilsome history has continued until today for the purpose of realizing this, so Father, I earnestly wish and desire that You will allow us to stand as the object of love who believes in the calling of the Father. I pray that You will put us in the position of children who can look down upon the creation from the same position as You and be Your pride before the creation. Let the words that these beloved children of Yours have participated in during this hour become a part of their minds and bodies so they can stand as the center of life. Let them represent the truth and the center of the created world and the Creator so that wherever they go, they can be flawless and not lose sight of the center. Father, I pray sincerely that even when the night falls upon them, let their hearts dwell in the day. No matter when or where the Lord, the Holy Spirit, or the Father appears before them, let them remain faultless and fully prepared.
I now conclude my speech, so please be with them forever in the course of their lives. I pray in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Chapter 5: Like Jesus, Let Us Return the Glory of the Resurrection to God
May 27, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Matthew 22:34-40
Prayer 1
Beloved Father, how much did You want the Jewish people and the believers in Judaism who did not believe in Jesus to repent? Please let this hour be a time when we can feel deeply with our minds and bodies the course of Jesus, who was chased out, driven out and could not rest in peace. We cannot help but then deeply feel and take after the heart of Jesus. Isn’t it Your will that such a heart finds its place among us? Isn’t this also what we desire?
Please allow us in this hour to clearly understand that it is our responsibility to bear the burden of the course Jesus walked and of the words of the gospel that Jesus left behind. It is also our responsibility to fight with millions of satans and to return the glory of victory to the Father. Just as Jesus had a desperate and earnest heart toward Heaven, allow us also to have the same heart toward Heaven.
Please allow us also to believe in Father’s words of truth and life and to step forward with audacity just like Jesus, who spoke with courage to the people who had gathered in their faith in God. Lead us to not boast about our present selves before Jesus and not to bring our hardships and situations of today before You. There are many here who fall prostrate before the Father, so please do not let them become shameful. Lead them to have the same attitude as Jesus and to represent the heart of the Father. If Your will is that someone appears before humankind without hesitation any time and any place on behalf of the will of Jesus Christ, then please, Father, remember these children who are prostrated here. Please visit each of them and give them direction.
Father, even when he was being opposed, Jesus spoke in defense of Heaven and was concerned only about the will of the Father. He fought to accomplish it. Yet has there been a time when we rebelled while we were living for the sake of the will of God and Jesus? We have often complained and grudged against the will of God.
Father, please forgive us. Now we will courageously proclaim the will of the Father before humanity, so Father, please lift up those who have gathered here as the brave soldiers of Heaven and as the children of the Father. Please command us, advise us, seek us and put us in the position where You can be proud of us. Father, I earnestly hope and desire that You will love and guide us.
Please allow Your capable hands to be a part of this gathering from beginning to end and allow us to have the heart of a meek child. Father, I pray that this can be the time when we can become the children who can be offered to the majestic Father as living sacrifices and be recreated into the original selves.
We do not need many words in this hour, so please allow the inspiring work of life to overwhelm the whole of our minds and bodies. We earnestly request that You can enlighten us with the words so that we can sing the Father’s happiness and testify to the Father’s glory. I pray in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The title of the speech that I want to reflect on with you is “Like Jesus, Let Us Return the Glory of the Resurrection to God.” I will speak briefly on this topic.
The Ideal of Creation and the Purpose of the Coming of Jesus
The Garden of Eden is the garden where God’s glory is revealed and all things live in happiness and offer a bow of delight to God. The purpose of God’s creation was to build that kind of garden. What is more, man should have unveiled on the earth the glory for which God hoped. It was the responsibility of our ancestors, Adam and Eve, to reveal the glory of God in substance, but because they fell, that will was not realized. The original garden in which God wanted to materialize the ideals of creation and live in joy could not be built due to the fall of man. Therefore, until now, humanity has passed through the path of conflict, fighting with the forces of darkness and wishing for the glory of resurrection. This is the course of the 6,000-year history.
As God passed through history until now, He has accomplished the glory of the resurrection of the whole and the unfinished work of the resurrection of the whole. The trillions of living things on the earth and the billions of heavenly soldiers and angels hope to usher in the day when they can sing the glory of God and offer bows of gratitude. God has sent countless saints to the earth to bring about such a day. After 4,000 years, Jesus, the only begotten son, was sent as the manifestation of the internal heart and external self of God and as the embodiment of glory. Since the person of God’s glory had come, people should have rejoiced and returned thanks. In other words, the chosen Israelite people and the Jewish sects raised up for the sake of the dispensation should have revealed the glory of Jesus in his place, but they failed to do that. You must know that as a result, Jesus had to leave behind the grief of sorrow and resentment. When we look at the words Jesus left behind, he did not speak them only for the sake of the people who did not believe in him. He was speaking to humanity. Jesus was determined to die for the sake of God. He knew that the path which lay ahead of him was a fate he could not avoid. Because Jesus knew that the fallen people could not fulfill the will of God at certain points of history even as they were pouring out their hearts and souls, he cried out boldly, “You are to love God with all your heart, soul and strength.” You should not mistake these words to apply only to your own selves.
The Words Jesus Spoke
What is the meaning behind those words? Jesus felt to his bones the distressed heart of God, which saturated the 4,000 years of history with tears. Accordingly, he felt that it was his responsibility to serve God. He felt that no matter when or which hour he had to represent the heart that could not be revealed in the 4,000 years of history, he would be the champion who offered his life and fulfilled the dispensational will completely. This is the theme that he elucidated.
The glory of Heaven should have emerged as the glory of Jesus, and the glory of Jesus should have appeared as the glory of humanity. The glory of humanity should have reached down to every one of all things in the universe. However, you must understand that because Jesus and the people separated, the glory of resurrection and the glory of gratitude that Jesus brought about remain today as the hope of humanity.
Jesus came as the glorious incarnation of God. Jesus was the victorious incarnation who offered all of his heart, soul and strength for the sake of God. History had never seen such a man before. You have to understand that within Jesus, the heart of God left a permanent impression. Furthermore, you have to understand that before Jesus did his utmost, it was God who gave all that He had. Before Jesus exerted all of his nature and character, God had done it first. Similarly, it was Jesus who appeared as the incarnation of the gospel and the mediator.
Therefore, Jesus’ words of truth were not felt standing on the sidelines. They penetrated through the ideology behind the creation of man; they were the glorious ideas that could enhance the value of the whole, and they were the words that could reveal the hidden heart of God. You must understand this.
You must not think that the words that God spoke were given because He loved only you. The reason that Jesus spoke those words was that he wanted to materialize the will of God, who had toiled to raise him up. Just as God had done His utmost for Jesus, Jesus testified that men must exert their utmost for God, but these words could not be realized.
God Has Offered All of His Heart, Will and Character in His Pursuit
Accordingly, now we must honor God with all of our heart, will and character, and we must understand that it was God who first offered all of His heart, will and character to seek us.
What kind of heart did God possess toward men during the 4,000 years? He did not have the mind-set of living for His own sake. Although men deserved to die at once and suffer pain, God gave all of His heart to men and persevered through the 4,000 years of history. He walked the path of conflict in which He separated Satan from men. Similarly, you should understand the nature of God who has persevered, fought, and loved for 4,000 years with an unchanging heart.
Jesus, who appeared before such a God, offered all that he had to build a nation of God centering on the Jewish people. Consequently, the thirty years of his life was the time of sacrifice when he offered all of his heart. During the thirty-year course, he did not try to distinguish himself before the people, but in silence he tried to experience the heart of God, who had persevered for 4,000 years.
By doing so, Jesus unraveled the mysterious facts surrounding Satan in the 4,000-year course of history, and he revealed it after attaining proofs of it in the spirit world. Furthermore, in the thirty years of his life, he bore the responsibility to reveal the secret of the universe hidden deep inside the 4,000-year history, build the substantial foundation for the internal perseverance of God, and build the external substantial foundation. Therefore, the more he found himself in difficult circumstances, Jesus felt the urge to be self- seeking, but he could not even think about doing it. You must understand that Jesus felt the heart of God, who had persevered to find one man, Jesus, during the 4,000 years of history. To emerge as the substantial being who could liberate God from that history, Jesus spent thirty years of his life preparing himself.
Until this hour, God had not made excuses for His situation to anyone. He had not complained about it to humanity or to the enemy, Satan. Because Jesus was trying to understand everything about the heart of God, even when he was lonely, he did not complain to anyone and persevered. You have to follow the example of such a lifestyle.
Nonetheless, God persevered for the sake of Jesus, and Jesus did not persevere through it for himself but for the Father. In other words, Jesus felt that God had walked the path of torment to find him, so he persevered not for himself, but for the sake of God.
Similarly, because Jesus forsook himself for thirty years of his life and persisted for the sake of God, he exceeded Satan in perseverance. Satan had been struggling desperately to destroy the path that God had persisted on for 4,000 years. However, Jesus knew that God’s perseverance surpassed that of Satan, so he believed in the Father and persisted with patience just like Him. Thus, he could become the incarnation of patience and persistence. Similarly, Jesus himself stood on the foundation of the heart of God who had persevered for 4,000 years, and using that as the launching pad for victory, he stood above it and fought with Satan. Yet even if he won with his patience, if he could not lay a substantial foundation of victory, the heart of God who had persevered for 4,000 years, would be destroyed.
Jesus Defeated Satan with the Heart of Patience
During the thirty years of his life, because Jesus displayed patience centering on God’s will even when he was in an unbearable environment, because he could abide by the will of God and persist even when Satan could endure no longer, Jesus was lifted up as the symbol of patience and became the hero who could fight with Satan.
God walked through the 4,000 years of bloody history for the sake of finding one man, Jesus. What is more, even while men struggle vehemently to attain the things they greedily desire, God has walked the historical course of conflict for the sake of men. Similarly, God fought the satan in us for 4,000 years, but He did not fight for His own sake. Nonetheless, Satan was fighting for his own glory. Moreover, even now, he is fighting with God centering on himself. Yet God never fought for himself. The purpose of God’s fight was for the sake of pitiful humanity and it was to find one man, Jesus, through the chosen people.
What kind of man did Jesus appear as? He appeared as the materialization and personification of the victory that God had won over Satan in his fight during the 4,000 years. Likewise, Jesus came to the earth as the champion of the conflict who stood in place of God. The three-year course of his ministry was the course in which he acted upon his responsibility to inherit the will of God, which had established the internal foundation of victory, and to secure the external foundation of victory on the earth. In this three-year course, Satan fought with Jesus for his personal victory, but because he was defeated, he mobilized the people and waged another fight.
Jesus never fought centering on himself, no matter how much difficulty he faced in the battle. Jesus said that he observed the deeds of Father and acted accordingly. He walked the three-year course of public ministry as the incarnation of conflict representing God and as the substantial representative who unveiled the internal heart of God. Jesus never engaged in a fight to try to vindicate himself. Just as God could not speak in defense of Himself, Jesus did not try to vindicate himself when he was fighting with Satan before humankind. He served God with an unchanging heart of gratitude for God’s tribulations during the 4,000 years suffered for his sake.
Jesus, who realized that the will of God manifested itself as the course of conflict in the dispensation, carried on the fight in order to realize externally the will for the whole that God had set internally. In this fight, Satan was fighting for himself, but Jesus was fighting for the sake of Heaven. This is where the foundation of victory was laid.
What is the reason that Satan was defeated? It is because he fought for his own sake. However, the purpose of Jesus’ fight was for Heaven. What is more, because Jesus fought with the resolution that since God remained unchanging, he would not be changed until the end, he could lay the foundation of victory. Moreover, just as God poured out all of His mind, will and character, Jesus showed the same example before humanity.
Jesus Is the Substantial Representative of God
In this way, Jesus represented the internal character of God and, persevering through all difficulties and sorrows, he could inherit the heart of God, whom he loved. Therefore, no matter where he was or in what position he found himself, Jesus fought with Satan as the substantial representative of God’s will and love.
During his fight, Jesus learned that when Satan attacked centering on a selfish purpose, its influence reached not only to Jesus himself but also to God. Therefore, no matter what kind of difficulty he was facing, just as God had persevered for him and humanity and just as God had fought with Satan in the course of the dispensation, Jesus persevered through the thirty years of his life by himself and fought on. Similarly, until the final moment when he took the last breath on the cross, Jesus’ life was lived as the embodiment of God, putting into practice and revealing God’s love. However, his life course, the course in which he put God’s love into practice, was a course riddled with ordeals in which he had to constantly fight with Satan every step of the way.
Why did God give Jesus to Satan to be hung on the cross? This is not because God did not love Jesus. Do you know how much God loved Jesus? You have to understand that the highest of God’s love is received when one surpasses the point of death. Therefore, in order for you to receive the love of Jesus who comes in place of God, you have to have the mind-set to even cross the pass of death. At that moment, Satan will surely submit. For 4,000 years, God looked down on the world with sorrow and worry by Himself, but when Jesus stood on the earth, centering on him, a new battle with Satan unfolded. Jesus forgot everything about himself and fought on for the sake of God. Not only that, because he did not have any selfish desire even when he faced death, he could manifest the power of resurrection. Today we must also pass through the same course of victory as Jesus.
Jesus offered all that he had to possess the eternal life of God and exhibit the glory of God. Moreover, he offered himself as a sacrifice for the sake of wicked humankind. We have to understand the love of Jesus who raised his hands and prayed for the sake of humanity to the point that he even forgot the opposition of Satan.
Because Jesus unveiled a love that cannot be found in the satanic world, Satan had to submit to that love. Satan wanted to make a claim for himself, but through Jesus, he felt ashamed of himself. Therefore, as a result of the crucifixion, not only did God feel mournful, but also men began to feel doleful, and Satan also felt sorrowful. You have to understand this. It was not just God and men that mourned over the death of Jesus. Satan also mourned over the death of the love of Jesus. Therefore, the greater the remorse that Satan feels, the greater the fruit that the love of Jesus will bear.
Based on the victory of the cross that testified to his love, Jesus could forge an immutable link with God who had been carrying on the dispensation for 4,000 years and who became the embodiment of unchanging victory and love. Because Jesus became one with God representing heaven, earth and men, since God remains unchanging, he also will not change.
God had tried for 4,000 years to manifest the glory, but that will was not realized until he found one man, Jesus, through whom He tried to realize it. Therefore, Jesus tried to manifest the will on the earth through men. Although Jesus was supposed to emerge as the substantial proof of the 4,000-year dispensation of God, because of the crucifixion, that will was trampled upon by Satan. Nonetheless, as the eternal incarnation of God, Jesus demonstrated the glory of God, who had been carrying on the dispensation for 4,000 years. That is none other than the glory of the resurrection. You must understand this.
Jesus Manifested the Glory of the Resurrection
Jesus’ resurrection was the first representation of the glory of Heaven and the glory of victory won in the fight with Satan in the 4,000-year history. Because Jesus had demonstrated the standard of victory on the spiritual and substantial level, God raised the deceased Jesus to unfold another dispensation. Through the crucifixion, Jesus took on the responsibility for the 4,000-year history of the dispensation and the responsibility of the ancestors. Representing the glory of Heaven, he ascended to heaven. This is what the resurrection and ascension are about. Similarly, Jesus came with the purpose to evince in substance the internal glory of God on the earth. In other words, he came to demonstrate fully the glory of God. The complete glory must combine the internal and external glory. This is the mission that Jesus came to fulfill. In order for the glory of God to be fully displayed, the internal glory of God endowed in Jesus should have become the glory of the earth through the unity of the Jewish people with Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus, who should have been in charge of the 4,000-year dispensational history of God, and who should have realized the glory of God on the earth, had to die on the cross due to the unfaithfulness of the Jewish people. As a result, the internal glory of God became spiritual glory only. Therefore, Jesus ascended after having realized incomplete glory.
What is the ground upon which Jesus, who came as the representative of men, creation and the love of Heaven, must establish victory? It is none other than the earth.
The Holy Spirit Took on the Responsibility for the Fight on the Earth
Who is then to be responsible for the course of conflict that remains on the earth? While Jesus inherits the internal fight of God in the spirit world, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit on the earth and join our efforts to win the victory in the fight of love, the purpose of which is to bring the internal fight and dispensation to completion in substance.
This fight will not just be engaged in spiritually. It has to be fought physically and spiritually. Moreover, you must understand that the fate lies with us to bring victory in the battle. In other words, it is our destiny to inherit the internal fight of God that Jesus took on in the spirit world and the fight on the earth that he carried on by sacrificing his thirty-year life for the sake of saving humanity. Therefore, you must now pray and cry out, “Father! Jesus! Holy Spirit, please give me strength,” and give all that you have for the realization of the historical hope of Heaven on earth.
Jesus came to the earth as the culmination of the 4,000 years of work and suffering, and as the first perfected person for which God had wished. However, there remains before Jesus the course that was not completed in the thirty years of his life. Moreover, there remains deep remorse for not having completely manifested the glory of God even during the fight in the three-year course of public ministry. His heart of love that shed blood on the cross is left behind on earth.
Consequently, when we put ourselves before the Father and make criticisms about ourselves, what should we do? Jesus fought with Satan to fulfill the will of God. Even after Jesus passed away, he labored arduously with the Holy Spirit for 2,000 years. You must follow the example of Jesus. What is more, you must remember that when he went forward before God and engaged in the victorious battle, it was not a matter of one day, but of the whole thirty years of his life. You must fathom the heart of the Father, who has carried on the dispensation for 6,000 years, and the heart of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who were desperately trying to bring the will to pass.
If in your own course of perseverance, you cannot pour out all of your heart and persist, then because of you, the will of God who has mourned for 6,000 years, the will of Jesus for which he toiled his whole life, and the will of the Holy Spirit who has worked strenuously for 2,000 years since the death of Jesus, will all be greatly hindered. You must understand this clearly. Therefore, you must carry on the fight for the sake of this will.
Our Mission
Jesus was severely opposed by enemies. When he was chased out of one village, he went to another. When he was persecuted there, he sought refuge in another place. Even in the midst of that, he never acted in defense of himself. He came with the life of the whole of Heaven, but he could not manifest it. In this way he was persisting in a silent battle; even on the hill of the crucifixion, he completely forgot himself and fought with Satan for the sake of testifying to God’s will and love.
Therefore, if you have a heart of love and strive to raise Jesus up, then it will not bring sadness to Jesus but will make him happy. You must consider this and act on behalf of the thirty years of the grievous life of Jesus and represent the heart of God, who has waited patiently until today. You must represent the heart of the prophets who built an altar and worked through the people to fulfill the will of God, and the heart of Jesus who loved humanity. By doing so, you must do the same work as Jesus, who did not elevate or love himself and who made Satan sorrowful by setting the standard of victory. You must bring all the conflicts of the 6,000 years to a conclusion.
You must win victory in all kinds of courses of conflict through perseverance. Moreover, you must be victorious in the fight to testify to the will of Heaven. You must act on behalf of Jesus Christ. You must possess the victorious heart of the will, glory and love behind God’s perseverance of 4,000 years. Just as Jesus completely forgot about himself and toiled only for the sake of realizing the will of Heaven, you must forget yourself and bear fruit in the glory of the whole that God desires. You must bear the fruit of victory with your mind and body.
Accordingly, you can sing a song of the glory of Jesus in your heart and sing a song of the glory of the Holy Spirit in your body. In our hearts, we must represent the glory of the resurrection of Jesus and in our bodies, we must represent the glory of the resurrection through the Holy Spirit. This is the only way that the Holy Spirit can enter the glorious position of resurrection. Although Jesus already commands the glory of resurrection and ascension, the Holy Spirit does not yet possess the glory. Until today, there has not appeared one substantial being who spiritually and physically represents the glory of God who has been guiding the dispensation for 6,000 years. Today there must emerge someone who can represent the glory of the victory won by the love of Jesus; someone who can stand in the position of glory established by the resurrection of the Holy Spirit. You must realize that unless you emerge as the substantial embodiment like Jesus, who fought with his mind and body to fulfill God’s dispensational will of the 4,000 years, the will of God cannot be gloriously manifested.
What are we to do from now on? You have to understand that the Holy Spirit, who possesses the utmost will, heart and character, has come to the earth. Therefore, unless a substantial representative of Jesus Christ, who acts on behalf of God’s will, and a substantial representative of the Holy Spirit appear on the earth, God’s will cannot be fulfilled. You must understand this. What is more, you must understand that you bear the responsibility even to liberate the Holy Spirit from this earth. If the will is not accomplished today, in the last days, then the purpose of God’s 6,000-year dispensation cannot be reached. Accordingly, you must reap the victory in all the battles fought for the sake of bringing to pass the will of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You must go over that course of conflict and perseverance to bring to full light the glory of the Trinity.
Chapter 6: Let Us Fulfill the Will of God’s Love That Seeks to Bring Unification
June 6, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
The topic of today’s sermon is “Let Us Fulfill the Will of God’s Love That Seeks to Bring Unification.” I will speak briefly on this topic. The content of this speech is something you know very well. You even have it memorized. You consider it to be the most important words of truth in your life of faith and the center of the good life you are seeking.
The Hope of God in Working Through the Prophets
Because the will of God was not fulfilled due to the fall of Adam, the dispensation of restoration has continued through the course of history until today. God’s original will behind creation was that God and men would live in harmony centering on one purpose and with one love. With heaven and earth rejoicing in the love of God, love would be established as the actual center of life around which everyone could live as one. However, due to the fall of Adam and Eve, the love of God remained only as the love of God. In other words, the love of God, which should have been connected to men, could not make the bond alone. It had to abandon men and all of creation.
Consequently, God has spent the last 6,000 years hoping for the day when, centering on the love He wanted to implant, He can bring together all of the creation and live in joy with them. However, until the present, all created beings remain unable to unite centering on the love of God, and the ideology and hope of God’s love remain unfulfilled. Thus, God has been propelling the dispensation forward to accomplish His will at any cost. Likewise, although God has worked for a long time since the fall of man to fulfill His hope and to find the heart to trust and love men, until now, He has been unable to accomplish and find it.
When we look back at the history of God’s dispensation, we find that by raising Abraham, God was trying to establish the immutable standard of hope, ideals and love toward men. Only when the will of God is fulfilled as such, only when such a center of love is established, can the relationship between God and men be built. Based on that relationship, God can feel the joy of a new ideal. This is the reason He chose Abraham and lifted him up. Nevertheless, because Abraham could not establish the center of love, from then until the time of Jesus, God was laying the foundation to fulfill the will of Heaven’s love.
Hence, the 4,000-year history until Jesus was the period in which God had to find one person who realized the hope, faith and love of God. If such a person were not found, then God’s hope, faith and love would have become divided and unification would not be possible in any period of history. God first laid the foundation of hope. After that foundation, He laid the foundation of faith. On that foundation, He tried to lay the foundation of love. Eventually, He was trying to usher in the day when He could present before heaven and earth the incarnation of all these, the demonstrative embodiment of the hope of the whole, the faith of the whole and the love of the whole. However, if He could not bring about such a day, then the ideal of unification centering on the love of God could not be accomplished on the earth.
To bring about such a day, God worked hard to lay the foundation, dividing the 4,000 years of history since Abraham through Moses and John the Baptist into these three stages of hope, faith and love. Jesus Christ was the very person who came as the substantial incarnation on that foundation of hope. Because Jesus Christ appeared as the incarnation God had longed for, he was the ultimate culmination of the dispensation of God, which God had led with hope for 4,000 years.
Jesus came as the culmination on the earth and he disseminated the New Testament gospel brought about by the divine will. In other words, he promulgated the gospel of faith. Since then, 2,000 years of history have passed centering on that gospel of faith.
The person who is to come on the foundation of the accomplishments of the gospel of faith, representing heaven and earth and emerging as the incarnation of the love of the whole, is none other than the Lord of the Second Advent. What is God trying to do at the time of the Second Advent? You must understand that the purpose of the 6,000-year history of God’s dispensation was to sow the seed of life on the grounds of faith built until now that they may bear fruit centering on the Lord of the Second Advent.
The Central Element of the Completed Testament Age
Today we look up to God as the center of our hope and faith. Moreover, we look to Him as the center of love. God, who exists as the center of hope, faith and love, led men through the Old Testament period. That represented hope, and the New Testament period represented faith. From now on, we must pass through the Completed Testament period, which represents love.
What can remain as the eternal, unchanging, central element of the Completed Testament, which is the time of the Second Coming? It is the love of God. While it is the central element of the whole, it is also the element of the ideal of the whole.
For this reason, men have passed through the dispensational course of hope and faith for the sake of this love until now. However, you must understand that if you do not walk the dispensational course of love, then the foundation of unification that God must build on the earth centering on love will be shattered.
Jesus Christ, who came as the center of faith on the foundation of hope, spoke his words in an attempt to implant faith on the earth. If the people of his time had received Jesus Christ as the culmination of hope, the center and embodiment of unlimited faith and as the one who could testify to the eternal love of God and bring unity, they then could have possessed and experienced the limitless hope and faith and the original limitless love of God.
However, because their disbelief caused the death of Jesus, in our life of faith today, we can perfect the incarnation of hope, of faith and of love only spiritually. What is the standard of victory of God’s love? Every being in the universe moves centering on the love of God, but because Jesus, who came as the incarnation of God’s love passed away, the whole dispensation collapsed.
Jesus hoped that he could come as the hope of God’s 4,000 years of labor, the center of all things, and become one with God. The human ancestors’ hope to become one with God was shattered because of the fall of Adam and Eve. So, centering on Jesus they were to unite with the ideal of God and arise as the embodiment of faith, but it was fulfilled only on the spiritual level.
Accordingly, we today must now inherit the unaccomplished work of Jesus and accomplish it. Just as Jesus became the spiritual and physical embodiment of hope, we must become the same and represent him. Just as Jesus was the embodiment of faith, we must do the same and represent him. What is more, just as he was the embodiment of love, we must become that kind of person. Having done so, we should stand before God and represent the hope, faith and love of Jesus. Furthermore, as the embodiment of the Holy Spirit’s hope, faith and love, we must fulfill her mission on her behalf.
This is the mission that we on the earth today, after the ascension of Jesus, must accomplish for the sake of the Father. Accordingly, when we complete that mission, we can bring about the conclusion of the hope of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, we can bring about the conclusion of the faith and love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Only after you bring everything to this conclusion can the Lord of the Second Advent come to this earth.
Men Should Have Become the Embodiment of the Faith, Hope and the Love of God
God’s hope was not His own; it was for the sake of men. God’s faith also did not belong to Him, but was for the sake of men. Moreover, God’s love was not for His sake but for the sake of men. Therefore, men must act on behalf of that hope, faith and love of God. When that is done, God can take such men before all things and brag about them as the ones who represent the hope, faith and love of the whole.
To put it another way, He can brag that they are the center of hope for which all things wish. Moreover, He can brag that they are the heroes in whom all creations, any being in heaven or earth, can believe. Not only that, He can brag that they are the center of admiration whom all beings can love.
Just as Jesus Christ appeared as the mediating incarnation representing the love of God, we today must receive the hope, faith and love of Jesus and present ourselves before even the most evil people as living proof of the one hope, faith and love. Unless we become such people, no matter where we go, we cannot set the condition to indemnify the standard of the hope, faith and love of Jesus Christ. Therefore, today we must make recompense to Jesus Christ who came to the satanic world as the embodiment of the hope, faith and love of God.
You are to return the debt to Jesus, not for partial hope, partial faith and partial love, but you must pay back the totality. Men have tried until now to set the one standard on the earth to recompense, but they could not return the whole. Nonetheless, you must understand that Jesus tried to reveal the process through the three main disciples. Who is the person who emerged as the fruit of faith? It was Peter. Who emerged as the culmination of hope? It was James. Who emerged as the fruit of love? It was John.
As these three people took responsibility for one section of the gospel of Jesus and joined as one, we today can obtain the fruit of hope, faith and love. What is more, the history of the dispensation moved along hoping for that to take place. Therefore, the final path is for the three people to become united and to form one perfected body. This is the last teaching Jesus left on the earth.
Therefore, in order for you to emerge as the last perfected person, you must become the representative of Jesus. If you do not stand as one being of substance whose root is in the three disciples of Jesus, you cannot go before Jesus the bridegroom, who raised up the three disciples before he ascended. As you think about this, you must fulfill the hope and faith with which Jesus raised Peter. You must bear the fruit of the hope invested in James. You must reap the fruit of the love endowed in John.
If you can do that, in other words, if you can become brides who can stand before Jesus in the last days, then you will feel within yourself the joy of the fulfillment of the will that God has yearned for in the 6,000 years, and you will offer gratitude to the Father. Furthermore, you must unveil the happy news that the hope of the faith that God has longed for in history has been realized through Jesus and on behalf of all things. Thus, you must become ones who feel joy while the Father feels joyful and return gratitude toward Him. You must understand that such a task remains with you as the historical responsibility.
What the Dispensation Demands
The time has come when you must bear the fruit of hope, the fruit of faith and the fruit of love by calling out, “Oh Father!” What is that which is asked of you? You must understand the heartbreaking sorrow of God as He held onto hope for 6,000 years. Moreover, you must come to feel the toil of God in His attempt to establish faith for 6,000 years and understand that He has repeated the course of sacrifice for 6,000 years in order to perfect love.
For Jesus, the dispensation of faith is the practical course that represented the fruit of God’s hope of the 4,000 years. The work of the Holy Spirit was the practical course that represented the faith. Moreover, the work of unification was the next practical course that represented love. Likewise, Jesus built the path of the dispensation with hope. Then with the Holy Spirit, he sowed seeds and multiplied them and tried to unite all that were multiplied.
Accordingly, you must actualize the love of God, the love of Jesus and the love of the Holy Spirit. What is more, you must realize that the time when the hope of Jesus is transformed into the hope of God is the time of the Second Advent. The time when the faith of Jesus is transforming into the faith of God is the time of the Second Advent. The time when the love of Jesus is being disseminated as the love of God is the time of the Second Advent.
If the fruits of Jesus’ hope, Jesus’ faith and Jesus’ love are not materialized in you, then you must find another center of the hope, the faith and the love of God. This is the task bequeathed to you.
To find them, what must you do? You must realize the hope of Jesus, inherit the hope of the Holy Spirit, and inherit the faith and love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Having done so, you could say, “Father, I now understand the toils of the Holy Spirit. I understand the hope of the Holy Spirit. I understand the work of the Holy Spirit carried on with faith. I realize the hope of Jesus. I realize the faith of Jesus. I understand the love of Jesus.” You must understand that on the earth today, there must emerge someone who will go before the Father and say these words.
What kind of being is that person? The hope of that person is the hope of Jesus, his faith is the faith of Jesus, and his love is the love of Jesus. When that one person brings them into union with the hope, faith and love of God, God can finally conclude the purpose left behind as the unfulfilled wish of Jesus and fulfill the will. Accordingly, that person must surpass the prayers that Jesus has been offering until now for our sake on the right hand of God, and step forward before Heaven as the perfected being both spiritually and physically. What is more, when such a person appears and experiences the joy of Heaven through Jesus, God and men can finally become one. You must understand that we must proceed forward until this point is reached.
Consequently, we must feel deeply the heart of Jesus whom God labored for 4,000 years to give rise to, and the heart of the Lord of the Second Advent, for whom Jesus toiled 2,000 years to find. Moreover, since Jesus Christ could not materialize the hope of going beyond spiritual perfection and physically complete the substantial manifestations of hope, faith and love, it is our responsibility to bring them to completion.
The Lord of the Second Advent is the Representative of Faith, Hope and Love
We must find the Lord of the Second Advent, who is to come centering on the love of Jesus and build the relationship with God through which we can communicate with Him. What should we do to accomplish this today? We must emerge as the demonstrative, substantial manifestations of hope, faith and love. If the Lord of Second Advent comes on such a foundation laid by you, the hope that God held toward Jesus will be realized through you. Therefore, the Lord of the Second Advent will come forward as the hope of the whole, the faith of the whole, and the love of the whole.
Nonetheless, when the Lord of the Second Advent emerges as the love, hope and faith, you are not to rejoice by yourself. You are to thank him because he is the cause of happiness and hope. You must thank him for the fact that you can grow as the substantial embodiment of faith. When you do that, the whole of heaven and earth will respond to you and relate to you as the embodiment of love. In such a way, you must feel the movement of all of heaven and earth.
In such feelings, you are a pioneer to fulfill the hope that God held in Jesus through the practical course that can substantiate hope. Moreover, you must pioneer the works of the Holy Spirit, which represent faith. Furthermore, you are to put into practice the life of service that represents love, and through unification become people whom humanity can serve in glory.
For this reason, to realize the final love of God, you must possess the practical hope, the faith and the love of the Holy Spirit. At such a moment, you can live eternally, attending the Lord and attending God.
What is more, we today must overflow with joy before the creation and humankind on the earth. You are to build an era when the whole world can feel equal joy and live eternally.
Wherever you go, you must become the practical grounds where the hope of God is realized, where the faith is put into practice, and where love is incarnated. The will of God must be fulfilled on the earth, and the hope that He wanted to realize through Jesus must be realized through us and be linked to the creation on the earth. Moreover, when the joy of God is connected to the creation through men, the unification that God hopes for is completed.
Consequently, to be elevated as the source of the hope of God, you must first ask yourself whether you have felt joy as the fulfillment of the hope representing the whole creation in heaven and on earth. Moreover, you must ask yourself whether you have become someone who can rejoice on behalf of the faith that sustained countless people’s belief in God up to now. Going one step further, you must ask yourself whether or not you can feel the love coming from and offered to God.
However, the one person who comes as the fulfillment of everything is the Lord of the Second Advent. In other words, the Lord of the Second Advent is someone who comes as the representative of everyone’s hope, faith and love. When he appears, you can possess his hope, the faith of the Holy Spirit and love only if you have already made preparations to serve him. Moreover, at such times you must go forward to fulfill the will of God and put it into action. Accordingly, you must appear as the incarnation of the hope and the embodiment of faith and love who has transcended the emotions of the people who live in the fallen realm of the world today. If such persons exist on the earth, the Lord of the Second Advent will come for them.
For what purpose does he seek after those people? He comes to physically conclude the mission that Jesus Christ left behind unfinished. He comes to fulfill the will centering on the spiritual and the physical, which God has hoped for during the 6,000 years.
Accordingly, when a person who can be an example in respect to that will appears on the earth, no matter what kind of unknown person he is, you must serve him as the being of hope, faith and love. The one world where the ideal of unification has been realized centering on love also possesses hope and faith. Therefore, you carry the momentous responsibility of ushering in the day when heaven and earth can respond to your life centered on love.
The Practical Foundation of the Lord of the Second Advent
Even if the Lord of the Second Advent comes on the earth, there must first be the practical foundation laid by men. Even if he is the representative of the eternal love of God, he must have the foundation of men like you. Such an important responsibility lies upon your shoulders. Accordingly, you must understand that you represent the 2.4 billion people of humanity and countless ancestors who have gone to the spirit world. Furthermore, you are the hope of all things in heaven and on earth. All of heaven and earth wish that you would become the substantial body of faith and the demonstration of love.
Thus, from now on, you must feel this in your heart. No matter what you do, whether you are eating, starving, living or dying, you must testify to and protect the center of the whole in your daily life. By doing so, you must return joy to God through all things in nature. You bear such a momentous responsibility today.
When you reflect on your past life of faith, have you become the living proof of having fulfilled the hope? The problem is whether you have become the living proof of having fulfilled the faith and love.
When you become such people, you will feel that the hope, faith and love of Jesus are really the hope, faith and love of God. Accordingly, you must now feel the hope, faith and love of God given to us through Jesus.
If there is someone who feels this, such a person is directly living in the grace of God. Moreover, such a person will naturally manifest the hope, faith and love of God even when he is not trying to. If you become such people, then wherever you go, you can share with others the hope of God, the faith of God and the love of God.
You must keep in mind that in place of God you can serve the Lord of the Second Advent, who can only come upon such a foundation.
Prayer
Beloved Father, we thought that the reason the will of the world hidden deep in the universe had not been fulfilled lay in You, but we now realize that the responsibility lies also with us in the fall of man. We realize that as long as God’s eternal hope remains, eternal hope also remains in us. As long as the eternal will of the faith of God remains, the eternal will of the faith also remains in us. As long as the eternal practice of the love of God is not completed, the responsibility lies in us to form the manifestation of eternal love.
To inherit the history of indemnity today, we must inherit the hope of the 4,000 years and manifest it as the hope of the 6,000 years. We must inherit the faith of the 4,000 years and manifest it as the faith of the 6,000 years. We must inherit the love of the 4,000 years and manifest it as the love of the 6,000 years. Since the responsibility remains with us to stand before God and secure the hope of the 6,000 years as eternal hope, the faith as eternal faith, and the love as eternal love, please forgive our inadequacy and insufficiency. Please forgive us our lack of loyalty and filial piety. Please forgive us for having elevated ourselves.
The time has come now when the hope of humanity is to be realized. The faith is to be fulfilled. The love of humanity as one essence is to be manifested. Yet where is the fulfillment of that one essence? Although we are unworthy, please awaken us to realize that we must prepare ourselves anew as the brides.
At such a moment, the toil and suffering of Jesus, who brought perfection on the internal level, can bear fruit through us. They can appear in the ideals of the Second Advent and can unfold the external history.
We believe that the ones who must play the central roles in heaven and earth today are the devout believers who stand before the word of the Second Advent in the last days. Although You, Father, want to entrust in us Your eternal hope, we are concerned whether or not we can be entrusted with that hope. Although You want to entrust in us the love of God, we worry if we can be entrusted with the love.
Taking responsibility for everything on behalf of the Lord, we will go before the Father as unchanging people who belong to the Father’s love and as the eternal tribe of hope. We will become the tribe of eternal faith and eternal love. Please lead us to understand that such a responsibility has been assigned to us.
The purpose of Jesus, who is the victorious center of the chosen Israel, must be realized through us. In other words, we must realize the essence of hope, faith and love, which represents the whole. Now, after the work of the Second Advent, we must stand up as the fulfillment of the hope of Jesus, as the heirs of the faith, and as the heirs of the love who must take on the mission that Jesus had carried out on the earth. Please let us understand this clearly.
We who stand at the pass of the fall now are in the process of restoration, so we must be able to say, “Father, we will take on the burden of realizing the Father’s hope, faith and love,” and we should be able to return the hope, faith and love to the Father. Furthermore, we must stand before humanity as the center of love. We know that only when we become the victors who can receive the Father’s love by doing these things can we obtain the qualifications to represent the ultimate glory in the last days. So, please guide these children who have gathered here to become people to whom Father can proclaim, “You are my hope; ones that I can believe in and love.”
Therefore, the Father’s joy must be turned into the joy of this earth, and the love of the Father must become the love of this earth. The hope and the faith of the Father must be turned into the hope and faith of this earth. Please allow us to bring horizontal joy to the Father while we uphold the ideals of the Second Advent, and please allow the Father’s will to be realized through us and allow its glory to be exhibited before the whole created world.
We must be able to sing the glory of Moses through our life and daily living. Please allow all of us to become one through the love of Moses. We know that all of the 2.4 billion people of humanity and the countless saints in the spirit world have one thing to be proud of, and that is the fulfillment of God’s will. So, we earnestly request that we can take the fulfilled hope, faith and love as the eternal pride and make them the center of heaven and earth. We offer these words of prayer in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Chapter 7: Let Us Become People Who Pay Back Our Debts
June 10, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Matthew 18:21-35
Prayer 1
God of creation! Your beauty is manifested in all the created beings, and everywhere Your hands have touched teems with mysterious and radiant beauty. Please allow us to fathom the distressed heart of the Father who, even today, is ceaselessly trying to find the beauty in us which is the purpose of the creation of men. Allow us to return beauty to You for Your love.
Please allow us to come forward with the original heart at the time of the creation. Please allow our body to emanate beauty in its sinless form right after its creation. Allow our mind and body to attain the original perfection which represents the heart and love of God, so that when You move, we move and when You stop, we stop.
We have come to realize that this is the model that You have been working on throughout the history of the dispensation of restoration. What we have to find is our mind and what we have to complete is our body, so please allow us to find and complete them. Raise us up as people who can offer bows in front of the original beauty of the Father. Please allow us to offer songs of gratitude and glory before the Father. Please allow us to understand to our bones that this is the purpose for which You have worked so hard.
Because we have inherited the fallen lineage, we have abandoned Heaven and have led lives centering on ourselves. Abandoning the Heavenly way, we became selfish people, so please allow us to turn back and be guided by the original heart connected to Heaven. Allow our original mind to inspire our body and find our original self that Heaven can claim.
That being done, please allow us to remove the grievances that all things hold against men and eradicate all the lamentations of heaven and earth. Please raise us up as children who can humbly bow before You and receive Your love.
Please be in charge of all the children who have gathered here. I know that they have acquired many wounds during their fight with the world during the week. Although their minds and hearts want to believe the will of Father completely, if there are any who have succumbed to Satan’s temptations, please forgive them.
Please heal the wounds they have received and embrace them with Your compassionate love. Father, I pray and wish sincerely that You may pour down the oil of love to make us complete.
Even though we might not have prepared the gifts that we should offer to You, please allow this hour to be an occasion when we can at least put before you our meek and humble hearts and repent, unveiling all the sins that have permeated through our minds and hearts. Allow this to be a time when we can lay bare our hearts before You. Please, Father, in this hour let them become absorbed naturally by the operating power of Your love. Let us feel unity and harmony with You in our minds and bodies.
Father, You who have worked so strenuously to bring up those who have gathered here, You have walked side by side with us on the thorny path. You have been a friend to us when we were lonely. You have been our shield when we were fighting. Yet we know that this was not because we were worthy, but because the great light of Your hidden love and comfort has been with us, so please take charge of our lives today.
Father, please manifest the will You desire as love in this hour, and allow us the blessing to represent the will You are advocating and to bow and sing praises to You. My father, our members everywhere have bowed down facing this one place. Building the altar of obeisance, they are praying before Heaven. Please appear before them with the same grace and love. Because of this, please allow them to remain in the last days and complete their missions in the places to which they are assigned, and guide everyone to adore the center of harmony.
Please lead us to reveal before the thirty million people a new will and give them a stimulating new impetus so that when others walk toward evil, we lead to the path of goodness. My Father, I sincerely wish that You reveal the loving hands and the miracles of the love of the Father.
Please do not forsake even one of the members that You have called. Embrace them in Your bosom of love so that they can feel the grace of the leading works of the whole. We entrust to You the remaining hour, so please govern over us. I prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The topic I want to speak about is “Let Us Become People Who Can Pay Back Our Debt.” I will speak briefly on this topic.
Men Owe the Debt of Sin and Toil
Originally, when God created the universe, He did not lay down the principle of owing debt. The purpose of God’s creation is to build a relationship of oneness with men though they (God and men) have the form of two entities. They are to give and receive, and whatever belongs to one belongs to the other.
Because Adam and Eve, who were created for this purpose, did not fulfill it, from that time to this, countless created beings have come to owe infinite debt to Heaven. Jesus Christ was the one God sent to open the way for men to pay back the debt incurred by the fall. As we passed through the course of history based on Jesus, we have been paying back the debt. Moreover, through this kind of lifestyle, we have been seeking eternal life.
Although you might think that you have qualifications you can present before the universe, you must understand that while you do not realize it, you have the debt of sins that you have inherited in your lineage through the thousands of years of history. Moreover, besides that, we possess the debt of God’s suffering and toil accumulated during His dispensation for men. Besides that, we have the debt of toil collected through the restoration work of the countless prophets and sages or Heavenly soldiers and angels.
When we reflect on this, we realize that we have no way to pay back the debt we owe to the universe today and have no way to be dignified. Nonetheless, the one that came to represent us and restore our dignity before the universe is Jesus Christ.
The Debt of Eternal Life, the Debt of Life, the Debt of Love, and the Debt of Karma
Since the time of our birth, we should have possessed eternal love centering on God. When we were born through our parents, we should have already represented the love of God. Moreover, centering on us as a couple, we should have represented the love of parents. We should have also built a relationship of love with all things.
Because we could not become such people, men owe a debt of eternal life to God, and we owe the debt of life to our parents. We owe the debt of love to couples, and we owe the debt of karma to the creation.
After God created the universe and all things, the reason He elevated Adam and Eve to be the center of all things was to give eternal responsibility to men. Consequently, we bear the responsibility to give eternal love. In other words, because Adam and Eve did not follow the will of God and were dragged into the bosom of Satan, the debt for the life centering on the eternal love of God remains unpaid in each of us today.
Moreover, after we have been born through our parents, we owe a debt to them because they have loved and taken care of us in their lives. We also owe a debt for the love of God, which must be paid back by living the life of a couple. To all things, we owe a debt for the love that nature has given to us. When you reflect on this, you must understand that we today owe a debt to God for eternal love, to our parents for life, to our couples for the love centering on life, and to all things we owe the debt of the relationship of love which we have incurred in our daily life.
As the center of the creation, you must be able to display dignity. You must realize that men owe eternal debt to God, the debt of their lives to their parents, the debt of love to couples, and the debt of life to the creation. The creation demands that men pay back all of this debt.
Jesus Came to Pay Back the Debt on Behalf of Humankind
However, based solely on the ability of men, that debt cannot be paid back or canceled. Thus, Jesus was the central figure who would make it possible for such people to go before Heaven. In other words, he would allow them to represent the eternal parents and stand before Heaven, represent the eternal couples and stand before Heaven, and represent the eternal love of the creation and stand before Heaven.
Because Jesus Christ came, the eternal love of God was manifested. The accomplishments of love that God wanted from men were revealed. Jesus was the one who came as the embodiment of love representing the eternal parents. Moreover, Jesus also came as the fruit of love representing the eternal couples. It was also Jesus who built an eternal relationship of love with all things. Accordingly, in the one person of Jesus, the 4,000 years of long history is connected. Even the eternal future is connected to him.
Although Jesus came to pay back the debt that the fall of man had incurred to the eternal God, the eternal True Parents, and the creation of goodness that was not infiltrated by evil, he had to leave the earth before he could pay everything back. Therefore, we must pay back the remaining portion.
Centering on Jesus, we must build a relationship with the creation, the couples, the parents and with the eternal God. We must realize that unless we do that, the purpose of the coming of Jesus, who came for our sake, will again stagnate in the state of incompletion.
When we closely observe the course of history, the period until the coming of Jesus was the period of worshiping nature. It was the time when men believed in all things in place of God and stayed close to nature in place of God. Next, people focused on their children more than on anything else.
After passing through the time of worshiping all things and the period of worshiping the children, we entered the period of worshiping the bride and bridegroom. Now even that period of worshiping the bride and bridegroom is also passing by.
The period of worshiping the parents is the period that lies ahead of us. The time will certainly come when we can elevate the parents more completely. Therefore, our bodies must create a relationship with God. We ourselves must join in union with God and, while observing all the mysterious natural phenomena, we must live a life of direct intuition in which we stay within the bounds of the relationship of life with God.
The gleaming sunlight and the blowing wind, we must build a relationship with all these creations, which represent the pulse of the eternal life of God. Although we have not been able to feel anything until now, when we center ourselves on Jesus, we can feel new things and build a new relationship of heart with all things. Moreover, we can build a relationship centering on God’s principles of possession.
After that, you can rejoice with the creation and simultaneously be dragged into the realm of God’s love. You will lead a life in which you can attract that kind of love to you at will. When you enter the realm of such profound grace and stand before Heaven, you can whisper with any part of the creation.
There will not be any existing created being, such as the sound of the wind, that does not have a relationship with men. Therefore, we can conclude that all things of the creation, created for the sake of men, exist to manifest their true value through the relationship with and by being recognized before men.
To Pay the Debt Owed to All Things
Nonetheless, because we dwell in the fallen realm today, we do not know how to recognize the value of all things. Therefore, you must realize that when you feel new love coming from God, all things can also feel new life. You should lead a life in which you can brag and set the highest standard of love. Even if you are alone, you must be able to sing of the boundless love of God. If you become this kind of person, your heart will never feel confined.
When this happens, then all things can be in harmony because of us, so we can feel at peace no matter where we are. This cannot be blocked by any force. God set this one standard as the purpose of creation and chose men as His representatives who would fulfill the purpose. He sanctioned men to have dominion over all things, but humankind today cannot command dignity before all things. Rather, today we stand in a position of unspeakable grief before all things.
Therefore, just like the words written in the eighth chapter of the epistle to the Romans, what all things wish for is the appearance of the sons of God. The reason is that all things should have become connected to God through the mediator, men, who represent the love of God, but due to the corruption and the fall of men, the essence of their ideal has been demolished. Consequently, even today, 2,000 years after the coming of Jesus, the creation longs for the fulfillment of that one purpose through us.
When we think about this, we can understand that while we are not aware of it, we have incurred a debt to the creation. We owe a debt for the hope it holds in us.
We ourselves must obliterate the debt. While we must become qualified to attain oneness with the creation, we must also become the children of God whom all things can love and to whom all things can give. Furthermore, we must become the children of God and receive the love of God.
One Who is Qualified to Pay the Debt of Love
Jesus and the Holy Spirit are giving new birth to you. Having obtained the elements of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and after passing through the position of the children, men are heading toward the position of bride and bridegroom as the goal. Today we are inspired and moved by the Holy Spirit by believing in Jesus. Relying on that power, we are moving forward.
What is it we must accomplish by ourselves? Even if the grace of the inspiration of Jesus is not given and the Holy Spirit does not make a deep impression, we ourselves must perfect ourselves as the bride as if we have received a deep inspiration and impression.
This is not being manifested in the Christianity of today. Today we also feel the love in the position of the bride only when the Holy Spirit is at work. Since we have grown up with the aid of the works of the Holy Spirit, even if we do not receive the grace from the Holy Spirit, we should learn to long for Jesus as the bridegroom. If you can only accomplish it with the continued aid of the Holy Spirit, then there is no way that you can pay back the debt for the love of husband and wife on the earth.
Therefore, even if we do not receive inspiration from the Holy Spirit, we must become the bride who can serve Jesus as the bridegroom. This is the only way that we can become the couple who is established in the original position before the universe and someone who is qualified to pay back the debt of love.
What would fallen men do after they are restored to the position of bride and bridegroom, after they pass through the positions of all things and the children through the dispensation of restoration? Because we could not be linked with the love of the True Parents, who took responsibility for our life and loved us, we must indemnify the debt for the love of the True Parents, who were elevated based on God’s will of creation. You must recompense spiritually and physically for the debt of universal love which the True Parents have displayed in their concern for our lives.
In other words, after we are restored as the bride and bridegroom, after passing through the positions of all things and children through Jesus Christ, we must find the True Parents. Nonetheless, the people of today’s world do not realize this. They must find the True Parents who have not fallen for the sake of the fallen parents, but they do not know when these True Parents will appear. The True Parents appear at the time of the Second Advent.
The Time When We Must Pay Our Debt to the True Parents
In the Christian churches, they talk about the Marriage of the Lamb, centering on the ideology of the bride and bridegroom. What kind of people are the bride and bridegroom, centering upon whom the Marriage of the Lamb is conducted? They are the people who have become connected with the True Parents through love.
Jesus Christ came to the earth on behalf of the universe and humanity. To pay indemnity for the debt that humanity bears, he has been at work until now. For this reason, you must pass through the position of all things, the positions of the children and the bride and bridegroom, and, centering on Jesus, usher in the day when you can serve the True Parents. Only after the mission to serve the True Parents is completed in this way can the love of the True Parents, representing the eternal God, emerge on the earth. At such time, the mission of Jesus comes to its conclusion.
Jesus wished that the purpose of the dispensation of restoration in the spirit world could be materialized in substance amid all things on the earth. Therefore, if the followers today who believe in the resurrected Jesus cannot pay back the debt of the bride and bridegroom and realize the purpose of the True Parents and usher in the day when they can offer the prayer of restoration on behalf of humanity, then there is no way that the debt of eternal love to God can be paid off.
Therefore, Jesus also stands in the position of someone who has owed a debt for 2,000 years. Because he could not complete the will of True Parents, he still has the responsibility to pay back that debt on behalf of all humanity. However, that responsibility does not end as a spiritual responsibility. When the position of Adam and Eve before the fall is restored, and, centering on the eternal life of God, we form the family that can represent the True Parents amid all things and sing and bow before the love of the eternal God, only then can the purpose of the 2,000-year course of the history of Jesus be concluded.
Longing for the fulfillment of this one purpose, Jesus has been praying earnestly before God for 2,000 years. By doing so, he tried to establish the highest standard with which to claim back the original world of God, who created the universe and all things.
If the fall had not taken place, the love of True Parents would have become the pivotal point around which the husband and wife, children and all things could build a relationship. However, because men fell, God is carrying on the dispensation in which He must pull it up backwards. After all things, children, and husband and wife become connected, the eternal world can come. The so-called eternal world that the Christians refer to is this world in which all of the creation can respond to the words of the True Parents and appear before God centering on Jesus, who came as the True Parents, centering on the standard of the bride and bridegroom.
We who dwell in the period of the Second Advent must now be determined to take charge of and assume the burden of all of the work of Jesus done in the last 2,000 years. Only with such determination can you finally stand tall as the children who have paid back the debt of love owed to the True Parents. Moreover, you can become the central figure who can govern over the creation in God’s place. If that happens, the will that God intended after creating Adam and Eve and giving the blessing to them will be fulfilled completely on account of you.
What is more, when you pay back the debt that you owe to True Parents, the true couple and the true creation centering on the love of God and then go before God, your mind and body will naturally go close to God. You must feel the impulse to naturally offer a bow of gratitude to God. You act before you think and realize the purpose before you make a demand.
To Pay Back the Debt to God
What do we need to do to attain that purpose? The fortune of heaven and earth moves from heaven to parents, from parents to couples, and from couples to all things. Accordingly, you must become connected to all these stages before stepping forward. Only when you become that kind of person can you stand before God and call out, “Father!” The world of direct dominion stands in such a position. We must move forward until we can appear in such a position and relate with God.
To do this, we must inherit the conflict that Jesus has conducted in the spirit world and the fight that the Holy Spirit has carried out on the earth to pay back the debt that we owe until the present. This is the way that we can have a relationship with the creation from the position of substituting for the True Parents. We can fight and win over Satan on the earth.
When you can do this, you can liberate the grievous heart of God, who has shown a deep concern for fallen humanity while He was guiding the dispensation of restoration. At the same time, you can win the recognition of Satan: “This person deserves to receive the love of God.” You must understand that God’s love will be present through the appearance of such a created being.
Thus, we have this type of grave mission. You must pay back the debt through your life of faith, in all the surrounding environments that are reachable to you. You have to pay it back. Accordingly, you must reflect whether you are living a life in which you are paying back the debt.
When you live a life of faith today, you are joined in a relationship with the debt to eternal God, parents, couples and all things. Because you are aligned with the time when all of this debt must be indemnified, you have to think about what kind of heart you should possess.
Right after we fell, we were people who could not stand before God and could not relate with God. If God wanted to hold grudges against us, His grudges would be limitless. If He wanted to lament and despise humankind, there would be no end. As you can see, although we have a debt from the fall, we also bear the debt of resentment and enmity incurred during history.
What Is the Reason We Must Endure and Forbear?
What is the reason that we must endure today? If we cannot forbear, then we cannot pay back the debt we owe and cannot resolve the grievances inside the bosom of Heaven.
Because the fortune of heaven and earth moves along with the dispensation of God, the satanic world will be judged if you play when God plays and are on God’s side as you share the bitterness and grievance of God. This is the reason Heaven teaches us to restrain our anger and persevere in our life of faith.
Satan will invade if we become out of step with that and create a gap in the dispensation of God. Therefore, we who have the faith must unconditionally sacrifice and obey, following only the internal aspects of love.
We have led a shameful life as the ones who have shattered the universal laws of God and the ones who owe a debt to the creation. We have caused much concern and trouble for Heaven. Therefore, the husband and wife who are leading a life of faith must be able to act on behalf of the Lord. Furthermore, we must build the relationship to serve (the Lord) as the parents on behalf of God, Jesus and the earth.
You must forge this relationship horizontally and three-dimensionally, in which Heaven reciprocates with the True Parents, the true couple and the true creation. Having accomplished this, you can say to God, “I have finally won the victory. Father! I have offered my life to eradicate all the relationships with Satan in which men had worshiped Satan in place of God and fell into the temptations of Satan. What is more, I am a perfected child who has paid back all the debt to the universe and brought Satan to his knees.” You must understand that only when this is done, can we be dignified before heaven and the creation as ones who have paid back the debt to the universe.
Prayer 2
Father! We have failed to realize even when we were living in the fallen world that we have become indebted to the creation and to each other as a couple. We did not realize when we were serving our parents that we are in debt, and that we owe an enormous debt even to the eternal God.
When we look at our situation in the fallen world, we have been debtors who deserve to die, and we have owed a debt to the creation and to Jesus Christ, who has founded the ideology of the bride and bridegroom. Although we should have paid back the debt on behalf of the eternal God, we were not even concerned about paying back the debt. Instead, we have despised the earth, the creation and Heaven. There is nothing in us that is forgivable.
To save humankind who is like this, Jesus fought on, not even being afraid to face death, and he passed away on the cross. As a result, the fight to pay back the debt owed to the universe remains incomplete, and the mission of judgment lies ahead of us.
Father, please help us cross the pass of judgment and wipe out all the debt that we owe. Please lead us to understand that we can go before You only after canceling all of our debts.
Please allow us to prevent the accusations of Satan by paying back our debt to the True Parents, to true couples, to true creation, and lead us to pay back the debt of life as You want us to. Father, we wish and desire this sincerely.
Please allow us to understand that Jesus is also working hard for this path. Jesus and the Holy Spirit offer unlimited prayer for the sake of humanity. Let us not forget that this is because we have not paid back the debt owed to the universe. What is more, this is because we are too unprepared and inadequate.
We realized in this hour, Father, that to stand in the position of glory where Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father can be happy, we must fulfill the responsibility of Jesus in his place. Allow the miracle of Heaven to be manifested on the earth and please let the fight with Satan in heaven be led to victory on the earth through us. In this way, please allow us to become the eternal children of Yours who can feel the love of the eternal Father as joy and glory.
Loving Father, I sincerely pray and hope that You will lead us to become Your beloved children who are worthy to stand before the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and before the countless saints and sages, humanity on the earth and the creation. Please raise us up as your children who can firmly govern over the creation.
Hoping that You will govern over and guide them to pay back the debt they owe, Father, we prayed all this in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Chapter 8: Let Us Claim Back the World of God’s Dominion and Offer It to Him
June 27, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Matthew 22:15-22
Prayer 1
Beloved Father, we pitiful ones have come, longing to be embraced in Your bosom. Please govern our minds and bodies. Please govern over our whole being. Allow us to realize the minds and bodies about which You can be happy. Please allow this hour to be immersed in the glory and righteousness of the Father.
Beloved Father! Please have sympathy for those who have gathered here longing for You. If the Father is not present in them, then they are the most pathetic and lonely people. Father, please have dominion over them all. Beloved Father, I honestly hope and desire that You will be at work to make them become the heroes who can fulfill their wishes.
We have gathered our scattered hearts in this hour and are bowing down before You to offer gifts to Your sacred image. Father, I wish that You eradicate, from the beginning to the end of this hour, all the elements in us that are not acceptable to You and move our hearts.
We know that in this day, Father, there are many who have gathered here to seek blessing, so please work a miracle with the grace of the Trinity wherever they gather. Beloved Father, we pray that the time will come in the near future when the same grace can be given to every one of them who praises Your glory and to every place they gather to take charge of the responsibility given to them in the last days.
Isolated members have gathered on this day to build an altar undisclosed to others and they are bowing down, so please appear as the master of life for the whole and appear as the spirit of resurrection for the whole. Please do not let their work of life and resurrection cease on the earth and allow this place to be filled only with the honor to return joy to God by bringing harmony to the countless saints in heaven and to all of creation.
From the beginning to the end, please do not allow Satan to invade. Sincerely wishing that the victorious Father of glory will protect us, I prayed in the name of the loving Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Beloved Father! We brothers and sisters who do not possess anything have come before the Father’s knees. Please do not let them feel self-centered emotions. Please let them not possess any valuable thing centering on themselves without first living for the sake of Heaven and the Father. Let everything be offered as a sacrifice for the sake of the dispensation of God.
We are pitiful ones whose minds and bodies are under the dark shadows, so Father, please have sympathy. We are stretching our weak and powerless hands toward the sky, so Father, please extend Your hands of compassion. We who used to be dragged toward Satan are now stretching our arms toward Heaven and crying out, so Father, please embrace us. Even if we stand on this perilous earth that Satan governs over, beloved Father, please raise us to become the shield of Heaven who possess the eternal heart of God, the valiant soldiers and children who can become the pride of Heaven.
Father, Your beloved children have gathered here now. Although the natures of those who gathered here may differ greatly, they earnestly wish to take after You, so please receive them with a single heart. Giving them commandments, please allow them to obey Your directions and to testify to the heart of Heaven.
Those children whom the Father has called upon have gathered here in this hour, so please lead them to fight against the enemy, Satan, who is spread out all over the world, and to become capable enough to block off all approaching crises with the shield of victory. Please let us stand in the position of ones who give rather than ones who take, and please allow us to bring out our full value and become sources of Your glory.
Father, these beloved children of Yours who are tired from difficulties and surrounded by disaster, if You do not grab hold of them tight they will become the most pitiful ones. There are trials, crises and grief accompanying every step they take and in every environment they dwell in, so please guard them and protect them.
We could fight until now because You have toiled and been concerned about us. They are experiencing Your tribulations and shedding Your tears, so Father, please protect them eternally. Please defend them until the day when they can return the glory of Hosanna to the Father, representing all things that come with the joy of happiness, and offer bows of gratitude in the garden of the ultimate victory.
I am trying to convey the message that You have permitted this hour in Your place, so please remove all of their wrong thoughts and concepts, and please let the inspiring works of recreation and harmony pour forth. Please allow this hour to be a time when our minds and bodies cannot but be moved and intoxicated in Your love, that we may offer bows, submit and repent. In this hour, please allow them to receive the heart of Heaven without any hindrance. Wishing this earnestly, I prayed in the name of the beloved Lord. Amen.
The topic I want to speak about, centering on the Bible verse I have recited, is “Let Us Claim Back the World of God’s Dominion and Offer It to Him.” I will speak briefly on this topic.
The Task of Finding the Governing Lord, God
All the things God created in six days have been in a state of sorrow and difficulty until now, for they have not been able to serve the governing Lord, God. This remains before us as the fate we must resolve in the course of restoration. Accordingly, if we want to be elevated as the sacrifice that can pledge before Heaven and bring the victory, then we must bring the restoration of the dominion that God desires to a conclusion. Without doing that, we can never stand on firm footing as the victorious sacrifice. The reason that such a course lies before human beings is that after the fall, a world unfolded that nobody wants, a world Satan that dominates.
God, who had created all things to obtain joy through Adam and Eve, lost everything He had created because of their fall. He lost Adam and Eve and the creation. What is more, to everyone’s surprise, Satan has taken over the position of God, the Creator, and has been dominating all things. This is the grief of God and the grief of the conscientious people and saints who have longed to take after the heart of God during restoration history until now.
If you bring created beings in front of you and ask what their wishes are, what answer would they give? Every one of them will answer, “Finding the governing Lord, God.” Although God understands well that this is what all things seek, He cannot directly govern over them even if He wants to. You must understand that this is the lamentation of God.
What is the wish of men, who are part of the creation that God lost? It is to be governed directly by God, who used to govern according to the wishes and longings of every created being.
Today the mission lies before us to fulfill this; we are given the royal summons to carry it out. Therefore, we must restore God’s dominion and at the same time restore the dominion of being the master of all things. Moreover, we must return the glory of gratitude for the grace that God reigns over. Today this kind of responsibility lies not with the creation, not with the soldiers and angels in heaven, but in us, we who amount to nothing.
Accordingly, if we fail in our responsibilities once, then we will lose dominion over the whole of Heaven. If we lose the original Heaven, then we will lose the whole hope of all things. Therefore, if we cannot fulfill the responsibility in our life that decides the historical fate, then we cannot stand before God, and we cannot emerge as the master of all things.
You are the center of the whole world of creation. You were endowed with creativity and were created to be the center of the internal world. The course you must walk is not to remain constrained within you.
If you live a life for the sake of the universe but only think about yourself, then God’s ability to dominate and create will be undermined. You must understand that then the hope the creation has in you, that you may govern over it, will also be shattered.
Consequently, you must bring out the full value, which represents the position of Heaven’s dominion over all of the creation. By doing so, you should be able to utter with your own mouth, “God, I have fulfilled all the purposes that You intended for me when you raised me up as the one You have sought, the original lord of dominion who represents the whole. God, please give me the command.” This is the person God has longed for during the 6,000 years of the dispensation. Accordingly, the mission we share in common is to fight through the tribulations of God’s 6,000 years and restore humankind by defeating the enemy, Satan.
As the representative of the whole, we must find the authority to govern. What specific things should we look for today?
Due to the fall, humankind lost God, who governs over the whole. We have lost God who governs over and is the root of the whole. Accordingly, today we must find the God who has created all things. In this way, you must obtain possession over all the things God has dominion over.
The Result of Losing God
What are our grief, sadness and lamentation? What is the sincere hope and wish that has been hidden deep within the course of dispensational history for 6,000 years? It is finding God, whom humankind, the universe, heaven and earth have lost. God is the hope we must seek and He is the root of the glory that represents the value of the whole. Therefore, to restore the dominion of God over the whole, you must be able to possess God. You must become people who can greet God.
What kind of being is God? You must understand that He is the God who created all things and who has been working hard to have dominion over the whole creation. Accordingly, if you come to possess God now, because that God is your God, if He is eternal, you also will become eternal. If He gains dominion over the whole world of creation, you will be able to stand in the position of the incarnation of God who can govern over all things. If you cannot raise yourself up, then you cannot say you possess God.
The reason there is so much sorrow and death on the earth is because we have lost God. What is more, by our losing God, Satan came to fill the role of the master. According to the principles of creation, humankind originally should have served God as the only master, but because of the fall, they have come to serve Satan as the master in place of God.
Before you lies the fateful responsibility to repossess the love of God. Yet who is blocking the path? Who opposes the will that the created world of all things serves God as the one center? It is Satan, who is inducing sin and evil in you today. Hence, if you cannot pull out the root of sin and evil implanted deep in your mind today, and if, representing humanity, you cannot build the world of God after defeating Satan, the betrayer of Heaven who has been fighting for 6,000 years, then you cannot exercise the dominion of God on the earth.
You are seeking freedom in your minds, but the question is what kind of freedom you are pursuing. If you cannot find God, you will become the servant of Satan. Accordingly, if you cannot possess God but instead possess Satan, you will become a traitor who violates the universal principles. You must understand this.
To Possess God
For what reason has God taught us the universal laws? It is to teach us the way to find and understand God. What is more, He carried on the 6,000-year course of history to teach us that way.
Today you realize that God exists because of your faith. All the members know that the nature of God is manifested as the essential nature of the creation. You must build a relationship with God for eternity that no one can sever.
When this happens, whether you are dashing east, west, south or north, no matter what kind of course you find yourself on, as long as God remains unchanging, your right to possess God will not be affected. If you cannot stand in such a position, then the expectations and hope that God has toward you will remain incomplete and unfulfilled. If that happens, then Satan has the condition to invade because of you, and God’s sorrow will not be removed. You have to understand this.
What do we have to do in this position? First, we must cast off the accusations of Satan. We must be recognized just as Jesus was acknowledged: “Indeed, you are the son of God who is qualified to possess God and build a relationship of oneness with God.” You must realize that if you cannot restore this kind of day, you cannot step forward as the master of the creation before God, who governs all things.
Due to the fall, humankind lost God and lost the original nature. Moreover, when we analyze ourselves, we can see that when we lost God, we also lost our original mind. You must rely on your mind. If you cannot control your mind as you will, then you cannot possess God, and God cannot build a relationship with you.
When your mind establishes the eternal standard of reciprocity with God, you can possess God, and God can dominate your mind as He wills. Therefore, just as God and Jesus became one in mind, you must become one with the mind of God to be in the state of having attained oneness with God. If you cannot stand in such a state, then your mind cannot rid itself of the conditions of Satan’s accusations.
Originally, humankind should have lived according to the purpose that the mind desires, within the limits of the will that God demands. By doing so, humankind should have represented the whole ideology of God and entered the position of being the second God. However, due to the fall, humankind lost the original mind that can achieve this. Consequently, the condition is such that human beings today must suffer grief in order to find this original mind.
Therefore, we must purify our minds through Jesus Christ. Although our minds are trapped in sorrow, we must give rise to a new mind when we face the universe and rectify the original heart that can find its way through the darkness. By doing so, you must link with the heart of God and connect with the minds of humankind who are stranded in the realm of death and create the mind that can revive them. If you are unable to do this, then you must realize that you do not possess the heart that can eternally possess God, and at the very least, must repent.
When we offer ourselves fully to God, we do not do our utmost just for a certain time period. As long as God remains unchanging, you are to secure the unchanging heart toward God during your life. In other words, you must lay the foundation of heart that Satan cannot invade with any kind of condition. This must be built as an immutable system in the future. It must become the fundamental principle for walking the path of the universe.
Now, you must understand that if you do not possess the heart that God can take pride in, you cannot be in the position to win the sympathy of God.
Jesus, Who Possessed God
When humankind restores its dominion over the whole by finding their original hearts, then they will be granted the authority to command any being in the creation through the activities of their minds. Thus far, no one has perfected the mind’s ability to dominate like this.
Moreover, we still stagnate in the sorrowful state where human beings cannot assert their authority to act systematically according to the will of God. Satan has much cause to rejoice due to this. As long as humankind remains stagnant, this condition puts God into a state of anguish. You must clearly understand this.
What was the wish that God wanted to realize through Jesus, whom He sent after 4,000 years of preparation? Because in the course of 4,000 years, there was not even one person who gained possession of the God who was lost, Jesus wished that humankind could possess God through him.
Consequently, Jesus arose as the perfected possessor of God. What is more, Jesus was the person who was sent to represent the mind of humankind in the human world and the external aspect of God’s heart.
Two thousand years have passed since the coming of Jesus. What is the condition of glory that every people, tribe and individual must come to possess? It is none other than possessing God. It is the hope of Jesus and God that such a person will come forward.
Jesus came to the earth and possessed God. Furthermore, as his mind established the base of reciprocity with human beings, his body represented the body of God.
Jesus emerged after setting the standard to own the mind of God and the creation. He came bodily with the principled right of possession.
Therefore, the day he appeared was the day of God representing the whole universe.
Suppose the saints of today, believing in Jesus and understanding God, obtain God’s comprehensive right of unchanging possession. What would they do? You must join the standard of value centering on that right of possession with your mind and your physical body and present it before the whole of heaven and earth. This is what Jesus left behind on the earth. You must understand that the ideology of the Second Advent of today longs for that day to come.
What is the mission the Lord of the Second Advent must do after he comes to the earth? What is the ultimate purpose Christians must fulfill in the last days? No matter how much Christians have come to possess God with their minds, or no matter how much you have come to possess God with your minds, there still remains one condition (of accusation) and that is the fact that you have failed to own your body. For this reason, you must complete your right to possess your body now and emerge as the embodiment of God’s love and the incarnation who can testify to the original nature of God. When will such people emerge? You must understand that Jesus came to raise such people.
The Restoration of the Body and the Comprehensive Right of Ownership
After Jesus passed away, the Holy Spirit was sent to the earth in order to complete that task. Therefore, you must now become one with the subjectivity of mind that Jesus has and the comprehensive subjectivity of God. Then, having become one with the rights of possession of yourself and God, you must appear and bring out the value of the Holy Spirit with your body. Jesus could not thoroughly manifest the value of the body because his spirit was separated from his body. You must display the aspect of Jesus’ mind and the value of the Holy Spirit, who has become one with God.
Therefore, the purpose of the 4,000-year history was to transfer the right to possess the mind of humankind in the conventional realm to the natural right of possession. This task is not that difficult. Nonetheless, the difficulty in the course of the dispensation lies in that it must be materialized in the body. The value of that concept must be manifested in a relative value, which is the body.
In his life of thirty years, Jesus came to possess God and that mind for the sake of this task, but he has not been able even now to escape from the realm of Satan’s accusation in the 2,000 years since. He has not been able to be ensconced in an impenetrable position that is not subject to the trials of Satan. Jesus has been accused by Satan in the spirit world, and the Holy Spirit has been accused by Satan in the physical world.
There still remains the unfulfilled course of going over the three stages in the physical realm, which is the principle of creation. Because of this, Satan retains even today the condition to fight with Jesus, and he can even present conditions to fight with God and the Holy Spirit. This is what you must understand. Moreover, you must know that although you have possessed God in your minds on the foundation of Jesus’ thirty-year life course, because you could not possess God in your body, until now God could not govern over our bodies.
Humankind today is in the position to have to strike their own bodies. What is the purpose behind that? The reason that one strikes the body is to eliminate Satan. Furthermore, by striking the body, the Holy Spirit can conquer it. Thus, the reason that we strike our body is to set the condition for the Holy Spirit to occupy our body. To strike our own bodies is to strike Satan. By striking Satan, the Holy Spirit can occupy what had been previously conquered by Satan. Because of this, one can possess God, possess the original conscience, and possess the body. When this takes place, we can claim the merit of having finally brought to completion the eternal and unchanging right of possession, which represents all the creation in heaven and on earth.
Accordingly, if that state is not established, you cannot say that you have struck your body. Only after you find it can you erect the subjective standard of the whole and receive glory in the place of God. Moreover, because there is this will in the background, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have been laboring even after Jesus’ death, until now. Therefore, for anyone who has the spiritual and physical, even for someone who is in the satanic realm, the 2,000 years of the mournful dispensational history of God was the time when the providence was being carried on with the hope that the Holy Spirit would one day take over.
Now we must look back at our past with this perspective. As long as you still have the (unclaimed) right to possess God, there will always be sorrow for God, who is the Lord of Dominion. Accordingly, when you think about the fact that the sadness incurred in God and the world of creation is because of you, you must repent for your sins today. The reason you repent for the sins you committed is so that you can establish heartistic merit. We must make a worthwhile repentance in which we can say that we have come to possess God, who is the Lord of Dominion over the whole.
The Reason You Must Repent for the Sins You Have Committed
Until now, faithful believers have led a life in which they struck their bodies, but this must not continue forever. The purpose of striking the body is to help the Holy Spirit occupy the body and make it possible for it to receive the love of God. Christians today completely forget that they have the responsibility to do this. They have forgotten it for 2,000 years. Where the godly love of the physical body is neglected, the love of the spiritual cannot be complete.
The reason is that when the mind becomes one with God and the body becomes one with the mind, then the body will move naturally. It is a universal principle that progress will occur through the complete giving and receiving action between the mind and body centering on God. It is the law of the creation that wherever there are unity and good giving and receiving action on a reciprocal base, the creation of one demonstrative, substantial body will take place. Only then is it complete.
The reason that God created all things is that He Himself wanted to be happy. When one does one’s utmost to forge unity between one’s mind and the mind of God, you can become one with God. Furthermore, the foundation will be laid to become one with humankind on the earth, so the dispensation of heaven on earth will unfold in a new way. Accordingly, when mind and body become one within you and you build a relationship with the Holy Spirit, we can restore God’s victorious subjectivity over the whole. This is what you must understand.
What we find is that in walking toward the will of God, there is more than just one way. There are front, back, left, right and all four directions. Nonetheless, human beings today are left with the direction heading toward Satan. Consequently, when you try to find the body and mind, and when your mind and body try to improve their horizontal and vertical aspects, Satan is encountered in all four directions. Furthermore, in all six directions, front, back, left, right, up, and down, Satan has set up an encampment of darkness. Therefore, you are to penetrate through the tents and raise yourself up. You are to unveil your true merit before all things, proclaiming, “God is my eternal possession. My mind is the possession of God. My body is also the possession of God, and that very person is I.” The substantial embodiment whom the Trinity is seeking in heaven and on earth must quickly step forward.
Where in the world of creation can one find such a valuable being, with whom the Holy Spirit can go and dwell, as well as Jesus and God? You have to understand that such a person is the substantial embodiment of the ideals of the restoration that God has desperately longed for and sought after for 6,000 years.
The Substantial Embodiment God Has Been Desperately Seeking for 6,000 Years
Consequently, when such a meritorious being appears on the earth, God will not allow any condition against him. God and even Satan will hold onto him and shed tears of comfort. Accordingly, today we must understand what kind of environment in which we are living. You must not disregard yourselves, you who bear this kind of responsibility for the whole. You must supervise that great responsibility.
Now, if you can possess God freely, then you can say that you have come to possess your mind, which you can elevate as the eternal center. What is more, if you bring the body to perfection as a substantial entity that can create eternal life and possess it, then no matter where you go, east, west, south or north, no matter where you dwell, the victory song of Hosanna will be sung there. What will unfold is that all things in the creation will submit naturally to you, saying, “You are indeed the son of God who dwells in the glory.” You must understand this.
Moreover, today, such an event should not occur in just one dimension but must unfold everywhere. However, because there is not one being who has fully resolved all the basic problems of possession and appeared before the creation in the full honor of merit, becoming such a person remains as the hope you are to fulfill.
You and I, as well as God, are all sad about such a state of humankind. Today we must be in the position of possessing such value. Representing all things and the whole, we must obtain the glory of Heaven and offer the victorious song to God. When this is done, the heavenly soldiers and angels in heaven, as well as the countless saints, will greet the day of happiness and joy. What is more, we will return glory to God. Unless this task is completed, humankind will walk this path for many trillions of years.
We have not fully brought this to a conclusion. Who was the main cause of this situation? This is, of course, partly because we ourselves are unworthy, but more important, it is because there are satans who are making accusations to Heaven.
If there was someone who was the master and the governing lord of the whole and the whole creation could be dominated because of that one man, then even if he could not complete the restoration of the whole, it is all right. Using the power of the whole, we can focus our efforts and carry on a new task. Similarly, although God has tried to lead the whole of history toward one direction, because of Satan’s existence, that task could not be fulfilled.
Therefore, to bring Satan to an unconditional surrender and to allow the countless imperfect spirits in heaven to proceed toward perfection, God promised to send one person. That one person is none other than Jesus.
When you think about how you stand in the position to pursue the glory of God, what is it I have brought? Originally, the ideal that God held for men was obtaining the right of possession of heaven, mind and body. Therefore, if you have failed to reach the realm of such ideals, then you must have the eyes to discern the right of possession of evil and the right of possession of goodness. Going one step further, you must possess all of the five senses. Nevertheless, if in your life one day you could not prevent the accusations of Satan, then you will not recognize the Lord of the Second Advent even when he comes.
Faith that Can Distinguish and Discern
When you hear the words “The Lord of the Second Advent,” you blink your eyes and express joy. What is so good about it? The Jewish people, in other words the priests, could not recognize Jesus. The Roman soldiers did not see him, and his opponents could not see him even if they tried. Only the person whose nature is connected to the mind and the body, the person who has established the standard of value that represents the whole, can see Jesus. There is a dimension in our seeing and hearing ability that depends on our nature.
Consequently, now you must go before humanity with the value of goodness and righteousness. The body resists this. This is the basic nature of Satan.
Where is the person who possesses God without appearing in public or having anyone know about him? Where is the person who possesses the original heart without anyone being aware of it? Where is such a person? The eternal God will accompany those who seek such a person.
Therefore, if we cannot enter such a position today, then we must at least be able to distinguish the evil sphere of dominion and the good sphere of dominion. You must not only be able to distinguish this with your mind and body, you must also be able to discern without even thinking about it. If you cannot awaken to the value of Heaven, then you have no vertical relationship with Jesus, even in the slightest degree. Hence, you must be able to distinguish and recognize everything about Satan. Unless you are someone who can discern all the subjective elements of evil that is left in heaven and earth, you cannot completely set the condition of victory before God.
If you can set such a condition, you will not suffer any pain while you are living on the earth. This is because one who possesses God has his mind held tight by Jesus and his body held firmly by the Holy Spirit.
Nonetheless, now these two have come together, so the spirit world is coming toward the physical world, while the physical world is coming toward the spiritual world to work in full cooperation. Furthermore, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all working together. Consequently, in such times, you must not only be able to go before Jesus and the Holy Spirit to offer a bow; you must also be able to go before God.
Furthermore, you should walk the fundamental course of distinction in your life of faith based on experience. As the unchanging victor representing eternity before all things, you should set the standard of which you can be proud. If you cannot set the standard yourself, then a condition for sorrow will remain on the earth. What is more, as long as conditions for sorrow remain, even when you go to heaven, you will have a difficult time finding the internal heart of God. Therefore, you must reveal yourself as the being of life born through Jesus of the heart and the Holy Spirit of the body and emerge as the substantial embodiment of glory. When this takes place, you will finally become the embodiment of faith.
Thus, if you can restore your glorious self and take on the work without the help of the Trinity, just as laws run this universe, a joyful mind will dominate the whole of you. That kind of life is not momentary, but eternal. So, you should be able to proudly step forward before the creation as the lord of dominion, pronouncing, “God is my possession. The Lord is mine, the Holy Spirit is mine, and I, also, am mine.” You should be able to say to Heaven, “Oh, Father! Thank You.”
There are no contradictions in the law of Heavenly fortune. Because humankind has been elevated as the representative of the subjectivity and ideology of the Creator, since they have minds and bodies, they cannot exist without the relationship between the two. Therefore, you must never forget that only when you build a world of dominion on the earth that can connect all things in heaven and earth, can the Lord’s glory be unveiled.
Prayer 3
Beloved Father, when we realized that the fateful path that lies ahead of us is this difficult, like steep mountains with thick forests, we find that the scope of our belief is so narrow. Because we have been following the path of the will too narrowly, too passively and too inadequately, we have to make a frank report to You.
Father, from this hour, please allow us to be governed by God, who is guiding the whole dispensation of the universe. Please grant sympathy so that we can look up to Your image. Jesus, please hold us firmly. Holy Spirit, please lift us up. My Father, I sincerely wish and desire that You will raise us up so that we can be capable enough to adequately represent the creation on the earth and grow as the original substantial being who can naturally distinguish good from evil. Please let all your children who have gathered here this evening forget all the concepts about themselves, Father. Please remove Satan’s right of possession from our bodies. In this way, please guide us to be restored as the unchanging individuals whose minds possess only God, call out only to God, and are proud only of God.
We know that Satan will submit naturally when we return glory to the Father, when all things and the countless saints in heaven join in harmony and cry out in one voice, and when the singing of Hallelujah in gratitude echoes in heaven and earth. Lead us to make this come true.
Please let the whole subjectivity of the Father bear fruit in us, and please allow us, who have been called upon to represent the whole, to sing the victorious song of Hosanna before the Father. Amid the harmony of all things, please allow us to become the children of victory who represent Heaven and the center of testimony. Father, as we wished for and desired these things, we prayed everything in the name of the Lord. Amen
Chapter 9: The Responsibility of Those Who Have Become the Root
June 1, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Genesis 18:22-19:12, Isaiah 6:11-13
Prayer 1
Beloved Father! You know the hearts of the children who have gathered here, so please allow every cell of their bodies to move toward the Father of compassion. Please let the whole of their minds and bodies become captured by Your hands of love. Please let them emerge as the essence of harmony of the whole. Purify them in this hour to become the soldiers of Heaven who can put their life on the line and dash forward for the sake of testifying to Your words.
Father, please consider with sympathy the many children who have gathered here. We know that we must walk the fateful course of restoration, which requires us to ascend each level by relying on the words of life that You have permitted, Father of love, so please extend the hands of love, and holding onto our unworthy hands, please guide us. We lay down before You, joining our minds and bodies, Father, so please grab us and lead us. Raising us up, please convert our minds into the mind of God. I sincerely hope and desire this.
Father, please bless the many people who are participating here, and please allow God’s miracle of life, inspiration and resurrection to take place. We have divulged all the concepts of this world that we hold and have come before You with the meek and humble heart of a child. Father, with Your hands of grace, please give rise to the miracle of recreation. Please reveal the fire of the Holy Spirit. Beloved Father, we wish that You would unveil the love that was hidden and let these ones open the door of the blocked off realm of death in the last days, and that You will allow the Father’s glory of victory to be revealed.
We know that we do not need many words now. Even if the children who have gathered here do not receive many words, please lead them to digest fully the grace You have granted them. God, our Father, in this hour we have made the pledge and determination toward You in order to fulfill the promised will that You have allowed, so please fill all the empty vessels. Please raise us up as the children who can be intoxicated in Your abundant love and return glory to the Father. In this hour, please allow the grace that will guide us to become the children You can love. We wish this sincerely.
Please tie together the heart of the speaker and the heart of the listener and let our minds move in step with the movement of Heaven. Let our bodies move in synchronization with the movement of Heaven, so that we can model after and take after the nature and image of the Father. We earnestly wish and desire that this be done.
Wishing that the remaining hour will also be full of Your compassionate guidance and words, we prayed in the name of the loving Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
In this day that You have allowed us, we have lain prostrate for the sake of bowing before the Father, so please penetrate into the heart of each individual who has gathered here and please nurture in them impeccable minds. Loving Father, we earnestly wish and desire that You allow the bows we offer in this hour to become the bows of comfort that can soothe Your anguished heart. Let this hour be the time when You can command us and entrust Your will to us.
Father! It was You who gathered these children here. It was also You who have moved them inside the realm of life by advising them, so please grant the fire of the Holy Spirit that You have promised and help each of our minds and bodies come together in harmony to bring happiness to everyone. Loving Father, we hope fervently that the whole of the holy nature that You demand will come out into the light in this hour.
Father, please pour down upon the children who have gathered here the love of compassion, and move everyone’s heart to lean toward the glory of Heaven through the work of the Holy Spirit. By doing so, we earnestly hope that You will accept this hour as the time of bowing when we can represent all of humanity and all of the creation in heaven and on earth. Opening the door of the holy of the holies and going near the Father, we pray we may offer the living sacrifice of victory.
Please raise these people to stand near You on the foundation of our bows. Going one step further, we fervently hope that You will bestow an opportunity when the whole of humanity can escape from the realm of sin and evil and cross over into the realm of goodness that You, Father, govern.
We know that even now, dotted all across this land, there are those who are praying ardently and building altars before Heaven, representing the people. No matter where people are bowing toward Heaven, we pray that You will bless each place with the same grace and will prophesy the whole dispensation You are going to reveal in the last days. We pray that You will fulfill the will You wanted to realize through this people, and that by accomplishing their mission to testify, the people can lay the foundation to bring joy to God.
In this hour, we have put down before You the heart that will enable everyone’s mind and body to bow before the Father and obey. Please, without any hesitation, give to them directives as to all that You promise and plan to fulfill.
Wishing that the works of the Trinity will abundantly fall upon our heads, I prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The topic of the talk I want to give now is “The Responsibility of Those Who Have Become the Root.” If you look at Isaiah 6:11, it is written, “Then I said, ‘For how long, O Lord?’ He answered: ‘Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitants, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.'” Here God reiterates that if any root remains, He is going to use that root to blossom new buds and begin a new dispensation.
The ancestors of humankind, Adam and Eve, should have fulfilled the hope and ideal of all humanity with the one immutable root of heaven and earth. However, you know very well that because they fell, that fundamental root was dug up, pulled out and transplanted in the satanic world.
The Center of God’s Dispensation
For this reason, the central point of the dispensation God has been guiding until today is to find the fundamental root that could become the root of man’s happiness in the Garden of Eden. It is the root of the ideals, the root of life or the root of love. In other words, God’s dispensation was to find again that fundamental root God had tried to implant through Adam and Eve. Although the countless prophets and sages who have upheld the will of the dispensation in the course of history did not understand the situation of Heaven, the suffering that they have gone through for the sake of the will has laid the groundwork on which to receive the lost root, the goal of the dispensation, as the unchanging, substantial being.
During the 4,000 years since the beginning of dispensational history, the Jesus you believe in is the one who was raised to claim back the root lost in the Garden of Eden. In other words, the mission of Jesus Christ was to re-establish on the fallen earth the one vineyard that God can manage freely after He acquires the root that can be used as the base and then perpetuate it forever. This is the very purpose for which God sent Jesus to this earth.
You must understand that the 4,000-year period since the embarking of the dispensation of Heaven to the time of the coming of Jesus was a path of suffering on which countless saints and sages shed tears and blood centering on the will of Heaven. In other words, you must never forget that, although there have been different dispensational wills representing the tribe, people, nation, world or history, by the time the dispensational will centering on that tribe and history passed through the chosen region or environment, there were the ordeals of countless prophets and sages before it who became the root. Jesus was sent as the substantial person who could cultivate the root on the individual, societal and world levels.
We who believe in Jesus today must know that all the ordeals of Jesus during his thirty years of life and in his work of the 2,000 years since his death was borne on behalf of the world. What is more, you must understand the tribulations of the prophets and sages who, as the hidden root, faced difficult crises in history and have been fighting with the enemy in the background until the time when they are established as the perfected root.
Abraham Lived a Life Full of Unseen Ordeals
Abraham was the one in the historical background who made it possible for Jesus to be established as the perfected being. Abraham possessed a concealed character of virtue. He did not betray Heaven even when he was in an environment where no one recognized him. In other words, even when he was in a situation where he was captured by the enemy country inside the satanic realm and faced the temptation to betray the will of Heaven, he did not. Abraham, who was like the hidden root, did not evade any situation but overcame all of them, even when the era was laden with vices, history was haunted by confusion and the environment was chaotic. In fact, he felt heartbroken about the declining cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and appealed to Heaven on their behalf.
Even if someone who is evil and wicked has something special, it is human nature to want to boast about it. But for a long time, Abraham kept the grand dispensational will promised to him in his heart. He upheld that dispensation for the sake of fulfilling the will of God. As the chosen root, no matter who touched him or tried to uproot him, he persisted in his way for the purpose of laying down the solid and unshakable foundation. Even when he was subjected to all kinds of persecution and ridicule, he lived a life of unseen ordeals in which he persevered and overcame.
Similarly, Abraham not only set an unchanging condition before Heaven, but also, his sacrificial life for the sake of all of humanity became the seed that was sown. At the same time, his distressed heart was determined that if he could establish one fixed standard that could turn even evil people toward God, he would then cling onto it and never change.
Sodom and Gomorrah deserved to be punished by God, but it had nothing to do with the place where Abraham was. Although it did not directly concern Abraham whether or not the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah understood the will of God or whether the people were doomed, because he had a sense of mission toward the dispensation of Heaven and he felt that he must take the responsibility, he was concerned and anxious about the two cities night and day. What is written in the biblical verses reveals such internal feelings of Abraham.
Today when we are witnessing the concluding period of the 6,000-year history, you are able to sleep in peace, wear good clothes and eat good food, not because of some merit on your part. You will be doomed if that is what you think. The reasons that the world can at least sustain us like this is because in the background, there were unknown people who have become the hidden root and were building the altar of appeal on which they have been shedding tears and blood. You have the mission to propagate this fact to all people.
If there were people inside Sodom and Gomorrah who knew that Abraham’s fervent prayer was reaching Heaven and that he was having a direct conversation with God, moreover, if there were some righteous people who could recognize Abraham among that crowd, then Abraham would have appealed earnestly to Heaven to put forth some condition that could save Sodom and Gomorrah from the fate of judgment. If there were even just a few righteous people, no matter how wicked Sodom and Gomorrah were, Abraham would have used the fact that there were righteous people as a condition, and would have appealed to God, “Father, who determines and judges with justice, is not judging both the good and the evil people equally with fire contrary to Your will?” Nonetheless, you must understand that when he realized that it was only he who was praying for Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham’s heart was deeply hurt.
Do you know the main reason Abraham became the historical figure? You must never forget that more than caring for his own happiness and comfort, Abraham risked his life for the sake of his tribe, without others even knowing about it.
The Reason Abraham Could Become the Ancestor of Faith
The reason Jesus could emerge as the fruit of faith was also because such persons as Abraham came before him in the dispensation of Heaven and played the role of the root concealed under the ground. In other words, even if all the others were to be undermined, because there was someone like Abraham, who demonstrated eternally unchanging faith toward Heaven and played the role of the root, on that foundation Jesus Christ could be born.
Abraham’s course of ordeals which others did not know about was even greater than that in which Abram (“exalted father”) from the individual level was elevated to Abraham (“father of many nations”) who was chosen to be the ancestor of faith. We should reflect back on our own past and, making a one-to-one comparison between ourselves and Abraham, we should deeply repent. What is more, we must experience the situation in which Abraham found himself.
Just as Abraham built the altar of the concealed root in regard to Sodom and Gomorrah, you must also possess the zealous heart of Abraham, who prayed and appealed fervently for the region he lived in and its people. You must never forget that you should inherit the foundation of faith that Abraham established on the basis of his hardships, which was a condition much like the concealed root.
The family of Abraham, the ancestor of faith, was promised a blessing. Through Isaac, Jacob and Moses, this was raised to the level of the people and eventually expanded to the worldwide level. If there had been no loyalty and faith in Abraham that had penetrated deeply into Heaven, then there could not have emerged a relationship on the earth that could create a bond with Heaven.
Today everyone wants to show off the good things they possess. They want to bring it out and brag about it. Nonetheless, while someone who wants to divulge it and let others know about it might fulfill a responsibility analogous to a branch, he can never take on the responsibility of a root.
Do you know what the secret was behind Abraham’s rise to the position of the ancestor of faith? Because his heart of longing toward Heaven and love for the earth was so extraordinary, he could build a wide and solid ground for the relationship with the Father in Heaven and could become the ancestor of faith.
Moses, the Leader of the People
The same is true of Moses. Until the time he was elevated as the leader of the people, there were the forty years of unknown tribulations in the palace, where he was living as a concealed root. While he was staying in the opulent and splendid palace, he did not eat sumptuous meals or wear luxurious clothes, and he did not live a cheerful life. While he was living in the palace, during every hour of his eating, dressing and sleeping, he was always thinking about the Israelites. Among the Jewish people, only Moses maintained an unchanging heart of loyalty toward Heaven, despite they knowing about it.
Even while he was inside the bosom of the enemy, as the nucleus of immutability, he determined repeatedly that no matter what kind of environment oppressed him and even if there was something blocking his heart from extending to Heaven, he would not change. Because there was this forty-year period when he exerted himself internally to the utmost with an unchanging heart toward Heaven, in the days that followed it was possible for him to have an explosive power of love toward the people.
Moses might appear to you to be a person with a bad temper, but in truth this is not the case. The fury that Moses felt when he saw the Egyptian and the Israelite fighting and when he then killed the Egyptian was not caused by a sudden impulse of the moment. When he saw that sight, the heart of internal sorrow with which he had appealed to Heaven on behalf of the people for forty years finally exploded. In other words, when he saw that injustice being done to the chosen people of Israel, he felt an irrepressible indignation and beat the Egyptian to death. His love toward the Jewish people and his righteous indignation toward the Egyptian was the internal cause behind the action of Moses. What is more, there was providential significance in the actions of Moses.
The reason that Moses could not surmount his indignation and beat the Egyptian to death was because he was concerned about and felt responsible for the fate of the Israelites. Compared to the sin that the Egyptians committed in their oppression of the Jewish people, Moses’ action was minuscule, so God chose Moses as the leader of the people, the one who was concerned about the people more than anyone else. However, the Jewish people misunderstood Moses and divulged the fact that he had killed the Egyptian. As a result, when Moses found out it could not be hidden, he had no choice but to escape to the Midian wilderness.
Moses, who lived in the Midian wilderness, felt shameful about the luxurious life he had led in the palace. He forgot the glorious days of the past when he had lived in a free environment and the daughter of the Pharaoh gave him all that he wanted. Although he became a nameless shepherd who wore clothes made out of lamb’s wool and drove the flock of sheep from one place to another, as he was watching the flock, he longed for the land of Canaan that had been promised to his distant ancestor, Abraham.
Moses appealed to Heaven with a penetrating heart. He prayed that although he was doing no more than driving sheep, one day he was going to guide the people to enter the land of Canaan just like he drove the flock of sheep. Just as Abraham had prayed for the sake of the people in Sodom and Gomorrah without them being aware of it, Moses gave all that he had, whether he was eating, starving, sleeping or awake, in prayer for the sake of the people.
When Moses saw the suffering of the Israelite people under the oppression and cruelty of the Egyptians, he felt such great anguish it was as if his bones were melting, and he appealed to Heaven, “Jehovah! Please, on my behalf, treat the people with sympathy.” So, God chose Moses, who had a remarkable heart of appeal, as the leader of the multitude of 600,000 people, to lead them out of Egypt. He let Moses, a shepherd in the Midian wilderness, insignificant in the eyes of others, inherit the concealed root that came down from the ancestors and made him the representative of the people. What is more, He guided the Israelites to become one with Moses and enter the land of Canaan.
The Jewish People Did Not Know the Hidden Foundation of Moses’ Devotion
When Moses entered Egypt after receiving the promise from Heaven, he was ecstatic. However, he was not satisfied by the joy. He could pioneer the path of survival for the people because of the fulfillment of the will that he had appealed for before Heaven, in which he pledged that he would offer his life to guide the people to the land of Canaan. He was not just satisfied at that. He gained a sense of mission and responsibility that he would diligently carry out the second part of his responsibility.
From then on, Moses did not act centering on himself. From trivial things to grand events, there was not one thing that he carried out without making a connection with God first.
In this way, Moses entered the palace of the Pharaoh, and by performing more than ten miracles and plagues, he could lead the Israelites into the danger laden wilderness. The Jewish people should have become one with Moses there. In other words, although the wilderness was fraught with danger, as the Jewish people escaped to the environment of freedom and headed toward the land of Canaan, the mind of the people should have become one with the mind of Moses. They should not have had differences in opinion and thought with Moses, who had rescued them from the palace of the Pharaoh. Nonetheless, because they did not unite with Moses, they walked a path that was not in line with the way of Heaven, and they met their doom. What was the reason they were doomed?
They did not know the foundation of the hidden devotion behind the appeal that Moses made while becoming their leader. What is more, although Moses suffered all kinds of hardships from the day he rescued them from Egypt and cared for them, they did not recognize his suffering and ordeals. Consequently, they were divided from Moses in the wilderness, and eventually, they fell in the middle of the wilderness. The history of the Israelites’ unfaithfulness toward Moses is being repeated by the believers of the last days today.
The Believers of the Last Days Must be Awakened
Although Jesus came to this earth and toiled for the sake of humanity for thirty years, and he came down to meet humankind for 2,000 years after his death and worked through his love and grace, humankind is not sincerely worshipping Jesus in their lives. What is more, to the believers of the last days, there might occur a fearsome event similar to the one in which the Israelites could not completely uphold the will of God by not believing in Moses, who tried to lead the people into the land of Canaan. When he came face to face with the fact that the Jewish people were not one with him, Moses regretted before Heaven his own lack of ability before he scolded the people for their unfaithfulness. In other words, when he went up to Mount Sinai and offered a forty-day fasting prayer, he cried out, “Father, why is this people not able to enter the land that You have promised, even when it is laying before their eyes? Who does the blame fall upon? The responsibility lies in me. It is because I could not fulfill my responsibility. Thus, please accept me as the sacrifice and prevent the people from walking toward the path of destruction.” You must understand that Moses had this unheralded period of devotion.
If the Israelites had known that Moses was fasting with a heart of anguish, not for his own sake but for theirs, they would not have made the golden calf and worshipped it to show off their unfaithfulness during the forty-day fasting period of Moses. Moreover, when Moses, who represented the blessing of the people, was being offered to Heaven as a secret sacrifice, if they had sympathized with him, and if, reflecting on his past hardships, they had shed tears with Moses and appealed to Heaven, then they would not have left God.
Just as Moses walked a lonely path by himself representing the people, Jesus walked a similar course. In other words, Jesus Christ, who was made the center of the world through the historical sacrifice of Abraham, as well as through Moses’ course of sacrifice representing the people, followed the example of Abraham who had removed the condition of accusation of Satan on behalf of his family and that of Moses who did the same on behalf of the people. Jesus had to eliminate all the conditions of accusation by himself on behalf of the humanity of the world, and he had to lay the victorious foundation of indemnity.
Jesus Is the Center of the Victory and the Savior of Humankind
You have to understand that such responsibility lies on the shoulders of Jesus. For this reason, until the immutable foundation is built throughout the worldwide foundation, Jesus himself must not be limited to just himself. Therefore, Jesus displayed more loyalty than any other central figure of faith who remained loyal to Heaven during the 4,000-year course of history. He sacrificed himself for the sake of the whole.
Similarly, through the thirty years of his life, Jesus formulated the shape of the center representing the whole within the sphere of his mission, which no one else in history could achieve. You must understand that if he could not become such a central figure, then he could not have become the spearhead responsible for the worldwide dispensation.
Faithful believers today believe that Jesus bore the cross of his generation, but you should not limit your understanding of Jesus to that. Before Jesus’ death on the cross, there was the altar of hardships that Abraham built, and there was Moses’ course of ordeals. What is more, feeling the anguish of the people and humanity who are caught up in affliction and misery, Jesus pleaded with Heaven, “Please let us bear the burden of pain and please grant them the eternal ideal That they demand.” To take responsibility for their anguish, he could not spend even one day in peace.
Because Jesus cared even for the people who were in the bosom of the enemy, and because he led a life focused more on the will of the whole that he was responsible for rather than on his own happiness, he was made the central figure and the Savior of humankind and won the victory in the fight with the satanic world. What then must we faithful believers of the last days realize? We must repent for the fact that, until now, we have failed to shed tears in concern and prayer for the sake of evil people. The more people are going to be judged in the last days, the more we must pray for their sake. Moreover, we must never forget that behind us there is Jesus, who is concerned about us and praying for us. If we forsake Jesus and lapse into faithlessness, then there will be no way we can escape judgment in the last days.
The Believers in the Last Days Must Fulfill Their Mission as the Root
If the people of Sodom and Gomorrah of the past had heeded the warning given through Abraham and Lot about the judgment of God and had repented for their past evil doings, they might have been able to avoid judgment. Since historical events can teach us about the events of the future, we who are in the last days today must also reflect upon our past life and repent. Therefore, just as Moses climbed up Mount Sinai and prayed for the unfaithful Jewish people, we must clearly understand that, even in this hour, Jesus is praying for our sake on the spiritual Mount Sinai.
The heart of Jesus, who has prayed for the sake of humanity from his Heavenly throne for the last 2,000 years, surpassed the distressed and desperate heart of Moses, who had clung onto the Jewish people and prayed. Thus, you who are on the earth must know this and live according to the will of Jesus. In the past, Abraham prayed to God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah from judgment if there were ten righteous people, but because there were not even ten, they faced the judgment of God.
Therefore, just as Jesus has prayed for the sake of humankind from Heaven since the day that he passed away on the cross until today, and just as Moses prayed on Mount Sinai, you must experience the same sorrowful heart. Grabbing hold of this era, you must be concerned and pray in place of Jesus. What is more, you must never forget to seek, in your prayers day and night, the person who can take over the worldwide mission of Jesus and represent the prophets and sages of history. If in the last days there is not even one person who can remain on the earth as the root, then just as the Israelites fell down in the wilderness, the land we live in will not be able to escape fearsome judgment when it enters the concluding days on the world level.
What then must we do today? Because you are like the hidden root, we must possess the spirit of Jesus and answer the wishes of the ancestors who have longed for one central root as they passed through the course of history. Moreover, you must be able to be in step with the heart of Jesus who has toiled for 2,000 years until today, longing for the day of the Second Advent. This is the problem. Thus, you must now make a comparison between the historical central figures and yourself and do an analysis. In other words, putting yourself in positions comparable to Abraham, Moses and Jesus, you must analyze whether your heart is the same as their heart, whether your wishes are the same as theirs, and whether or not their suffering and grief are the same as yours.
Now you must learn how to start with empty hands and go before Heaven to build high the altar of appeal. You have to understand the heart of Abraham, who pleaded before Heaven for the sake of Sodom and Gomorrah. The reason Abraham prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah was not for the sake of his own children or his nephew, Lot. Because he forgot everything else and built the hidden altar of devotion, Lot, who was related by blood to Abraham, could escape the judgment.
Those who claim to believe pray, “Please let my will be fulfilled.” We should not offer this kind of prayer. Instead, we should pray, “Rather than my own will, please fulfill the will of God.” When the will of Heaven is fulfilled, the will that we long for will also be realized. Therefore, we should not pray, “Please let my will be fulfilled.” We must pray with the most devout heart, “Father, since You have put me in this position and called upon me, please let Your will be fulfilled through me.” What you have to understand now is that the remaining task you have received is not a task just for your own generation, but it is a task that comes down all the way from Abraham and through Jesus.
You who are living in this era must represent all the tribal sects since the time of Moses, and, representing the tribal sect that Jesus needed, you must fulfill the will that God demands. In this way, even if this earth is evil and this land is dark, even if this earth is to perish, you must still become the concealed root that God has implanted.
What Heaven Demands of Us in this Era
Today Heaven requires us to fulfill the mission of religion on the foundation of individual faith. That mission is completing the responsibility similar to the one of Abraham. Next, the question is whether or not you have mourned and strived to save the thirty million people of Korea from the misery they are suffering, applying all of your heart and will to the utmost, just as Moses tried so hard with a distressed heart for the sake of the Jewish people. What is more, Jesus will ask whether you have strived to live for the sake of the humanity on behalf of Jesus, just as since the time of the creation until now, God has worked so hard to save humankind.
When you are then asked whether you have led the same life as Abraham, Moses and Jesus, you must be able to answer, “Yes, don’t you already know that about us? The concealed root is found not just in us, but also inside God.” When you become such persons, the fidelity of faith that Abraham demonstrated will bear fruit through you, and the will that Moses longed for will be fulfilled through you. All the elements of sorrow that Jesus held within him will be resolved through you.
If that kind of person can be found on the earth, then the hearts of Abraham, Moses and Jesus will be liberated from the sorrow that they suffered in their lifetime. Therefore, if there is such a person, you must serve him with all of your heart and soul. If there is no such person, then you yourself must become that person, and if there is such a person, then you must lift him up in place of Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and attend him. In doing so, you should say, “Please pray more for the sake of the people, please go out and do more.” Going one step further, even if you cannot become the sacrifice that can be offered to Heaven, you must at least become the person who is building the altar.
Therefore, today you must call God, “Father.” If you cannot directly feel God, who could not play the role of the master in the course of history from the creation of the universe until now, you will not be liberated in this generation. Accordingly, you must build the altar of prayer on behalf of all that, just as Abraham, Moses and Jesus prayed.
Chapter 10: The Pledge That Must Be Fulfilled
June 8, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Luke 22:14-34
Prayer 1
Father of love! Please grant the love of compassion. This group, who did not have a place to lean on, has come to You to lean only on You, Father, forgetting everything else. Please allow all of our hearts to picture the sung-sang of the Father, and please allow our bodies to adore the hyung-sang of the Father. As a result, please let us become one with the love of the Father, which was immersed in Heaven, and allow the glory of Heaven that You seek to be manifested.
Father, please take care of these people who have gathered here. Cling onto their minds and bodies and convert the concepts they have into concepts that are suitable for the dispensation and which You can control. In the last days, please allow the holistic concept that the Father demands from all humanity to be implanted deeply in their hearts.
Father, please take charge of the children who have gathered in this hour, and if there are any elements that are at fault, Father, please eradicate them with the power of the Holy Spirit and of the Trinity and by penetrating into them with Your eyes full of fire. Please guide them to offer all that they have before the dignified Father. Let them become liberated from sin and evil and let them receive the blessing of freedom so that they can go before humanity and all things to boast about the Father alone. Also, loving Father, I pray sincerely that You would allow them to serve the True Father, and raise them to become children who can return joy to that Father.
Please reign over those who have gathered here, and on the countless altars that represent the people. On the altar of the whole that represents the humanity of the world, Father, please bestow the same works of miracles, and allow the altars to manifest the central will of the dispensation in the last days. Beloved Father, I earnestly wish and hope that this will be done.
We have put down our minds and bodies on the altar of the Father, so please separate the positions of Cain and Abel. Please lead them not to become the Cain-type sacrifice but let them become the purified Abel-type sacrifice. Just as You are pleading with humanity until the day the dispensation comes to a conclusion, beloved Father, we sincerely wish and desire that You will make this altar the representative altar that can make the appeal to Heaven until the day that all of Your will concerning the world is fulfilled.
Father, who commands all the grace and blessings of today, please appear before us as You will. Please grant the blessing that You are going to allow and lead us to avoid that which we must avoid. In this way, Father, please guide us to become children who are capable of taking on the eternal will that You entrust in us. I prayed all the words in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Father! Please reveal Your commands and will to those who want to uphold them, and please guide us to uphold the will of the dispensation and materialize Your wishes on Your behalf. Father, I sincerely pray this. The words that are going to be given today did not appear today. Rather, it took a long period of history for them to be revealed. Moreover, because hidden in these words are the sad and unforgettable stories of Jesus and his beloved disciples, we know that our ancestors who also thought about this walked toward the path of death without hesitation. We know very well that to endorse the new pledge left behind, the apostles of Jesus and all the believers in the 2,000 years since then did not hesitate in their fight to realize the promised will and earnest wish on the earth.
Father, please consider us with pity. Please allow us now to open our minds and act for the apostles who attended Jesus 2,000 years ago. Please let our footsteps pass through the ordeals that the apostles of the past have experienced, so that in the last days, we can fulfill the purpose of the dispensation of the whole.
Father, I sincerely wish and desire that You govern over everything that follows and realizing the will of the whole that You are going to pursue, receive the glory of ushering in the day of rejoicing. I prayed all these words in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The topic of the sermon I want to give you is “The Pledge That Must Be Fulfilled.” I will speak briefly on this topic.
The Meaning Behind Jesus’ Giving the Bread and Wine
You must know very well that God, who has been carrying on the work of salvation through the dispensation of resurrection for 4,000 years, has established a new promise. The dispensation of resurrecting Jesus alone could not combine the will of Heaven and the will of earth and bring completion, so He has used the new promise to combine the will of Heaven and the will of earth and has tried to claim back the original garden that He promised.
When you look at this, it is written that the cup that Jesus passed and the bread that Jesus gave are the new promise. After Jesus left, we have received the flesh and blood of Jesus. You must know that this represents the life of the whole and the truth of the whole, which must be realized soon.
What do the blood and flesh of Jesus symbolize? They do not symbolize the flesh and blood of one individual, Jesus. From a broad perspective, they symbolize heaven and earth. In a narrow sense, they represent the center and the individual. Moreover, the flesh symbolizes the truth and the blood symbolizes the Holy Spirit.
Jesus has given us all this unconditionally. Jesus, who has been so giving, did not limit himself to his own problems. All the problems of any being connected to him, the center, were his problems.
What blocks the relationship between God and men? Heaven’s will should be manifested on the earth, and all situations on the earth must be concluded as to the will of Heaven, moving with the same purpose. This process has been thwarted. Accordingly, Jesus, the hero of love, symbolizes the one will that is going to emerge for the glory of the victorious Heaven, and he has been working hard until now.
The fact that God has found one man, Jesus, after 4,000 years of suffering, symbolizes that He can possess the whole of heaven and also all of the earth. Consequently, those who believe in Jesus can possess all of heaven, as well as all of the earth. However, we are entrusted with the will of the dispensation, which requires us not to permanently possess what we have as our own, but to return it back to God.
Because Jesus left after establishing the new promise, ever since there remains the unfulfilled condition that the spirit world and the physical world must communicate with each other centering on the apostles who follow Jesus. If Jesus had not passed away, then heaven and earth could have communicated with each other centering on Jesus, but because he passed away, Jesus came to represent the conditions of heaven, and the Holy Spirit came to represent the conditions of earth.
The Person Who Represents the Will of Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Who then is the person who can stand as the mediator and act on behalf of the will of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit? You must never forget that it is the apostles and we who have believed in the new words of promise on the earth.
Where is the unfulfilled wish of Jesus? The wish of Jesus is not found in heaven. Where is the unfulfilled wish of men? It is not found on the earth. The wish of Jesus must be linked to the will of the earth while the wish of humankind must be linked to the will of heaven. Accordingly, centering on Heaven, as the holy body that replaces the blood and flesh that Jesus gave, you must become the sacrifice representing heaven and earth.
If this is not accomplished, Jesus and the Holy Spirit can never become one. The Holy Spirit will continue to work on the earth by herself, while Jesus cannot but continue to work in heaven by himself.
What is the meaning of the words that Jesus said to his disciples, “You must drink my blood and eat my flesh?” You must never forget that implied in those words is the earnest heart of Jesus that pleads, Even if I were to go, you must come to own everything that falls within the sphere of the dispensation and materialize my unfulfilled wishes.
The blood that the disciples received from Jesus symbolized the spiritual aspect. The flesh, which symbolizes the physical aspect, signifies the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Jesus and the Holy Spirit wanted to form a holy body through the flesh and blood and hoped to be established as the central figure who can head toward the one purpose. What is more, the blood of Jesus symbolizes heaven while his flesh symbolizes the earth. Accordingly, you must know that the great hope and aspirations of Jesus are manifested in that.
Now, after having become a sacred body through the Holy Spirit, your mind has to become connected to the holy body of Jesus. This symbolizes the course of the history of restoration. When God created Adam and Eve, He first created the body and then created the spirit. After creating the physical body, He blew life into the nostrils and created Adam and Eve. Similarly, just as the two principles are combined to create one man, in the course of restoration, since the Holy Spirit centered on Jesus had established the new promise, from then until now, the works of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, which combine heaven and earth, are being carried on in conjunction. When you think about this, you have to realize how important is the responsibility we bear.
You must understand that insignificant apostles like us determine the fate of heaven and earth. You represent the apostles! You have been born with the holy body of Jesus and must manifest the power of the life of Jesus that can act on behalf of God. Inspirational works of the Holy Spirit must emerge which can act on behalf of Heaven. When you move as one before the will of Jesus, which seeks to restore the whole world of creation, Heaven will move according to the direction you move.
If you do not fully establish the condition based upon which Heaven can act through men, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will protest against you. The universal mission that Jesus left behind will also protest against you. When you think about this, you have to realize that through us who amount to nothing, Jesus is trying to fulfill the great universal will in which he can move heaven and earth at his will.
Jesus does not have the authority to make decisions without the aid of men. The Holy Spirit also does not have the authority to decide. Only we have the authority to decide.
Recompense for the Flesh and Blood Received from Jesus
Until now, the history of the New Testament was based on the concept, “Lord, please do it for us.” It was a history with a limitation, which made a demand for the fulfillment of a wish. The history of the New Testament could not free itself from this limitation and remained stagnant. We must transcend the words of the New Testament. We must transcend that history and receive the grace and blessing of Heaven. We must obtain the whole merit of Jesus, who tried to possess everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, transcending the limitation of the New Testament, we must be able to say, “Father! Please grant us a new promise.”
You must manifest in your life the appeal that Jesus was making with his blood as his flesh was being torn on the cross. The responsibility of humankind, which must be completed before we can go to heaven, is made a part of the promise by Jesus. However, it must go beyond just fulfilling the promise itself. You must carry the grace of the whole, the wish of the whole, and the life of the whole within yourself. Exceeding the limit with the ideals of your life, you must set the standard on the earth to give freely and bring it to perfection. If you cannot achieve this, there is no way to resolve the suffering and grief of Jesus. We dwell in the middle of the process of realizing the wish right now. We are heading toward the goal and achieving the wish. If you move within this process, you can bring the promise of faith that you have made to a conclusion. You must understand that one who steps over that kind of limitation recompenses for the flesh and blood of the Lord that he received in that ultimate moment.
In this sense, what are we going to do? We must be able to dare to represent Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God in front, back, left, right, up and down. If you cannot establish on the earth the day when the final results are brought by men, which is the will of heaven and of earth, then the will of God and Jesus cannot be accomplished. What is more, when we think about that will, we must realize that insignificant as we are, our value is enormous.
What is the one thing Jesus demanded as he was giving out his flesh and blood to the disciples? He said, “Take this and divide it among you.” You must never forget this. Since we have received the flesh and blood of Jesus, as long as we take responsibility for the problems in Heaven on behalf of Jesus, then the will of God will be fulfilled. This is the wish of Heaven.
Today we have the responsibility of the last days, which calls upon us to build relationships among ourselves and to seek the altar of victory as a condition of having received the flesh and blood of Jesus. You must feel deeply that we bear such a responsibility.
The Will of the Lord Who Requested Us to “Love One Another”
The principle that comes down from above does not change. Who is going to find the immutable relationship that will link the principles of high and low, as well as left and right? You must find it. Though history and the era might change, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have remained as the unchanging center and have persisted in the same direction. Just as Jesus and the Holy Spirit gave and received, we also must form those kinds of relationships among ourselves. You must understand that if we cannot build such relationships, then the altar upon which God can operate on the earth cannot be constructed.
Do you understand the heart of Jesus, who distributed his own flesh and blood? It was an unspeakably bitter and sorrowful heart. In the world today, those who know the will and are trying to live for its sake must try to manifest the will, even if that means that they have to be in a bitter and miserable situation and go through crushing ordeals that are comparable to the melting of bones. Accordingly, you must be able to fathom how it must be for Jesus to look down upon those who have not felt this and do not understand the will.
If you do not understand this kind of historical circumstance, then you cannot even hold a horizontal holy banquet among yourselves. Therefore, what we need today is the way of life that can allow us to share with each other the heart of love that we feel when we communicate with God and Jesus. In other words, we need a way of life that manifests the love of the holy body. Linking people with people and connecting denominations with other denominations, we have to understand the request of Jesus, who asked us to share the heart of love with each other for the sake of transcending denominations and entering one sphere centering on the love of Heaven, without paying attention to the external forms. You must understand that those among you who do not have a friend to whom he can give himself and in return receive all of his friend is a truly miserable person. What is more, because the Holy Spirit does not change before Jesus, even if humankind changes, Jesus has been carrying on a relationship of giving and receiving with her. Accordingly, you must stand on the foundation to give and receive with her and fight on behalf of the history of the spiritual world.
Now the time has come when we must bring to a conclusion the one final wish that Jesus left behind for us. If you want to link this wish to the left and right, then what should you do? You must first become one who can serve on the earth. You must fight on the earth and become a martyr. You must be able to serve the righteous people on the earth.
Today you must take to heart the words that Jesus spoke. He said, “Those who serve everyone will be served by others,” and “Those who try to elevate themselves will decrease.” This is the center of our life today, which we feel on the horizontal plane. Therefore, we must learn to serve any and every person and learn to become friends to everyone and learn to protect them.
To Fulfill a New Promise
Since new words of the New Testament have been promised, we must feel the internal heart from which Jesus gave commands. While we fathom that heart, we can comprehend the ideals as well as the practical aspects. By doing so, we are to fulfill the will of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in their place. If that will is not realized through us, then in the last days, the works of Jesus and the Holy Spirit will be terminated. Should the works of Jesus and the Holy Spirit be terminated, on the day of termination you should stand alone and understand the wishes of Jesus and the Holy Spirit and become a person who can walk the practical course that Jesus had walked, championing the new ideals on behalf of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
We have received Jesus’ new flesh and blood of promise. What is the mission left for us? It is fulfilling the new promise. To do this, we must be able to easily win over Satan without the help of the Trinity in the last days. What then is the center of the victory we can bring over Satan? It is doing things that Satan is incapable of doing. We must do deeds of which Satan is incapable.
The essential nature of Satan is arrogance. The essential nature of Satan is jealousy. The essential nature of Satan is living only for his own sake. Therefore, the lessons that Jesus and the Holy Spirit emphatically stress are, “Be meek and humble; sacrifice; be the sacrifice.” These are the things Satan cannot do. If Satan were to become meek, he has to first repent for all his sins before God and turn around. If there were no jealousy in Satan’s heart, then this world today would turn quickly toward Heaven.
Therefore, you must first nurture those elements that are diametrically opposed to Satan. Moreover, you are not to stagnate in that realm of limitation, but you must exceed that limit and enter a new sphere of promise. When you establish an immutable center by doing that, you can fulfill the new promise made as one who has received the flesh and blood of Jesus. If you cannot be in the position to discuss the things that God could not discuss with Jesus and Jesus could not discuss with the Holy Spirit, in other words, if you cannot stand as the central figure who represents all the standards of heaven and earth, then you must know that while the promised will of Jesus cannot be materialized, at the same time the promised will that God desires also cannot be fulfilled.
Today, even if we do not possess anything of the world, we must fully possess the mind and body of Jesus. We must be recognized for our value as the center that represents heaven and earth. Yet our recognized value must not stagnate in any one sphere of limitation. We must become invaluable beings whom the creation and heaven cannot but welcome.
The flesh and blood of Jesus do not affect only the earth. It is not the case that it can only be applied on the earth. Just as the course of faith is applicable in heaven, they are applied also in heaven. Therefore, if we totally receive the flesh and blood of Jesus, our wishes will be completed in heaven and on earth. What is more, the completed wishes will replace the wishes of Jesus and the wishes of the Holy Spirit on earth.
In this way, the two must become one and take charge of the work that Jesus and the Holy Spirit has been doing. We must go forward until we reach the state when we can let Jesus and the Holy Spirit rest and make another promise with God. You must not forget that only by doing so, the new dispensation of God, the whole history of the dispensation of Heaven, will finally reside on a victorious foundation and move forward.
Prayer
Father! We know that on the earth, the battle for truth is taking place, while in heaven, competition for love is going on. We know that the one purpose of the fight for truth on the earth symbolizes the body of Jesus and tries to bring that to a conclusion. We also know that the reason we make our wishes toward Heaven and long for love is to consummate the will of the flesh of Jesus.
We have realized that the crossing point of love and truth is the victorious foundation in which Jesus can dwell, where the Holy Spirit can dwell, and where God can operate. The victorious foundation of the Father is not to be settled centering on Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Let it be solidified through us who are on the earth.
Father! Please allow Your beloved children who have gathered here to stand now before the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and call out, “Oh! Father! Lord! Holy Spirit!” and let Heaven be shaken by that voice. Please let the earth move. Father, I earnestly hope and wish that You would grant that which our hearts desire. Let our voice calling out, “Father,” penetrate through Heaven and wrap around and move all things on the earth.
Please allow the purpose behind Jesus’ giving of his flesh and blood to us be accomplished through us and allow us to earn the dignity of children who can serve the Father and live eternally in the garden of victory that represents the character of Jesus. Father, we earnestly wish and hope for these things.
Now, please allow the blood of Jesus to soak through our minds, and let our minds become entangled with the flesh of Jesus. Please allow our wishes and will to represent the hope and will of Heaven. Because we could not free ourselves from the sin of having killed Jesus, which we inherited through the lineage, we could not totally eradicate today the elements of Satan’s essential nature. Father, please indemnify all the elements of sin and evil, and fill us only with the grace of life.
Father, we hope from the bottom of our hearts that You will govern over everything and manifest through us the value of the blood of Jesus, which represents life, and that You will manifest Jesus’ victorious garden of glory that represents the body. Offering gratitude for Your grace in having taken care of everything, I prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Chapter 11: Why did Jesus Become the Little Lamb Who Bore All the Sins of This World?
July 11, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
John 1:24-34
Prayer 1
My loving Father! Your children, who were scattered in all regions and directions, have come together before Your knees and have bowed down, longing for Your love. Please, dominate our minds now, and please let the yearning for Your holy sung-sang be the only thing that remains in our minds. Please allow our bodies to cultivate the beauty of Your hyung-sang and be intoxicated in silence by the grace of inspiration. Father, I sincerely wish and desire this.
This earth has sunken into darkness. We know that the mission to rescue the earth from the darkness is upon the shoulders of such insignificant persons as we.
Father of love! Father of compassion! By ourselves alone we do not have the power to distinguish good from evil and to increase goodness. Therefore, loving Father, please allow the power of the goodness and love that You have hidden in Heaven to be manifested. Allow us to exercise goodness even in humble situations, and allow us to obtain the glory, to bow before You, Father, and to bring the glory of resurrection out into the light with all our minds and souls.
Father, please purify the minds of the many children who have bowed down before You now. Father, You must touch each of their hearts with Your hands of sanctification, to lift the veil and to purify each of their minds and bodies. You must eradicate all the undesirable elements within them, so please be their personal guide and master of distinction between good and evil, as well as the master of their hearts. My Father, I pray sincerely that You will guide us to eliminate evil by distinguishing between good and evil, and that we may be offered before Your holy presence through the one center.
Father! Since we have gathered here, please allow this time to be an opportunity when we can awaken to the inadequacies of our own selves before the manifest presence of the Father’s hyung-sang. In this hour, please allow us to discover the reality of ourselves, we who have collaborated with the power of sinfulness in the past and who have entered the realm of death. Let us divulge ourselves before Father and before the glorious altar of goodness. Please eradicate all of our undesirable habits of the past and our concepts which have prevented us from having faith in You.
Loving Father, I sincerely wish and desire that we may use this opportunity to receive new stimulation in goodness and, realizing the new value of Father’s sung-sang, be shaken in our minds and bodies. I pray sincerely that You will unfold the works of repentance and inspiration in this moment. Please remove all the inappropriate and wrong elements of sin and evil in this moment, Father. Father, please intervene personally and be fully at work among the crowd, in which only the elements of glory that You can govern have gathered. Please govern them.
Father, as far as I know, lonely groups of people scattered all across the land are bowing before Heaven for the sake of humankind this evening. Father, You who are the friend of lonely people, please allow them to maintain unchanging loyalty and fidelity toward Heaven no matter what kind of environment or situation they find themselves in. Even if the mocking of Satan has created a great block, please make them into the brave soldiers of Heaven who can step over this, and guide them to accomplish Your wish and the mission entrusted to them in the last days. Father, I sincerely hope that the immutable power of Heaven will be with them so that they can continue to fight.
On this evening, please descend with the works of the Trinity upon those countless altars that have gathered on behalf of humanity. Beloved Father, we sincerely hope that with the Trinity, You will prophecy about the mission of the whole that You are going to accomplish in the last days, and that You will unveil to the 2.4 billion people of humanity Your original will, which You must find. establish and manifest on the earth.
From the beginning to the end, please let them, as the entrusted sacrifice, form the altar which You can be delighted in, so that only the miracles, the power and the glory which can stand as evidence to the holy body of joy may be manifested. I pray in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Loving Father! Command us and create the environment in which we can represent the position of the Jewish people who stood before John the Baptist when he saw Jesus appearing before him as the representative of the heavenly way, and who stood on the shores of the Jordan River and cried out to Heaven. Though our hearts may be far away in historical time, please allow us again to have the blessing that would enable us to hear the voice of John the Baptist who, centering on Heaven, cried out with a pained heart, “Look, there is the lamb of God who bears the sin of this world.” These are indeed awe-inspiring, fearsome and dignified words.
Although many people, saints and sages have come to and gone from this earth, there was not even one who could confidently step forward and proclaim that he had taken up the burden of all the sins of humanity. The words of John the Baptist, which testified to Jesus, set the new, historical standard for re-creation.
Please allow us the joyful blessing that can let us fathom the heart of John the Baptist, who found the one who could take care of all the detestable sins of humanity. Let us entrust all our sins into the hands of Jesus and let us bow toward Heaven.
Please transform our environment today into the environment of the Jewish people who received the grace of liberation. Please let their heart be manifested in our environment. Let us realize that there is no one happier than the one who has found the master to whom he can transfer all of his sins.
Please allow us to feel the happiness of having entrusted our life and all that we have and of having offered gratitude in an environment of freedom. Allow us to feel the joy of someone who possesses Heaven. Please let us realize once more that Jesus has come to the earth and has taken over the burden of our sins.
Please take charge of all the sins of those who have gathered here, and allow only goodness to remain and fill the place. Please let us entrust all the sinful elements to Jesus Christ. Loving Father, we sincerely wish that You will allow us to be overwhelmed with a powerful urge which would galvanize us to return glory to the Father and to comfort the sorrowful heart of Jesus.
Look down upon the children who have gathered here with compassion. Please do not let the heart of the speaker and the heart of the listener be divided into two. Please grant the power of resurrection that can give us new life, and the words of re-creation that will enable us to sacrifice ourselves. Give us the grace that would empower our mind and body to cut the chain of sin and, relying on the words of re-creation, restore our original image. Loving Father, we earnestly hope that this may be done.
We have entrusted everything unto You, so please grant us what You intend. I pray in the name of the loving Lord. Amen.
The topic of the speech today is “Why Did Jesus Become the Little Lamb Who Bore All the Sins of This World?” I will speak briefly on this topic.
The Background of the Advent of Jesus
God created humankind as the central beings who can substantially feel His internal ideals. In doing so, God hoped to establish the concealed beauty, love and glory of Heaven as the eternal course through the life of Adam and Eve. He tried to build a world of uninterrupted happiness.
Due to the fall of man, this original will of God was undermined in a fundamental way and, against the wishes of God, humankind established Satan in the position of God and dwelt within the realm of Satan’s dominion. Humankind, who should have served God by returning glory and happiness to Him, worshiped Satan instead and continued with this shameful history. You already know this fact very well.
Moreover, God has been leading the dispensation until now because He has to realize glory centering on human beings; He has to make His will to give love material by centering on human beings, and He has to give advice centering on human beings. On the contrary, Satan has been carrying on the battle to destroy the glory of God, the love of God, and the life of Heaven, has shackled humankind in his own domain and has been fighting to keep them in bondage.
Unless the original human being whom God is looking for, a hero who can attack Satan appears, there is no way to return glory to God, nor love, nor life. To find this one central figure, God has been toiling for 4,000 years, leading the dispensation forward. Jesus was the person whom God finally raised as the center of faith, the representative of humankind, whose mission was to testify to the glory, love and life of God.
The Responsibility of Jesus
What was the mission Jesus was supposed to fulfill when he came to the earth? It was to restore the glory, love and life of God. However, sin prevented this from being accomplished. Sin prevented humanity from returning glory to God, prevented them from feeling the love of God, and hindered them from feeling the life of God, so that they could not settle on His love and life as the center of eternal life.
What was the reason behind this? Because of the fall, hereditary and individual sin permeated the whole creation, centering on humankind. Therefore, the mission Jesus was supposed to accomplish on earth first was to carry on the battle of pulling out the root of the sin that pervaded the creation. He had to do this before he could restore the glory, the love and the life of God. To dig out the root of sin, Jesus bore the sins of humanity on his own shoulders.
Why did Jesus have to carry sin on behalf of others? Human beings were committing sins. Furthermore, human beings did not know the truth. Jesus Christ came to the earth to save humanity, bringing with him the glory, love and eternal life of God, yet there was one condition that obstructed his way. This was none other than sin, which is intertwined like one gigantic steel net, woven throughout this person and that person, this organization and that organization, this society and that society, this nation and that nation. Without voluntarily eradicating this sin, this earth will never see the glory of God, the love of God and the life of God.
God has been working through men to exterminate sin. When human beings eradicate sin, the glory, the life and the love of God can be bestowed upon them. God caused them to wipe out sin to make them realize the master of whom they had not been aware. As a result, we can serve that master as the representative of the glory of Heaven, the love of Heaven and the life of Heaven. If we can do this, then there is no power that can sever the relationship between Jesus, who has been anointed by Heaven as the center, and us.
Yet due to the fall, until the consummation of this world, the burden of sin exists in the relationship between us, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This burden of sin is found in the family, society, nation, world and in all of heaven and earth, so the fact that someone has arrived who can take care of all the sins in heaven and earth is the happiest news and gospel of salvation and triumph.
Have we entrusted our sin to Jesus? Moreover, have our families entrusted their sins to Jesus Christ? Have our society and our nation entrusted their sins to Jesus Christ? Has our world entrusted its sins to Jesus Christ? The question is, how many believers remain on the earth who have not yet escaped from the realm of sin?
What You Must Do in Your Daily Life of Faith
What you have to do in your daily life of faith is take all of your sins and entrust them to Jesus. Have you transferred all of your sins to Jesus? You must ask yourself this. There must emerge on earth someone who can say, “Father! I cannot purge the sins that remain within me by myself. I entrust them all to you.” Otherwise, the ideals of Jesus can never be realized. If even now the burden of sin still lingers in me and if there still remain the elements of grief caused by sin in my family, my society, nation, world and in heaven and earth, then Jesus’ ordeal of the cross will be prolonged. You must understand that even in this hour, your deeds are prolonging Jesus’ ordeal of the cross.
Today we must offer the prayer of repentance, “Please take charge of all my sins.” You must say, “Lord, please take my sins away.” Unless we combine our minds and bodies, combine with the mind and body of Jesus, and walk a course of revolution with our own hands, as well as with the hands of Jesus, and penetrate through to the bottom of sin, we cannot say to the Holy Spirit and to Jesus that we have eradicated our sins.
What is the meaning of the will Jesus proclaimed: that he is going to come to the earth to take care of all sins? Due to our fall, we have lost God, the Master of life, we have lost True Parents, and we have lost Jesus, who came as the one center who can protect and love us. Now, after Jesus takes charge of all sins in the world and in heaven and earth, Satan will be engaged in the ultimate battle with Jesus. If you do not entrust all of your sins to Jesus and God, then Jesus cannot intervene in your affairs as your master, even if he wants to. You must understand this.
From a humanistic perspective, Jesus can be viewed as the most unfortunate person. We must understand the heart of Jesus. His heart was such that he wanted to bear all the burdens of sin in this universe. Humanistically speaking, Jesus was a miserable person. When Jesus came to this earth, there had never been anyone as unfortunate as he. Although he came to the earth to find and to give blessing, there was not even one person who, knowing his wishes, served him with the attitude, “Jesus is my eternal, ideal and unchanging master.” Although he came for the sake of the people, for the nation, the world and for heaven and earth, Jesus the anointed one was an unspeakably unfortunate person. There was no one who welcomed him and believed in him based on the words he spoke and the actions he carried out. Similarly, from a humanistic point of view, the environment Jesus found himself in was extremely precarious.
As a human being, Jesus must have felt the same emotions you do. Jesus bore the burden of the sins of humanity both of the past and of the future, because people had no way to purge their sins themselves. Yet he forgot his own ordeals and comforted the lonely individuals who were resentful about their sins. We must comfort the internal tribulations, the anguish and the sorrow of Jesus, the one who came to take charge of the sins of humanity.
Of course, we should mourn about sin. Yet when you mourn, you should never allow it to penetrate into Heaven directly. The Holy Spirit is the one who came to comfort us in our grief. Thus, we must receive the cooperation of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in order to free ourselves from sin. Otherwise, the worries of Jesus, who is in charge of our sins, will not be removed from earth as well Heaven.
The Holy Spirit is in charge of obtaining pardon from Heaven for our sinfulness. This is because humankind does not have a direct relationship with either God or Jesus, who are in Heaven. Therefore, we must receive the cooperation of the Holy Spirit who is working on the earth. The way to redemption has been opened because of the crucifixion of Jesus, but the one who actually toils to take charge of our sins is the Holy Spirit. You must understand that the Holy Spirit stands in the position of a mediator for our sake, representing us miserable sinners.
What kinds of ordeals is the Holy Spirit going through? The exertion of Jesus, who passed away on the cross while responsible for our sins, and the ordeals of the Holy Spirit, crying with us when we cry and being hung on the cross when we are hung on the cross, are very much with us today. Even today, he is undergoing the crisis of crucifixion for your sake. You must understand this clearly. When the toils of Jesus and the exertion of the Holy Spirit are combined as one with us in the middle, and we reach the standard that God requires, then all the sins that we have committed on the earth will be redeemed.
Our Responsibility Toward the Work of the Holy Spirit
We have wrongly thought until now that we were the only ones exerting ourselves to prepare for the coming of Jesus, but we must understand that in the background there is the Holy Spirit, who has toiled more strenuously than we. Since the ordeals of the Holy Spirit are greater than those of humankind, Jesus wants to work through the Holy Spirit to represent the glory of Jesus and rally humankind together. Without ushering in this kind of occasion, there is no way that Jesus can come to the earth again and stand firmly as the master of humanity.
Consequently, when we face evil and go forward, we must be aware of the fact that because of the sins we committed, the Holy Spirit exerted herself on the earth for us, and Jesus had to die on the cross. Moreover, wherever we go in heaven and earth, we must realize that we are sinners who have no way to be unshackled from the grievances of Heaven. We must now be awakened to this sin and offer all of our minds and bodies. Accordingly, first we must rely on the work of the Holy Spirit and assist Jesus in his work to take the burden of toil off his shoulders. The ordeals of the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God must be brought to an end through us before there can be a consummation of the will of Heaven, which has labored to take charge of our sins. What is more, we can finally find the one Master only now. This is what you must understand.
Jesus came to the earth as the son of man and passed away. He came to the earth as a man. As you can see in the spirit world, because Jesus has a substantial body with whom we can have a direct conversation, when our spiritual senses are open, we can comfort and express gratitude to Jesus. You cannot do this with the Holy Spirit. The reason is that the Holy Spirit does not have a body. Jesus came to the earth in a substantial body, as the master of Heaven and as the center of the world of creation. Nonetheless, because the Holy Spirit could not possess a substantial body until now, there is no way to directly comfort her for her ordeals. During the 2,000 years of toilsome history, the ideology of the bride and bridegroom was established to extinguish this source of grief, but Christians today do not understand this. When will there be the appearance of the substantial Holy Spirit on the earth who can become the bride of Jesus?
The crime we have committed is not just that of having caused Jesus Christ to cross the pass of death; it also involves our having caused the Holy Spirit to walk a similar course of suffering. If we can liberate them from that suffering and grief, we can return happiness and glory to Jesus, but the Holy Spirit must await fulfillment.
When we entrust our sins to them, the Holy Spirit takes charge of them first. After that, Jesus Christ takes them over, and then they are purged by God, but we do not know this process so well. If there come forth believers who understand this task and mission, then the Holy Spirit’s work of inspiration will be manifest before the whole of humanity.
What then are we to do now that Jesus Christ has left after having come to the earth? We are to find the master in the position similar to the bridegroom, Jesus, and the mistress who is in the position similar to the bride, the Holy Spirit. By so doing, we receive the grace of atonement. What is more, we can cling to the Holy Spirit and Jesus and say, “Holy Spirit and the Holy One and God! Please bless us.” If you cannot do this, then the sufferings of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the last 2,000 years cannot bear fruit on the earth.
Why did Jesus come to take responsibility for the sins of the world? This was for our sake, so that we can possess freedom. Finding the master is so that we, humankind, can restore our original self and transfer from the position of being dominated by Satan to the position where we can dominate him. Consequently, after you finish walking your course, you are to be free children, exterminating Satan and becoming free of sin.
Chapter 12: Let Us Take Part in the Glory That God Recognizes
July 19, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Matthew 11:25-30
Prayer 1
Loving Father! Please personally rule over Your children who have gathered here. Please let us not be foolish ones who do not know that the life we have is in actuality not the life that we should have. Since they have received a great blessing that You have granted for the sake of the people, please do not let them become ones who leave it behind.
Loving Father! A handful of people who were walking the lonely path today have come to this place and have bowed down before You. Please allow them to become one with Your love. Let Your hands of love, which seek humankind, become intermingled with us in that place which represents the 6,000 years. In this way, please link minds to minds and bodies to bodies, so that we can all become united as one.
The grace that You have bestowed on us is not just our own. It belongs to the whole, so please allow this grace to pass through these people and reach out to the 2.4 billion persons of humanity everywhere. Father! Please be the center of our lives, the center of our love and the center of our hope. Loving Father, I sincerely hope and desire that Your hands of grace may be placed upon our heads from this moment forever afterwards.
Father! We know that many people are bowing before You today, so wherever they gather, please let Your hands of love be with them. Please allow those who have gathered to lie prostrate before the deep heart of the Father on behalf of the whole.
Please convey Your hidden love to them. Appear before them so that they will be adequately prepared to represent the whole dispensation of the last days and emerge before humanity. My Father, I earnestly hope and wish that You will allow the Father’s blessing of power in this hour.
We offer our hearts before the Father’s altar as they are, so please eliminate all the elements that are inappropriate. Allow us to sing the glory of the Father and be filled only with the heart of gratitude. My Father, I hope for it most earnestly.
By doing so, please do not let there be even one unworthy person among the beloved children of Yours who have gathered here. If there are some children who have traces of sins of selfishness, then Father, please manifest the fire-like work of the Holy Spirit so that they can feel shame and repent on their own in this hour. By doing so, please allow us to be remolded as ones who can be offered as meek and humble sacrifices before the Father on behalf of the people.
Father, there are members who could not participate in this place, so wherever they may be, please be with them with the same grace. Give blessings upon those lonely churches who cry out on behalf of the people and the dispensation. Father! Through their solemn hands, allow the fire of the beacon to appear before this people. Beloved Father, please let Your holy will be revealed to the world as the will of happiness through the people who yearn for You.
We entrust all of this hour to You. Please let the Trinity govern us. Wishing earnestly, we prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Please quickly carry on the judgment of this earth. Please be the only one to protect and rule over the beloved brothers and sisters who have gathered here today, Father. Even for just this hour, please let this be a time when we do not have anything centered on us.
Please lead us to understand in this hour that our life is not ours, our knowledge is not ours, and all of our concepts are not ours. We are nothing more than that which is entrusted to You. Allow us to move when Heaven moves and halt when Heaven halts.
Father, there are brothers and sisters here who carry scars from wounds and have sunken into a frantic state, so our Father, who understands their situation and condition, please allow their minds and bodies to go up in the flames of eternal life that descend from Heaven. Please allow this hour to be an occasion when we can return the bliss of rebirth to the Father.
Please let us understand that no matter how great a concept of the world might be, it cannot compare with the Heavenly way. Let us understand that the ignorance of the world has permeated throughout the earth, so that we can realize the shadows that sin is casting over the whole world.
In this hour, please lead us to understand our own lack. Being inspired by the movement of the Heavenly way, allow us to be in awe as we face the whole. Loving Father, we fervently want and hope for this.
Father, we have gathered around and sat down, so please give us a command. We have gathered, so Father, please divulge Your words of advice and desire. Please manifest Your power of resurrection and let there be an explosion of the power and ability to push through the walls of darkness that have been blocking us. We make an earnest wish.
We wish in our minds, but because our physical body is weak, please bring out the power to shatter this physical body of weakness. Operate it with Your powerful hands so that we can become the clay that can be reshaped into the true essence by Your hands which give the grace of creation. Loving Father, I fervently hope and wish that we can become meek and humble ones who can be forged into a glorious image.
You have called us before You, we who are insignificant. Please allow us to fulfill the hope that You cherish. Please allow the emergence of a living altar for the sake of finding the path of survival for this miserable people, who are dying away. Anoint us to stand before You and have a direct one-to-one conversation. Allow us to take on the mission that Heaven demands.
Please allow us to fight and divide all evil. Separating good and evil, allow us to stand in the position of goodness. Please allow us to become ones who firmly believe that good will prevail and evil will be eradicated; allow us to be ones who, entering the right path, live captivated in Your glory. Father, we earnestly hope and desire for these things to take place.
Father! Please look upon the thirty million people with sympathy. Please allow the tears of the children of God, who lament for the sake of the people, to soak through heaven and earth. Exhibit Heaven’s work of inspiration that can cause this people to repent. Please allow the miracle of resurrection, which motivates repentance, to be revealed through the whole people. In this way, please allow us to become the people who can receive in our hearts the new will that You desire.
Please call upon each of Your beloved children who have gathered here and purify them. Father, first interfere with the affairs of their mind and body, and then with their life, with Your eternal ideal. Even just for this hour, please allow us to offer everything for the sake of Your desired purpose and offer a bow as the sacrifice that You can accept.
Please rule over everything. We prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Player 3
Father of love, we are trying to convey the heart of Heaven to the pitiful people, but the people who live on this earth do not understand the heart. They understand erroneously that the internal heart of Heaven does not have any relationship of order with this earth. Please forgive the ignorance of pitiful humankind in this moment.
Father! Please let the handful of people who have gathered here understand that Heaven is demanding for them to take on grand missions. Lead them to generate the desire to take charge of the responsibility. Please raise them for the will and through deeds to reveal these things.
How many children are there who desire to become sacrifices for the sake of the dispensation? Loving Father! How many are there who can understand the heart of the Father without being told a word? How many are there who fathom the will and move before they are called upon?
Father! Although what they hope to gain from Heaven is great, we know that what Heaven expects of us is also great. Father! Even from this hour, since a small number of members want to present ourselves on the altar of God for the sake of upholding Your will, please accept us, though we are insignificant. Please do not see our flaws as flaws, but accept them with love.
We know that we can escape the accusation of Satan only when we can come to be truly loved by You. Father, please forgive the whole, and please allow the grace of the Father, which will share Heaven’s concealed manna of life.
As we look upon those who have gathered here, we realize that the power must be increased. Father, please amplify Your overflowing power, and allow them to forget their lacks and their sinful mentality. Please personally work a miracle so that this moment can be the time when only life appears before them.
Father! Please lead those who have gathered here to lie prostrate before You with the mind-set of a receiver, much like an empty cup. Please fill these empty glasses with the water of life and revive their original minds. Please allow us to raise our bodies and hands toward Heaven and offer everything we have before the Father. Loving Father, I sincerely hope and wish for this.
At this moment, I am standing in front of them, so please let them realize that the words I speak are Jesus’ words of profound significance, which are absolutely necessary for their lives and for the course of history. I know that those who bear heavy burdens will build victorious accomplishments on the foundation of words with the power of resurrection.
Please allow us also to entrust everything to Jesus and to be created again on the foundation where the condition of resurrection was set by the crucifixion. Loving Father, this I earnestly wish and desire.
Govern over everything in this hour. I prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The title of today’s speech is “Let Us Take Part in the Glory that God Recognizes.” I will speak upon this topic.
The Meaning of Understanding Me
Because John the Baptist, who should have testified to the will of Heaven, did not complete his mission, Jesus stood on the threshold of an arduous fight with Satan. The Jewish people, who should have understood the situation of Jesus, did not understand him. Jesus, who was being pressed by Satan to walk the path of tribulation and who was standing alone despite the fact that every being in heaven and earth should have recognized him, tried to communicate the will of Heaven to the people, who did not understand it.
Jesus realized he had the mission to reveal what he knew internally to the ignorant people. He set himself before humankind and, relying on the comforting thought that at least God understood him, he stepped forward to proclaim the new resolution, the new hope and determination to the people. Today’s speech is important since it deals with this content.
Man’s happiness is generated by having someone who understands him. If he has a friend, a comrade or a teacher who knows about his past and understands even his future, he is a happy person. Moreover, the place of rest for a person is built centering on the bosoms of these people. The person feels happiness and fulfillment in the environment that they are in.
Jesus was aware of the fact that God in Heaven understood him in relation to history, in relation to the thirty years of his life, and in relation to the eternal will of the dispensation. Just as God recognized him, Jesus was supposed to understand humankind through history, through their lives and through the future. Jesus was aware of this mission. The more he felt that it was indeed he who had to make them understand God, the more he felt he had to testify to the people about God in any shape or form.
Jesus Had to Show that God Recognized Him
Jesus had to prove that in the will of God, he was the person who represented the unbreakable relationship with the 4,000 years of the course of the dispensation. Jesus felt responsible for guiding the Jewish people to God in the same way that God recognized Jesus in relation to the dispensation of 4,000 years. He tried to reveal his understanding of God in his life course.
Moreover, when he learned that during the dispensation that would follow his thirty years of life, the whole of humanity was to become one with his ideals of the future, Jesus felt that until he reached the ideal world in which humankind would understand him, he had the compelling responsibility to reveal the will to them.
When we consider the events that have taken place in the past and present, and are to take place in the future in the eternal heavenly world and on the earth, we realize that Jesus’ mission was not limited. When we consider how there still remains the unfulfilled history of the dispensation, in which every existing being must reach Jesus through an unlimited stretch of time, we see that the mission of Jesus was not limited to just revealing this dispensation to Heaven, to the countless saints and to the historical ancestors.
Jesus, who stood before the will representing the whole, had to recognize the people on behalf of God in the same way God recognized him. He had to teach the people that, just as Jesus acted for God, they had to represent Jesus. What is more, unless he builds a relationship with people in which they come to recognize him as Jesus recognized God, Jesus cannot feel the joy of knowledge in his life. You must understand that though Jesus could obtain joy from God in Heaven, he could not be happy because the people did not understand him on the earth.
The words that Jesus spoke did not just ask the people to understand Heaven. The gospel that he spread was not only for the sake of Heaven. All of his words, toilsome deeds and arduous fights were done for the sake of the people of history and the people of the future who were to guide history forward. However, the people who came in contact with Jesus in his time did not know that. If the people on the earth had understood Jesus as Jesus understood God, then the life of Jesus would not have been intertwined with such great sorrow.
The Extent to Which God and Jesus Understood Each Other
To what extent did God understand Jesus? How did God understand Jesus? God understood Jesus from the beginning of the history of creation, through the history of humanity, through the relationships in history, extending to include all of the society of his time, even to the future ideals of Jesus.
Jesus, who appeared before the ignorant people, raised himself up and exerted himself after receiving the directives from Heaven. Moreover, he continued in the battle, deeply bound up in the sorrowful heart of God, who has suffered an infinite amount of ordeals in the course of history. Furthermore, he comforted the ancestors who had exerted themselves in the course of history. He tried to remove all the bitter resentments that had soaked through the course of history. God anointed Jesus to be this kind of man.
Jesus’ heart reached out for the sake of Heaven. He had a desperate desire to convey that heart to humankind. As long as Jesus had such a fervent, unfulfilled desire, God who was watching him closely, also felt the same anxiety. We must understand that because humankind did not fulfill their responsibility, God is living in anguish and sadness.
To what extent then did God understand Jesus? God understood him as someone who could manifest the glory of children through the ideology of the bride and bridegroom, centering on Adam’s family.
Next, how much did Jesus understand God? While he knew that God recognized him as the representative of history, he also knew that God wanted him to manifest on the earth the doctrine of the bride and bridegroom and the glory of goodness, from his family life centering on Mary to his actual life course. Consequently, his words had the power to alleviate the grief and suffering of history.
Jesus understood that God knew the obedience of Mary. He also knew that God understood the personal situation of Mary. He also knew that God hoped for the faith in the bride and bridegroom to start paving its way from the lowest position. Moreover, he also knew that God expects goodness among the countless created beings. The will of love that Jesus possessed could have consummated a relationship with humankind only if they had inherited the knowledge of God from Jesus.
This is the reason that Jesus could have discussions with God but not with humankind. You must understand that since there was no one on the earth who could reveal the knowledge and grievous feeling of Jesus and the dispensation of restoration on the earth, the sorrow of Jesus was greater than the sorrow of losing the whole universe.
Love Is to Reach Perfection Through Three Eras
If love cannot be perfected in one generation, then it takes three generations. At first, through the love of Heaven, it passes through the love of parents and then the love of the couple. We are walking the course of restoration because of the fall and the mistakes that are being repeated by humankind.
Therefore, in one’s life, the time until one becomes an adult is the time to receive the love of parents. After that period has passed, the period of love centering on oneself is the time of the bride and bridegroom. Next, the time of love that involves children comes.
God has been guiding history for 6,000 years. What period of love then was the time until the coming of Jesus? It was the time when, as parents, God personally gave love through Jesus. After that, the period of bride and bridegroom is the time when we ourselves build a family life.
What kind of era then will come next? It is the era when the ideology of the bride and bridegroom bears fruit on the earth. By doing so, Jesus has to carry on the expectations on the family level, centering on the will of God on the earth. To do this, the life of the spiritual bride and bridegroom should unfold on the earth first. By unfolding the spiritual family life of Heaven on the earth, the form of a family representing history has to be constructed.
Today, after passing through the 2,000 years since Jesus, heaven and earth must be combined. The internal and external forms must be brought together to form one substantial body and forge a relationship. You must become new parents and children centering on yourselves. In the period of parents, you must be able to produce new children. Through the new children, the new ideology of the bride and bridegroom must be established on the earth. Such an ideal remains unfulfilled in the course of history.
The Purpose Behind the Coming of Jesus
What is the purpose behind the coming of Jesus? He came to bring to a conclusion the internal form of the family, the external ideology of the bride and bridegroom, and the life of children. After completing the reciprocal standard, not only on the external foundation but also by connecting the external and the internal, the fortune of Heavenly laws would enable anyone to pass through the historical course of restoration on the family level, through which they can start from the internal and establish the one standard. Through whoever it might be, you must establish the form of family life, not only as a realistic and historical phenomenon, but also as a conclusive fact, until God and Jesus raise you up. If you do not possess the demonstrative content of the course of the bride and bridegroom, which Jesus has been working on for 2,000 years centering on the New Testament, you cannot confidently claim the standard of the bride and bridegroom. Leaving on the earth the substantial child of goodness in whom you can dwell eternally, if you can become a child, not of shame, but one who has escaped the history of sin and whom Satan cannot accuse, you will be able to discover the hidden secrets of Heaven. By establishing yourselves, you can receive the love of God, carry on discussions with Heaven and have a relationship of giving and receiving with Heaven.
What is the purpose of Jesus in whom you believe and whom God recognizes? What is the extent to which you understand Jesus? You should not think that the bride and bridegroom are manifested only in Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If you cannot leave behind the foundation of victory and eternal life that can bring eternal salvation through the substantial love of the family and the internal family, then the ideals and hope of Heaven will have no relationship with you.
Furthermore, that can become the possession of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but it cannot become yours.
Therefore, when you come to understand, you should not stop at just understanding him. If there is someone who can enter into a harmonious relationship centering on Jesus, then as the son of God who recognizes Jesus, he will be on equal footing with Jesus. He can proudly appear on the earth representing history, the present world and the future. If such a being emerges on the earth, then he is the one who understands history and the dispensation of Jesus and can represent the world for which Jesus hopes.
To become such a person, you must be grateful to God no matter what kind of condition is imposed on you. In any kind of environment, you must not lose hope. Jesus realized that he needed to arouse the love and hope of God, which is stronger than anything else that he loved.
Therefore, even when the environment and history changed and heaven and earth were thrown into confusion, until the last moment all Jesus thought about was humankind. He tried to forge an unbreakable relationship with humankind to represent the eternal life and the heart of the center. Therefore, he could say, “Cross, come to me. Death, also, come to me.”
If you do not experience this kind of feeling through your life, then even if you claim you know Jesus, it is the same as not knowing him. Therefore, you must now represent the general form of the history of the dispensation, the history of the whole and eternal history. You must forge the relationship that can penetrate through the active and passive hearts of the eternal God. By doing so, you should relieve the grief that permeates throughout history and appear before humanity. If you cannot appear as such a person, then you cannot call yourself the child that Jesus seeks and God recognizes. However, if there is such a person, even when he is eating a meal, every time he puts down the spoon, he will thank God. In every breath he takes, he will feel the love of God.
The Child Whom Heaven Recognizes
Just as the fortune of heaven and earth turns silently, our minds wish to turn without limits. Why is this not being done? It is because we are not aware of the fact that the forces and love of the universe and the principles of Heaven are connected.
Therefore, now we must come to understand Jesus in our life in the same way that Jesus understood God. Moreover, just as Jesus understood the grief of God and returned glory to Heaven, we must have the determination to follow Jesus to return glory to Jesus. If we do not know Jesus, when Jesus follows God and understands His heart of love, how would Jesus realize his fate-filled wishes? You must think about this today.
Today you might say that you are living for Jesus in certain moments. You must exist for the sake of many nations and peoples. Until the final days of history, you must eternally feel that trend and the heart of Heaven. As the master of creation, you must sing the glory of Heaven and return glory to Heaven.
If this is the wish of Jesus, then you yourself must return glory to Heaven for him. By doing so, you can materialize this dream-like event in the reality that is not a dream. God’s wish is bringing that will to conclusion. The wish and demand that have been kept inside the hearts of God and Jesus are being manifested through you. If there is someone who can truly believe in Jesus, by connecting with the heart of Jesus and seeking the internal heart of God and becoming the representative of God and Jesus, God will recognize him as He has recognized Jesus. At the same time, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will also recognize him. What is more, the Heavenly soldiers and angels who are connected to Jesus and the Holy Spirit will also recognize him. However, people do not realize that such grace of glory is the true grace.
To Return the Glory of Victory
Jesus was recognized only by God, but we will be understood by God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, as well as the countless saints in heaven. Therefore, if you can understand on earth the God of Heaven, then through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, you will win the recognition of the spirit world. Accordingly, you should stand within the sphere of recognition and come to grasp the heart of God, who has been guiding the dispensation for 2,000 years through Jesus.
God’s philosophy of the dispensation must be demonstrated through you. When we consider that, we can see that we are truly blessed. We are more blessed than Jesus as he headed toward the cross.
Jesus died a lonely death for the sake of God. However, we should be able to die for God, and even for Jesus and the Holy Spirit. By doing so, we must become people whom the millions of faithful believers can welcome and support in our path. You must be able to say, “I have been awakened to it, so Father, please guide us so that today we can comfort the countless faithful believers.” When you do that, you can represent the whole of God’s dispensation and bring out the glory of victory.
Prayer
Father! We who claim to believe in You are continuing to give out a foul smell and are not aware of ourselves. Father! Please connect us to the heart of Heaven and allow us to understand ourselves. By connecting us to the will of the dispensation for the earth, please allow us to understand ourselves.
Please allow us to comprehend the glorious one will which links heaven and earth. Father, please love these children who have gathered here so that they can fathom the heart of the Father that You want to express. Please grant them the heart that will enable them to serve Heaven centering on the Father. Lead these children to understand Heaven and to yearn for the glory of Heaven by comprehending the life course of the eternal Father.
Please grant Your blessing upon all the children who have gathered here so that they can receive the power of love flowing down from the Father and move whenever You move and halt whenever You halt. Please allow us to alleviate the worries of the Father and represent the whole of the historical dispensation.
By doing so, allow us to build the eternal nation of the Father who can move and shake the universe. Allow us to understand God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the countless saints in heaven and on earth.
Allow us to present, as a condition of victory, the glory of knowing the Father, to dismantle the sovereignty of Satan, and to construct the domain of victory. We sincerely wish and desire this. I prayed all these things in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Chapter 13: Let Us Bring Out the Value of Restoration
July 3, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Acts 1:6-11
Prayer 1
Father of love! After three days of being protected in the bosom of Your love, many children have gathered here again this evening to humble their minds and bodies and offer a bow. Please let Your glory fall upon their heads. Please let the loving hands of the Father, who has been patient in His dispensation, be present with them and guide them so that they can provoke in humankind a compelling urge to follow them. Let Your hands inspire them to meekly lie prostrate and bow before the Father.
Father, we have received Your permission to live inside Your bosom for three days, but we know that our minds and bodies often stepped out of the permitted boundaries. Because we are full of faults, we have set the condition for accusations from Satan. With Your power of love, loving Father, please impede those conditions and remove them with Your powerful hands.
Father, I hope and desire that You will lead us to have desperate minds and bodies, and that in this moment, You will allow us to be intoxicated in the love that has been locked up in Heaven. Guide us to be offered as the sacrifice in which Heaven can delight.
Please make the minds and bodies of all the children who have gathered here become the sacrifice on the altar that the Father can be happy about, to become children You can accept. By doing so, please allow this to be an opportunity when we can digest all of Your words of advice and command.
Please govern over us so that there will not be even one person among us who is reluctant to receive the Father’s advice and grace of love. Make this a precious time when the whole congregation can represent the heart of the Father and become one based on one heart and one joy.
Father, these who have come before Your solemn presence must have some personal ordeals. Please penetrate into them with Your fiery eyes so that they can overcome them. By inspiring peaceful and grateful hearts in them, please lead them to understand the substantial presence of the Father. In this way, please allow the manifestation of impressive works that can expose their lacks as they are and bring them to repentance.
Father, please let that inspiration move our minds and bodies and move the whole. We earnestly hope that we can be offered to the Father as the sacrifice of gratitude and the sacrifice of glory in this hour.
Please grant the Father’s words to each of us. If there are sinful elements in us, then please rule over us so that we can bring them out before the Father and purge them in this hour. At least for this moment, please allow us to be embraced in Your bosom and resemble Your meek original nature.
Please lead us to resemble Your peaceful original nature and to sing the Father’s glory with inspired hearts and watery eyes. Father, we fervently desire that we can offer proper greetings before Your majestic presence.
Father, we know that on this day, many congregations are offering the bow as we are doing now on behalf of the people, so please allow compassionate love wherever they gather. Please allow the ignorant people to open the door to their hearts and fathom the one life that Heaven demands and the anxious heart of God, who is trying to raise them. Let many of these children appear everywhere in large numbers and spark the fire of love. Let such a fire of life be revealed in all the lands.
Father! Please endow these people with the power of salvation, so that the people of the Abel-type who represent the whole can set the conditions of victory and build the altar that can restore the whole, the altar that Heaven desires.
Moreover, Father please be with the small number of those who stand on lonely paths and are pouring out their hearts and exerting their bodies for Heaven. We know that as they offer the bow, they already realize the magnitude of the mission entrusted to them in the last days. Father, please do not let even one of them fall into temptation. The crowds that are gathering are chosen for the Father’s dispensation of love. Loving Father, please do not forsake any one of them. Protect them so that they will not fall into the temptations of Satan and cause grief to You.
Even today, there are many children who are building the altar of redemption for the sake of humanity, without being noticed by others. They are concerned about Heaven with an anxious heart. What is more, we know that in caves or mountains or in the wilderness, there are many concerned children who cry out on behalf of the heart of the Father. Father, please also manifest the promised will of the last days before them.
Please grant the promised grace so that in the near future this people can be given the honor to put their knees before Yours and build the altar of glory. Father, we earnestly hope that You will construct one altar representing these people so that they can sing joy and victory and march forward, holding up the torch of the eternal truth of heaven and earth.
Father, we know that for the sake of preparing for this task, we must maintain many hidden altars. Please let many people gather quickly. Please allow this people to serve you in the near future. We sincerely hope that You will lead them so that happiness will be multiplied and Your glory is brought out into the full light.
Please rule over this evening from the beginning to the end so that there will not be even one who will be dragged off as a sacrifice of Satan. Wishing these things, I prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
When we realize that the course to accomplish the one will is a lonely course of which humanity is ignorant, when we think about how the twenty years of Jacob’s life lies before us as our own path of faith, we can come to understand that every footstep of suffering is drenched throughout with tears and sighs.
Father, these who have gathered here are the ones who have come forth to walk the path of the dispensation, following the footsteps of the course of Jacob, who was heading toward the house of Laban in the Haran wilderness. Sympathize with them and be their friend. Please protect the path they are walking on.
We know that many Satans are blocking the way on the path we are on. We know that the forces of darkness are obstructing the way, beloved Father! So, please safeguard the center in their hearts to be as immutable as rock, as they try to walk the model course of Jacob. Please raise them so that they can pour out all of their heart and soul for the sake of the will of Heaven. Forgetting all situations of the physical body, let them dash forward at full speed.
Since we have before us the unfinished path that we must fight and persist on until the day we sing the final song of victory to the Father, please grant us the power and ability, Father. Bestow on us the blessing to inherit the lonely heart of Jacob and to watch the glorious scene of angels climbing up and down the ladder connected from the earth to Heaven.
Please allow us to understand that there is God, who is helping us until the last minute. Let us understand the heart of perseverance of the Father. Make us become the victorious soldiers of patience who can carry on the battle until the day that the Father’s eternal will is realized and brought to victory.
We have entrusted everything to You. Please understand our anxious heart to communicate with You and please receive everything as our expression of loyalty. We hope that all of our minds and bodies can be offered as one harmonized sacrifice. Father, we fervently hope that You will grant us the blessing to offer everything as a sacrifice.
Father! Please allow this to become the hour when we can express gratitude toward all the blessings that You have granted us. Repress all our personal assertions. Please lead us not to become the throng of Satan who possesses the conditions of Satan’s accusations. Please allow us to uphold the honor of victory and exert all of our minds and bodies to make the meek sacrifice the triumphant offering of Heaven.
We have given all of our minds and bodies to You. Please govern the whole with the honor of victory. Hoping sincerely that You will allow us to take part in the blessing of joy, we prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 3
Father! Allow each of us to understand that when one person’s mind has not squarely centered itself on Heaven, this has considerable impact on the whole audience. Please lead us to understand that if one of us falls prey to Satan because of our inadequacy, then the whole prepared altar cannot be offered to the Father.
If Heaven’s work is manifested and the separation is made, then those who have not found the center will walk the path of Cain. Those who have secured the center will stand before the path of Abel. Please let there be many Abel-type people in this gathering. Please do not let them lapse into the position of Cain.
Father! In this hour the separation must be made, so please let each member of the audience enlighten his or her own heart. By establishing a center in our minds, please allow us to stand on the right side of Heaven.
Lead us not to take up the attitude of the one who stands on the left and peeks at the right side. Help us to become meek people who can submit before You in silence, facing the direction in which God can be happy. Father, I sincerely wish that You will guide us to exert our utmost for the sake of achieving harmony with the center of Heaven.
Please let these beloved children of Yours receive and digest the words of life this evening. Please convey new words of fire in our minds and bodies so that we can realize where each of us stands. By doing so, please help us to find the mind in which God can take delight. Help us train bodies that are acceptable to You so that we can stand before the altar of the Father as a being of happiness.
This evening, I have gathered young children before me and am trying to speak the words as You allow me to. Father, please reveal the appropriate truth and let Your hope be realized in this hour.
Please expunge all the wicked hearts in us and on the grounds of the good heart, please allow us to receive the sacred spirit of honor that brings joy. Let the heart of the speaker and the hearts of listeners form one image by resembling the hyung-sang of the Father. Let them give and receive in this hour. In this way, please allow this to be a precious moment when Heaven can achieve harmony through us. Father, we earnestly hope and desire this.
Requesting from the bottom of our hearts that You will govern the whole with the fire of the Holy Spirit, I prayed in the name of the Lord, who is overflowing with love. Amen.
This time, I will speak based on Acts 1:6. My speech is entitled “Let Us Bring Out the Value of Restoration.”
Jesus Came With the Mission to Restore the World
The purpose of God wanting to save humankind is, as you all know very well, that He is trying to restore them to the original state. The countless prophets and sages who have come to the realization of the will of God first have taken responsibility for the restoration. While passing through each era, they have been striving toward one purpose: to realize the will. In other words, the 4,000 years of history before the coming of Jesus was this kind of history. The course of conflict in the thirty years of his life was also trying to realize this purpose. The history of conflict that he carried on with the Holy Spirit by his side for 2,000 years was also an attempt to achieve this purpose.
The purpose for which Jesus came to the earth was to restore history. He came with the mission to restore his own self and the world. Therefore, the words of the gospel that he spoke on the earth were for the sake of restoring the history of Israel and to restore himself in his life of thirty years. Going one step further, it was for the sake of restoring the humanity of the world. Therefore, based on the words that Jesus left behind him, humankind has been passing through the course of history until today, taking responsibility for portions of the dispensation of restoration.
Not only that, today you must cultivate the mind-set of a loyal subject who, centering on the words of the New Testament that Jesus spoke 2,000 years ago, can indemnify the 6,000 years of the past and represent the eternal life of the future. At the same time, you should find the value of victory that can restore you and history. If you cannot do this, then the words of the gospel, the words of life to restore humanity, which represented the 4,000-year history and the thirty years of Jesus’ life, cannot bear any kind of fruit.
You today must become children who remove the grief and suffering of Jesus, who represented the 4,000-year history. You must become children who complete Jesus’ mission of restoration. For the thirty years of his life, Jesus tried to establish the new ideology of restoration before humanity and lay the victorious foundation of Heaven. You must also complete the mission that Jesus and the Holy Spirit have labored to accomplish.
By doing so, as the representative of history, you should return the triumphant glory of restoration to the Father. You should return to the Father honor that has a value that surpasses the value of Jesus’ victorious life.
If one were to ask whether Jesus reveals everything to humankind in his dispensation to accomplish the history of God’s restoration, the answer is negative. We know through the Divine Principle that until now, Jesus could not unveil specific details of the dispensation of restoration in his works.
He hid himself, and with symbolic words of testimony has been leading the dispensation of restoration to accomplish the will of Heaven on the earth. He has been propelling the dispensation of restoration forward without fully divulging the glory of Heaven before humankind. Consequently, we must come to understand the internal heart of Jesus, who has been driving the dispensation of restoration forward without clearly revealing the specific details.
The Reasons Jesus Could Not Divulge the Inner Feelings of His Heart
What must you understand to restore the glory of restoration today? You must come to understand the concealed value of restoration that Jesus could not expose, first through your daily life, and next through your minds. You must then understand the unknown inside story of the restoration of Jesus, who could not disclose the value of eternal life.
After that, when God is trying to fully establish the glory of restoration on behalf of Heaven, what must we understand? You must understand the content that Jesus had to hide deep inside his heart and could not divulge freely to humanity during the thirty years of his life. If you do not understand such matters, then you will not be able to manifest, from earth to heaven, the full value of the restoration that represents the universe.
If you closely scrutinize the words of the gospel that Jesus revealed, you will find that specific details of his daily life are not described. The way that Jesus suggested aspects of his undisclosed lifestyle is through the example of sacrificial service. In other words, although he was a glorious son who could rise high, he lowered his glorious self. By going below the feet of sinners and living a life of sacrifice and service, he revealed the concealed aspects of himself. Moreover, through his life of reticence, he revealed the hidden aspects of his life that he could not reveal to anyone. He could not divulge his inner thoughts even to the twelve disciples.
The reason that Jesus could not expose the secret is that he knew that although he himself understood the secret of Heaven, if he made it known when there was no one who could comprehend it, he would have been mocked by Satan. In other words, he had the burning desire to convey to humankind the things that the Father had shared with him, but because there was no one who fathomed his thoughts and came to listen to him, he could not proclaim the secret of Heaven to humankind. He could not reveal the hidden aspects of his heart before humankind.
As a result, he was pushed to walk to the cross and stand before the authorities and Pilate. He was convicted of the crime of “claiming himself to be the king of the Jews.” At that time, Jesus kept his silence and only after Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” did he finally reveal his identity. The good and righteous people on the side of God should have considered it their life-long glory to serve and worship Jesus as their king. Instead, Jesus faced a trial before Pilate and was convicted as a criminal. When he faced the trial of Satan that could not be avoided, he broke his silence. Speaking on behalf of the agony of God, he spoke the truth as it was.
From this we can learn that even in the works of Heaven, when Satan exposes the truth and inquires about it to God’s side, God’s side has no choice but to reveal the hidden heart. Conversely, when the saints on the side of God point out the hidden secrets inside the heart of Satan, he also has no choice but to tell the truth.
Jesus kept within himself the knowledge of restoration that he could not reveal to anyone. In his daily life, he not only propelled forward the dispensation of Heaven through silent deeds of service, in the practical aspect of his life, he moved ahead of everyone to reveal the concealed truth about the restoration. Therefore, you should penetrate into the heart of Jesus that can reflect the ideology of restoration and ask, “Is your heart not like this?”
You Must Understand the Undisclosed Secret of the Dispensation Through the Cooperation of the Holy Spirit
You must understand that unless such people emerge, no matter how much time in history passes by, the secret hidden deep inside the heart of Jesus cannot be revealed on the earth. Moreover, you must comprehend the secret of restoration that was unveiled through the life of Jesus and the knowledge of restoration inside his heart.
Only after you do that can you confidently stand before God and stand proudly before Satan. In other words, only after you do that can you become one who has completed the restoration of a victorious life.
Jesus indemnified the 4,000-year history through the thirty years of his life. He perfected the center of the restoration on behalf of everything in the universe. However, until today, there has not been even one person who could inherit the full value of Jesus, the value of the secret kept deep inside his heart and his undisclosed life. The person who appeared with his internal secret and the secret surrounding his life in his time and place is the Holy Spirit.
Although you believe in the words of Jesus’ gospel, those words alone are not enough for restoration. What you need is the Holy Spirit cooperating in your life and living with you.
Therefore, just as Jesus walked the course of sacrifice and service, you must walk the same kind of course and go before the cross before the concealed secret of Jesus’ life can be divulged by Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the internal secret of his heart will also be manifested in the same way.
Consequently, we must know today that unless our mind and daily life become one on the basis of our unity with the Holy Spirit, achieved with her cooperation, and unless we can establish a relationship of oneness between Jesus and the Holy Spirit centered on ourselves, there can be no true life. Similarly, with the help of the Holy Spirit, today we are undergoing an important process of realizing the truth of restoration locked inside the secret of Jesus’ life and heart. Accordingly, we who are in the middle of that process must become one with the Holy Spirit in the same way that Jesus and the Holy Spirit have become one and form a trinity centered on Jesus. This is the only way that we can securely lay down on the earth a plane or base on which the foundation of God’s victory can be established.
Moreover, when you seek the concealed knowledge of true life, even if you are receiving the help of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, that kind of life only comprises a part of the restoration process for a whole life. The reason is that the secret of the restoration of a whole life still remains as the secret of Heaven. Consequently, even if you have achieved something that has a value equivalent to life, with that alone, you will not be able to consummate it. There still are hidden aspects of life that God has not yet revealed through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The Things We Need
We must fully manifest the value of the restoration of the whole and show to many people the value of the secret of the life of Jesus. At the same time, we must represent the value of the internal secret that Jesus kept. We must be able to obtain God’s recognition for the value of the universal life that combines Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
What kind of state are you in? Although you have the desire to love Jesus, you have not been successful in loving him properly. For this reason, you must learn about the continued service and devotional life of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in which they persisted for the sake of causing humankind to love God. You must also learn about how God could not love Jesus as much as Jesus has exerted himself on behalf of all things.
Now if you do not understand such contents of love and fulfill them, then there is no way you can resolve the deeply-rooted grief of Heaven and bring to pass the remaining history of God’s restoration on this earth. What then do we need as we go forward toward the purpose of the restoration of life and the dispensation of restoration of life in the growth stage? The growth stage came after the three-year course of public life, the course of crucifixion and the course of cooperation, in which Jesus and the Holy Spirit have been toiling for 2,000 years since the ascension. What we need to do is imitate the heart of goodness with which God has loved Jesus and the Holy Spirit and has embraced the whole universe in love for 6,000 years. We must then establish the center of love in which our heart can work in unity with the hearts of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If you cannot accomplish these, then you cannot complete restoration in respect to our lifestyle, heart and life. You cannot make a relationship with the love of God, which has the power to fully manifest the value of the whole life and glory.
To Make a Relationship of Love with God
What then do we need to do to make a relationship with the love of God? We must pass through the central course that Jesus walked in his life and pass through his heart, which has exerted itself for the sake of humanity for 2,000 years. In other words, we must go through the internal heart of Jesus, who has felt distressed about the situation of humanity during the historical course. We must go through the internal heart of the Holy Spirit, who has been at work since the ascension of Jesus until now. We should sympathize with and deeply feel the anxious heart of God, who has led the dispensation for the 6,000 years since the creation and is now exerting Himself to build the ideal world that is to come. If you cannot do this, then you will not be able to fulfill the full value of the restoration centering on the love of God, which represents the eternal glory of life. You must not forget this.
Therefore, just as Jesus has walked the path, you must walk the same path that the Holy Spirit has walked. Moreover, you must follow the course and example of the apostles, in which they forgot about everything, including even the awareness of their own existence, and lived only for the sake of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
When you walk that kind of course, you can finally be able to dominate your mind and your lifestyle, and life will overflow within you. You will be able to be linked up with the love of God. Moreover, the love of Jesus will be manifested through you, and the love of the Holy Spirit will dwell within different aspects of Your life. You must clearly understand this.
Prayer
Beloved Father! Where tears flow over tears, let there be a passageway of the emotion of Heaven that cannot be severed. We know that where the heavenly emotion passes through, the connection with life will be made, so that the karma of love hidden in Heaven will be revealed. We know that this must become linked through the earth.
Father, we know that the garden in which everything is restored is the garden of love, the garden of victory and the garden of glory that You desire. For the sake of realizing this kind of garden, we know that we must claim back the life, love and glory which You can be happy about through our own life of service. At the same time, we must cultivate ourselves.
We must understand the heart of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who cannot fully reveal the will of Heaven before humankind, though they keep it close to their hearts. They cannot proclaim it to humankind though they have the burning desire to convey it. They hope that humankind can liberate them from this distressed, anxious heart and situation. We must also know the heart and situation of the Father, who must reserve the words that should be spoken through Jesus. Not only that, we were not aware of the fact that before us lies the unfulfilled history in which we must comprehend this and achieve the liberation. On that foundation, we must disclose before Heaven, “Is this not the very will of the Father hidden inside the secret?”
Thus, when we think about the fact that with us remains the responsibility to bring to pass even the tasks that Jesus left unfulfilled on the earth with the help of the Trinity, we know that we must divulge the wish of the internal heart, which is concealed within God. It is not known to Jesus, the Holy Spirit nor all the countless living things, nor to all who have sacrificed themselves for the sake of the will of the dispensation up to now. After having completed this, if we can point out, Is this not the fervent yearning of the Father that the Father could not speak about? then we can receive the ultimate love that the Father has safeguarded deep inside His heart. By virtue of this, we can manifest before humanity the center of the love that flows down from the Father. This is what we must accomplish.
Father, we are now receiving Your love, so please allow us to be responsible for and accomplish this feat. My Father, I earnestly offer my wish and desire. Only after this task is fulfilled can the wish inside the heart of Jesus be realized, as well as the wish of Father who has been exerting Himself to lead the dispensation for 6,000 years.
Accordingly, Father, please accomplish through us the standard for the ideal of the restoration that You have kept in Your heart since the creation. Please allow us to build the thousand-year kingdom with that standard as the foundation. Allow us to reach the realm of Your ideals, so that humankind on the earth can totally inherit the internal heart of the Father extending beyond trillions and billions of years, for eternity, without limit.
Please guide us to remove all the conditions that might provoke Satan’s accusation, and as the representative of heaven and earth, accomplish total restoration. Allow us to become children who can claim back the glory of the full value of the Father and offer it to You. Loving Father, I fervently make this wish. Until now, we have been struggling in a lowly and trivial state. When we interact with a person, we have struggled to raise ourselves higher and in a meeting, we have sought to make ourselves known. Yet Jesus knew that God could not assert His dignity before all things, so out of concern for God’s dignity, he dared not to step into the limelight, but bowed his head in humility. What is more, we know that he has concentrated all his thought for the sake of pioneering an exemplary path before the enemies. Please allow us also to walk that path with joy.
Jesus was more concerned about comforting God than about his own comfort because he knew that humankind could not resolve the grievances rooted deep inside the heart of God. In the same way, we must now become filial sons and daughters who can comprehend that heart of Jesus and console him. Beloved Father, please lead us. We earnestly yearn for it.
Please divulge to us through Jesus and the Holy Spirit the anguished heart that the Father has kept hidden for 6,000 years. By doing so, we sincerely hope that You can guide us to comfort that heart of the Father and become the champions of restoration who can represent the glory of victory.
Please let us comprehend that if we cannot become the victorious heroes in regards to the lifestyle, heart, power of life and the course of life unknown to humankind, this grand feat cannot be accomplished. Similarly, it cannot be accomplished if we cannot become the king of reticence. Allow us to understand that unless the fight with Satan comes to an end, this feat will not be completed.
Now please lead us so that we can start from one and pass through the whole course of conflict, then stand before God and receive Your words of blessing to inherit Your heart. Please allow us to forge the relationship of victory and act on behalf of the Father’s will.
I fervently pray that You will protect us. Let the Trinity help us until we gain the right to inherit the glorious work of the Father. Offering everything to the Father and taking in all the bad things and winning over Satan, we will obtain the qualifications to be the victorious heroes.
I prayed all these things in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Chapter 14: Let Us Claim Back the Eternal Ideal of God
October 7, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
I Corinthians 13:1-13
Prayer 1
Father of love, we have come to understand that Your lamentation is having no one who can bring the history of conflict, which remains as the source of grief and suffering for Heaven, to a conclusion. Humankind should dig out the root of the fall that they have implanted. Yet although the long history has passed by, they have not been able to pull out that fundamental root of sin. Father, please allow them to dig it out.
I earnestly wish that You allow everyone in the audience gathered here today to be moved by Your heart and to become united with it. Allow us to inherit Your anxious heart and become newly possessed of the wish that You hold onto. Please lead us to become the brave soldiers who can take on the responsibility for the remaining history of grief and fight with the countless enemy satans, stepping forward representing heaven and earth.
Until we can create the garden of bliss on the battleground and share with each other the eternal love of the Father there, please allow each of us to bear the responsibility for the will of the Father and march forward. Loving Father, I fervently desire that You allow each of us to become the courageous sons and daughters of the Father who can represent the whole will of the Father and fight with Satan.
Please allow us to understand in this hour which direction of Heaven our mind is facing and which direction of the universe our body is facing. Please allow us to become the children of joy who can resolve the grievances and sufferings of the Father.
Our minds and bodies could not be embraced inside Your bosom until now. Father, please advise us, and command Your powers to correct the position of our minds. Fix the direction of our mind correctly, so that we can walk toward the path of hope that You desire.
Please allow us to experience with our mind and body the Father’s grace of happiness. Please give rise to the miracle of re-creation centering on ourselves. By doing so, on the foundation of fighting the clinging root of sin and prevailing over it, let us experience the love of the Father and return glory to the Father. Loving Father, we sincerely offer our wish.
Father, do not let the children who have gathered in this hour fall into the temptations of countless satans. Please allow them to be offered as the sacrifice of glory on the Father’s altar.
Lead us, who prostrate ourselves before the Father as we face the majestic and holy presence, to realize our own lacks and to make a confession. I deeply wish that we, as the meek sacrifice, become children who yield before the grace of atonement of the Father and appear in the form that the Father has been seeking.
Please do not let these who have come shed tears of lamentation. Do not let them walk the steps for which Satan will mock them. Be present with them so that their minds and bodies can be captivated by the Father. Allow this hour to be an opportunity when they can be intoxicated by the grace of eternal life, the grace of resurrection, the grace of love and be offered as the ideal sacrifice that can bring happiness. Father, we make this our sincere wish.
Father, this holy night is the day of promise when the blessing can be given to the whole of humanity. Let the grace of joy fall upon every holy congregation that has gathered on behalf of the 2.4 billion people of humanity. We have greeted the last days. Please pour down the fire of the Holy Spirit as one pours down water, so that Your chosen children can be united as one to prevail over this world of darkness. May they eradicate all evil on behalf of the heart of the grief of 6,000 years.
First, please bless the 3,000 altars that represent the thirty million people. Father, I earnestly wish that You will allow Your children, who are offering all of their energy, heart and fidelity on behalf of the 3,000 altars, to become Your eternal offering.
Please do not let them become indebted to the Father on the remaining battleground. Please allow them to digest the grace of eternal victory. Until we can construct the ideal garden that can manifest the heart behind the Father’s blessing on the earth, please allow us to possess the mind-set of invincible soldiers and establish the Father’s will.
On this evening, there are many children who failed to participate in this occasion, so wherever they might be, please be with them in the same way. Please guide them to proclaim Your will everywhere, that which You want to accomplish in the last days. Let them build the altar of joy on which heaven and earth can come together in harmony.
Deeply wishing that You will allow us to become children who pour out all of their heart and energy to accomplish Your will with a single mind, we prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The title of the sermon to be given now is “Let Us Claim Back the Eternal Ideal of God.” I will speak briefly on this topic.
God’s Ideal of Creation
When God personally began the work of the creation of this dark world, He set the one goal of establishing the ideal hyung-sang found within His own heart as an eternal substantial body. You know very well that He began the work of creation so that after having established this one substantial body, He could set not two but one ideal of reciprocity and live within eternal joy and fulfillment.
Among all the creations that He created with strenuous effort, God chose man as the center of all the ideals. Yet because that one man stood opposing the original wish of God, although a long history has passed since that time until now, humankind has lost any kind of relationship with the ideals for which God hoped.
The course of history in which God tried to claim man back for the sake of realizing the one ideal is the course of the dispensation, the course of salvation and the course of pioneering. The one ideal God wished from His internal heart affects the whole of the created universe. Yet, due to one man’s mistake, that ideal cannot be found anywhere in the created universe.
Therefore, the one central will, through which God is trying to claim back the will of the dispensation through the history of pioneering and salvation, is raising a man and having him materialize the ideal that God has envisioned in His internal heart. By doing so, God cannot only rejoice; He also hopes to establish that ideal of happiness as the eternal ideal of man and have man return it to Him as the condition of glory.
Therefore, we must understand that God in Heaven is calling each of you. God in Heaven has been exerting Himself until now, hoping that each of you will become the center who realizes your ideals. However, the ideal that God hopes for cannot be realized as long as we remain in the realm of imperfection and cannot distinguish between the will of God, the will of man and the will of Satan.
Wherever we look, left, right, up or down, we must accomplish the ideal of God. You know through the Principle that those on the left and the right, those who are on the earth as well as the saints in heaven, all unconsciously long for that one ideal.
Numerous sages and wise men have pioneered this path, which they do not clearly understand, with the thought, “When is the day that God’s new ideals of light will emerge in this dark world? When would that hour be? What moment will it be?”
Consequently, after becoming connected to the heart of God’s ideal of light, you must possess the element of the eternal and unchanging ideal, based on which you can say, “This is the very hope that You have dreamed of in Your heart. This is the very ideal that You have been seeking.” Having done so, through your minds, bodies and environment, you must lay the grounds on which to realize the one happiness. If you cannot establish such grounds of happiness, the ideal of God cannot be found and erected in the world of creation.
The Realization of God’s Ideal and Human Responsibility
Where is the most important question found? It is not found inside the creation nor in the spirit world, nor is it found with the angels in the spirit world. It lies in you who are the center of the whole, the one standard, the one nucleus and the master of creation. Accordingly, you must understand that you are the center and standard that determines the fate of the ideal of God.
The joy felt on the day of the appearance of the one focal point and center of heaven and earth, which has been repressed by death, is the hope of those of us who are passing through the course of history today. It is also the will of the dispensation of God, who has been fighting with countless evil spirits.
For this reason, if you are to possess the heart yearning for the ideal of God now, then you must first cultivate yourself to be in perfect harmony and unison with the internal heart of God. Having achieved this, just as nature behaves according to law, we must act with our minds centered on the Heavenly heart. What is more, you must understand that unless we establish the center of the heart that can connect this to the universal culminating point of Heaven, the eternal ideal of God cannot come into eternal relationship with the world of creation.
When we fathom our mind and body now, is there a wall that blocks us from Heaven? Is there a wall between our minds and bodies? Is there a wall that blocks our bodies from all things? Since such walls exist, the eternal ideal of God cannot have any relationship with you.
Now we must open the door to our hearts. After purging all evil and sin, we must set the one standard of harmony. After that, we must receive the natural grace that will make us strongly feel the heavenly character and act according to it. We must then face God and begin to work toward the realization of His ideal.
Nonetheless, because fallen humankind is at a place far away from that one standard, there has to be some toilsome work that will bring humankind up to that standard. That is none other than the history of the dispensation of restoration. We must keep in our minds that God has been leading the history of the dispensation that sought to accomplish the will by sending prophets and sages until now.
Now you must just march forward. To do that, you must first earn the value of the body created as the symbol of the creation and the value of the mind created as the center of the body and represented the heavenly nature. In this way, the internal character of God, who exists as the center of all created beings, this internal heart that emanates from the central heart of the whole, must pass through our minds and bodies. Then, passing through the sphere of our daily life, it will finally be manifested as one movement that includes all things and images. We must accomplish all this through our own selves.
The Relationship Between God and Man and the Goal of Satan’s Activities
God has been working to restore humankind, who fell from the realm of God’s dominion, back to the original state. Yet what was that history like? With the principle of creation, God created all things as symbolic, substantial objects and created humankind as substantial objects in image. Therefore, as long as one substantial being remains as the ideal standard of our minds, we will come to possess the one unbreakable bond.
The one who is obstructing that bond and cutting off the path of communication is none other than your enemy, Satan. It is Satan you must fight. You must win the eternal relationship of victory and bring him to natural subjugation. Nonetheless, since the ideal garden of God is not materialized today or tomorrow, and as long as the wish of God is not manifested in the whole universe through our minds and bodies, then Satan cannot be eliminated.
God has ideals of our minds, our bodies, and all things. Yet Satan stands opposed to it and is fighting against it. Therefore, there must come the day of hope when we can take responsibility for this and subjugate Satan on the worldwide level.
Because the condition caused by Satan remains, God’s ideal cannot have any relationship with us. Consequently, for the sake of fulfilling His ideals, God has found one hero who can stand up against Satan and overcome him. That person is Jesus Christ.
Nonetheless, today the doors that connect the creation to our bodies, our bodies to our minds, and our minds to Heaven are all shut tight. It is Jesus and the Holy Spirit who come to open the doors of the mind, body and the desired objects so that there can be smooth communication.
What was the immutable purpose for which Jesus came to the earth? It was to realize the ideals of God at any cost and by any means. First, it was restoring the mind of man, the body of man and then the world of creation. Although Jesus came with this ideology and ideals of the whole, because the chosen Israelites did not believe him, he was only able to establish the ideals of the heart that represented the nature of the heart of God before he passed away. Consequently, we today must understand the life and history of Jesus until he can fulfill the ideals of the heart, in other words, the spiritual ideals.
Jesus has shown to us the path of heartistic victory, which leads us to the fulfillment of the ideal that God desires. In other words, he has shown us the path to winning victory over Satan. Therefore, when we rely on Jesus and go in pursuit of the ideals, we are not seeking some ideals constrained within the sphere of time; we are seeking the eternal ideals of God. It is the mission designed to fulfill all of the character of Jesus, the hope of Jesus, the beliefs and ideologies of Jesus, the life of Jesus and the love of Jesus. It is not a temporary mission, but a mission that represents eternity. You must understand that Jesus was the one who was fighting to complete this kind of mission.
What do we need to possess as we are trying to go seeking after and materializing the ideals of God? We must possess the element of God’s eternity. The reason is that even if time and era change, God’s eternal self does not change.
Accordingly, you must understand that the ideals that God possesses are eternal ideals. Therefore, the ultimate ideal that we as humankind must seek after is the eternal ideal that God seeks. You must fight today, tomorrow and for the rest of your life until the day that you can make that eternal ideal part of your flesh and blood.
The Faith, Hope, Love and Life that Jesus Established
When Jesus came to the earth and sought the eternal ideals of God, he fought to implant eternal faith on behalf of the faithless people of Israel. There were many people in the course of history who believed in God, but the limit of the hope and faith they held was confined within themselves. Jesus alone did not establish his faith and wish for his own sake. Since that stood as the eternal ideal of God, he offered his life to cultivate the faith that can match up to the elements of the ideal, in other words, eternal faith.
What was the one center that Jesus longed for during the thirty years of his life? In the 4,000-year course of history leading up to that time, countless prophets and sages had erected the standard, but their faith could not step beyond the limit of the people and the world. Thus, the center of Jesus’ life revolved around his attempt to go beyond that standard and accomplish the eternal ideals of God and establish eternal faith.
Therefore, the faith of Jesus did not seek his own salvation. His purpose was not his own salvation, and it was also not just to save the earth. Understanding the heart of God, who has been working through the dispensation from the beginning of history through the historical course until the culminating point, Jesus was trying to restore everything.
What is more, to erect the eternal ideal of God, Jesus fought with Satan to establish the eternal standard that history had never witnessed before, the one standard that will not change for eternity. You must understand that because this is the kind of man Jesus was, he was able to set the condition of eternal faith before God, who had been seeking the eternal ideal.
Therefore, we must learn from the example of Jesus’ faith. Next, we must understand that Jesus spent thirty years of his life trying to erect the standard of hope of the eternal God, the eternal, immutable and firm foundation of faith. He did this by going beyond the boundaries of himself, the society, the nation, the world and the universe. When we believe in Jesus, we must take after him, the one who has established an eternal standard of faith that had never been witnessed before.
Moreover, we must next inherit the hope of Jesus. The hope of Jesus was not just limited to his own self. It was the hope that inclusively absorbed all the hopes for which the countless ancestors in history have longed for a long time. What is more, he possessed the hope that represented the eternal hope of God, which was deep-seated in heaven and earth.
That is not all. By erecting faith toward Heaven, Jesus engendered hope and the relationship of life and love. Accordingly, he walked through the course of conflict for thirty years of his life to establish his hope as the eternal hope and to establish his life as the eternal life.
The greatest value that Jesus felt about his life was when, representing the whole of the created world, he received the elements of eternal life from God, who exists for eternity as the center of life. Because he was the possessor of this kind of eternal life, no power of Satan could have an affect on him. Moreover, the love that Jesus demonstrated was not the type of selfish and limited love that humankind possesses today. It was an unchanging love that enabled him to die for the sake of realizing the eternal ideal of God. Therefore, the heart of God, who loved Jesus from Heaven, could represent the whole of humanity. You must understand that finally in heaven and on earth, Jesus came to possess the heart of unchanging love that can represent the eternal ideal of the heart of God and represent the whole universe and all of humanity.
The Correct Attitude of Faith Toward Jesus
We have inherited today the will of the dispensation that Jesus established in this way with the faith, wish, life and love. We must comprehend the will of salvation that he has erected through such a course of suffering. Moreover, we must follow the example of the course that Jesus established by using the cross as his shield and extinguishing himself to set the standard of atonement.
Furthermore, we who remain inside the realm of limitation must long for the unlimited faith of God, the unlimited hope of God, the unlimited life of God, the unlimited love of God, and reflect on the life of Jesus, who spent thirty years in bitter anguish. You must understand that Jesus, who was the master of the whole universe, the savior of humanity and the master of the earth, fought with his life on the line for the sake of setting the condition to realize the eternal ideal of God regarding hope, faith, life and love.
What is more, you must look at the creation with the same heart as Jesus and feel the same feelings as Jesus. Moreover, you must understand that he fought while longing for that kind of aspiration, hope and ideal. You must not think that he was some historical personage whose life did not have great significance. You must feel Jesus as someone who dwells within your mind and accompanies you. You must reawaken to the life element that can fulfill the eternal ideal of God. Your faith must thus become comparable to the faith of Jesus. Your hopes must become comparable to the great hope of Jesus. Your life and love must also be comparable to those of Jesus.
You must follow the example of the center of Jesus, which represented the whole ideal element of God. You must inherit the faith, hope, life and love of Jesus, as well as his central heart that fought to establish them all, and you must accomplish them. If there is no one who can accomplish this for him, then the will of Jesus on the earth, which he could not fulfill due to his death on the cross, will never be accomplished. Because the course that Jesus could not complete still remains, the will of the dispensation is reserved for us.
Therefore, we must try to feel the sung-sang of Jesus through our body and through all things. In this way, the sung-sang of Jesus must become one with our sung-sang and join with the ideal of the eternal God who represents the whole universe. Now you must understand what the fate of Jesus on the cross prophesied. That pass of the cross fulfilled eternal faith. It is the cross that enabled Jesus to experience the eternal hope of God. It is the cross that advised us to also possess the eternal life and love of God. You must also understand that by virtue of the cross, the way of salvation that came as the result of the history of atonement is the condition that can transfer to us the eternal faith, the eternal hope, the eternal life and the eternal love of Jesus.
Nonetheless, because the faith of Jesus, who came representing all humankind in the universe, could not be manifested to the whole, Jesus made an appeal of bitterness on the cross. In other words, because the hope that Jesus wished to fulfill on behalf of humanity could not be realized on the world level, the cross was an appeal of bitter resentment. If at that time, the faith, hope, life and love that Jesus wished for had appeared, there would not have been the resentful appeal of the cross.
What Must Be Accomplished Through the Crucifixion
Accordingly, what do we need to accomplish through the crucifixion? We must obtain possession over the eternal faith and the eternal hope that Jesus had, the eternal life that Jesus lived, and the eternal love for which Jesus yearned. Today it is not enough for us to offer the eternal faith, hope, life and love established before the cross as those that belong to Jesus.
We must bear his cross and possess his eternal faith as our own faith, his eternal hope as our own hope, and his eternal life and love as our own life and hope. Furthermore, we must also possess the elements of God’s ideals, which Jesus handed over as he was bearing the cross for the sake of humanity. Next, just as he had the main disciples to whom he could hand over the eternal faith, eternal hope, eternal life and eternal love, we must also raise this kind of person. If you set the condition of having failed to fulfill the faith, hope, life and love that you have received from Jesus, then they will emerge in the last days as the conditions of judgment toward you.
In the last days, God will come to you and ask whether or not you have recompensed for the debt of eternal faith that Jesus left behind. He will ask whether you have paid back the debt of hope, the debt of life and the debt of love. When you face such a situation, you should be able to say the same thing Jesus said on the cross, “Everything has been accomplished.” We today must be able to say that we have fully accomplished the endeavor of the eternal God that He had set before Jesus. However, you must understand that unless the one man appears on the earth, the culminating will of God’s dispensation cannot be achieved.
Jesus established the central element that God had willed during the 4,000-year course of history. To expand the condition of spiritual and internal salvation to the world level, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have been at work until today. Accordingly, unless we can manifest the elements of the internal ideal of the eternal God as eternal faith, hope, life and love on the external level, then the 2,000-year will of the dispensation of Jesus will be totally undermined. You must understand this.
Now you have entered the course of faith in which you are trying to follow the example of Jesus and even feel the heart of God. Yet you must first reflect to what extent you believe. Do you carry on your faith inside the realm of your own assertions, which have been erected with your own concepts? When compared with the faith of Jesus, who represented the whole universe, if there is a difference, you will be judged exactly to that same extent in the last days.
What is the hope you hold today? The hope you hold inside you as a concept is a selfish one. You must testify to the hope of Jesus as if it were your own. By doing so, you must step beyond yourself and come to possess the hope of Jesus, who represented the eternal ideal of God. Yet if there is a gap between the hope of Jesus and your own hope, you must understand that the gap will be the condition of judgment in the last days.
The same is true for life. If we believed in Jesus and attained life, then that life is not for our own sake. That life is meant to restore this people and harmonize the countless saints. It is life that must represent the heart of Jesus, who embodied the eternity of God in the face of the cross and attacks from Satan. Even when he faced death on the cross, Jesus did not hesitate to face the attack of the enemies.
Jesus is not the person you thought you knew. He was someone who tried to fathom the heart of God, who had fought with the enemy Satan for 4,000 years for the sake of humankind. Jesus was someone who tried to feel eternal love. When you come to respect this unlimited heart of Jesus, you will feel that this has become the core of your faith.
Therefore, the degree to which Jesus felt the love of Heaven was strong enough to replace the eternal ideal of God, which could help him overcome any kind of difficulty and tribulations on the earth. You must understand that because Jesus was in such a situation, he forgot about the fact that he was walking the path of death due to the mistakes of his enemies, and he prayed for the sake of humanity.
The Love Behind the Crucifixion
By believing in Jesus today, you have received unlimited love and the unlimited life of God. Yet you should reflect in which realm that life is dwelling.
Jesus understood the eternal and ideal love of God who, after the creation of the whole universe, was in great agony while trying to embrace it. Therefore, while he was on the earth, Jesus loved God more than he loved himself, his family or his people and the world.
Possessing the love of God, who was the center of all love, and on behalf of the countless prophets and sages who came and passed away during the course of history, no matter how much difficulty he was undergoing, Jesus forgot all about it to fulfill the will of the dispensation that they could not complete. While feeling the heart that reached out to love God, he left something behind, and that is none other than the love behind the crucifixion. You must deeply contemplate this.
If there is a judgment in the last days, then when the love that flows down from God and is manifested through Jesus reaches down to you, you must have already prepared the foundation in your heart to receive the love and keep it for eternity. If you lack such a foundation, then you cannot confidently go before God at the time of judgment in the last days.
Consequently, now you must understand that before us lies the great and lofty hope and ideal of Jesus. That great and lofty ideal was manifested on the earth through Jesus Christ. Therefore, we today are trying to believe in Jesus and follow his example.
Even after going to the spirit world, Jesus is still fighting with Satan on behalf of the internal world. To accomplish the eternal ideals of God, with the Holy Spirit and the numerous heavenly soldiers and angels in Heaven, he has been fighting with Satan for us.
We must not possess as our own the faith given to us, the hope bestowed on us, the life demanded of us and the love desired of us. You must keep in mind that if we possess them only as our own, then the eternal ideal of God will have no relationship with us.
Chapter 15: Jesus Is the Hero of the Universal Revolution
November 11, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
John 14:1-21
Prayer 1
Beloved Father! It was God’s purpose of creation to look down upon the garden of life. The garden of truth that sings the glory of the Father was the ideal garden. The original garden was the place where, centering on the eternal and unchanging love, the whole becomes harmonized before Your holy presence. While manifesting the internal sung-sang and the external hyung-sang of the Father, everyone was to live in intoxication.
Beloved Father, please allow us to feel in this moment the garden of hope for which we long. Allow us to experience the original garden. While yearning for it in our minds, allow us to put our bodies into action and bow before You. While we elevate the will of the Father with our minds, please allow our bodies to be offered as the sacrifice. Please hand over to us all the ordeals You have undergone to find us. As for You, we hope that all You will receive is glory.
Father, please do not forsake even one life among the sons and daughters of Yours who have gathered here in loneliness. Please allow their minds to be caught on fire in the eternal life of the Father. Please allow our minds and bodies to become one with the life of the Father. Allow this to be the time when the whole congregation can become one in heart and offer themselves as the sacrifice. By doing so, please allow us to become impeccable sacrifices. Father, this is our sincere wish.
Father, please protect us. Take charge of the work of purification. Please do not let Satan invade in this hour. Please allow us only to be captivated by the will of the Father. Centering on the will that You have commanded, allow us to act in response. Please allow us to obey with our minds and bodies.
Loving Father, I earnestly pray that we can honestly reveal before You all our deficiencies and undesirable elements and repent. At the same time, let us receive the Father’s love in this moment.
Father, this day is a holy day in which You have promised to bestow blessing upon us. Bless the countless altars that have gathered on behalf of the people. Since there are many who are fighting on a lonely altar representing the will of God, please grant them the same grace.
Please prophesy to us, reveal to us and let the reality that You testified to be manifested through us. This people are in the bondage of darkness, so please bring forth Your direct miracle, which has the power to awaken them. Through the churches and Your children, please let it appear. Beloved Father, this is what we earnestly hope for.
The promised last days have come near us and the time of permitted grace has come. Yet since we are still imperfect, inadequate and deficient, please lead us. Please lead us not to become ones who cannot uphold the will of the Father which we must advocate.
Please allow us to mourn about our own deficiencies and bow before the Father. By doing so, please let many loyal children who uphold Your true will emerge amid the denominations that represent the people.
In this way, please allow the divided denominations to be tied together as one, and lead them to act on behalf of the whole grace of the Father. Please manifest the concealed will of Heaven. Allow the dawning of the day of blessing in the near future, when, before the 2.4 billion persons of humanity, the Father can rejoice and take pride in that will. Father, we earnestly hope and wish for this.
Father, please look with sympathy upon the children who have gathered here. They are the ones You have called together, and they are the ones whom You have driven out to the lonely path and gathered together. Govern them in the front, back, left, right, above and below. Now, please let nothing else but the Father’s desired will remain in your minds and bodies, and let there be no traces of Satan and no roots of sinfulness there. Through a repeated process of purification and centering on the impeccable goodness, allow our minds and bodies in this hour to lie prostrate as humble and meek people before the original nature of the Father.
Father, we believe that Your children, who are carrying on the fight with Your words, are lying prostrate before You everywhere. Please protect them and grant to them the same grace as this hour.
Father, You have put us in the front, advised us and cooperated with us for the sake of the people. Please allow us to demonstrate proudly that we are indeed the children of the living Father, we are indeed the children who are standing in the center of life.
Father, please testify to the realities grasped in Your hands. I earnestly hope that by awakening this people, you will allow them to be saved from the yoke of Satan. By doing so, raise us to the point where we can sufficiently live up to the expectations of the Father’s will to grant grace on the level of the people. Allow us to lead them to the Father.
Please allow our minds and bodies to be moved by the joyful will of the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning to the end of this hour. Please accept this whole gathering as the glorious offering. This is our sincere wish. Govern us from the beginning to the end. I prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Father! To find the one center of Zion, many ancestors have been fighting and shedding blood until now for the sake of paying indemnity for the debt they owe the Father and the concern they have caused the Father. Father! Please allow the glory of Zion to come upon our minds and bodies in this hour. Please let our minds be overwhelmed by the joy of Zion, in which You can dwell for eternity.
If we can be the children of glory whose minds and bodies You can govern, then there is nothing else we want more. There is no greater wish. Nonetheless, if we cannot be grasped inside the loving hands of the eternal Father, then on the earth there are none who are more lonely, pitiful and miserable than we.
Father! With life and love, please protect and nurture Your sons and daughters, who have suffered in a difficult environment. These wounded minds and bodies have come forth before You in the shape they are in, Father. Please consider them with compassion. Even for this moment, please allow us to heal our wounds, inflicted during the fight. Even for this hour, please allow us to taste the love hidden deep inside Your mind. These things being accomplished, please allow us to resemble the heart of Heaven. Allow the whole to sing and rejoice, centering on the glory of Heaven. Let this be the hour when the whole congregation can bow their heads for the sake of Heaven’s will. My Father, this is our sincere wish and desire.
Father! It was You, Father, who drove us, the lonely ones, here and there. It was You who caused us to be in a miserable position and to make an appeal toward Heaven without the awareness of others. Please allow these people to be comforted in this hour. Behind the course of tribulation that Your sons and daughters who are prostrated before You have walked, there can be found footsteps soaked in blood. The tears of bitter mourning are helping them. Father, please look upon them with sympathy. Please allow us to be touched by the hope we will gain from today, the grievance that we will understand from today, and the Father’s love we will feel from today, so that we can cross the pass of the future fight with hope.
Please allow us to step over the wall of hatred of the many enemies we will encounter in our course of life. This having been accomplished, please allow only the mind of peace to be the center of our minds. Let the urgent heart yearning for the victory be the only center of our life, so that we will be sufficiently prepared to uphold the flag of the fight and step forward on behalf of the people.
Please allow us to be adequately prepared to go forward, holding up the words of victory that Heaven has granted as the shield. Lead us not to become ones who set their hearts on the causes of the long-standing sorrow both in the present and in the future. Loving Father, from the depth of our hearts, we desire that You will ignite the fire of Your eternal love and allow us to become sons and daughters who are more than qualified to eradicate the enemy Satan, who is making the accusation.
Father, who guides this lonely pulpit, those children who are following in Your footsteps are also in a lonely and miserable situation. Please be the whole of their life, the whole of their goodness, and the whole of their hope again today. Please comfort them, lead them and love them.
We know that being the last days, this age does not need the words of men, the words spoken through men, nor the will centered on men. We know the only thing needed is the Father’s words of love, which move inside the pulses of eternal life. Even if Your children who have gathered here stand in precarious positions where they cannot experience love, please work Your miracles on them. Inspect them with Your fiery eyes. Please manifest the nucleus of glee hidden deep inside our hearts. We who are in bondage to all kinds of fears, please allow us to step forward before the Father and repent.
If there is anyone who is held in the Father’s hands and is returning gratitude to the Father for Your grace, then please allow them to safeguard such a heart without changing. Father, I earnestly wish and hope that You will allow us to become worthy children who are more than qualified to win the seal of acknowledgment for being sons and daughters of love before the sacred Father.
Please bless the countless altars gathered for the sake of the people. I know that the protesting voices of the saints, who are in agony because they do not know the will, are penetrating through Heaven. Please resolve their grievances and suffering. Take charge of their hearts so that You can lead them to uphold and realize the will that You desire in the last days.
Moreover, among this people there are many unknown brothers who are pioneering the lonely path and fighting with the darkness for the sake of the will, without others being aware of their actions. Let the day that the darkness recedes before them dawn upon them in the near future.
The movement of life, the movement of grace and the manifestation of glory are all one. Father, please testify through them. Father, we wish from the bottom of our hearts that using the scattered altars as the barriers, You can drive them centering on the Father’s will and build the altar of happiness that will bring the people together as one.
Even today, lonely sons and daughters are spread all over the countryside fighting with Your words. Please be with them. With the spirit that they must prevail over the ultimate enemies of the 6,000- year history, they have built the altar of victory. Based on Your directives, they have been fighting for the day when the Father can rejoice with Your sons and daughters. Father, please be present with them, so that wherever they are, Your personal works of miracles can take place. Father, we fervently desire that You would allow the influence to reach the whole through that kind of environment.
Now, in this hour, please bestow only the Father’s grace of bliss. Hoping that You will accept us, we prayed all these words in the name of the beloved Lord.
Amen.
Today, in this hour, I am going to speak on the topic “Jesus Is the Hero of the Universal Revolution.”
God Desired that Man Perfect Himself as a New Substantial Being
When you observe the process of a new thing being created, you can say that it is a revolutionary process. When you look at all the things created in the six days, from the trifling insects to man, God created gradually newer and better beings. At the very end, He created man. You probably all know that by creating man, God could fully realize the higher form of God’s internal sung-sang and external sung-sang. The Father’s desire for a new, yet unchanging, substantial being that He could be proud of for eternity is the ideal of the Creator.
Similarly, God created humankind as the eternal, new substantial being in whom He could take delight. God made them in such a way that when He compared them to any other created being He could say, “They are beautiful and indeed very good.” You know that the ones who were created like this were Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve should have felt joy by feeling the original goodness and the internal glory of God through their actual daily life. Nonetheless, due to the fall, Adam and Eve could not realize that will. Fallen men are those who remained stagnant in the position where they, as the representative of all beings created by God, were unable to manifest the new glory.
More important than the fall of man is the fact that, because the will of God is an unchanging will, unless it is accomplished at whatever cost, God cannot be dignified as the Creator and cannot command His authority. Therefore, as you know from the Divine Principle, the history of restoration and the history of salvation are attempts to restore this situation.
When God faces all things of the universe with this perspective, the following questions arise: when is the day of the appearance of one precious being who cannot be found in Heaven, on earth and among all things? When is the day a new substantial being of a higher realm, who can manifest anew the whole sung-sang concealed deep inside God, will appear and fulfill the will of God? To usher in such an inspiring and shocking day, God has set His one purpose. Until today, He has been carrying on a ceaseless course of tribulation in the dispensation of restoration.
When would the day come when, among all the created beings, God can find a new universal being who can bring Him the joy that did not exist until then and cannot be exchanged even with all of the creation? God is over-anxiously longing for that one day and that one being.
God has already completed the design for the world of the ideals of creation in which He can rejoice, enjoy Himself and harmonize with humankind and all things. He has even mapped out the aspects of the ideal lifestyle. When He can rejoice with the one hero with whom heaven and earth, created as the internal and external symbols respectively, can also share their joy, then heaven and earth can feel happiness together. You probably know well that Heaven has been exerting itself for the sake of erecting this one standard.
What then is the will that the Father demands of us? If there is one will that cannot be abandoned, even if everything in heaven and earth must be shattered, it is the perfected human being. Until human beings become perfected, they are to follow the principled laws of the creation and become the substantial embodiments of truth. Because of the fall, they became embodiments of the unprincipled. Therefore, although human beings have the external shape of a human, their internal characters and external forms could not manifest themselves as the incarnations of the eternal substantial being of God.
Because of this, although fallen men have the shape of human beings, they have lost the ideal form of the creation. God has been injecting again the ideal form of creation into human beings. You all know very well the work of Heaven, which is toiling to find the one new substantial being.
Jesus Came to Realize God’s Ideals of Creation
The person who came as the original being, the one center and being of hope, is Jesus Christ. God suffered for 4,000 years until He sent Jesus Christ. Although after the creation, He sent Jesus as the one new being who could bring harmony and be presented before all things, humankind did not serve Jesus as the signpost of God’s hope but unfolded the opposite course of the fall.
God, who strained to find the lost standard of goodness, gathered the people who were under the accusation of Satan while He was going through the 4,000-year history. He laid the foundation on the level of the people. This foundation on the level of the people should have served Jesus, who was raised as the one master representing all things in heaven and earth. Yet Jesus and the people went their separate ways. Here, our mission and God’s were determined.
The Jewish people could not see that Jesus was sent as the representative of the whole, whose purpose was to restore the universe into a new world centering on God. Because they could not serve him as the master of the whole as they should have, Jesus and the people had to fade away to separate ways. You must understand this greatly increased the grief of God.
The words that Jesus spoke to the Jewish people then and all the things he manifested were not based on his own will. It was the will of Heaven. Jesus was acting on behalf of the will of God’s dispensation. However, there arose a bitter conflict between Jesus and the people within the realm of the fall, who should have received the will of God through Jesus.
The Jewish people of the time did not realize that when the words of God appear before a people in this fallen world, they can revolutionize the people. If they appear before an individual, they can revolutionize the individual. If they appear amid the world, then they can revolutionize the world. Furthermore, they did not realize that the words can newly revolutionize heaven and earth.
The Jewish people thought for 4,000 years that the laws given through Moses and the covenant bestowed on Jacob could enable them to realize their ideals and that they could replace the whole. God, however, began from the lowest level and had been gradually elevating them. The Jewish people did not realize that after passing through the Old Testament history of the formation stage, history was taking the Principled course of the creation of the universe, whereby it passed through the New Testament era of the growth stage and proceeded forward until the completion stage. Consequently, the people of the time could not accept the words of life of Jesus. The people then could not recognize that they were new words higher than those of the Old Testament and that they could forge a link with higher, new values.
What Jesus wanted was to accomplish all of God’s ideals of creation. Accordingly, on behalf of heaven and earth, he has been continually walking through the revolutionary course to complete the universal mission. Therefore, you who are living in the last days must understand that when Jesus appeared on earth and marched on the path of the universal will, he went through the course of elevating fallen humankind back to their original position. In that course, there were numerous vicissitudes of conflicts and courses of revolution.
The Hope of Jesus and the Unfaithfulness of the Jewish People
What then is the extent of the hope of this revolutionary Jesus? His hope is not the type of hope that one would possess on this mass of earth that we live on. It is hope that can transcend the world and connect with the limitless kingdom of God. While this is the hope of Jesus, it is also the hope of God, who is one with him. Therefore, humankind must understand that God placed all hopes in Jesus and tried to manifest His will through him.
What then were the words that Jesus spoke before the Jewish people? What was the form of Jesus, who was the demonstrative proof of God’s whole will? He emerged as the hero of the new truth who had not existed in history until then. Although countless people called out for truth, they were merely on the individual level. Although they might have claimed that their truths could represent the people and all nations, in actuality, they could not become such embodiments of truth. It was Jesus who appeared with the truth that can shed light on heaven and earth. Accordingly, the words that Jesus spoke were the most valuable, new and revolutionary words in that era and that world. Had the Jewish people, who had longed for the will of God, known these revolutionary words of truth, they would have forsaken their personal lives and pursued the truth.
Since the Jewish people, who should have stood in this position, shattered this one day they should have accomplished, we must step over this. We have the mission to resolve that which is deep-rooted. The sacrifice has to be made because the truth of Jesus is not upheld.
God raised one people. Among the one people, He tried to find the one center. Through that one center, He tried to manifest His internal heart as the universal words of truth. Nonetheless, the Jewish people did not understand this. Jesus was supposed to manifest the eternal words of truth during the thirty years of his life. Due to their unfaithfulness, he was abandoned. Therefore, until the moment they find the embodiment of truth, humanity must seek the universal new truth that Jesus tried to disseminate on the earth on behalf of the will and heart of God.
The faithful believers of today must fulfill the wishes of Jesus. The words that Jesus testified to should have been brought to light at his time on the level of the people and the world. However, because they could not be shown as the words on the level of the world, Christianity became a religion of tribulations. If the words that Jesus spoke were demonstrated then as the central words that could have saved the land, then the powers of God could have been exhibited. If there were individuals and people who had followed Jesus, and if the world had followed Jesus, then Jesus, who was responsible for the will of God, would have fulfilled that will on the earth. Yet there were no such individuals, people nor such a world before Jesus.
What is more, centering on the words of Jesus, the beloved disciples who had to represent him, the beloved family, the beloved sect and the beloved nation should have become one with him to experience the heart of God and uphold the will of God. Because they were relating with Jesus with the truth they held on the level of the sect, they took different paths than the words of Jesus. What then is that which Jesus is demanding of you, the believers in the last days? Hoping that we, the shameful ones, would become universal individuals, he proclaimed the universal truth.
Although Jesus came to earth as one individual, he was not an average individual. He represented all the created beings of the universe. He represented the whole truth contained in the creation principles of the created world.
What Jesus Demands of Us
Although he came as such precious being, he could not become the valuable hero, the master of the universe. Therefore, you yourself must accomplish this purpose of universal value. If we believe in Jesus, we can come in contact with truth on the individual level through the spirit of Jesus. If unlimited grace and blessing are bestowed upon you as you undergo the spiritual works of Jesus, you must not think that this is just individual grace. In time, it must become grace on the level of the environment and the sect; then it must finally reach the level of the world. Only then can he return.
When grace is granted us, you should not be caught up in your own individual thoughts and think that it is only your own. If you received the blessing and the truth through Jesus in the individual position, then while you digest them as your own, you must also be responsible for disseminating this truth to the world. If you march forward with the world side by side, then while it becomes your grace, it also becomes the grace for heaven and earth. Nonetheless, if your concept of faith seeks only to save you, if you stagnate in the concept of individual salvation, then you will meet your end there.
If the blessing that is overflowing in your hearts remains merely as yours, then you will repeat the mistake of the Jewish people who nailed Jesus on the cross. If the truth you obtained remains in the religion that seeks only to save your life, then the hope of Jesus can never be accomplished.
The words of Jesus are spoken based on the center of hope. They reach the dispensation of Heaven by passing through the individuals, family, society and the world. Through the individual grace granted to you, they will produce the miracle of resurrection and rebirth. The salvation on the level of the individual, the people, the nation and the world must be realized through you.
You must clearly understand that before you the salvation of the individual level, the level of a people, the level of the world and the universe remain unfulfilled. When you express gratitude to Father, you must be able to do so not just on the level of the individual, but also on the level of the family, the society, the nation and the world. What is more, when you repent, you should begin with individual repentance and move up to repentance on the level of the family, the nation and the world. You should repent on behalf of heaven and earth.
Now is the time when you must transcend the concept of individual salvation, the concept of the salvation on the level of the family, the society, the nation and the world. Only then can you begin the indemnification of the world. If the Jewish people had the concept of salvation on the level of the people and on the level of the world, then Jesus would have saved humanity through the Jewish people.
The Words of Jesus Are the Words of Universal Revolution
Jesus’ words of the gospel, which bore fruit through the course of history, are words of truth. They can transcend history and the lives of the ancestors and grant salvation to you. You must understand that these words of Jesus are indeed the words of universal revolution.
Jesus came to earth and put up opposition to all the laws that people had believed in until that time. He proclaimed, “Through me, all laws must be perfected.” Because the Jewish people did not understand these words of Jesus, which contained universal perspective on faith and universal value, they killed him. These words at that time were universal words. Pertaining to love, he also spoke universally revolutionary words.
Jesus said, “Those who do not love me more than anything else are not acceptable. Moreover, if you do not love me more than anything else, then you cannot become my disciple.” When we see this, we can understand that until God creates the one perfected universal body that He sought after as the ideal of creation, the path toward the truth involves a universal course.
Universal love is extremely important for forming the relationships between people and the relationship between God and human beings. Because humans could not form a relationship with God based on universal love, they formed a relationship with the archangel. Accordingly, human beings lost the power to penetrate through the door of love and rise up centering on the ideal relationship of love with God. If they are to penetrate through this door of love again, they need power.
The reason Jesus said, “You must love me more than anyone else,” is not because he wanted to receive love for himself. If human beings believed in those words and loved Jesus, he could grasp them with a force stronger than the force that is holding them in the realm of Satan and elevate them to the position where they could give and receive the original love with God. For this purpose, he said, “Love me more than anyone else.” These words are revolutionary words of prophecy.
However, the love in today’s world is self-centered love or love centered on the nation. Until now, at best it was loving one’s own nation or one’s own family. There was no love that transcended the national sphere.
What God and Jesus hope for is not one people or one nation. It is constructing, centering on God, the ideal world that can bring unity to heaven and earth. Therefore, the love that Jesus presented was love on the level of the world. It was not self-centered love on the level of the people and nation but love that transcends the world and links heaven and earth.
The Revolution of Truth and the Revolution of Love
What then is the true path that Jesus paved through the words of the gospel? How much love have you been giving today? Jesus Christ did not stand before an individual. He also did not stand before a family or a nation. To do this, Jesus, who was the master of universal love and the bridegroom, received persecution on the level of the family and the nation.
The countless created beings of heaven and earth, all the created beings that could not feel the love of God until now, finally formed a relationship of love by virtue of Jesus. It was the responsibility of Jesus to form these kinds of relationships.
What kind of love is the love that Jesus pioneered and established? It is love that is counter to the love of this world. Although the love of human beings is at best for the sake of the nation, the love of Jesus was universal. In other words, it was love that transcended individuals, people and nations. It penetrated deeply into Heaven.
What kind of love is the love of God? It possesses both sides. It does not just love itself, it even loves the enemy. Therefore, while we love God, we must also love our enemies.
The love of Jesus was such that it even embraced Satan. Because he knew that the love of God embraces even Satan, Jesus set that as the standard and said, “Love even your enemies.” (Matthew 5:44) Therefore, we must establish this standard of universal love on earth. We must have the mind-set that if we cannot complete this task before our death, then we will establish the standard through our descendants.
Moreover, now you must lead a life of gratitude. You must have the attitude that you are alive by virtue of the grace and love of Jesus and Heaven and lead a life of offering gratitude to Heaven. Your salvation merits gratitude. The grace that allows you to carry on the universal mission of Jesus and perfect the love of Jesus also merits gratitude.
You must understand the universal love of Jesus who, representing his family and clan and holding onto the people, forgave and loved his enemies even while he was dying on the cross. You must fathom the heart of Jesus, who overcame sorrow and looked down upon the enemies with a loving heart.
While he took his last breath on the cross, Jesus said, “All is fulfilled.” (John 19:30) Until he could say that he cast out of his mind all his sorrow and bitter grief and suffered in an attempt to accomplish the will of Heaven. Because the mission of claiming back the universal life through his oneself was on the verge of total failure, Jesus forgot even his own agony and affliction and overcame all kinds of ordeals. Therefore, the life of Jesus was not a life lived to save only himself; it was lived for the sake of building the nation and people of God.
The Faithful Followers of the Last Days Must Awaken
Today you are carrying on a movement to claim back the life of Jesus Christ. In the democratic world, they are carrying on a movement to resurrect the name of Jesus Christ. On earth, the gospels of Jesus remain, and the new universal truth, love and life not previously found here remain. Such universal truth, love and life can become yours.
As the one who came to save humanity and strained his every nerve toward that end, Jesus was the most pitiful person ever. The words of Jesus were spoken for the world. They were the words of truth that should have been sown on earth, the words of Heaven that should have been upheld on earth, and the universal words of life that should have been implanted on earth. They were not upheld on earth, and Jesus who came was rejected. Because the people then did not believe in the words of Jesus, Jesus was deserted.
God exerted Himself for 6,000 years. Yet if the master of life and truth, who can alleviate the burden of God, can come to this land, then all the conscientious people on earth will love him. If there are people who are seeking the way on earth, if there are people who seek the path of life, they will walk on his side. Although this is the standard that Heaven hopes for, human beings today lead a life based on the standard of individual love and the concept of individuality. Because the believers of Judaism in the past lived with the same mentality, they hung Jesus on the cross. We must come to grips with the fact that such phenomena have continued since the time of Jesus.
Now what we need are new words, new life, and new love that can represent heaven and earth. However, what we need are not just conceptual words, but words that can be substantialized in practice.
Therefore, in these last days of today, you must awaken. Possessing the new truth, life and love, you must save the people and the world. You must eradicate the bitter grief and spite of the 6,000 years.
Chapter 16: Behold the Little Lamb of God Who Is Bearing the Sins of the World
November 25, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Matthew 5:43-48 John 1:19-34
Prayer 1
Father who promised the resurrection of life, Father who has granted the grace of love, and Father who gave eternal life! Father who is not far from us, but dwells within our minds and bodies and in our surroundings! Our hearts long for the Father’s love and yearn to be intoxicated by Your love. We want to sing Your glory.
Father who has come seeking us this hour, please reveal the honor of Your joy. By doing so, we ask that You let us also partake in joy and harmony with our original hearts and original natures. Fix our minds and bodies to create the atmosphere of glory where even the creation can be part of the harmony.
Father of promise! Please operate in this hour. Father of power! Please appear in this hour. Although we are insignificant, we know that when we march forward in obedience to Your commands, there will spring forth within us the power to pioneer the course of eternal life. Father of love! Please do not hesitate in this hour to give commands through our minds and our bodies.
Let us restore the original hyung-sang You created. By doing so, beloved Father, we hope from the depth of our hearts that You will protect us and raise us as proud sons and daughters whose beauty can bring You joy and whom You are proud to present before all created things without any hesitation.
This is a holy day. This is the day that we must take responsibility for the lives of all people and guide to the Father the many minds and bodies shackled by the hands of the enemies who dwell in the realm of death.
Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the ones who have taken responsibility for this task and have been at work to fulfill it. The ones who have been assisting in this feat were the countless faithful believers in the spirit world. Please lead us to understand that we have the mission to arm ourselves and help accomplish this one will.
Father! If we are too weak to take charge of this unfulfilled mission, then please allow us to cherish in our hearts the will of blessing promised in the infinitely distant past. Please raise us before the Heavenly principles. Please lead us not to become pitiful sons and daughters who provoke sorrow. Please allow us to touch Your heart and bosom and become Your sons and daughters who will accomplish the entirety of Your will before You give the command, beginning the action before You make the request.
Father! Please bless these people. Please bless the religious group that represents the people. Moreover, please bless Your sons and daughters who have gathered here.
Please prophesy about this event to many lives everywhere. Grant a new blessing of life. Please let all of humankind awaken to Your will and elevate the foundation of their lives so that peace can emerge. Father! We make this earnest request.
Please allow these sons and daughters who have now prostrated themselves before You to become the children who can receive the love and blessing of the Father with a new heart. Allow their bodies to embody the beauty of glory and the beauty of love.
Is there any son or daughter who, being unworthy before You, possesses the bitter root of sin and induces sorrow? Father, please take charge of this hour and appear before us. In that way, please personally produce the miracle of re-creation. Father, I earnestly wish and hope for this.
Please manifest abundant blessings of the Father on the children who have gathered in this hour. My Father, I pray from the bottom of my heart that You will grant the same grace upon the children who are scattered in all regions and are building lonely altars, the sons and daughters who are testifying to Your truth. Hoping sincerely that You will descend upon each of them, I prayed all these things in the name of the Lord.
Amen.
Prayer 2
Father, You have exerted Yourself to cling onto us and to assemble us. We have gathered here centering on one holy altar. Please allow our minds and bodies, we who are prostrating ourselves before You, to become one and to act on behalf of Your commands. Our bodies, which are prostrated, must become the holy altar.
When we come to realize that we are the hope You have sought for a long time with a lamenting heart, we deeply feel that the Father is truly miserable. We also can come to fathom the situation of the Father, who has suffered all kinds of insults as He guided the history of the dispensation until now.
We reflect now that it is the Father who has received all kinds of humiliation, and it is the Father who has persevered through them all, longing for sons and daughters of hope even when You were suffering all kinds of ordeals. We come then to realize how unworthy we are. Nonetheless, we have come before the will with enraptured hearts. We came forth with the determination to possess loyal fidelity, so that we can alleviate the grief and bitterness of the Father.
Consequently, we are in a position to walk through the course of conflict today and tomorrow. We believe that the Father is aware of the fact that we are trying to tread the course only for the sake of the Father’s glory. Please come seeking us now. Please lead us to move centering only on Heaven.
We have gone on until now by believing in the Father on this earth where there can be no faith, and by relying on the commands of the Father on this earth, where there is no place to set our feet. Father, we cannot dispel our concern for the dispensation of today and tomorrow. Please allow the gratitude of today to become eternal gratitude. Let the voice calling out for You become a voice calling out for the Father for eternity. Loving Father, we pray from the depth of our hearts that You will personally protect and guard us until we can sing the song of glory together with all things.
Father, the time and place are not far away. Your children, who are being urged on by Heaven, as well as Your heart, which is driving on because the time and place are imminent, are both distressed. Yet Your sons and daughters of the new age, who must pioneer the new task because they were raised in the world of darkness and faithlessness, are also pitiful.
Father! Please cast away Your worries. We realize how great the concern of Heaven is, and we hope to cling onto these concerns on its behalf and exert our utmost for the sake of the remaining will of the dispensation. Therefore, Father, please look at us and be comforted by us. Please let us comfort Your heart, suffering from the bitter sorrow of the people and the church.
Father, please hastily assemble in one place Your sons and daughters who are scattered everywhere. Allow them to build the altar of victory, glory and righteousness, so that they can go toward the single strand of the light of life in which You can be delighted. Beloved Father, we earnestly pray that You will allow the one will to be fulfilled through the people of this world.
Among the children who have gathered here, is there anyone who has become subjected to the accusations of Satan or who possesses a heart of spite? Father, please let there be no such child. If there is such a child, then in this hour, with the miracle of power, please inject into their heart the grace of gratitude and resurrection that can induce them to repent. Father! We pray for this from the bottom of our hearts. We entrust the remaining time to you, so please remove sadness and govern us with honor. We wish from the heart that only the grace of joy that You can personally assert and boast of will descend upon our heads and fill our minds and bodies. We have entrusted everything to You. Please take charge of it all. We prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 3
Father, we have come to understand that according to the commands that You have given, there remains the pass that all men must cross. We of today stand in the position to carry on the fight to eliminate our imperfections before the perfection of the Father. It is our fate to rise above the basic standard of the unchanging truth.
Now, when we think about the fact that the time has come when we must step forward before the whole universe, and that it is our historical fate to resemble the perfect sung-sang of the Father and dominate over all created beings, we come to realize that we today must take the place of the Father’s lamentation. We must testify to the eternal love of the Father and must be able to carry on the mission of restoration by disseminating the words of the Father to the dark world.
Nonetheless, the life of faith that we have led up to now is not worthy enough to be presented before the Father. Please allow us to feel remorse and at the same time to repent and come to our senses.
We must bring out all our concepts, assertions and ideologies before the solemn will of the Father and completely deny our own selves. We must restore our original nature, we who are eternal substantial beings, and take after the character of the Father, who is perfect. We must restore ourselves to the point in which we can be overwhelmed with the glory of the Father. This is the course of conflict that lies before us. Please lead us not to be ones who retreat from this course of conflict today.
Please allow us to become the honor and source of joy of the Father through our life each day and for the rest of our lives. Guide us to become worthy and beautiful sons and daughters whom You can accept. Father, we hope for this from our hearts.
This is the time when the period of restoration is reflected. This is the period that we must rise above the historical standard of judgment as in the time of Jesus. This is the time when the new will is being brought forth before Judaism, when the works of testimony on the shores of the Jordan River are taking place, when the works of John the Baptist, who gave the baptism, are unfolding worldwide.
Now each of us must prepare the resting grounds of Heaven and build the garden of goodness. Jesus should have returned glory to the Father with the testimony of John the Baptist, without any invasion by sin and Satan. We must build the garden of repose in which we can grab hold of each other’s hands and join our hearts to sing a song.
You have called us today for this kind of responsibility. You have chosen us for this kind of task. Please lead us not to become the sons and daughters who will leave the wound of grief and sadness before the chosen will.
We who understand that the resentment of many thousands of years has saturated history by virtue of the failure of John the Baptist, have received Heaven’s calling and were chosen by Heaven. Please allow us to stand before the throne of the Father and lay the foundation of the dispensation which can bring completion to the entire dispensational will of the whole universe. By granting this, please allow us to accomplish the remaining mission on a secure foundation.
If we have not become qualified enough to offer bows before the dignified sung-sang of the Father with liberated minds and bodies, then please lead us to understand that the bitter grief of restoration is still embedded in us. When we offer all of our minds and bodies to the Father and raise our two hands to call you Father, then Father, please hold us tight with Your hands and guide us to earn the justification to be considered the honorable sons and daughters of the Father.
In this way, please allow us to become sons and daughters who can sing the glory of joy in the garden of bliss, sing the glory of Hosanna’s victory to the whole universe and return glory to the coming Lord. We make this most earnest wish.
Allow us to think about Jesus Christ, who came to bring liberation from the historical grief, in this day that You have granted us. When we come to the realization that the path that Jesus walked does not pertain only to him but is the model course that we must walk in the last days, we cannot help but feel that our heart becomes weighed down with burdens and our mind succumbs to our body. Lead us to become the loyal subjects of the Father who can fulfill this will, even if it requires our toilsome struggle. Father! We pray from the depth of our hearts that we may become sincere loyal subjects of the Father.
We entrust everything to You, so please allow the heart of the speaker and the hearts of the listeners to become one. I fear that even in this hour, Satan might work through the minds of those who are skeptical. Please remove such doubts from them first.
If there is anyone whose mind does not operate according to the commanding words of the Lord or who is being dragged into the darkness because they cannot be intoxicated by the grace of the sacred spirit, then please grant them compassion and the grace that can induce them to repent. In this way, may the love of the Father sink into our minds and immerse us in the eternal ideal of life forever. Humbly requesting that Father’s miracle of life, miracle of love and miracle of power may be manifested in this hour with the words, we prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
I will speak on the topic “Behold the Little Lamb of God Who Is Bearing the Sins of the World.”
The Purpose of God’s Dispensation and the Mission of Humankind
The 4,000-year history from the fall to the coming of Jesus was not a history of goodness but a history of sin. Although countless prophets came to the earth and fought with sin while upholding the will of the dispensation, they were unable to eradicate all the sins. Similarly, the fight with sin repeatedly ended in failure, and the dispensation was prolonged for 4,000 years.
The purpose of God’s dispensation is to completely purge all these sins. Accordingly, until the day that all sins are liquidated, the history of conflict will not be concluded and the history of the dispensation will not finish. What is more, God has no choice but to send his beloved children as workers for the dispensation.
Therefore, in order to fulfill the will, God established Noah’s family in place of Adam’s family. Yet because Noah’s family repeated the failure, He had to raise Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, who acted on behalf of the people. After that, from King Saul to King David to King Solomon, as well as to the four great prophets and the twelve minor prophets, the will reached John the Baptist.
Before us lies the mission that humankind must fulfill for Heaven now. What is that mission? Since the root of sin was implanted by virtue of the fall of man, it must be man who subjugates Satan and the root of sin and returns goodness and glory to God. God has led the dispensation for 4,000 years for the sake of finding such people.
The Cause of the Tribulations of Jesus, the Faithlessness of John the Baptist
What then was the mission that John the Baptist was supposed to accomplish on the earth? It was to testify to and attend Jesus Christ.
Because Jesus was elevated to the position of perfected Adam who did not fall, from his birth, he could return glory to Heaven. What is more, he was someone who could bring joy to God. God sent Jesus Christ to proudly display him before humanity and Satan.
From his birth, Jesus was not supposed to walk the path of suffering. He was supposed to represent humanity, return joy to God and become the honorable mediator, the mediator of love and the mediator of goodness. However, humankind could not receive Jesus.
Consequently, as you know very well through the Divine Principle, although the life of Jesus should not have had any connection or relation to sin, but should have been teeming only with goodness and joy, Satan invaded Jesus’ life, because John the Baptist did not complete his responsibility.
What then is the mission that lies ahead of us, we who live in the last days? We must fulfill the mission of John the Baptist. In other words, before Jesus, who came as the representative of history, we must become the sons and daughters of glory who reap victory and people of goodness with whom Jesus can rejoice. You must bear in mind that this is our mission.
The sorrow of God was caused when Satan tried to pull Jesus Christ down and put him through tests. What is more, the reason that Jesus had to fight with Satan for 2,000 years after he passed away was because of the disbelief of the Jewish people at the time. Furthermore, as you all know, it was because John the Baptist made a grave mistake.
Human Beings Are the Ones Who Must Subjugate Satan and Eradicate Sin
At this time, when we have arrived at the threshold of an era like the end of a century, you must stand opposed to sin and fight. You must understand that you are in the same position as John the Baptist, who had to fight with Satan. Satan had opposed and fought with God for 4,000 years. You must fight with Satan. In place of the 6,000 years and the mission of John the Baptist, you must fight with Satan and bring him to submission. In this way, you must remove all traces of Satan in yourself. Such a responsibility lies on your shoulders. If you cannot fulfill this responsibility, then the Lord of the Second Advent who is to come will not be able to receive you.
Originally, according to the ideals of creation, God’s garden did not have any trace of Satan. Consequently, to realize God’s ideals of creation on the earth, we must vanquish Satan and rise to the level of perfected Adam who did not fall. Therefore, if you do not represent God’s glory and do not become the source of pride that He can display before Satan, there is no way to cleanse the resentful grief of Jesus, who was put through tests before Satan.
Due to the fall of man, Satan trampled on humankind and is dominating all over the land. To reverse this, we must rely upon the principles of indemnity. Because humankind was trodden on by Satan, even if Jesus does not help and the Holy Spirit and God do not help, humankind must subjugate Satan with their own hands. They must be able to overcome all the conditions of sin that Satan presents to them. This is the only way that they can become victorious sons and daughters.
If you do not become the sons and daughters who can reap victory even while fighting alone with the universal Satan, you will not have any relationship with Jesus. This is the fateful path that we simply have no way of escaping. This is the fateful path that we must walk even after our death, if we fail to do so when we are alive.
Jesus Christ, because he failed to accomplish the will that he was meant to bring to pass while he was alive, even today, after 2,000 years have passed, hopes to find someone who can act on his behalf so that he can fulfill the will even after his death. When you consider this, you will see that the 6,000 years of history is not a history of glory. It was not a glorious history for God. Moreover, you must realize that as long as Jesus and the Holy Spirit are fighting against Satan, as long as the sons and daughters who follow Jesus and the Holy Spirit are being tested by Satan, the original ideology of God’s creation cannot be said to have been materialized on this earth.
Therefore, the resentment that permeates heaven and earth became set as the grief of God. The new history, which sought to eliminate the resentment of heaven and earth, was manifested through the cross of God, the cross of Jesus, the cross of the Holy Spirit and the cross of the faithful ones today.
Until now, we have survived by virtue of the protection and commands of the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God. We must from now on become the “I” who can comfort the Holy Spirit, “I” who can console Jesus and “I” who can comfort God.
The will of the Holy Spirit, the will of Jesus and the will of God are not personal desires. This will penetrates through the individual and the world; it links even heaven and earth. Who will live on behalf of this will and become the universal sons and daughters who can console the universal heart of God? You must understand that Heaven has been guiding the dispensation to find such sons and daughters.
Similarly, to dismantle the wall of the sin rooted in history, we must carry on the fight in the present and in the future. Heading toward the pass of sin that we must cross even at the risk of our lives, and while pouring out all our energy and life, you must make a new determination and march forward.
Jesus remained unchanged, testifying to Heaven and giving a new kind of baptism even when the law-abiding believers of Judaism and the Jewish people opposed him. We also must do the same. Now we must step up to the final stage and transcend denominations. Moreover, while transcending denominations, we must also surpass all ideologies. Even if we are alone, we must fight against Satan. If you can win in the battle with all satans, then the glory of Heaven and the joy of Heaven will descend and reside in you.
We Must Fulfill the Mission of John the Baptist in His Place
Even in this hour, the wall of sin blocks your way. Yet what is the nature of this wall of sin? It is a wall of the sin of 4,000 years of slaying the prophets and sages that God loved. It is a wall of the sin of having hung Jesus on the cross. Therefore, if you cannot eradicate this sin in your own generation, then you will have nothing to do with the Kingdom of Heaven. If you cannot dismantle this wall of sin, you cannot enter Heaven. You must be clear on this point.
If you are to represent the will of God and to stand in the position of John the Baptist, you must learn how to observe the universal sin. By doing so, you must bear on your own shoulders the grief and resentment of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. You must comfort Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and God, who have been suffering because of sin. If those who can usher in the day of the Sabbath do not appear among you, then even if the Savior was to come to this land, it would be to no avail.
In these last days, we must fight with sin for John the Baptist. We are to represent the 6,000-year history and substitute for the mission of John the Baptist. What is more, besides this, we must personally experience the course of conflict that Jesus walked.
After Jesus Christ passed away, what remained behind him was the path of the cross. Although he tried to establish an eternal standard of victory on the basis of baptism and the cross, he could do so only in the spiritual dimension. Today the mission lies before us to mobilize both the spiritual and the physical and to fulfill the universal, heavenly mission of John the Baptist. You must personally experience the bitter and indignant heart of Jesus, who came to earth and was not honored by humankind, and resolve it on his behalf. Because humankind has this mission, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have been working with them for 2,000 years. Yet the faithful believers of today are not aware of this fact. They have believed that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are simply their servants and messengers.
Who then is Satan? He is the archangel. The fall allowed the archangel to snatch from human beings the right to dominate over the creation and act in that capacity. Therefore, during restoration, we have to pass through a course in which we are dominated by Satan.
To walk this kind of path, what must we do? Using the life of John the Baptist, who testified to Jesus, as the example, and using the life of Jesus as the example, we must walk the same path as they.
The Path Jesus Walked in Order to Destroy the Wall of Sin
What kind of path did Jesus walk to destroy this wall of sin? We in the last days must pass through the path that Jesus once walked.
When Jesus was fighting with Satan, he did not stand in the offensive position to uproot the universal sin. Jesus did not stand in the offensive position toward sin to purge it. For the sake of purging sin and bringing it to submission, he stood in the position of taking it on his shoulders. You must understand that this was the spirit of Jesus Christ.
Sin is an evil and wicked thing. We have a mind linked directly to the original nature of creation, and sin is the thing that acts diametrically counter to that. Jesus took on this sin for the sake of purging it. He bore the sins of the individuals, families, societies, nations, the world, humanity and even the spirits above. You must understand that Jesus even took on the sins of the countless spirits who had lived in the 4,000 years since the creation.
He went so far as to bear even the sins of the spirits who were sent to hell. The reason is that Jesus came as the perfected Adam. Because everything, including Heaven, was overwhelmed with resentment due to the fall of Adam, Jesus had to drag out all that was produced by the fall and bury it.
Thus, Jesus’ life of pioneering a new course took the opposite course from life in the satanic world. Knowing that there is no hope in the elements and essences of the satanic world, he opposed it and taught the way of meekness and humility. Accordingly, the truth of Christianity transcended this world. The Christian truth is meant to rebel against the world.
Jesus led a difficult and toilsome life. Obliged by the dispensation, he was not supposed to take on the sin that came to him from the front. He was supposed to turn back and take charge of sins from behind. Jesus Christ was a pitiful person who took charge of all universal sins and suffered the agony of the cross until the moment of victory. Even today, though he lives in that other world, he cannot rest in peace. He hopes that someone on earth will take responsibility for all the sins.
Jesus Suffered All Kinds of Ridicule and Tribulation
When we reflect on the life of Jesus Christ, who came to take charge of the sin of human beings, we can see that during the thirty years until his death, he personally experienced all the ordeals and difficulties that humankind goes through. He put himself in the shoes of a miserable person so that he could bear the sins of those who are miserable. He put himself through hunger so that he could take on the sins of those who are hungry. He sought a lonely place so that he could bear the responsibility of those who are lonely.
After having attained the ability to manage individual sins in this manner, Jesus sought to take charge of the sins of families. For the purpose of taking on the sins of families, he went before a family, but that family opposed Jesus. The parents he loved opposed him, even his younger brothers and sisters countered him. Furthermore, Jesus was rejected by the Jewish sects. This was because he also had to be responsible for the sins of the religious sects. What is more, Pilate and King Herod rejected him. They drove Jesus toward the cross because they thought that the will of Jesus was not in line with their own wishes. Despite all this, until his last breath, Jesus did not hold it against these enemies. Instead, he wished blessings upon them. You must cherish this image of Jesus in your mind.
Jesus was born in a stable. He started in the lowest and most humble position, but rose to the highest position of being the son of God. Jesus came for the sake of humankind and for the sake of the people who believed in God.
Yet, who are the people that befriended Jesus? When he was praying at the Garden of Gethsemane, the three disciples he loved were dozing off. Although they should have become one in heart with him when he was heading toward the hill of the cross, the three disciples took a position that had no resemblance to that. Realizing that he had the mission to bear all the universal sins, Jesus was grateful, no matter who was whipping him. Even if people mocked him and sneered at him, he took it all with gratitude.
You must understand that to realize the purpose of purging sin, Jesus did not strike it and eliminate it by shattering it. He tried to shoulder all the universal sins that were in any way connected to Satan. Nonetheless, because sin has not yet been fully purged, Jesus has been at work to eradicate it.
Even If You Face Persecution and Rejection, You Must Maintain Unchanging Faith
Since you are the ones who are attending Jesus as the Savior, before him you should contemplate, “To what extent have I taken charge of sin? How much sin did I try to bear on my shoulders?” What is more, you should place yourself in the same environment as the one in which Jesus lived.
If you have the fate at the end of the century to bear the sins of the individual and family, then you will someday face persecution on the individual level and the family level. Just as Jesus suffered the opposition of individuals, his family and the sects, Christians who live in the last days today will receive the same kind of opposition. Furthermore, there will emerge one religion that will be opposed by the society, the nation and the world.
Jesus’ fight to purge the sins of humankind has not come to a full conclusion. In his place, there will emerge on earth one believer who will be denounced by individuals, families, society, nations, the world and the spirits in heaven during his efforts to bear all the sins of the universe. History is working toward this one crucial moment. You must understand this.
People who believed in the Old Testament became the enemies of Jesus. Similarly, it is easy for those who have been believing in Jesus today to become the enemies of the new dispensation of God. Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) This was because God said He did not know Jesus at the moment of the final settlement.
Similarly, when you try to offer yourself for the task of bearing responsibility for the whole sinful history, God will deny any knowledge of you. If that happens, you have to have the same immutable faith as that of Jesus on the cross. You should have the mind-set that you are already a dead person. It is the mission of Christians to advocate this somewhat revolutionary faith.
Is there anyone who opposes you? You must be grateful to them. What is more, is there any family that opposes you? You must be grateful to that family. Is there any religious group that opposes you? You must be grateful to them. Even if the nation and the world put up opposition, you must be grateful to them. Moreover, even if the spirit world, the physical world and Heaven deny any knowledge of you, you should have an unchanging heart. You must have the faith that does not shake.
There must appear believers whose faith will remain unaffected even if Satan, who caused Adam and Eve to fall, opposes you, and Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God claim not to know you. This is the last remaining mission. Yet the 2.4 billion people of humanity and the Christians who believe in Jesus do not clearly understand this. Moreover, even if you become this kind of faithful believer, that is not the end. You have to form a family, a society, a nation and a world that all have this same kind of faith. If you do not cultivate this kind of faith, then you will have no vertical relationship with the will of God. The path through which Jesus will come to you as the bridegroom will be blocked off.
Overcome Persecution With Love and Be Triumphant
The love of Jesus represents the love of God. The love of God cannot be undermined by any creature in the whole universe. You must receive this love of God. To do that, you must bear upon your shoulders all the sins of this world and become the triumphant sons and daughters who will not be knocked over even if Satan were to test you, but will digest it instead. Otherwise, you will have nothing to do with the love of God, which is the center of all the powers of this universe and operates as the center of all substantial existence.
Consequently, just as Jesus shed tears of concern for the sake of men on earth even after suffering injustice and mistreatment at their hands, there must emerge in the last days many believers who can do the same. If there are many such believers, there will not be any divisions between denominations. What is more, even if no one is martyred, because the power of conscience, truth and the universal principles wield great influence, the whole universe will have no choice but to follow those believers.
We can erect the signpost of victory, build the victorious family, altar and world, and connect the victory to Heaven only when we stand in such a position. You must never forget that this is your responsibility.
What is more, the conflict that is taking place centering on your individual self, and all the events that revolve around you is not limited to your oneself. Thus, you must be cautious. If you make a mistake, it will have ramifications for the whole. You must never obstruct the will of God. You must walk the path of sacrifice for the sake of the whole.
Moreover, if there is a good person, then you must attend him well. If there are evil people, you must be worried and anxious for their sake. Having become such a person, you must march forward bearing even the ordeal of crucifixion for the sake of creating that kind of family, society and world. You must embody the heart of Jesus Christ and persevere and be victorious in fulfilling the will of God.
Chapter 17: The Providence of God and the Nature of the Adventure That Transcends Reality
December 2, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Luke 22:24-46
Prayer 1
Father, You have been guiding a history of strenuous labor until today for the sake of the whole of humanity. You have been guiding the mission to dismantle the walls of grief and resentment that are deeply rooted in Heaven. Through the words of truth, we now understand that we are the ones who must bring down this wall of resentment erected in Heaven. We have come to realize that when that resentment is dissolved on earth, the link with Heaven will be created.
Please allow us to heed the fact that the Father is calling upon us, the people of this age. Since You have chosen us as Your representatives and have raised us as Your sons and daughters before the whole of humanity, please allow us to reveal only the glory of the Father through our bodies. Let our every deed manifest only the goodness and righteousness of the Father.
By doing so, please let us create harmony centering on love everywhere we have a gathering. Beloved Father, please allow the songs of victories offered to You fill the whole universe.
Heaven does not forget us even in this hour and is reaching out for us, commanding us to do the much desired will that it seeks from us. Yet when we contemplate whether we respond readily to that calling and whether we have become the sacrifice of harmony before the Father, we are left to beg Your forgiveness for not having realized these ideals and for still stagnating in an inadequate, imperfect and unprepared state.
Please allow us now to open the gates to our hearts, and through new repentance, become the sanctified sacrifice so that the bitter resentment that permeates Heaven can be rooted out with our hands. Furthermore, Father, we hope from the depth of our hearts that You will allow us to become sons and daughters of Yours who can usher in the day of happiness.
The ultimate wall of tribulations of the last days blocks our path. Before us lies the course of conflict that we must travel through with our lives. Father, please do not let us become immature and base ones who become bitter toward Heaven and fall down in the middle of this course of conflict.
We are already firmly determined to offer our minds and bodies as sacrifices, so please accept them, though they are lacking. Beloved Father, it is our utmost wish that You will guide us to become Your sons and daughters, who, as the offered sacrifices, can entrust everything to the Father and await the Father’s commandments.
Father, this is a sacred hour. Father, this day is a sacred day. Father, please let this whole year become a sacred year. Please bless these children of Yours, who have gathered here representing the people in every place they gather. Please raise the flames of the sacred spirit that is hidden deep in Heaven. Deliver the works of the sacred spirit that You have promised for the last days. Please pour it down as one would pour down water. Father, please let there be many sons and daughters who can bring down the wall of resentment. Father, based on this, please allow every place they gather to become both a hidden and a manifest altar from which they can bring victory in the universal battle. Please allow us to respond to the direct commandment of Heaven to become victorious in the universal fight and bring the beacon of victory to the Father.
Father, Your children have gathered here in this hour, so please reign over each of their minds and bodies. If there are those who still cannot transcend their own self-centered thoughts, then please allow them to discard them. Please guide them to become living sacrifices before the Father. Let this be an hour when they are humbly and meekly offered as the sacrifice. My Father, I humbly and earnestly ask that You allow them to have a share in the grace of joy and the grace of harmony.
There are many sons and daughters who are wounded and exhausted. Father, please counsel them with compassion, so that the inspirations of this hour can govern their lives. Please do not let them lose the standard in their life course. Let there arise from within them the powerful and shocking stimulation of life. Please allow them to feel and experience the Father’s love and be immersed in it. Father, we pray from the depth our hearts that on account of this, You will allow all of us to offer gratitude and harmonize the many millions of faithful people on earth, so that we can persuade them to offer gratitude before Your holy throne and to build the altar of victory.
Father, we wish that through us, the unworthy, You will fulfill the will that You desire and seek to manifest. We have entrusted everything to You, so please reign over us. We prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Father, we have stepped forward with the utmost zeal representing Heaven, but we are too inadequate. Since we who have nothing wish to remain before You, please allow us to go forth and cry out aloud without any hesitation. Father, please look down with compassion upon our minds and bodies, which have been wounded in various ways during our attempt to take after the heart of God that no one knows about; wounded while we were following the path of the will that others falsify.
There were times when we shed tears in solitude and held grudges against Heaven. Although You have promised us the day of hope which is near, and although You have granted the ultimate fruit of the will to those who have been following with persistence, we worry that we cannot cope with it. We are overwhelmed with a great sense of awe before You.
Father, please govern Your sons and daughters who have gathered here. Please grant the Father’s will of happiness to manifest itself within our minds and bodies. Please remove wrong thoughts, ideologies, and concepts with Your presence and reign. Father, based on this foundation, please allow us in this hour to bring about the works of inspiration that can completely eradicate the bitter resentment rooted deeply within Heaven.
Please grant the heart of repentance to spring forth from within us. Strike our bodies with might so that the evil elements can be liquidated and only the elements of goodness can be revealed before the Father who lives in eternal presence. Please bless us so that we can respond to the Father’s goodness with our original nature and character, and creating harmony based on the Father’s love, enable the Father to look upon our beauty with delight. At the same time, may the faithful believers of Heaven be caused also to unite in consonance and return the song of glory to the Father. Father, we make this wish from the depth of our hearts.
Even in this hour, the dark surge of sin is trying to invade each of our minds and bodies. Please grant us the strength and the capability. Please guide us to the realization that as the number of the sons and daughter who gather increases, the Cain and Abel relationship becomes more manifest. Lead us not to stand in the Cain-type position.
Please allow us to become Abel-type sacrifices and voluntarily fulfill all of our responsibility as substantial sacrifices. Please allow us to act for Abel to bring the Cain-type people to submit to the Father. Father, we earnestly hope and desire that Your works of might and ability will be unfolded before the whole in the hour.
Father! In this hour, please let us heed in our hearts that the mission You have entrusted us with now is not for our own salvation and liberation. Please let us understand that the fate of this people rests on us today. Please allow all of the 2.4 billion people of the world to set the condition of appeal to Heaven and earth through us.
Father, please hold us until the day when we who stand in this magnificent and serious path of life and death cling onto Heaven with our right hands and strike Satan with our left hands, until we can reap victory and raise our hands to return the glory of Hosanna to the Father. Please govern the whole of the sons and daughters who have gathered in this hour. Please let there be no one among these participating sons and daughters who hold the root of sin in their hearts and resist repentance. Appear with the power to eliminate and explode all the bitter roots of sins they harbor in their hearts.
Please let that which belongs to Satan and that which belongs to God be separated in this hour, so that we can be offered before the Father as the sanctified sacrifices of joy. Father, we make this appeal from the bottom of our hearts.
Your lonely sons and daughters, Your sons and daughters who have dispersed throughout the countryside with the words of the new gospel, I know that they must be kneeling alone and facing difficulties in their attempt to walk the path of sacrifice. Father, please be with them.
Your lonely sons and daughters who are coping with the will before the time is ripe, please do not let them become exhausted in their fight with Satan. Father, who has been providing protection until now, we wish for Your grace of protection to continue even after this hour, so that wherever we may be, please permit us to represent Your will and to resolve the resentment rooted deep within You. Please guide us so that even at the cost of offering our lives as a sacrifice, we can inherit the bitter heart of the Father and offer gratitude toward Heaven. Please, beloved Father, raise us as the embodiment of beauty in whom You can take delight and who can return the glory of Hosanna, so that we can quickly and fully accomplish the will of Heaven.
There are many altars who have gathered before the Father’s presence on behalf of the people today. Be with them to lead them away from building the altar of evil out of their ignorance of the will. Let the works of the inspiration of Heavenly Father dawn upon this hour on the religious groups who have gathered representing the people so that every one of them can join their hearts and combine their altars to offer themselves as the one altar of victory to the Father.
Please take charge and reign over everything in this hour. Please operate only the will of happiness in this hour. Manifest only the will of happiness. Wishing for these things with the most sincere heart, I prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 3
Father, these words of truth are the truth of re-creation. We know that You are grieving over the absence of the embodiment of truth on earth, about which You have proclaimed in the Garden of Eden, “It is good, it is good.” We know that as long as there the condition remains unfulfilled to reclaim the words of goodness that were lost, we cannot find the embodiment of goodness.
Father, please divulge the words of goodness to this congregation. Father, I pray from the depth of my heart that You will renew Your commandments with the reclaimed words of goodness. Through their minds and bodies, I pray for the Father’s special dispensation of re- creation, which can produce the embodiments of goodness amid the congregation.
I have stepped forward with the truth, so please let both the speaker and the listener become one in their hearts. Father, we know that when one secures the reciprocal base and becomes the source of pride, then the whole can be molded through that person. Please come seeking the sons and daughters of Yours here whom You have raised. By establishing the center of words and producing the works of conditions, allow them to overcome the power of Satan. Moreover, Father, we humbly and fervently desire that if our minds and bodies are enslaved inside the realm of Satan, then please allow us to divide ourselves with the truth to be able to receive the Father’s seal of purification.
At such a time there is no need for many words. Until now we have heard and come to know many words of truth, but Father, we know that we need the power to give life to our minds. Please do Your works with power and ability.
Father, we sincerely hope that You will remove all evil concepts and manifest the words of truth that have the power to resurrect, and that You will give rise to the works of re-creation and resurrection. Please lead us to become those who fathom the heart of the Father, who wishes to see the perfection of one beauty in this hour. More than by any other means, through the heart of profound inner experience: the feelings, concepts, and repentance based on such inner experiences of the heart, we wish that in this hour we can be offered as one sacrifice. We prayed all things in the name of the Lord. Amen.
In the words I have recited today, there are words that Jesus spoke as he faced the ultimate cross and made the adventurous determination. Therefore, the title of the sermon that I want to reflect upon with you is “The Providence of God and the Nature of the Adventure that Transcends Reality.” I will speak briefly on this topic.
We who follow the faith today are traveling through the course of ceaseless conflicts, with the day of universal judgment lying ahead of us. This path is not a smooth course. Therefore, if you cannot erect the adventurous center and secure the victorious center with which you can cast away the judgment of the universe’s bitter grief, then you will become losers in the historical course and losers in the life course.
The Ultimate Universal Judgement and Our Own Understanding
Therefore, you must keep in mind that the history of God’s dispensation forecasts the providence that begins and concludes adventurously. The environment and the various conditions that enable us to freely lead a life of faith were not results of your efforts. The reason that we can call out to God and lead our life of faith in this kind of freedom is because our ancestors have crossed over countless hazardous passes. You must understand this. You must also realize that if you cannot feel this deep down in your bones either in your life or in your course of faith, then you cannot cross the ultimate pass of universal judgment.
Before doing that, you must first understand the reason Heaven has called upon us. We must be able to explain by ourselves our identity, we who are passing over the hill of grief and resentment of the 6,000- year history.
What is more, we must reflect on such questions as: Have we erected the center of freedom that will enable us to cross over the pass of universal bitterness blocked off due to the resentment of history and Satan? Have we come to possess the victorious center from which we can confidently step above the standard of the judgment of resentment that lies ahead of us in the future? Which state has your life of faith reached today? Until the day that the whole dispensation of Heaven is completed through the historical course by passing through the practical course and the course of the future, we must form the bond with Heaven and contemplate the various problems of the past, the present, and the future.
Now if we assume that Heaven wills to raise us up to rest the whole mission of the last days on us and manifest the glory of victory through us, then that will must be the representation of the will of the dispensation of the 6,000 years. What is more, the criterion by which Heaven is trying to seek and raise us up is crossing the pass of the ultimate judgment. In other words, it is the new standard of the new heaven and earth. Accordingly, if you cannot set the standard of the new heaven and earth and the victorious environment of freedom in which you can live for eternity without any constraints, then you cannot emerge as victors before the dispensation of God.
When we reflect on the past, Heaven elevated us today not just to save us. He raised us up as the culmination that can resolve the historical grief and bitterness. You must heed this and get rid of the resentment that has accumulated from the time of Adam. Moreover, you should resolve the adventurous resentment of Noah and unravel his adventurous life.
The adventurous lives of those who came after him, from Abraham to Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the prophets and sages of history, you must take charge of the works left unfulfilled by them and, using them as the one basis, establish the center that will empower you to confidently step above the standard of judgment in the future. Otherwise, you must remember that you will become a straggler in the historical battle with Satan.
Noah Traveled the Path of Adventure
Let us now reflect back on our ancestors of the past. When we look at the life of Noah first, we will find that it was not a smooth and even life. How do you think Noah must have felt when he received the commandment, “I will judge the world with water 120 years from now, so build an ark on the top of Mount Ararat”? It was not a feat that took twelve days, nor twelve years. It took 120 years. The commandment to build an ark on top of Mount Ararat was completely out of step with the reality of that time.
When you look at the actual situation of Noah, who carried out that kind of commandment, he might be considered a truly insane person, one who was fully out of touch with his time. Noah, who received such enormous directives from God, made a firm determination within himself. He persevered not for one day, but for a period of 120 years, wishing for that one day to come. You must understand that Noah was truly the adventurous champion, unprecedented in the 1,600 years of prior history. He was raised before Heaven representing that history.
Noah, who maintained absolute faith in the commandment as the will of the covenant, did not pay much attention to all those conditions. Once he decided, he did not care whether God intervened or whether the people of the world cursed at him. Since he had already embarked on the path for the sake of the will, putting his life on the line and having forsaken it, none of these matters posed any problem. Thus, he silently traveled through the course of ordeals that continued for such a long period of 120 years.
Noah must have faced criticisms in his family. Society must have greatly reproached him. Yet nobody could stop the footsteps of Noah, who began his journey to single-mindedly pioneer the heavenly path that humankind does not understand and has not traveled before, the path that no one in the course of sixteen hundred years had walked before. You must keep in mind that Noah was an adventurous person who could cast aside all opposition, even if the environment of society of that time obstructed him and all the people of the world pushed him back.
Noah made headway with dogged determination, regardless of what kinds of tests and tribulations he faced. After 120 years passed, he could erect the one restored family that Adam’s family had lost. You must understand such a historical background.
The same thing was true for Abraham. When Abraham received the commandments from God to leave Ur of the Chaldeans, this was no easy matter for him. When God ordered him to abandon the mountains and rivers of the homeland dear to his heart as well as all of his relatives and neighbors, he was greatly distressed. From the humanistic perspective, it was an impossible deed.
Abraham, who received the commandment of God, transcended the environment in which he had lived up to that time. Transcending the family, he abandoned the life that he had led happily until then and went on his way. Such an action as Abraham’s would never have taken place under the usual circumstances in that time. Even if there were those who centered their thoughts on the will and were concerned about the will, no one could have stood beside Abraham and proclaimed, “Yes. The path you are taking is true, so please guide me.”
Abraham started his journey with an unwavering heart that disregarded whether the world understood him. He had the mindset to leave Ur of the Chaldeans for eternity. When he thus took his steps according to the way that God led, he climbed over all the steep mountains and crossed the pass of death with great persistence.
The Faith of Abraham Transcended Reality
God seized the first son of the idol seller, Terah, and put him in that position. Abraham, who had that calling, made the firm determination, “In the path that I am walking now, my center will never change, even if my beloved parents hold me back, even if my beloved friends dissuade me, and even if my beloved brothers and sisters pull me back.” That was not all. Abraham even obeyed the order of God to offer as a burnt sacrifice his precious son, Isaac, who was born when Abraham was one hundred years old. That command constituted the one adventurous condition that was unprecedented in history. That event was the condition that represented heaven and earth and decided the fate of events in heaven, events on earth, and of many millions of matters. Although Abraham was ignorant of this, he made a sincere attempt to place his son on the altar and sacrifice him after he had received the order to offer Isaac.
Think about the heart of Abraham, who was trying to strike his beloved son with the knife. His mentality truly transcended the reality. In his time, who could have recognized that kind of faith? The adventurous deed of Abraham indicated that he belonged to Heaven and that his family belonged to Heaven. It showed that he as well as his family and all of their belongings would follow the commandment of God. He realized this fact while he was making a burnt offering of his only son.
He tried to offer Isaac with the attitude, “Although I have given birth to this son, because he is Your possession, I will offer him to You,” and he tried to break away from the environment of practical reality. You must understand the center of the faith of these historical ancestors.
This holds true also for Jacob and Moses. When God raised them up, He did not allow them to travel a smooth and easy path. Jacob was engaged in the battle to seize the elder sonship from the time of his birth. Moses also faced conditions of conflict from the time of his birth.
Moses Walked an Adventurous and Revolutionary Path
God called upon Moses and raised him at the time the Jewish people were suffering 400 years of tribulation in the land of the enemy, Egypt. Moses was protected by his mother for three months under the fearsome tyranny of the Pharaoh. After that, he was taken in by the daughter of the Pharaoh and he lived in the palace for forty years.
You might have thought that Moses’ life in the palace of Pharaoh was splendid and magnificent. However, Moses, who upheld the providence, was not an Egyptian citizen, though he was living in the palace of the Pharaoh. As each day passed by, the thought that he was a member of the chosen people of God and the thought that he represented Israel penetrated deeply into his heart. When Moses left the palace after adhering closely to the principles of Israel alone for forty years, he beat an Egyptian to death because he saw an Israelite suffer mistreatment at the hands of the Egyptian. Irrepressible indignation burst out from within him.
After that, he fled the palace. Cherishing the blessed providence of Israel in his heart, he began the life of a shepherd in the Midian wilderness. His life was in no way peaceful or comfortable. There was no one from any era who could understand why Moses would abandon such a splendid palace as the Pharaoh’s and live as a shepherd. Nonetheless, Moses did not despair. He began building a hidden altar that others did not know about for the sake of Heaven and Israel. On this foundation, God chose him in the year that he turned eighty and groomed him as the hero who could remove the resentment of the people.
After that, all the footsteps Moses took were adventurous. Because he kept the transcendent center of the dispensation of God close to his heart, his whole life transcended reality. What he saw, as well as the battles that he engaged in, all transcended reality. When Moses went to the palace of the Pharaoh under the direction of God, God should have blessed and protected Moses, who was carrying out His commands. Instead, He blocked the path of Moses and tried to kill him. Why did God try to impede and kill Moses, who was carrying out His orders? This simply should not take place in actual reality. This is something that human beings cannot comprehend.
According to practical common sense, there is no way that this pass could be crossed. Nevertheless, since Moses was already determined, with a heart yearning to fulfill the one will even at the risk of his death, he passed through the condition of a test set up by God and Satan. In this way, Moses, who became convinced of the transcendent existence of God and performed more than ten miracles in the palace of the Pharaoh, was an unprecedented adventurous revolutionary on the universal scale. You must understand this. Similarly, Moses did not succumb to anyone’s opposition. With transcendent faith toward the will, he led the 600 thousand Israelite people out of Egypt. When you look at this, you should realize that the whole life of Moses was a path of transcendent adventure.
Jesus Prepared Himself for an Adventurous History
Moses came as the representative of the restoration of a people. After Moses, Jesus came as the one with the mission to restore the world. Jesus knew that during the 4,000 years of history, countless prophets and sages had lived a lifestyle that transcended their practical reality for the sake of accomplishing the will of God. What is more, he felt to his bone marrow that he himself was indeed the one who was responsible for completing the will that the prophets and sages could not fulfill when they had participated in the dispensation of God.
After reflecting on history, Jesus realized that even up to his time, the countless prophets and sages had resentment and grief and that the dispensation of restoration had not been consummated. Therefore, he made a firm determination to bring this to pass.
He was truly determined to walk through the course of transcendent adventures for the sake of pioneering the course of 4,000 years. You must understand that Jesus was someone who had the determination to walk the course that summed up all the hazardous courses of the saints and sages.
Because Jesus was born with the mission to bring the hazardous history on the universal level to an end, from the moment of his birth, he walked a path of adventure. Indeed, his whole life was one of transcendent adventure. What is more, in the end, even the path of death that hung Jesus on the cross was a path of adventure that transcended reality.
Then what was the foundation of the life of Jesus? It was a life that was to bring to full consummation the 4,000-year history and bring to an end the danger-ridden course where God’s resentment was deeply rooted. It was a transcendent, victorious life not found before in this world. It was a life that sought to lay a new, victorious foundation.
The Heart of Obedience of Mary and Joseph
What you must understand now is that Jesus was born through the body of Mary. What fate would have befallen the providence of God if there had been no one like the holy mother Mary for Jesus, who had to come to live an adventurous life? If there had been no one like the holy mother Mary, in other words, had there been no woman of Heaven, Jesus could not have even been born. If there were no foundation of adventure-undertaking sacrifice like Mary’s, then the birth of Jesus could not have taken place. Jesus had to pass through a hazardous course to be born with a new life.
When the angel appeared before the virgin Mary and told her, “You will be pregnant, and you will bear a son,” Mary answered him, “I do not know any man, so how could this be?” The angel answered again, “God, who is omnipotent, has chosen you.” At that time, Mary replied, “Lord, I am a humble servant, so do as You will.” These words embodied the universal adventure.
Though Mary knew that according to the laws of her time, an unmarried woman with a baby would be stoned to death immediately upon discovery, she transcended the environment of practical reality and said, “Lord, do as You will. I am only a humble servant, so do as You will. I am Yours even if you kill me or even if I meet my doom. Please do as You will.” Heaven gave birth to Jesus because there was a substantial, living sacrifice, Mary, on earth.
This is not all. Even in the life of faith that you are leading, there are many hazardous paths of which you are not aware. Joseph, who received a revelation about the pregnancy of his fiancรฉe, Mary through a dream, tried to sever his relationship with her because of many humanistic difficulties. The news that his fiancรฉe was pregnant caused him much humanistic pain and anxiety. Joseph tried to save Mary, taking responsibility for all the things that had happened. That was not an easy thing. It transcended reality.
Therefore, you today have the mission to walk the path that Jacob and Joseph walked, and to walk even the paths that Jesus and Mary walked. Accordingly, you must be aware of the fact that before you lies the transcendent scene, the hazardous pass that must be crossed by transcending practical reality.
Jesus Walked the Path of Transcendent Adventure from the Moment of His Birth
People could not recognize Jesus, who contained within his heart the sorrow of the 4,000-year history, and who was determined to offer himself up as the sacrifice even at the risk of his life. People did not realize that he was the Messiah, the savior of all humankind. When we look at that, we can realize that the life of Jesus transcended reality beginning from his birth, that he lived a life of new, ideal adventure. You must understand that today this remains as the incomplete will that is being sought after in the time of the Lord of the Second Advent.
Looking at the life of Jesus, he was concerned about the providence from the time he was growing up in the family of Joseph and Mary. His younger brothers (and sisters) reproached and accused him. Joseph did not have the same heart toward Jesus in Jesus’ thirty years of life as he did initially. Joseph loved his own children more than he loved Jesus. You must understand that this is the reason Jesus could not have a family environment that was socially acceptable at the time.
The life of Jesus, in which he lived as a stepson and eventually died on the cross, transcended reality in all of its aspects. As he encountered all kinds of troubles in his family environment, he quietly overcame them all. His last work, when he appeared with the providence and finally proved that he was the Messiah of all human beings, was also counter to reality.
Because Jesus surpassed the realm of laws, which had been established as the creed of Judaism through a long history, and superseded it with a new gospel of Heaven, wherever he went and wherever he resided, he was not welcomed. Driven out by his family, John the Baptist, and Judaism, he did not have any place upon which to rest. Nonetheless, though he had no place to rely on, he did not look for a source of comfort.
Jesus, who understood the will of God, proclaimed the gospel of the New Testament. Initially, when John the Baptist testified to Jesus, there came into being an environment in which all the Jewish priests and officials could have recognized him. Yet as Jesus walked the three-year course of his public ministry, Jesus’ position gradually declined until eventually only fishermen and women of little importance followed him.
For Jesus, who had to manifest the ideals of God, the promise had to be eternal and the will had to be eternal, but in reality, he could not find them no matter how hard he tried. You must understand how incomparably miserable the heart of Jesus was at the time he gathered a crowd of five thousand on an empty hill and offered prayers of grace for them, and also when he was praying desperately in front of the tomb of Nazareth.
During the 4,000-year history, countless prophets and sages led adventurous lives with bold determination and swallowed internal agony for the sake of God’s will. Yet none even came close to the sorrow of Jesus. Jesus had to penetrate through the bitter and grievous heart of the 4,000-year history and rise up to console God’s heart of internal anguish.
The people who were following Jesus were not the kind that the Jewish people would welcome. They were not ones that the believers of Judaism recognized. Jesus had to walk a path that no one welcomed in the social and religious realms. Wherever he went, he could not find a free environment to stay in.
The Bitter Heart of Jesus
When Moses was leading the multitude of 600 thousand, he was blocked in front by the Red Sea. Behind him, the chariots of the Pharaoh were rushing toward them. On behalf of the 600 thousand people who were afraid of dying, Moses confronted the situation head on with the unwavering belief that he could prevail in that trial of death. You must understand that by persisting on that path, he could have sacrificed the multitude of 600 thousand.
The same thing is true when Jesus could feed the crowd of 5,000 with a handful of fish and bread. Looking down upon the countless crowd spread across the hill at sunset, Jesus’ heart was, in practical terms, a heart that could not be found in anyone else on earth. Truly, it was a heart of great adventurous spirit that should be restored back to Heaven. Because Jesus cried out with this kind of heart, he could cause miraculous works of re-creation.
We must fathom Jesus who had an adventurous birth, Jesus who walked hazardous paths in his life, and Jesus who set the standard of an adventurous spirit even when he was at last nailed on the cross. When we look at that, Jesus did not lead an insignificant and bland life. It was not a polite and fashionable lifestyle.
You who have faith must re-examine yourself and match your life to the life course of Jesus. If you have the desire to become the bride of Jesus Christ, then you must understand his life from the moment of his birth through his thirty years of adventurous life to the hill of Golgotha. You must understand his life of humiliation and adversity to the fateful path of the cross, the hazardous path of death.
Indeed, the life of Jesus began as an adventure and ended as an adventure. Every hour, we must feel deep within us the agonizing heart of Jesus who came as the bridegroom but had to walk the lonely path of death: Jesus who passed away for our sake; Jesus who died to save us.
If there were a gift that you could give to Jesus in these last days today, what would it be? It would be possessing the anxious heart of Jesus Christ who passed through the adventurous course at the risk of his life and becoming the most remarkable sacrifice that cannot be found any other place in the whole world and universe: the unique offering of universal adventure.
Accordingly, you must now understand the bitter heart of God, who has traveled through the historical course up to now and who has risen from the most lowly position. You must lead your life with the determination to die for the sake of the will. Think about it. If Jesus Christ, who died for the sake of earth condemns the earth, then there is no one who has the right to condemn it more severely.
However, Jesus did not come for his own sake. First, he came for the sake of history, for the sake of the Jewish faith and the Israelite people. He came for the sake of the disciples who were to follow him. On a larger scale, he came for the sake of the people, the nation, the world, and the universe. This is how he lived his life. Even his death was not for his own sake.
Yet who remained faithful to the path that Jesus walked? In the pass of death, he was betrayed by his beloved disciples. He was left alone to take responsibility for everything. Think about it! If he were going to become bitter and hold a grudge against the earth, then even if he were to weep ceaselessly, pounding the earth, he would not have been able to fully resolve the resentment of the thirty years. There was no way that he could be compensated for the ordeals that he suffered. On the contrary, Jesus was concerned that humanity would suffer under the yoke of Satan. With a heart of compassion, even in the moment of death on the cross, he prayed for the sake of the Jewish people who betrayed him, the disciples, and humanity who betrayed him. Because he was a man of sorrow, he could become their friend even when the ancestors of this earth appealed on the basis of the 4,000-year history and all of humankind. He could pray for the sake of the people who opposed him and the enemies who struck him. Such a thing had never even been heard of in the 4,000 years of human history. Moreover, you must understand that this was the work of universal adventure done to dismantle the wall of sin rooted deeply in heaven and earth.
If Jesus is the king of all kings, then for you to become the queen of this king, you must believe in his promise. Without fearing death, you must entrust everything to the will and lead your life.
Jesus walked this kind of path. The life of Jesus was this kind of life. The hope of Jesus was living for the sake of the will and dying for the sake of the will in that manner.
We Must Walk the Adventurous Path Following the Examples of Our Ancestors and Jesus
Then what is the task that lies before us? What is that which we must be aware of? We must understand Jesus, who solicited for blessing to fall upon humanity even at the moment of death, and who took away with him all the internal sorrows that penetrated deeply into his bitter heart.
Among the people who believe in Jesus, there are many who pray to the Father that He will grant blessings to them. Before beseeching for blessings, you must first understand the grief that is immersed deep inside His heart. Not only that, you must even understand the life of Jesus and the course of crucifixion. You must understand today that there was deep sorrow behind the hazardous course, which humankind is not aware of and only Jesus and God understand. You must fathom Jesus’ heart of internal sorrow that he could not speak about.
By doing so, you could say, “Lord! I will resolve all Your resentments and those of history. Please prod us on. Please guide us to fulfill the will that You hoped to realize through all the people of history. Let us not fall down but rise up as venturesome sacrifices who can supersede the universal history and eradicate the bitter grief that countless prophets and sages have left behind them.”
The hope that we have now is in accomplishing the will that Jesus Christ left behind on the earth as the remaining task. It is our fate to bring new fulfillment to the will of Jesus Christ. History flowed down through the hazardous course of the individual, family, society, nation, and the world. Therefore, when an individual among Christians attempts to accomplish the will, hazardous elements are added to that individual’s path. It is the same for the family, society, nation, and the world. You must understand that such an adventurous gateway lies before you. Accordingly, you must be able to offer yourself as a sacrifice of adventurous spirit on behalf of your venture and life, which stand in front of the forked road of life and death and the place of universal judgment. You must offer it on behalf of the life of the people and the humanity of the world.
What is more, you must be able to copy the life courses of the prophets and sages and Jesus Christ and apply them in whatever environment or time you might live in. Moreover, no matter who at what moment in time sets forth any condition, you must have the determination and audacity to step forward and appeal to the whole universe and proceed forward as the representative of the will of Heaven.
We Must be Offered as the Venturesome Sacrifice
Today, when the day of the Second Advent is near, you must carry on the one venturesome, universal task that remains as the last remnant of the 6,000-year history. If that task is universal, then you must also become a universal being. You must understand that only when you step forward with adventurous internal determination will you be able to fulfill that task.
If the will of God is fulfilled apart from the life of faith that we live, then how would it be? Until now, the history of God has gone forward through the venturesome course that transcended practical reality.
Only when you pass through such a universal and venturesome gateway can you lift high the flag of ultimate victory and go before the Father to sing the victory song. Then you can represent the position of the universal bride. Moreover, you will not be subject to any condition when this takes place and only then. Even if there are persecutions and humiliations in some environment, you can still become the prince of Heaven who sets the standard of transcendent adventure. You must understand that only the ones who have the determination to become this kind of prince can bear the ultimate responsibility for the will of God’s dispensation and become the bride of Christ who can manifest glory.
Prayer
At this moment, when the last days of history are shedding light in various places of heaven and earth, even if we are experiencing grief, that one ray of light is shining upon our minds and bodies. Father, please be present with those who have the mark of life, the power of life. Please manifest Your mighty works so that the faithful Christians of today can walk that universal adventurous path that remains before them.
Father! The life of faith that we have led until now was centered on ourselves. When did we decide to live a venturesome life for the sake of Jesus and Heaven? When did we pray before the Father, “I will become an adventurous sacrifice”? If there are no such people among the sons and daughters who have gathered here today, Father, please lead them to repent. Please do not allow them to become abominable people who do not fear the awe-inspiring dispensation of Heaven. Father, we entreat from the depth of our hearts that You will allow us to pray earnestly before You to represent the universe and to walk a venturesome path.
Father, Your sons and daughters who have gathered here have been starving for the life that transcends reality. Their life has not been normal. If one were to use the word “fanatical,” there cannot be a more fanatical life than theirs. However, when we evaluate it based on the past, the present, and the future, then that cannot be considered an untoward lifestyle.
Please lead us not to become cowardly ones who betray the Father on this path of universal agony and adventure. Father, please extend Your hands of power. Please allow us to understand that the path Jesus walked is the model course we must travel. Passing through the works of resurrection and rebirth, let us cultivate a new center of life. Father, we wish with utmost earnestness that You will let us secure a foundation for the new life and walk the course that heaven and earth can recognize, after gathering new strengths.
Please let the words spoken today become the words of truth that give life to the sons and daughters who have gathered here and penetrate deeply into their flesh and bone. Guide us to offer ourselves as the eternal sacrifices of victory. Through them, please set the conditions of appeal to resolve the resentment of Heaven. Soliciting with deep earnestness, I prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Chapter 18: Those Who Will Possess the Kingdom of Heaven of Hope
December 16, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Matthew 11:1-15
Prayer 1
Father of love! Father, who has embraced insignificant us and shown concern for us in every way in the past week, please let us not live each day according to our own will. When we think about Your grace, which leads us away from speaking words according to our own inclinations, Father, we are truly grateful.
Today these young faces have come before the Father. We know that first, our minds and bodies must become sacrifices like the gold, frankincense, and myrrh that the three wise men offered. Please allow us first to offer our minds and bodies. Please let us not become abominations before the holy shrine. Beloved Father, this is our most sincere desire.
We know that the Father who has exerted Himself to gather these people has passed through a doleful course of 6,000 years. We understand that since each of us has been called upon first to come before humanity with a great mission, each of our actions and struggles must manifest joy on behalf of the whole faith of Heaven.
As we understand more about the good purpose for which we have been chosen, and as we think more about the fact that You have selected us, the unworthy ones, we cannot but become contrite about our lacks before You. We have set aside all of our own mentalities, concepts, and subjective opinions and lie prostrate before the Father. Father, please hold us tight.
The wave of death has surpassed time and is in motion. We know that the reason the Father laboriously sought us and granted us grace is not because we merit it. We also know that the sorrow of the Father will continue until the day that Christ returns to earth.
Father, please take charge of the whole. Please completely reign over our bodies and minds. Do not let this meeting be a gathering in which just human beings come together. Father of love, we pray from the depth of our hearts that You will inspire us to comfort the heart of the Father who is clinging onto the 6,000-year history. We pray that the holy Trinity will dominate our minds and bodies so that we can unite with the countless men and women of faith and, as one sacrifice, offer a full bow of joy.
Father, please have sympathy for these thirty million people. We know that You have toiled for a long course of history to love these people. We know that when You were selecting us to manifest the will, You went through a lot of trouble that no one knows about.
We know that there are children of Yours who, having built the altars and having cultivated a deep relationship with the Father, are making an appeal on behalf of the people. We offer our gratitude to them. Please let a new chapter of the dispensation open before them and please give rise to great impetus. Beloved Father, we pray from the bottom of our hearts that You will groom us as the revolutionaries who can single-handedly take on the responsibility toward Heaven on behalf of the Korean people.
We know that the grief and bitterness of the people have penetrated deeply into Heaven. We know that the resentment of humanity on earth has also soaked through Heaven. Since we know that Heaven is lamenting because there is no one who can become the sacrifice to supersede this sadness in Heaven, please mobilize the children who have gathered here to solicit the Father for the sake of eradicating the resentment rooted deeply in this earth and in this whole universe. Father, we earnestly hope that You will allow us to become the sons and daughters who can step forward to face Satan and fight on Your behalf.
Please allow our minds and bodies to move in harmony and join in union centering on the one will and to sing praise to the grace of the Father. Please allow this to be an hour when we offer our full bows of gratitude for the grace of liberation.
There are sons and daughters who are lifting high the beacon of new words and carrying on the fight in the countryside. Father, please be with them wherever they stay. There is nothing else that they can rely on except this earth. There is nothing that they can lean on but the grace bestowed by Heaven. Father, since they have entered the course of universal fate that will force them to fight with countless enemies in the face of their mockery, please prod them.
Father, we wish with utmost sincerity that today You will again bestow the same grace of Heaven to overflow the minds and bodies of those who have gathered here. There are also those children who stand in lonely places to pray with concern on behalf of the will. Please guard their souls.
We earnestly request that You will grant the grace that You have planned to command and permit. Please dwell in this place during this hour. I prayed in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Father, You have lived through ages and centuries and have suffered to guide the dispensation until the last days. Please allow us, who wish the dispensational will of the Father to quickly be accomplished on earth, to take responsibility for those toils of the Father on earth.
Father, we pray from the heart that You will lead us to become the proud sons and daughters who can inherit the heavenly mission centering on the Father’s shrine and fight with Satan on earth for Jesus. We have read with reverence the words that You have given us today. We know that although John the Baptist, who came with a historic mission, fulfilled his mission of testifying to Jesus, he could not fulfill his mission of attending Jesus according to Heaven’s expectations.
Please let this congregation that has gathered before You, sons and daughters of Yours who lie prostrate, reflect on themselves in repentance. Allow them to cleanse themselves before the Father. Please lead them to stand before the multitudes and exert themselves to fulfill the mission of God in the end of the century on His behalf. Please let them be loyal subjects who are obedient toward the heavenly mission that Heaven is demanding in this era and to respond faithfully to Heaven’s call.
The time for the dispensation is limited, yet humankind, ignorant of this fact, makes unlimited wishes. There are many pitiful people who do not understand that life and death are being decided in this moment today. Father, please let the children who have gathered here pay heed to the circumstances created by the testimony of John the Baptist.
Let us now open our hearts and build the internal altar of Heaven. Please raise us as the sons and daughters who can offer ourselves with no hesitation as the sacrifice triumphant over Satan. We understand that Heaven is looking for confident and intrepid soldiers and shuns those who kneel before the enemies in servility and cowardliness. Allow Your children who have gathered here to become the brave soldiers of Heaven who can even throw away their own lives for the sake of the will. We know that the time has come when these daring soldiers are needed.
Just as John the Baptist, who lived for heavenly principles, and his followers were engulfed in the fire of the internal heart of Heaven and confronted the whole corrupt Jewish faith to reveal a new truth, please manifest the light of compassion and love before these people through us. Please do not withdraw Your extended hands of the dispensation.
Father, please bless the countless altars that are being built for the sake of this people. Please let every place be full of sons and daughters who cling onto the established denomination and build a concealed altar to become a sacrifice that prevents corruption.
Father, You have selectively called upon these lonely ones from among many people. As we follow the path because we have no other choice but to do so, we realize on our own that it is indeed a difficult path. Father, we know that we have to pioneer the one path of conflict with the fighting spirit of a pioneer and march forward as a fighter for Heaven. Please embrace these young sons and daughters who have kneeled before Your holy presence.
Since the path they are taking is the path of the Father’s will, guide them to brave the fields of thorns and the rugged mountains and the high and steep peaks. Even if their bodies are torn and wounds are inflicted on them, please embolden them to pioneer everything, centering only on the will. Let the grace of Your counsel be the only thing that blossoms in their hearts.
This is not the time that we need many words of truth. It is the time when we must move hearts to reach the emotion of Heaven. It is the time when our minds must be inspired to forge unity and harmony with the whole membership centering on the will of the Father. Father, I pray from the depth of my heart that these children of Yours who lie prostrate before You will prepare themselves inside and out to rise as the original human beings who can represent Your heart.
Father, please consider with compassion these pitiful ones who are following this lonely path. Please forgive all faults of the people and forgive the fact that they have failed to fulfill the mission that You have entrusted in them. Please encourage the sons and daughters of the Father who, unlike others, have gathered here. Since You have placed them on the front line, please do not let them become exhausted in the fight.
Father! Please grant unchanging faith until they can fight for the will at the risk of their life and usher in that day of victory. Like a bomb thrown into the enemy camp, let these children secure the one immutable center. Disregarding the environment, let them move forward to explode before the enemies for the sake of the victory of the Father’s will. Father, we pray with the most sincere heart.
We have come forth with the words of truth. Father, please be with us, and lead us to move centering on one heart. Please enable us to offer all that we have, purifying ourselves as we become concerned with the will of Heaven and reflect on the will of the Father. If humanistic elements, mentality, and concepts that the Father cannot forgive are controlling our lives, Father, please strike with Your might and bring on miraculous works with Your power of re-creation. Soliciting earnestly that this may be a joyful hour when we can frankly reveal ourselves before the Father and lie prostrate as humble sacrifices, we entrust everything to You. Please govern according to Your will. We offered these words in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The title of the sermon that I want to join with you in reflecting upon is “Those Who Will Possess the Kingdom of Heaven of Hope.” I will speak on this topic.
When we look at God’s ideal of creation, although God also hoped for the kingdom of Heaven in the invisible world, He created all things really hoping for the concrete kingdom of Heaven in the substantial world where He could dwell. You already understand this very clearly. In other words, He created the world of creation so that as He created the kingdom of Heaven in heaven and the kingdom of Heaven on earth centering on Adam and Eve, He could enjoy the glory of both the spiritual and substantial kingdoms of Heaven.
The Results of the Ideals of the Creation of God and the Fall of Humankind
You also know very well that due to the mistakes of humankind, in other words, due to the fall, the kingdom of Heaven in heaven and the kingdom of Heaven on earth that God yearned for disappeared without a trace. He created the kingdom of Heaven in heaven and the kingdom of Heaven on earth not for Himself but for the sake of humankind.
The purpose of God’s creating the universe was to create the two kingdoms of Heaven, so that with the building of the kingdom of Heaven on earth centering on Adam and Eve, human beings who lived in the earthly Heaven can enter the eternal world of the heavenly kingdom in heaven and live there. Nonetheless, with the fall of Adam and Eve, the spiritual kingdom of Heaven and the substantial kingdom of Heaven on earth disappeared out of sight. The world in heaven and the world on earth have become worlds of sorrow in which Satan can freely bring accusations to God.
After the fall, earth and heaven, has become the sphere of Satan’s activities, covering all the way up to the feet of God’s royal throne. Consequently, Satan has been accusing the human beings of the spiritual and the physical worlds. The men of faith today do not understand clearly that Satan has been in action with such great power. You must feel to the marrow of your bones that when the world of creation could not fulfill its original destiny of singing and rejoicing about the glorious ideals of God centering on Adam and Eve but was completely transferred over to Satan because of man’s mistake, this caused great anguish in the Father.
God has been conducting the dispensation of restoration in which He has tried to forge a relationship with humans through the angels so that He can restore this earth, which was defiled. God has been carrying on the dispensation of restoration to relate again with humankind who stand in the position of having betrayed the sacred God because of the fall. Humankind has fallen so far as to be below all things. To seize back His reign over human beings whom Satan has controlled and accused, He has laid down the bridge and has carried on the work. This came to pass through the Old Testament and the New Testament and is being continued even today.
The Dispensation of the Old Testament Era
The Old Testament era was the time when God had to perform the works personally and associate with humans with His glory. Yet because that dispensation could not be completed, possessing sadness in His heart, He had to pioneer the path through which He can relate with humankind with the assistance of the angels. Such is the history of the dispensation of the Old Testament era.
In the Old Testament era, God conveyed His will through Noah and Abraham, who were chosen as the central figures in the position of a servant. Father chose the family of Abraham and the people of Israel to elevate humankind in this land of darkness to the position where He could associate with them. Through the Israelite people, humankind gradually pioneered the path through which they could approach God.
In this way, Heaven set the one standard by which He could work through the angels. Then, by setting the condition of having completed the will of God in respect to Adam and Eve, He has been exerting Himself for 4,000 years until the coming of Jesus to build the victorious foundation on which human beings can associate with Him directly. You have to understand this.
Jesus was the person chosen to raise humankind from the position of a servant to that in which the son can deal with them. The New Testament is the gospel given for the same purpose. Because of this, since the time of Jesus, humankind was in the position to relate with God through Jesus. Humankind should have received the love of God directly, yet they could not do so. Therefore, throughout the 6,000- year history until today, what we wished for was to receive the love of the son and then go further to receive the love of God.
By receiving the love of the son and realizing the ideals of creation, you are to become the substantial sons and daughters of God who can share both the joy and sorrow of God, who has been seeking to rejoice centering on love. This is not to be done just spiritually, but these bodies must also be able to receive the love of God directly. You must understand that such a mission fell on our shoulders because of the fall of man.
The Mission of Jesus and the Role of the Holy Spirit
Jesus had to come to this earth and guide humankind to the position where they can receive the love of God. What is more, Jesus was to elevate them to the same position of a son as himself, both spiritually and physically, and receive the love of God. Jesus came to earth with this kind of mission, but because the people did not believe in him, he could not complete the mission of elevating humankind to the position where they can receive the love of God both spiritually and physically. He pioneered only until the point where God can call us sons and daughters spiritually.
Then what is the ultimate purpose of the dispensation of the restoration of God? It is establishing one standard by which the people who exist on earth as the substantial beings of both the spiritual and the physical can live while receiving the love of God. The one who has been at work to fulfill this purpose during the 2,000 years since Jesus is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been at work since the death of Jesus until now, but she is not to personally establish the dispensational foundation upon which the will of God’s ideals of creation can be perfected. Rather, she plays the role of a bridge by means of which we can go before Heaven. You must understand this clearly.
Then what kind of people are the ones who can live the lifestyle of the kingdom of Heaven on earth? What kind of spirits are the ones who can live in the eternal spirit world, in the kingdom of Heaven in heaven? You must understand that the kingdom of Heaven on earth is the dwelling place only for the people who have become the victors of harmony centering on the ideals of love while they were receiving the love of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father and living with the Father on earth. The eternal kingdom of Heaven in heaven is the place where only this kind of person can go.
The Qualifications to Become the Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven
When we examine the standard of God’s creation, such a place is the kingdom of Heaven of hope. If we recognize this, then we who are alive today must reflect in which realm we desire the kingdom of Heaven of hope, which is the purpose of God’s creation.
In Revelation 14:1 it is written, ” . . . the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” The Christians of today’s world wish for the standard of heavenly grace represented as the bride and the bridegroom. They think that this is all there is to it. However, just as in the verse, “and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads,” the problem is the name of the Father.
After you believe in the bridegroom Jesus and become qualified as the bride, you are not to remain only in the love of Jesus. Using that as a steppingstone, you are then to go one step further to receive directly the love of the Father, who could not love humankind personally for 6,000 years.
This is the whole purpose of the dispensation of God, and the purpose for which Jesus was sent and has been exerting himself for 2,000 years. Yet the men and women of faith today are ignorant of this fact.
When can we step beyond the position of bride and bridegroom and, as the triumphant and eternal substantial being, can create harmony on earth and in Heaven, the eternal kingdom of Heaven, centering on the love of the Father? You are to make a relationship with this kind of love. This is the purpose of Jesus Christ and the purpose for which God is conducting the dispensation.
Until now, you have maintained your faith wishing for the love of the bride and the bridegroom. Now you must hold the hands of Jesus and go before the Father to say, “Father, please relate with us as the ones who have fulfilled the will of the 6,000 years that You wished for. Father! Please love us directly.” You must understand that God’s dispensation cannot end until He can find this kind of person not in the spirit world, but in this substantial world. Because Jesus came to this earth and set the standard to secure the right for the love of spiritual sons and daughters, as long as the people on earth build a relationship with Jesus Christ and inherit that right of love in one harmony, there is no room for the accusations of Satan, who has been using the sins of humankind on earth as conditions to make accusations from the spirit world.
The Toilsome Effort to Bring Complete Salvation
Satan took away Adam and Eve, whom God had created. Since Satan took with him not only the spirit but both the spirit and body together, Heaven has raised us believers in the faith today to take back Adam and Eve in spirit and body, away from Satan, and then to open a new way for God to be able to love them personally. You must keep this in mind.
Jesus Christ came to this earth after setting up such a wonderful, cosmic creative center as a standard. Then where did Jesus Christ put the standard of the last fight? Since the believers of the faith following Jesus had received spiritual love only from God, Jesus put the standard as their being able to receive both loves, spiritual and physical. Since the hope is to receive both physical and spiritual love, Jesus, who dispensed spiritual salvation only, cannot enjoy complete glory in Heaven. Even in Heaven, he has to pray for humankind on earth.
Similarly, since the hope of Jesus Christ has not yet been realized on the earth, numerous spiritual beings in Paradise, along with the twelve apostles, are being mobilized with this hope as a standard, centering on Jesus. You must know this.
Today, the laborious accomplishments of the angels who were helpful in providential history have been left to us in the final days. Besides that, the laborious accomplishments of numerous disciples have been left to us. We today cannot but take the responsibility for all the accomplishments and conditions made because of their laborious work throughout history. We ought to be able to resolve the resentment of thousands upon thousands of saints, who labored and helped represent the will of God’s providence of the past and that of Jesus, including all spiritual beings in the spiritual world.
We who are facing the final days must receive Jesus Christ’s approval when we step forward as the representatives of the past history before God. We must also win the approval of the Holy Spirit. After you pass through the stage of approval by Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the triune God will decide whether you can move forward toward God. You must know that the history up to this stage is the providential dispensation of the New Testament.
The Approval Stage, the Determination Stage and the Judgement Stage
What is the approval stage? We can say that it is like the engagement step before marriage. What is the determination stage? We can say that it is the qualifying stage for us to become the bride before the holy Blessing. Then what is the last remaining stage? It is the judgment stage. It is the stage when God has the day on which He can declare to humankind, “This is an existence who can receive God’s love as an eternally unchanging, substantial being. This is my beloved, with whom I can share My joys and sorrows, and who I have wished and desired as the ideal of the creation.” God promulgates this to all the created beings by personally holding up His hands. This is the so-called judgment stage.
Though God has been carrying out the dispensation for 6,000 years until now, He has not yet had the day that He can judge on a cosmic level. The thing that God hands down on this day, having set such a day as a standard, is God’s judgment.
You have to pass this gate of judgment, and you must receive the blessing that God granted to Adam, giving him the authority to rule over all created beings. Then you have to step forward as worthy people of Heaven and declare individually, “Father, please love me. Please look at my accomplishments representing the historical condition. Since I understand about the will that Jesus aspired to accomplish and the will that the Holy Spirit and God desired to be accomplished, Father, please bless me.” Such a character has to appear on the earth in the final days.
Only after God raises a person and judges the person to be worthy will all created beings also understand that they must serve us as God’s true sons and daughters. Only after we make the relationship of true sons and daughters with God will Satan succumb.
To you who are facing such a moment in providential history, upon self-analysis, it is a question of what position you will be standing in. Firstly, you must be standing in a position to receive Jesus’ approval, and then in a position where you can receive the approval of the Holy Spirit. If you reflect this against the providential history, the approval stage is the Old Testament Age, the decision stage is the New Testament Age, and the judgment stage is the age of the Second Coming.
Until today, history has been coming down vertically by passing through numerous different courses. However, now the time will come when history will start opening horizontally. We who are facing the dispensation of the judgment stage ahead, after having passed through the stages of approval and determination during the history of 6,000 years, must go forward passing through the history that has flown vertically and the end-of-the century horizontal history.
What does this mean? The history of God has been that of fighting against Satan. Although God has been fighting on against Satan so badly for 6,000 years, the fight has not been settled yet. Although numerous saints and sages came and labored, they could not fulfill the will on earth as God wished. You must welcome the moment when you can say that you have fulfilled the will of the numerous saints and sages who left without fulfilling on earth. Today in these last days, countless peculiar phenomena that you cannot comprehend will appear. There will appear a man saying, “I am Elijah.” Such a time will come. There will also appear a man saying, “I am Elijah, I am Moses, I am Paul,” or a man saying that he is Samuel. Why do phenomena such as these occur? It is because of the principle of restoration through indemnity. In other words, it is because we must restore fully through indemnity the will that those saints left behind.
Because they could not set up the victorious standard, despite their fight against Satan centering on God’s providential will in the course of restoration through indemnity, their mission has been passed on down to posterity. Accordingly, there will appear the people who take charge of their mission. Without knowing the facts, they will say that they are such providential figures as Paul and Elijah.
What we in these final days must understand is that as a substantial being, having our spirit and the body united into one, we must solely take on and pass through the whole of the approval stage dispensation and the determination stage dispensation of the 6,000 years, and the judgment stage dispensation. Only when you can accomplish this can you escape from the condition of Satan’s reproaches and sneers knotted into the course of history. Only then can you step forward before God.
How to Get Through All Stages of Restoration
Now, members of the congregation, believers of faith in the final days, must broaden their minds. Humankind on earth today must seek the ideal of the kingdom of Heaven, the infinite world of Heaven, created as our ideal. The will must not be sought through Jesus Christ in the spirit world, but through humankind on the earth. You must know this.
Jesus and the Holy Spirit reside in Paradise. Since they do not have physical bodies, they cannot fulfill the will of Heaven on the earth. Accordingly, God’s sons and daughters with substantial bodies cannot but establish the eternal will of Heaven on earth. They must also escape from all the conditions of Satan’s reproaches and sneers, which have been thrown at them throughout the course of history for 6,000 years.
While Abraham was making the three offerings: a heifer, a goat and a ram, and a dove and a pigeon, he cut all of them in two except the birds. Therefore, God could not receive the uncut ones. You should not repeat a similar mistake. You must pass through the gate of sanctification at the last. You must be able to sanctify your individual sins, in short, the sins that you have committed and the sins that you inherited, the sins of your lineage, and all the historical sins. You must step up and stand above them. Unless you do that, you cannot become the children who will fulfill the will of God and who will rule over all created beings.
You know very well about the history of restoration through indemnity. Today you are not existential beings existing for your own sake. Even though it is said that God deals with you individually and loves you, that love is not for the sake of yourself alone. It is a love God is granting for the achievement of the ancestors who labored during the providential restoration for 6,000 years. You must know this.
Today in the final days, upon receiving God’s personal voice saying that He loves you, or upon receiving a command, if you take it as an act of God’s love meant for your own sake, that would be a great mistake. You must know that it took 6,000 years for you to receive this. Therefore, the love is a historical one; it is in place because of the achievements in the history of 6,000 years. You ought to know this.
The Value of Humankind in the Cosmic Sense
Therefore, that existence must resemble God’s character and equip itself with the nature of love that can last throughout the course of the dispensation of the providential will. Based on this standard, God has been developing the providential history of struggle.
Jesus Christ came as the embodiment of love after the lapse of 4,000 years of providential, restorational history. He knew that God had set him up as a substantial being who could unite numerous religions and numerous tribes into one and fulfill his mission. Therefore, even when Jesus was preaching the gospel to the Jewish people, he was not spreading his own assertions. When Jesus preached the gospel, he did it as the substantial being representing numerous saints and sages who had labored for the past 4,000 years.
Jesus preached the gospel not as a mere act of the moment. He labored when preaching the gospel so that not only all the people at that time could receive God’s love, but further, that the people of the eternal future could also receive God’s love. Accordingly, now that humankind has been passing God’s providential will down eternally, the whole that is being passed down was started by one person, Jesus Christ. You ought to know this.
Each movement of yours is one that represents heaven and earth. For you to become God’s true son is the hope of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and the hope of thousands upon thousands of saints in Heaven. They have been wishing for true sons and daughters to emerge on earth and establish a standard of victory. Also, they have been wishing for God’s true sons and daughters and true substantial beings to emerge who have established such a standard. By perceiving these facts, we must not think that any one of us is a trivial existence. From this standpoint, Jesus once said, “What good is it if you lose your life even after you’ve acquired the whole of earth?” You should know this.
Christians are said to lead a life of religious faith. You who are gathered here are said to have a religious faith! How much have you felt of the value in the cosmic view? I mean, how much have you realized that you yourselves are God’s unchanging sons? Jesus exclaimed with confidence, “I am God’s son,” and this is a motto that today’s Christians should model themselves after. Today, at the final moment of history, Jesus is seeking a person who can step up and say, I am God’s unchanging son, in the presence of God, or in the presence of Satan, or in the presence of any person. Jesus demands such an existence.
“I Am God’s Son”
During your religious life, you have tried to build a standard of life for several decades up to this point. However, God has been searching for a person who can take on the mission on the cosmic level and carry on the fight in the course of history, who can confidently say that he is God’s son. God is wishing for sons and daughters to emerge who can confidently make a vow and step forward in a dignified manner in the presence of God. God has been seeking a person who won’t be servile towards Satan’s blatant reproaches and sneers and who can stop an angel in Heaven and not try to push him away when he comes and who can easily stop Jesus and the Holy Spirit and not push them away when they come.
Jesus Christ died upon the cross as a sacrifice for the history of 4,000 years. He had an unchanging heart with which he could say, ‘”I am God’s son,” until the moment of his death, his body torn and stained with his own blood. Even when God denied him at the time of his death, Jesus’ heart did not change, for he knew so well the meaning of the 4,000-year history of restoration. There had not been a son or daughter of God, fully, among all of God’s created beings until then.
What was that single standard Jesus had set, by which he could get up and move forward after he ran into grief and fell down again? It was his understanding that he was the son whom God could love. With this understanding, Jesus could overcome any difficulty and proudly win his battles. You also must know this.
What happened to Jesus Christ, who came to this earth with this hope and aspiration and had to fulfill them in the world of humankind? What was the meaning of this untimely crucifixion? No matter how much you bewail this, beating the ground and calling down curses, Jesus’ sorrow will not be dissolved.
The Reason God Abandoned Jesus and Jesus Did Not Change
Throughout the long history of fallen humankind, because humankind has devastated God’s heart and has forgotten God’s will and has betrayed God, based on the principle of restoration through indemnity, Jesus was put in a situation where he was abandoned by God for humankind.
The reason that Jesus died on the cross saying, ‘”Oh, Father, why have You forsaken me?” was to indemnify the sin of humankind, who had betrayed and acted against God for 4,000 years from the time of our ancestors, Adam and Eve. Because humankind had abandoned God, based on the principle of indemnity, God had to abandon Jesus.
However, Jesus did not betray God. Even when thrown into Satan’s world, God’s son is still God’s son. Even when going into hell, God’s son is still God’s son. Jesus Christ labored throughout his life of thirty years having such a center in his heart and then died.
Every one of us today who believes in this Jesus must lead a life of faith so as to become the bride before Jesus, the bridegroom. You should be able to stand as God’s son in place of the 6,000-year history. You must know that Heaven is seeking a person who can reproach and sneer at Satan mercilessly before God.
The many saints who lived in the course of history until now are wondering why Jesus or even the Holy Spirit have to be subjected to Satan’s accusations. That is because the mission that was to be completed by a person with a perfected body and soul has not been completed yet.
Then when will this war that Jesus and the Holy Spirit have carried on for 2,000 years end? When will Satan’s reproaches and sneers against God end? In order for this to end, there has to emerge a person who has the same center in his heart as Jesus, who declared confidently that he was God’s son and successfully won over sin and Satan with a substantiated body for the 4,000-year history on earth. Only then can he repulse the Satan who has reproached and sneered at God for 6,000 years. Then the fight Jesus and the Holy Spirit and Satan have engaged in will be concluded. Christians ought to know this. This is the truth.
Jesus Christ in Paradise today still has the fate to save sinful humankind. Even while you take a break between prayers, Jesus has to pray on. The Holy Spirit, too, cannot take a break. God cannot take a rest. Similarly, they have marched on in the course of history without any break at all.
Now with a sense that we are God’s sons, we must become offerings who can pray, “The face of God, the face of Jesus, and the face of the Holy Spirit will be saved by me.” You have to save God’s face. You have to save Jesus’ face. You have to save the face of the Holy Spirit.
God, who is in a sorrowful position where He cannot love humankind although destined by heavenly law to love them, was internally tied up by a condition like this. Only if there emerges such an existence of whom God can declare willingly, “He is my son, who is qualified for Me to be proud of in front of heaven and earth,” then Satan will not be able to reproach and sneer at Him.
As Jesus had the sense that made him say,” I am God’s son,” there must emerge saints who will take over the laborious work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in these final days of the 6,000 year history and who can say, even upon facing the whole universe, “The will that God and Jesus Christ wish to be fulfilled is this: I am God’s son taking responsibility for history.” If the number of the saints who are trying to achieve this are many and if there are more saints like these in Korea than in any other country in the world, then Korea will become the central nation of the world.
Now we must know that God is seeking an existence who will take over the mission of God’s son and daughter and establish a day of victory before God and boast about it before Satan. God is seeking one like this.
The One Whom God Is Seeking
Though 6,000 years have passed in history, God has not been able to establish an existence whose body and spirit are united into one and declare before Satan, ‘”Since I am establishing My true son whom you cannot oppose, My true daughter whom you cannot oppose, you must submit.” Heaven is seeking such a person. To accomplish this, the Lord of the Second Advent is coming. People say that I am crazy because I speak like this. Yet I am the righteous one. They are not thinking what they should be thinking. This is the truth. You must know this. Today, after 6,000 years of history, we must become the person who will receive the authority from God to fulfill the 6,000-year historical mission and with that authority, help the Lord when he casts judgments.
Jesus knew himself that he was God’s son. Then what did he do? He fought for the sake of God’s will. “I am God’s son.” Jesus had the sense that he was God’s son that nobody knew about and nobody declared. He could step forward confidently with the sense that he was God’s son and that he had taken over God’s work. There were many saints and sages in the course of history until today. However, there was no one who could say, ‘”I will take over all of God’s work,” except one. Only Jesus. That is why Jesus became the savior.
We of these final days must be able to step forward before God, who has been carrying on the dispensation of the 6,000-year history, saying, ‘”Since I am Father’s son, Father’s daughter, please let me take over the Father’s work for the Father.” Look at Jesus. He did not care whether he would fail or die when he was carrying on the Father’s work. You must not worry whether you fail or die. There is no condition. No condition! Look at Jesus. To subjugate Satan, he moved on, not caring about what happened to his body. This is the spirit of loyalty one should have as God’s son, and as a loyal subject who can take over God’s work. In that spirit, he sacrificed his life without hesitation to subjugate Satan.
In these final days, since we have inherited the work left by Jesus Christ who had God’s work in his charge, to subjugate Satan, we must be able to not be concerned whether we live or die. If a crowd of sanctified people emerges who know how to subjugate Satan and are willing to practice it, the world can be God’s world.
Only after you inherit God’s work as God’s son and successfully carry it out can you receive God’s love. You cannot win God’s love by fighting. You ought to know this.
God created all things to build a garden of peace and love. God created humankind to have a relationship amid joy. God did not create all things wishing that heaven and earth would become the battle ground where humankind and Satan fight. It deviates from the principle of heavenly law. Therefore, to raise humankind through loving, God lets the Holy Spirit carry it out in practice for God. Similarly, humankind can come closer to God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
If you only climb up towards Heaven praying, ‘”Oh, Holy Spirit! Oh, Jesus! Oh, God!” then you will not be granted grace. As the final days come near, since it is the time of God’s grace descending, Jesus will make his Second Coming.
Today the truth-seeking world is clearing the straight upward path. However, you must not expect only to climb up. You must be able to pass over the climbing stage depending on time and place and come down again seeking grace and become persons who can fulfill the will of God.
The Hill We Must Climb Over
Now, since we seek the grace of Heaven and try to take over God’s work and be in the place of God centering on Jesus, God’s son, we must know why Satan has been fighting on against Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You have to know the ways to subjugate Satan.
Do you know what is the hill that we must climb over now? It is to subjugate Satan, who has been fighting on against God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. To do that, you have to know what the shield was that Satan used in the fight and what condition Satan set up to infiltrate. If we know about these, we can subjugate Satan naturally. Only after that can God say to you, ‘”My eternal son.”
Then what kind of existence is Satan? How does he look? I think there are many people who resemble Satan.
Before us there is the cosmic, fateful course that we must go through even after our death, if we do not succeed while living. Even if it takes hundreds of thousands of millions of years, since my spirit does not die, there is a course that the spirit must go through for me. If we do not pass forward through this course alive in the eternal course of life, we must do it even after death. Even the past saints and sages went through this course for the sake of eternal life without being concerned about their personal problems.
When Jesus stood in the wilderness to fight against Satan, since one day’s fasting did not carry far enough, he had to fast for two days, for ten days, for twenty days, and for forty days. Your fate is like a fired bullet, like a fired bomb, a fate of no return. Jesus knew about this when he stood out; he could not return even if he wanted to. Everyone who joined the Unification Church, too, has stepped onto the course of no return. You have to keep this in mind.
Jesus was miserable when the wall of death stood before him. When the whole nation turned against him, when all of the people turned against him, when the disciples who were following him turned against him, he could not be miserable anymore. You must know that while others could turn around from being on the course of death, Jesus was in a situation where he could not turn around.
Today you are leading a life believing in Jesus and honoring the will of Heaven. If you lead the church, the nation, with such determination as this and plead for the sake of the world, you cannot but become God’s son or daughter. You must represent the will of God and carry on God’s work.
Though Jesus has gone to the spirit world, he is not resting. Even in the spirit world, when faced with suffering on the cross and with even more serious difficulties, he is fighting against Satan to save us and to save this earth. At this time, when such heavenly trials and fights are being carried on, you should have the spirit of saying, “You, Satan! If you want to come, come; if not, don’t. I will move on unchanged,” and not be afraid of the trials. Those kinds of people are God’s people, God’s sons and daughters.
Now we have to establish a family, centering on Father, as God’s sons and daughters, and establish a people, a nation and a world that Father can love. Further, we must establish Heaven on earth that is acceptable before God. This is God’s eternal will. By knowing all these historical facts, you can strengthen the defenses against Satan’s reproaches and sneering and, further, can subjugate Satan.
From the viewpoint of the ideology of creation, where is the person who has finally become a substantial being of mind and body, God’s loving son or daughter who can proudly govern the existence that was to be governed by humankind! Before we become like this, no one can go to Heaven. That is why no one has gone to Heaven until now. Paradise is a midway station in the spirit world.
To plow our way through this cosmic wall of fate, we should be able to beat off completely the attacks of Satan. Unless we become one like this, God’s toils will not be appreciated. Therefore, God has been searching until today for someone who can defeat Satan completely, and for a son and daughter who can understand the laborious efforts and the heart of God. If humankind continues being ignorant of God’s labor forever, Heaven on earth will not be established. Even in the spirit world, Heaven will not be established.
The One Who Owns Heaven
Therefore, now you must step forward, holding up the flag in front as a pioneer who is clearing up the straight course of victory against Satan in the battle ground on earth. You need such resolution and determination as this. If you have wished to go forward in the presence of God, you can say, ‘”Hundreds of thousands of satans! Come to me. Even if the 2.4 billion people go against my way, even if heaven and earth go against me, I will still go.” With resolution like this, you should make a vow and step forward before God.
Even if persecution comes from my family, from the nation, from all of humankind, even if the 2.4 billion people start kicking and struggling to get rid of the Unification Church, you have to move on with a determination that you cannot be destroyed. You should not hesitate whether to step forward or not. You must keep in mind that we are in a situation where we cannot but move because the stepping out action has already started.
Now, everyone who stepped forward to fight against Satan! You have to model yourself after Jesus Christ, who could be raised as the second Adam of victory in substitution for the 4,000-year history after winning against Satan. He kept his vow and resolution in his heart and had the sense of responsibility that he would take on God’s work and fight on. Because Jesus fought with such a resolution and vow and with such a sense of responsibility, he could subjugate Satan.
Now we who are equipped with bodies and spirits, who are substantial beings, must subjugate Satan. Only when such living existences as these emerge on earth can the heart of God, who has worked laboriously for 6,000 years, and the heart of Jesus who has also labored, be comforted.
The Heaven that God can govern will become ours and the earth that God can govern will be ours. This is God’s purpose of creation. You have to know that only such persons as these who, in order to accomplish God’s purpose of creation, take the responsibility and fight and win can own the Kingdom of Heaven.
Chapter 19: Let Us Become the One Who Attends the Lord Who Has Come for the Sake of all Humankind
December 23, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
Matthew 8:18-34
Prayer 1
Father, as we think about Your granting us the grace that You have, we the worthless come before You and call you, “Father!” We are truly grateful. We cannot but thank You for sending Your beloved Jesus to us, we who should be leading a life bearing Your inveterate enmity, uttering the moaning sound of death every day of our lives. Thank You for unrolling to us the grace of redemption. Please allow us to become the children who know how to recompense for the grace by first offering our minds and bodies before the grace of the triune God, who has made constant laborious efforts throughout the several thousand years of history for this, and before the toils of the Father who has shined the light of hope on the earth, which is in darkness.
Father, we thank You for granting us the grace that we can experience in our heart Your wonderful grace this morning, that our bodies, which have been buried in darkness, may be submerged in the stream of life hidden in Heaven, and that we who have been buried in death may be linked to the arteries of the Father’s cosmic love. Father, please let us feel deeply in our hearts in this hour that there is no way for us to recompense for the grace of the Father, even if we offer all of our minds and bodies. Please let us become those who get overwhelmed with shame even if they offer all of their minds and bodies. Please allow us to feel insufficient of our own accord, even if we offer all of our minds and bodies.
Father, since we came before You with all of our strength, with all of our devotion, and with all of our minds and bodies, please look at us with compassion. Please forgive us. In spite of having offered ourselves as living sacrifices before the Father, we have not done so until this time, this day. Guide us to be equipped quickly with an offering that the Father can appreciate with joy and of which the Father can be eternally proud.
Father, Your sons and daughters gathered here are a small group of people. Please allow them to realize that You are demanding for this nation to be the sacrifice of victory. Lots of sacrifice is required in order for this nation to keep from being swept away by the wave of death.
We are prostrated with gratitude before the grace that You raise us and guide us with, we who are worthless, in this hour. Please accept us as a sacrifice who can take over all fields of the Father’s concern, and who can dissolve the basis of the Father’s concern, and who can liquidate the battle ground between good and evil and return the glory of victory before Heaven.
Father, please accept this audience first as a living sacrifice with joy. Next, please guide us to be able to build the altar of victory that the Father is seeking. Further, please let us demonstrate Father’s will of compassion in the face of this nation and all humankind. Beloved Father, we sincerely wish and pray this.
Father, please allow us to be able to understand Your situation, in which You have raised those who are worthless and given them directions regarding the holy mission of the cosmic level. Please allow us to be able to experience Father’s heart with deep-rooted concern. Please allow us to be able to feel Father’s bones-and-muscle- aching lamentation. Even if we get exhausted in the fight, please allow us to experience the Father’s sorrowful position and heart and be comforted of our own accord.
Father, please let us gather our strength to fight of our own accord and step out again whenever we face the anxious hyung-sang of the Father, who is calling us. Please allow us to become sons and daughters who move without stopping for the sake of Heaven. This we sincerely wish and pray.
Father, this time when the year is about to change, if there was something about us that did not fulfill the mission that You put us in charge of for the past year, Father, please have forbearance. Since the mission that Heaven put in our charge is one that corresponds to the idea of history of the heavenly level, beyond the idea of history of the worldwide level, if there is something about us that was leading life centering on our own selves for the past year, please forbear with us. Please forbear that we have thought of the mission You put in our charge too lightly.
Father, please allow us to have all the inadequacies that we have shown before the Father for the past year liquidated, and allow us to have new minds, a new resolution, and a new vow. Please allow this hour to be one in which we can repent for ourselves being inadequate before the will of the Father. Father, we sincerely wish and pray this.
Father, since the road we are taking is the course of the fate of the cosmic level in which we cannot but walk hurriedly, the course of battle throughout our lives, please allow us not to get exhausted along the way. Please allow us not to be discouraged along the way. Do not let a matter of great regret to be developed by us by looking back while walking on. Father, we sincerely wish and pray this.
We have stepped on the course of the fate of the cosmic level that we cannot but take. We have stepped on the course that we have to walk on even after our death, if we do not walk on it while living. Please allow us to feel insufficient even if we offer all of our minds and bodies. Please allow us to feel insufficient even if we offer all of our true hearts.
Since we are of inadequate bodies, Father, please allow that only our hearts that are wishing for Your compassion govern the whole of our lives. Father, we sincerely wish and pray this.
Since we know that lonely families are spread in all directions with the words that the Father has promised and allowed and are taking pains to pray before the Father, holding onto lonely altars of offering, please protect them wherever they are. Please become their friend, sympathizing with their sorrowful hearts. Let that comfort their minds. We sincerely wish and pray in this hour that You grant us the grace that we may bow with unified minds and bodies before the one grace, and before one will, centering on one glory.
Father, we know that members of numerous denominations are praying with sorrowful hearts before the Father in this hour. Reveal the signal-fire of compassionate love over Your pitiful sons and daughters who do not know about the time and the period. Please display the signal-fire of words of compassion. We sincerely desire and pray that You establish quickly for us the altar of glory that all of us may unite into one after being embraced quickly in the bosom of the love of the Father, who is to embrace and return the glory of happiness. We pray that we can subjugate Satan after building the altar of victory. Wishing that the grace of compassion be with Your sons and daughters who are praying for the sake of Heaven, spreading out in all directions in this hour, we pray all these words in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Please allow the land of goodness to be established. We know that since the original garden that Father created was a garden equipped with goodness, love, beauty, and the shield of eternal righteousness, it was a world of which Satan could not take advantage.
Father, since the standard of hope that my own self wishes are the glory of the truth of love, the goodness of love, and the beauty of love all hidden within the Father, Father, please open the gate of the heart to Your sons and daughters who are gathered here. We wish that You will grant us the grace of the eternal love that the Father has been hiding within Him.
There are words of the Father’s tears that the Father has already promised to give. There is the mission that the Father has given, and there is the will that the Father wishes to manifest through worthless us. Please demonstrate to us without hesitation the holy grace of Heaven and the Father’s absolute power and omnipotence, and the holy Father’s glory. Please reveal Yourself as the fire of the Holy Spirit. Reveal the grace of glory. Please start the history of the revival of re-creation. Father, we sincerely wish and desire this.
Is there still any element of evil that cannot be accepted before the Father? Please govern with the hands of compassion all elements that are unacceptable and fix them. Please allow it to be an hour of happiness for these elements to be kneaded into the original goodness itself. Father, we sincerely wish and desire this.
Father, please raise those who are pitiful and insufficient. Call up and raise the things that have the element of falling again. Then please guide them not to become those who do not know the heart of the Father, who is crying out to have His eternal wish realized and who is hurting so badly like this.
Please allow us to feel with our minds and bodies in this hour Father’s heart, which has been doleful and deeply sorrowful for 6,000 years. Let us become sons and daughters who are heartbroken to console the Father in his sorrow. Father, we sincerely wish and pray that You allow us to become earnest sons and daughters who can say toward Heaven, though we are powerless, since I offer You all of this, Father, please give us courage and strength that we can fight with.
Among the thirty million people, we have stepped forward into this course that others oppose, and have come climbing over the hill of difficulty, being beaten numerous times. Father, You cannot but give us more strength and courage. You cannot but grant the shield of the victory of Heaven. Since we cannot but carry on the last fight, the last decisive battle, wearing the heart of righteousness and the armor of righteousness, Father, please allow all of Your sons and daughters gathered here to have a united heart and one hyung-sang.
Please allow us to become those who can return the glory of victory after subjugating Satan in the last decisive battle. Please allow us to justify ourselves as Your sons and daughters of whom You can be eternally proud.
Since Heaven has to uphold its dignity for having called upon us, please protect us and allow us to become the living sacrifice that is loyal to You and that You can be proud of before all created beings. Father, we sincerely wish and pray this.
Father, though the course on which we have fought until this day was a rough one, please allow us not to become those who get disappointed upon understanding that the course we will take after this is the course of struggle. Our nationality is neither this nation nor any other nation on this earth. What we can lean on is Heaven, and what we wish for is nothing but the Father’s will to be fulfilled. Since there remains the course of the fight and the hill of difficulty until we get registered in the Book of Life in the end, please allow us not to become those who will be concerned in their heart even if the course of trouble and persecution stands in our way.
We who have been called upon by God, please allow us to become the incarnation of the Father’s love and the incarnation of fire. Please allow us to become the foundation of victory that can establish the garden of goodness by liquidating evil and having minds and bodies in which goodness can dwell. Father, we wish and pray this sincerely.
Father, please govern the hearts of the many sons and daughters who are present here. Please allow them to know their own selves. Please allow them to become the children who can preserve the Father’s honor, who are working laboriously, and are concerned and sorrowful.
Allow us not to play the hypocrite and not to put on an outside appearance. Please guide them to be truthful. Please allow us to dissect ourselves and divulge all of our subjectivity, concepts, and assertions in the presence of the Father and get it liquidated. Allow this hour to be one in which we offer on the Father’s altar the fragrance of eternal life and only the elements that the Father can possess.
Father, please penetrate into us with eyes of burning flame. Please allow each of us to repent before the Father for all that is to be repented about of our own accord, and to feel that we are standing before the court of the last judgment. Please grant us the grace to be embraced in the bosom of the glory of the Father. Grant us the dispensation of compassion, and please hold onto the mind and body of each of us. Father, we pray sincerely. Wishing sincerely that You will allow only the will of the Father to flow over the audience gathered here and make them take action, we pray in the name of the Lord.
Prayer 3
Please let our heart grab onto the heart of Jesus, who toiled laboriously 2,000 years ago, and to honor the mission of Heaven. Please let our minds and bodies be equal to Jesus’ tribulations when we face his anxious hyung-sang, he who presented himself as the representative of heaven and earth.
Allow us to receive and be equal to all the contents delivered through Your words. When we think about the Scripture that says, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head,” we know that though the minds and bodies of Your sons and daughters gathered here are the holy temples, there still remains a dispensation of grievance resulting from their failing to attend God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, the crown prince, who was born for the sake of Heaven.
Although our ancestors have been building the rampart of grievance for several thousand years, this rampart is not getting any lower as days go by. Rather, Satan is building this rampart up higher, resorting to lots of deceptions.
We must know that all humankind in the world today has the responsibility to break down this rampart of enmity that our ancestors created, and that we, too, have the responsibility. We thought that it was only Jesus’ grievance that he had walked the sorrowful path alone.
However, as we realize that the grievance has been left to us as our own, we discover that it is we who have to go forward toward Heaven with tears flowing.
Now as we look at the rampart of all the sins committed by our ancestors, holding our sorrowful heart in our arms, we come to realize that we ourselves are too feeble. Therefore, Father, please allow us to inherit the power of the Father with which we can force this sin out.
Father, what we have is nothing. Father, when you look at these Korean people, are they not the most pitiful people amongst all of humankind in the world? And even among this pitiful people, we who are worthless and seasoned with loneliness, are in a more miserable position.
However, Father, we know that the worldwide level blessing is submerged in Heaven. We know that the love of the Father is submerged deep in the heart of the Father.
Father, even if we are in a lonely position, please let us clear the barrier of tears to establish the garden of harmonization. Since we know that the Father is concerned about us in His heart, please allow us to become those who march forward ceaselessly, without hesitation.
Now, since we step forward honoring Your command, please allow us to become the good sons and daughters of Heaven who can run toward the way of accomplishing the hope, while living or after death. Father, we sincerely wish and desire this. Please allow that there be not even a single living soul among the sons and daughters in this audience gathered here who gets told with the same sadness-provoking word, “No, do not follow me,” as when a teacher of the law came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, if you wish, I will follow you.”
When I come to stand before Jesus of my own accord, I come to realize that I cannot but become a sacrificial being. I wish to become good enough that the Jesus of love, Jesus of goodness, Jesus of compassion, Jesus of patience, Jesus who is fully equipped with the wholeness of the nine different fruits of the Holy Spirit, who appears with an anxious look, can take a single fruit among the nine possible fruits of the Holy Spirit from my own self.
Please allow us not to become those who do not understand the internal grief of Jesus Christ, who could not but say, “Do not come the way you were coming, and do not wish what you wished,” because there was nothing to be taken when he wanted to take. Father, we sincerely wish and desire this. Please allow the whole group of people gathered here at this time to become the sons and daughters who comply with Jesus when he said, “Forget everything and follow me,” and who can be called upon thus.
This hour, we cannot but become Your sons and daughters, who without hesitation prepare themselves and move forward when Father comes to command for the sake of the garden of hope that You wish to be established, the will that the Father will be happy about when it is fulfilled. Therefore, since we have the responsibility to take the historical lamentations of 6,000 years into our charge and to fight against Satan, please allow us to become heroes of victory who can fight with an indomitable and good heart, being equipped with a new resolution, a new determination, and a new pledge. Father, we pray this sincerely.
Now we wish that through Your words, before the grace You granted, You take charge of this hour in which we can be happy, in which the grace of love can stay, and in which the glory manifests itself as heavenly pride. We, too, wish to take charge. Wishing this sincerely, we pray in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The title of the speech that I want to reflect on together with you is “Let Us Become the One Who Attends the Lord Who Has Come for the Sake of All Humankind.” I will speak briefly on this topic.
God’s Ideal of Creation and the Result of the Human Fall
God, humankind and all things had to be united into one eternally, centering on one ideal of creation. However, because humankind, who is in the middle of Heaven and all things, made a mistake, all came to get divided into their several ways. All things went their own ways, Heaven went its own way, and humankind went their own ways. Therefore, to restore the world of the original nature of creation, God could not help but carry out the dispensation of restoration, starting from all things, and going next to humankind and then finally to Heaven. You should not be those who do not know about the Father’s situation.
Today’s people, we who were born with the fallen blood lineage, who are residing temporarily as a fallen tribe, must become those who feel first with their hearts and bodies that God’s heart has been touched by sorrow. Though we have fallen without exception, as long as the relationship that God has created with us remains, and as long as the Father exists who is working laboriously to fulfill the providential will, we must not think as if we were standing in a meaningless situation. Even if your own selves are wicked, even if you are situated in a wicked position, you must become of your own accord one of those who recognize the tear-stained trails of the toilsome efforts of the Father, who has carried out the dispensation through the course of history, within you.
In short, the providence of restoration is to seek us again and restore us. Besides that, we must know that the ideal of the original nature of creation and the internal aspirations that remain within God are there within us in the final days. Now then, we must know that the grief of God who stays as an invisible God has touched on the heart of our own selves, and the traces of the toilsome effort of God who carries on the work of the dispensation of restoration invisibly, has remained within us as the grounds of our aspirations.
We who are on this earth must feel our heart being broken as badly as God’s and must make toilsome effort, as God did, leaving trails of tribulation. We must become those who will bend their bodies and minds and have feelings of grief that can replace the broken-hearted feeling of the heart of goodness of God’s original nature, which is what God has been cherishing as a hope.
Also, we must know that God is there, wishing even this day that the figure will emerge who has the heart of tribulations that can substitute for God’s laborious effort, and who can manifest the tribulations of the invisible God with a visible, substantial body. Moreover, we must know that the Father has been searching for a religion of hope that can discern between right and wrong in all historical religions and realize your hope. All of you gathered here today cannot but step forth to a position where you can experience in your heart that the Father has been longing for the emergence of a true saint on this earth whose mind will be suffused with tears, whose body can be stimulated asleep or awake, standing or acting, during a certain moment in the course of life or in an instant of the hour.
The Purpose of the Advent of Jesus and the Disbelief of the Jewish People
Now then, the ideal of creation that the invisible Father wanted to enjoy has remained as bitterness in His heart due to the fall of humankind. The happiness and glory after creating humankind and all things, and God’s wish that all would be proud of God’s love and share His joys and sorrows, intoxicated with the ideal of goodness were all lost. The figure who came with the mission to unravel this was Jesus. The figure who came as a substantial being to unravel the core of God’s internal lamentation representing the 4,000-year history of God’s toilsome effort, and representing humankind and all created things was this very Jesus Christ. Then where was the existence who should have attended Jesus, who had waited for Jesus, and could have enjoyed happiness with Jesus eternally!
The Jewish people then should have known that Jesus Christ was the figure who represented God’s internal heart and the heart of the deep- rooted bitterness. He came as the substantial, visible figure of God, who would unravel God’s bitterness.
However, there was no one among the Israelites who knew about the internal providential will of God, who wished to be comforted through Jesus Christ and praised Jesus saying, “This person is the figure who can unravel the resentment of God’s heart, God who has lamented for 4,000 years. He is the eternal existential being that the Father has been searching for,” one who could sympathize with the heart of hope of God and attend Jesus.
The bitterness of the invisible God must be dissolved through visible humankind. The figure who could represent God’s lamentation and the lamentation of all humankind was Jesus.
However, Jesus never had a happy day in his whole life. This was because the tears of lamentation of God who had cried for 4,000 years had touched his heart. Also, not even one came forward before Jesus feeling Jesus’ lamentation deeply. All humankind should have become united into one with Jesus and dissolved God’s bitterness. Reflecting on the course of Jesus’ life, there was no one like this. Therefore, we should deeply impress upon our minds that the traces of this lack have been passed down to us today.
It had never occurred to the expectant Israelites, even in their dreams, that the Messiah, God’s only begotten son and Heaven’s crown prince, would emerge in such a sorrowful and haggard shape as this. Therefore, Jesus searched for someone who could attend him. While seeking, he carried it out not for his own sake, but as the representative of God’s internal heart. Jesus searched for someone who could share the bitterness of God from the time of his birth, who could represent God’s toilsome effort starting from the time of his birth, and could represent God’s hope starting from the time of his birth. He could not find someone like this even up to the time he climbed over the hill of the cross after passing through a thirty or so year life course.
Since all of humankind has attended Jesus who died on the cross, how come nobody attended the living Jesus who came with God’s eternal life and could transplant that love into humankind? The responsibility is with humankind. Although Jesus came as the embodiment of God’s hope, to resolve the grief of God and to get rid of the course of God’s toilsome effort and to build a garden of hope, our ancestors did not fulfill their responsibility to hold the grief of Jesus in their arms, and to carry his tribulations themselves, to lead a life of understanding and entertaining his aspirations. That was the sin of our ancestors.
Then what is it that Jesus wants from us today? Since what God had wished was to dissolve all of His bitterness through the single body of Jesus, and it has been prolonged due to our ancestor’s failure to fulfill the responsibility, the grief of God has remained as has that of Jesus. The toilsome effort of God has remained, as has that of Jesus. The aspiration of God has remained, as has that of Jesus. Besides that, all of it has been extended even to the Holy Spirit.
What Jesus Wants From Us Today
Today we have the responsibility to resolve the grief of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit that has extended throughout the history of 2,000 years. You must understand this.
The one who can dissolve the bitterness of the 6,000 years of lamentation hidden in the heart of God, who can represent the toilsome effort during 6,000 years, must emerge. The one who will manifest God’s 6,000-year aspiration on this earth has to emerge from among us. The one has to be sought among us.
Now, when you step forth and stand before the wonderful grace of the Father or the grace of Jesus Christ, you should not consider the day you are doing it to be a beginning. When you come to stand before the Father, you are not standing in your private capacity. You must realize that when you lead a life of faith, you are not doing it by staking your course of life; you are doing it while staking a 6,000- year history.
Even when you stand in a position where you repent for your own sin before the Father, you must realize that this is not only repenting about yourself but also repenting for 6,000 years. When you have a grateful heart before the grace and love of the Lord, you must not think you are being grateful in a private capacity, within a certain realm of time. We must become those who can feel gratitude representing the whole providential dispensation that the Father has been carrying on, the horizontal dispensation and the vertical dispensation and a standard of fulfilled hope. Similarly, Jesus has been wishing for the emergence of a figure on earth who will resolve God’s grief, who will take on God’s toilsome effort for God, who can fulfill God’s hope.
Jesus, who came to resolve the will of Father as a substantial being, died with the fate to return because he did not complete his work. Therefore, Jesus will come again searching for you who are worthless, with the heart of sorrow that represents the history of 6,000 years. He will come searching for you not only with the grief of 4,000 years but also with the grief of 2,000 years added to that. Also, he comes not only with sorrow but also with the bitterness of the toilsome effort of 2,000 years.
Our Responsibility Toward the Returning Jesus
What is the responsibility of humankind when Jesus, who will come seeking with the aspirations of 6,000 years, appears before us? It is for us to take charge of the heart of Jesus, the sorrow of Jesus, and the burden of the toilsome effort of Jesus, as a substantial being in place of Jesus.
Because the Israelites distrusted and opposed Jesus, he went to die on the cross. There was no one among the Israelites who would know and trust and attend Jesus as the one who had come to resolve the grief of the 4,000 years of the toilsome effort of the Father. Therefore, to complete this task, Jesus has to return.
We of the final days, who have to liquidate the history of 6,000 years, must have the heart that can say, standing alone before the triune God, “Please entrust me with God’s sorrow as my own sorrow. Please entrust me with God’s toilsome effort as my own toilsome effort. Please entrust me with God’s aspirations as my own aspirations.” And even though you are individual beings, you cannot but become those who prepare for the day of Jesus’ coming with a heart that says you can represent heaven and earth. You cannot but become Christians of such a world as this.
You who must prepare for Jesus’ Second Coming must again reflect upon the life of Jesus Christ, who came and went. You must become those who feel the circumstances of the time of Jesus’ birth, of the time of Jesus’ life, and of the time of Jesus’ death as those of their own.
You must own the same sense of responsibility as that of Jesus, who felt that it was his responsibility to redeem all humankind, holding the sorrowful heart of God. You must own a heart that feels as if you are lying personally in the stable of Jesus who was laying alone after being born in the land of wickedness.
What do you mean by saying that Jesus was born in a stable, although Jesus is the crown prince of Heaven? Naturally, if Jesus was filled with sorrow, the extent of God’s internal sorrow watching Jesus was beyond description.
Upon looking at these facts, you must feel your sorrow penetrating into your bones. Besides that, you who are faced with the final days must feel the responsibility that you have taken the mission that Jesus assumed. You alone are in charge.
We should be able to look upon it as ours: the circumstance of Jesus who was in an unspeakably miserable situation, receiving cold treatment though he had come for the sake of all humankind. If there had been a suitable person who could offer comfort to Jesus for his sorrow on this earth, Jesus would have wanted to reveal all of his hope to the person while holding onto him.
However, the Israelites, who had been chosen by God through the time and tide of 4,000 years, and the Jewish sects and denominations prepared for the sake of Jesus Christ, did not know who Jesus was. They had nothing to do with Jesus, who was lying in a stable in Bethlehem. This made God go through sorrow again. There was no one who took sides with Jesus.
Now we must become those who will gather the bitterness of God and of Jesus and can dissolve it. Only then can we get rid of the condition of Satan’s encroachment on our bodies. Since you know that the Lord of the Second Coming will appear on this earth representing the history of 6,000 years, you should please not stand such a position as the Israelites did. Their faith was not centered on Jesus, not centered on the Messiah, and not centered on God. It was centered on themselves. The Messiah was surely to come and they knew about it. However, no one made preparations to attend the Messiah.
When the Magi from the East called out that they had come to worship Jesus, who was lying in the stable in Bethlehem, the whole of Jerusalem was disturbed. Fortune-tellers from foreign lands had come to visit Jesus. However, a disturbance like this was not something pleasant.
Preparation for the Sake of the Lord Who is Returning
All of you who have faith in God today should not stay in a similar situation as the Jewish church was in, which committed a mistake. Now you should be able to make preparations for the sake of the coming Messiah, and you should not only resolve the sorrow of Jesus by yourselves, you should also be able to return glory to him. Such a responsibility as this has been left to you. These days, when you reach a sacred position where you can consult with the Father, you will be given many commands such as, “Do this” or “Do that.”
When the Lord came on the earth, he would eat, he would wear clothes, he would be staying somewhere, and he would be active. However, the Jewish people, who had been waiting for the Messiah to come, did not know about this and so did not wait for him and did not make preparations to attend him. There was no one who was waiting for him with even a single pair of clothes ready for him to wear.
If there had been someone who had made preparations with a sincere heart, when the Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and when all of the Jewish people were disturbed with the hearing of it, they would have followed the Magi and gone searching for Bethlehem. However, only the Magi from the East were on the road.
Our ancestors, who were following God, who were said to be doing the will of God, have left traces of sorrow in the sins they committed. You of today should not be standing in the same situation. You should be able to make preparations to be able to attend the coming Lord with your minds and bodies, within and without.
We of today, who are facing the final days, what is it that the Christians of the whole world must do? If the Jewish people, who were wishing the Messiah would come, had prepared a place to stay when the Messiah was born, Jesus would not have been laid down in a stable. In the same manner, we must become the Christians who can prepare a place for him to stay when the Messiah is born.
Gifts For the Coming Lord
You must not consider it a matter of happiness that Jesus was born in a stable, being wrapped in swaddling clothes. Jesus was the figure that all humankind together should have honored in the most glorious position, more than anybody on this earth, more than anybody in history. He is the figure who should have been liked and praised by all humankind as the son of God. Besides, he was Jesus, whom all humankind should have been proud of in the presence of Satan.
Then what would the sorrow of God have been like as He watched the scene where the Jewish people were not attending Jesus? You must understand such sorrow as this.
Therefore, now, in place of the heart of God and having understood the sorrowful heart of Jesus of 2,000 years ago, you must become those who will prepare gifts internally, without anybody knowing. The gifts of Heaven cannot be shown in the presence of Satan. That is why the most precious gifts never reveal themselves, as you notice in the Bible. Why? It should not be that someone knows about this first. Only the one who must know should know about this first. If Satan knew about this first, he would retain a lingering desire for it. That is why it should not be revealed.
While you make the preparations for the sake of the Lord who comes for the sake of the world, you will have to prepare a precious gift that is not found on this earth, which you cannot exchange with anything else on this earth. In order for the Lord not to feel any difficulty either in his heart or in his body when he is present and active, you must find and prepare the foundation of attendance with your bodies. Why is this so? Because the most precious thing, more than anything else in this world, is your body.
Because he is such a precious figure and a substantial being who can substitute for the whole universe, when the son of the Father, the only begotten son whom Father loves comes, you must establish a foundation of peace where he can rest forever. Then by having your minds and bodies united into one, when Jesus comes again, you must become the hands and feet of Jesus. You must substitute for the life course of Jesus, and you must attend Jesus so that he feels tranquility and comfort. You must become one who can fight the fight that Jesus carried on 2,000 years ago in place of Jesus.
Jesus has been fighting for 2,000 years, so you must now be determined to take full charge of that fight with Satan and prepare even the shield to be used in that fight. Furthermore, while you identify with the situation at the birth of Jesus, you must at the same time feel the heart of Jesus while he was living on the earth.
The Tears and Prayer of Jesus
Now if you truly try to seek the Father, and if you seek Jesus’ bosom of love, then you will shed tears. God could not divulge His sorrow even while suffering for 4,000 years. Jesus lived with the substantial shedding of tears. Although only three or four such instances are recorded in the Bible, in actuality, there were numerous times when, unbeknownst to others, Jesus shed tears.
When God was looking down upon the Jewish people whom He had loved through the thousands of years of dispensational history, there was not one moment that He did not shed tears. Jesus shed tears every time he prayed before God. Every time he encountered a difficult and lonely situation, he felt grief, with God on his side as the only one who understood him. Nonetheless, he could not reveal his sorrow to his disciples. You must understand this situation of Jesus.
It was not just one or two times that Jesus climbed the Mount of Olives and prayed through a sleepless night. He did not just pray in the Garden of Gethsemane once. While he was traveling the path of hardships, Heaven was the only one in whom he could confide his mournful situation. Yet he did not pray to place his sorrow on the shoulders of Heaven. On the contrary, he prayed that he could single-handedly bear all the sorrows. He appealed, “Father! I am going to bear the grief that You feel as You look down upon me. Father! Please be comforted through me! I am going to resolve Your sorrow. Please do not be so sad.” What is more, he prayed, “Father, I will be responsible for the efforts of 4,000 years, so please do not worry. I am here. Please do not worry, because Your hope remains.”
Jesus kept sorrow inside as he grew up. This means that Jesus underwent grief ever since his childhood because people did not attend him.
Jesus grew up as a stepson in Joseph’s family. Although all the people in his town talked about him, he lived a life of reticence. Although he understood in his heart the great and amazing will of Heaven that could not be revealed, he grew up as a normal child. You must not think that his life of thirty years as a carpenter was comfortable. What a pitiful life it was! Jesus should have stood in the most lofty position among the Jewish people and have manifested the joy and glory of the Father. Instead, he lived with a hatchet and plane in his hands to help support the livelihood of Joseph’s family.
If there are sons and daughters who want to uphold the will of God today, true sons and daughters who want to remove grief and bitterness from God’s heart, then they must consider the life of Jesus their model course. If you want to fathom the life that Jesus lived, you must be moved deeply by the heart of Jesus, the amazing grace. Feeling that heart, you must enter the same difficult position. Then you will feel that the sorrow of Jesus has transcended time and life, and that there was not even one peaceful moment in the life of Jesus.
Nonetheless, Jesus, who came for the sake of the earth, felt great anguish about channeling the sorrow that he suffered on earth toward Heaven. Today, those people who believe in Jesus commonly try to direct their own crosses and sorrows to Heaven. We do not believe in Jesus to do that. The person who can say, “The sorrow of Heaven was caused by me, so I will bear it on my own shoulders. God, please do not worry,” is the person who has become connected to the dimensions of Jesus’ conviction and life.
Are You My Friend?
Now since there remain the footprints of Jesus’ grief, which show that he lived the thirty years of his life in tears, you have the responsibility to resolve this. Jesus lived the thirty years of his life in sorrow and finally passed away while bearing the cross. Yet you must understand that even when he was crying out at the last moment, “Eloi, Eloi, lama Sabathani? (Father, why have You forsaken me?)” his heart was overwhelmed by the desperate desire to fulfill the will.
If you look at the world today with the mind-set, “I am a friend of Jesus,” then you will not be able to look at this world without shedding tears. Jesus shed tears with every step he took and with every movement he made. There was not a moment he did not shed tears. If there is someone among the faithful believers of today who sheds tears with a repentant heart before Heaven, just as Jesus did, then that person will become a friend of Jesus.
If in each church and each family there is someone who can understand the heart of Jesus and shed tears on behalf of God, then in those places, unlimited life and love will surely be present even without making a request to God. You must understand that God demands this of Christians, that they connect with the situation, emotions, and the contents of Jesus’ life.
Today if the Lord of the Second Advent comes to this earth, he will ask, “Have you indeed become a friend of mine, I who spent thirty years in hardships?” What is more, he will ask, “To what extent have you shared the anguished heart of God? How many days have you lived feeling the sorrow of the world?”
You must understand that because humankind could not serve Jesus who came to the earth, humankind made the condition to give Jesus over to Satan to be crucified. You must overcome this condition.
Why are we alive today? It is because before this body dies, before soil enters these eyes, we must become the people who fulfill loyalty to the full extent and cling onto the life of Jesus in tears. We must become true people who can erect those things in the life of Jesus trampled upon. Therefore, while you are alive, you must fully accomplish this responsibility.
Therefore, today you are not simply yourselves. You must not think that you are merely the person of the years that you have lived so far. You must realize that each of you is a person who bears the universal mission to consummate in your lifetime the dispensation of the restoration of God that combines the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve to Jesus and the 2,000 years since Jesus until now.
Thus, just as Jesus stood boldly before the enemies, you must also remain bold, even when you are suffering the tribulation of crucifixion. Even when you are shedding tears, you are not to mourn for your own sake. When you cry, you are not to cry for your own sake. If you are to cry, you must cry for the sake of Jesus. Then how happy Jesus would be, he who lives for your sake and thinks about you. What is more, God will understand your situation. Even when you shed tears, you must shed tears with this kind of heart. There is no need for someone who cries for the sake of himself. Only those who cry for the sake of Jesus and the love of God and repent can become the sons and daughters of God.
When you confront the hardships of the crucifixion, if you truly feel the love of the Father and feel that you dwell within the realm of the Father’s love, then you won’t be able to pray. I have felt that before. Even when I bore on my shoulders a massive burden that seemed to weigh a thousand tons, I did not pray, “Father, please lighten my load.” You must never offer such a prayer.
God, who loves you, understands your situation very well. If you pray, “Father, I am bearing this kind of heavy burden,” to the Father who is already deep in sorrow, then you will add another load of grief to His anguished heart.
You are to understand even these subtle points and relate with God and Jesus. If there are even just a few people among this thirty million people who have this kind of attitude, then they can prevent this nation’s grief. You must never shed tears because of your own lamentations.
Jesus Went Through a Great Deal to Console the Father
Although Jesus came to the earth with a universal mission, he suffered hardships throughout his life. Nonetheless, he did not pray to alleviate that anguish. Instead, he went through a great deal of trouble to console the wounded and anxious heart of the Father. Meanwhile, Jesus took great pains to forgive the ignorance of the people. Because he stepped forward to substitute for the ordeals of God, whether he lived or died, he lived with the singular determination to glorify the will of God. Jesus did not care whether God recognized him, or whether people on earth recognized him. Whatever place and time, he lived for the sake of the will.
Although Jesus came to completely accomplish the will, he did not complain or despair just because he had to die on the cross. Even when he entered the position of death, he did not speak in his own defense. As you all know, Jesus did not try to vindicate himself even while he was passing through the court of Pilate, even on the hill of Golgotha to be crucified on the cross. He was the champion of no self-vindication. He could feel that even the opposition that he received from the people was his own responsibility. We who believe in Jesus Christ must pass through the course of Jesus who was born and Jesus who lived and then become his friend.
Jesus did not become a friend of life but a friend of death. Although countless people walked the path of death in the course of history, Jesus is the only one who became the friend of death on behalf of the deaths of all people. He died on behalf of all people.
Consequently, Christianity is religion of death and sacrifice, and the Christian truth is the truth that prevails over death. Jesus’ activities were to destroy him. Even then, you must understand, it was the course of Jesus to love without any grudges.
Because Jesus was a friend of death, even when death pressed itself upon him, he was not concerned about it. You have to understand that he lived a life with room to die for the sake of his enemy.
In the end, even God said to Jesus who hung on the cross, “I do not know him.” At that moment, Jesus cried out, “Father, why have You forsaken me?” but he did not cry out because he feared that the hope would be shattered and all of his life would be in vain. He cried out because he was concerned that, due to his death, he would have to leave without being able to complete the will of the Father. He was not concerned about whether God sent him to Heaven or hell, because he fulfilled his personal responsibility. Jesus, who had to become a friend of death, tried to be content with his own situation of death and tried to accomplish his mission through his death.
Although Jesus came with universal love, there was none who understood this. Although he came with such an amazing grace, once he stepped forward to become a friend of death, he did not harbor any lingering attachments. Though Heaven did not treat him as a being of hope when he had come for the sake of realizing the hope of Heaven, Jesus did not rebel or hold grudges.
When we go in pursuit of God, we will encounter the ultimate pass. Even if you were to pour out all of your heart and soul, in the end there will come a time when Heaven will deny any knowledge of you. The reason that Heaven does not recognize you is that the worldwide mission lies before us. Similarly, because Jesus also had to take charge of a worldwide mission, he had to undergo such an experience. A similar thing will also happen to you. There will come a time when even if you are to remain extremely loyal and offer all of your life to cling onto the Father, Heaven will not recognize you.
But you must be able to say that, dead or alive, the will of the Father is the only thing that matters to you. What is more, if you were to have any hope, you must only have the one hope of fulfilling the will of the Father. You should be the owner of the heart that says, “Not eating well and not wearing good clothes are joyful things.”
The Ultimate Pass on the Road that Seeks God
You today must never believe in Jesus to enter Heaven. Those who believe in Jesus to die will go to Heaven. If you believe in Jesus to die a noble death rather than to lead a good life, then your faith will become extremely precious. The twelve disciples who believed in Jesus to gain a good life, where did they go when Jesus died?
You are not to believe for the sake of leading a good life for yourself. You must believe to offer your life as a good sacrifice; in other words, to die a noble death.
To do that, we must follow the example of Jesus’ life. We have the responsibility to champion the life of Jesus on behalf of history. We have the responsibility to possess his life. Only when we possess the life of Jesus can we come to possess the love of Jesus. Only when you attend Jesus can you receive the love of Jesus. What is more, you must cultivate a faithful character that can resemble the 2,000-year suffering course of Jesus.
Not only that, since the dispensation of God was prolonged for 6,000 years, you can attend the one who is to come to take charge of, and on behalf of, the 6,000 years of the dispensation. When the Father or the Lord appears before you, you must welcome the Lord and attend him. This should not be limited to just one or two hours but should last for eternity.
Then what must you do to attain the qualifications to become the bride who can serve the Lord? More than anything else, you must be able to be responsible for God’s 6,000 years of sorrow and comfort Him.
Then you must go before the Lord of suffering and be able to say, “I will do this and that. I will serve you like this and that. I have prepared like this and that.” You must have made universal preparation and say, “Lord, please come. Lord, please appear.” Such a faithful believer will never perish.
Such a great mission lies before us. Yet many people do not understand this. What is more, they do not understand that the internal heart and internal hope of Jesus revolves around each of us. What will happen to such people? Those who are ignorant will perish. There will come a time when they pound their own chests in regret.
To Attend the Lord Who Is to Come
The responsibility of a son is to serve with the heart and mind, to attend with the body, and to attend by mobilizing the society, the world, and heaven and earth. Yet today you cannot even serve God in your hearts.
You must understand that you have not even begun attending Jesus yet. You should remember that by attending with your heart, body, society, nation, world, and heaven and earth, glory will fill not only your own individual self, but also your family, your society, nation, world, and the whole created world. You probably never even imagined that such a cosmic mission rests upon you.
You who bear this kind of mission and have gathered here out of the ordinary should not be small-minded. You also must not be base or foolish. Even when you go before many enemies, you must remain bold and audacious. You have the responsibility to serve Jesus, who is to come with the universal glory and love. You are the ones who must step up to the universal position with your heart and substantial body.
But there is no need for the Christians who prayed for their own sake and for the sake of their families and were content with that. There is also no need for the Christians who are content to be concerned only about their own churches. Even if every one of the thirty million people is all Christian, even if the whole of humanity are Christians who can represent the people and believe in Jesus, there must be a representative Christian who can stand on behalf of the 2.4 billion people of humanity.
If we are the qualified ones who can dominate over all the angels in the spirit world. We must be able to say before them that we have accomplished these kinds of valuable deeds. It is Jesus who came to do this very thing.
Jesus who came to fulfill such a great mission, Jesus, whom we should attend with such utmost earnestness, how have we, who rest our hopes in Jesus, lived our lives? We are so shameful. Even if we were to shed tears for 6,000 years because we feel such great shame, it will not be enough. Even if we were to pound our chest and lament for 6,000 years, it still would not be enough. We who are in this position must never be ungrateful.
Even if you were to die right now, even if you were to be stepped on and trampled upon, your heart of fidelity and loyalty must never change. You should be able to stand dignified before all things in the universe as the sons and daughters of Heaven.
Sons and Daughters of Fidelity and Loyalty
You stand on a difficult road. You stand on the fateful road which you cannot choose not to travel on. You who stand on this fateful road must walk on it while maintaining your conviction and internal loyalty for the rest of your life.
You must shed tears. You must repent and mourn, “I was meant to serve the world-level Lord, the universal Lord, the Lord who can climb over the 6,000-year history and embrace the eternal ideal world. But until now, I was content just to serve the Lord of the family or the Lord of the people and the nation. That was all I could do.”
Do you of today feel that you have the responsibility and mission for this era? Have you ever thought that you would be the one to fulfill the ideal that the whole of humanity has been hoping for since the beginning of time to the day that the ideals of creation are completed? Have you ever felt that sense of mission?
In addition, you must have the latitude of mind to pray, “I am confident that I am more than capable of accomplishing this kind of mission.” When you pray from this kind of position, then you do not have to pray a lot. If there is someone who stands in such a position, it only takes one word, “Father!” for all to be expressed. There is no need for explanation. There is no need for theories.
We have entered the position in which, moved by direct impulse, we must step forward without hesitation and attend before we are given the command to do so. We have come forward with this kind of treasure. You who have embarked right now, are you subject to some condition of accusation? In your path, have you come to a stop and now stand stagnant in a certain stage? During your life, what level have you reached? You must begin from the individual level and passing through the family, society, national, and world levels, you must reach heaven and earth. You must understand that such a cosmic mission rests on you. This is the only way that you can meet the Lord.
Jesus Christ must find a true person who can attend him and, being unshackled from the sighs of the 6,000 years, cling to him and shed tears of gratitude, saying, “Father, the one whom You have longed to find is here. Father! Please be happy.” Heaven will give the glorious answer, “Yes, it is true.” The day when this takes place must dawn upon humankind.
You must never forget that you have to fight on until the day when you can receive the glory of such triumph, the love of the Father and eternal life; when you can become the bride who represents all things, all forms, and the whole universe, the sons and daughters who can live eternally with the Father, sharing all His ordeals and happiness.
Chapter 20: The People Chosen for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven
December 30, 1956
Former Church Headquarters
John 15:1-22
Prayer 1
Now we have come to the last Sunday of this year. Father, were there times when we fathomed Your heart and were concerned for You? When did we fight for the Father’s affairs? When have we genuinely loved the Father?
Father, please forgive us for not having fully coped with the commandments that You have given us with Your concerned heart in this one year and the responsibility that You have entrusted in us for the sake of the people. Throughout the year, there were many commands that the Father gave to us, Your unworthy representatives. Please forgive us for not having been able to complete that responsibility. Please allow us to accomplish the great will that the Father demands.
Forgive the fact that the people on earth who associate with the will have been unable to rise to the level of materializing the hope that Heaven desires. They have been unable to obey the commandments because they are ignorant of the time. Although we might have passed through the path of conflict, when we see that we could not bring victorious accomplishments before the Father, we must feel ashamed.
Please bestow again all the responsibilities that You once entrusted in the sons and daughters gathered here. Please allow them to dash forward for the sake of the Father’s will. Allow us to distinguish our internal self and our external self and reflect in ourselves, “When will we be able to receive the love of the Father?”
Father, the mission that You have entrusted in us is not meant to be used just for our own selves, but to seek the people and the world. Furthermore, we are to remove the bitter grief of Heaven. Therefore, we who must take up that mission and follow the Father’s orders feel completely awe-stricken before You.
Father, please raise us up again before You, we who are weak and inadequate. Allow Your compassionate and grace-filled hand to go beyond this place and overflow toward the satanic world. Father, we sincerely hope and desire this.
Father, please look upon these people with compassion. Please consider with sympathy the countless churches that have gathered on behalf of this people. Please allow them to be aware of the presence of the Father’s great will and dispensation.
Based on this, please allow each church and nation to uphold the will of the Father. Please bring about the fulfillment of Your wishes by working through these people to induce the 2.4 billion people of humanity of this world to advocate the will of the Father. Please let the day come in the near future when the whole 2.4 billion people of humanity can sing that glory. Father, we pray this from the depth of our hearts.
On this day, these people have reported all their lacks. They desire once more the compassionate love of the Father and have come before Your holy presence. Please protect them with compassionate love, embrace them with Your glorious grace, and enhance them with new courage and new power. Father, we hope for this from the bottom of our hearts.
Now we beg that You will allow this hour to be a moment when, attending Father, heaven and earth can harmonize and the Father’s love of goodness can dwell in this place. Let this time be a moment when we can offer the Father the glory that arises from our union with Him and receive love from the Father.
Spread widely across the countryside, there are lonesome sons and daughters who are kneeling down and are building altars before the Father. Since the whole mission of the last days has been entrusted to them, please allow them to center themselves on the will of the Father and manifest only the will of Father wherever they may be. We pray with the utmost sincerity.
Earnestly hoping that on this day You will let only the glory of joy descend upon the congregation, I prayed in the name of the loving Lord. Amen.
Prayer 2
Father! We are grateful toward Your grace, which found and raised us up and allowed us to carry on the fight until this hour. Today we still have the mission to offer all of our minds and bodies to fight for the one glorious day of the Father. Please let us not become exhausted.
Father, we have often felt that You have personally walked side by side with us as we traveled the difficult path that we had to take to obey Your commands; that You personally stood at our side even on the path of death. We must offer gratitude before that love of Yours, which guided us inadequate ones and persevered through many things.
Father! Although a long time has passed since the day that You promised and permitted, we feel humiliated before the granted will. If Your sons and daughters who have gathered here today cannot return glory to the will, Father, please allow them to at least return tears.
Father! In these last days, we pray that You will allow the fulfillment of the wishes of the ancestors, who made appeals on behalf of the people according to Your commands to persevere. Please quickly manifest Your will before the humanity of the world and give Your commandments.
Father, among Your sons and daughters who have gathered here on behalf of the people, are there those who cannot realize this great will of Yours? Please let them feel and experience the heart of the Father, which reaches deep down into the flesh and bones.
We understand that the path we must walk is long and danger ridden. No matter what kind of obstacle blocks our path in whatever time and place, please empower us to penetrate through them. Please lead us not to become ones who feel grief for ourselves. Father, we pray from the depth of our hearts.
Father! Let the sons and daughters who have gathered here today eradicate all the things they are attached to and extricate all that has become entangled for 6,000 years. While we root out our own inadequacies, at the same time, please allow us to eradicate in this one place all the inadequacies of these people. By doing so, please allow us to liquidate all the shameful things of the 6,000-year history of humanity. Father, we earnestly ask that on this foundation and in this hour You will let this be the year when we can set the condition of victory before Satan and step over it.
Father, please guide us to become like children who do not know anything. Please allow us to do nothing else but obey when we are led and do nothing but submit when we are guided. Please do not let any subjective opinions or concepts remain in any of us. Resembling the heart of the Father and taking after the pure heart of children, let us become people of goodness and keep to this path, regardless of whether we are dead or alive. Allow us to charge forward on the path even if flesh and blood are shed.
Lonely members spread across the countryside are clinging on to the way of the Father’s will and are fighting to safeguard it at the cost of their lives. Please guide them not to become debilitated. Father, we beg that You will grant them courage and righteous impulses in this hour, so that they can greet the day of joy and glory with a new determination and readiness.
Please forgive our deficiencies in this hour. We possess nothing and we have nothing of which to be proud. All we have is our earnest desire to be embraced inside the Father’s bosom of love like children. Father, we ask sincerely that You manifest Your holy presence and penetrate deeply into the depth of our hearts. Please personally bestow the blessing according to our given measure.
Please let there not be anyone among the sons and daughters gathered here who gets dragged away by Satan. We wish earnestly that this may be the moment when we can receive the seal of purification, hold the flag of joy and victory, and return the glory of Hosanna before the Father for eternity. We offer all these words in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer 3
Father! We have learned through the words of truth that heaven and earth are created as one body. When we consider that heaven is the subject and we are the isthmus, we cannot live even one day or one moment without receiving the sap of the Father’s love and life. Please forgive us for not having been able to live so as to receive the sap of love that emanates from the eternal God when we should have lived as the branches and leaves of Heaven.
Father! In this time of the last days that forebodes the day of judgment, please allow us to be engrafted to the love of the Father centering on Jesus Christ, who is the perfect root. Although we know that God longs to reap from us the fruit of love that is born through the eternal love of Father and of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we fear that we might become an obstruction to the Father’s harvest because of our immaturity, imperfection, and frailty, which prevents us from bringing that to pass.
We entrust ourselves to You. Father! Please raise us and care for us. By guiding us through the hardships and turmoil, please allow us to mature as ripened fruits. Through the loving hands of the Father, please allow us to become the realization that can build the eternal kingdom of Heaven, the harvester who can reap the harvest.
Father! We know that this moment today is not the first time You have predicted this event. You had already prophesied it long ago in the Old Testament era and at the time of Jesus 2,000 years ago. If we really understand this, then we must cultivate ourselves and become the harvest that can be reaped by Heaven and bring peace to Heaven. Yet when we evaluate ourselves, I am sure that there are those among us who do not feel that they have become mature yet. If this is the case, then Father, I ask earnestly and pray that You will allow them to repent before You on their own volition. Lamenting their own frailty, let them repent even for the grief of Jesus Christ.
Father, we have gathered here today. Please govern our minds totally and be the center of operations to reign over us. In this way, please do not tolerate any evil concept or assertion that is unacceptable before the will of the Father.
Father, please let these who have gathered here become completely purified children by undergoing repeated processes of purification and bringing an end to the works of Satan. Please allow this to be a time when only You can operate and intervene.
Please allow us to understand that You are pressing us to fulfill the day of Christ, and that this is the time when You wish to manifest the love of Christ through us. Moreover, please lead us to understand that by raising us up, You long for us to take hold of the troubles of Christ and step forward in this twentieth century. Father, please lead us not to center our footsteps on ourselves as we dash forward toward the heavenly nature. Please lead us not to remain in the state of offering self-centered prayers.
Please allow us to chase out all the elements that invite the invasion of evil as we move forward. Father, we pray from the depth of our hearts that You will hold onto us, so that we can travel through any kind of danger-ridden road of conflict for the sake of realizing the will that You desire and that we can persevere even on a road of utter despair.
We know that we cannot receive the glory of earth because we are not men of the earth. Just as it was prophesied through Jesus Christ, we know that when there were citizens and sons of Heaven who possessed the true love and integrity of the Father, they were not welcome on earth in any era during the 2,000 years of history. Father! Please guide us to be able to cope with the persecution we may receive from this people when we try to fulfill the works of Jesus for him. Please empower us to overcome the contempt, the tribulations, and the sorrow that we might suffer at the hands of humanity on earth as we try to lead our lives for the sake of Heaven.
Jesus is longing for the day of harvest and is calling for us today, after the 6,000 years. Please withdraw the traces of historical grief and the blood and tears of the crucifixion through us. Guide us to serve as the shields of victory. Please allow us to understand that Jesus, the substantial manifestation of hope, is longing for us to become qualified to dominate Satan. By virtue of this, Father, we ask sincerely that You will allow us to become the sons and daughters who are determined to fight every day with the joyful will of the Father in our hearts and to subjugate the enemy Satan, even if we have to continue and complete it through our descendants because we could not accomplish this mission during our life-long dedication to the Father’s works.
We who are facing the new year must make a renewed resolution deep in our hearts to walk this path of conflict that endangers our lives. No matter what kind of enemies oppose us, Father, please guide us never to submit to them, and safeguard our fidelity. On account of this, Father, we hope with the utmost earnestness that You will allow us to become Your sons and daughters who can reveal before all things that we are the sons and daughters who represent You.
Please let the words You grant us today become manifested and link our hearts. Requesting earnestly that You will move the spirits and mold us anew with Your hands of power in this hour, we offered all these words in the name of the Lord. Amen.
The title of the sermon that I want to reflect on with you is “The People Chosen for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven.” I will speak briefly upon this topic.
The Last Days of the History of the Dispensation When We Must Re-examine Our Own Position
Ladies and gentlemen, today we greet the last Sunday of this year. You understand clearly through the principles of restoration that if we do not fulfill our responsibility today, then it must be done tomorrow.
Since the creation, history has traveled through the 6,000 years by passing through one day, one year, and then through a long period of time, while times and seasons were changing. Yet you also know very well that now the dispensation of restoration, through which the great judgment will take place on earth all over the world and God will become complete, has to be realized through the 2.4 billion people of humanity on the earth today.
We have now come face-to-face with the last days of the 6,000-year history of the dispensation. We have been participating in helping the history of the universal restoration and have stepped forward to achieve the will. The time has come when we must unequivocally understand our own situation.
Accordingly, you yourselves must now step over the 6,000-year history to reach the level of Adam and Eve, who were the ultimate ideals of the restoration and the center of creation. Going one step further, your family and society and the whole humanity of the world must reach the standard. Before that standard is met, the dispensation of God will not be consummated on earth.
We, the descendants of today, must take responsibility for the gigantic and fearful dispensation of restoration, which is full of ordeals, and for the failures committed by our ancestors as well as the things that they left behind unaccomplished. You must feel deeply in this moment that such a universal mission rests upon you.
Due to the fall of Adam and Eve, the ideals of the kingdom of Heaven have been fundamentally destroyed and the ideals of the kingdom of Heaven that should have been realized through humankind have fallen down from Heaven. What is more, until now the kingdom of Heaven has not been realized; the citizens who can build the kingdom of Heaven have not been found. The families that can cultivate the citizens are not established. The couples and brothers and sisters who can form such families are not found either.
The Restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Good Life of Human Beings
Therefore, the restoration of the kingdom of Heaven is the central purpose of what God demands. Moreover, the movement to restore the kingdom of Heaven must be done in a process of reversal. Starting from citizens of Heaven, the children of Heaven, the brothers and sisters of Heaven, the couples of Heaven, and the families of Heaven must be restored to construct the kingdom of Heaven. Such a mission rests on our shoulders.
The land that we are living in today, this world in which we live, is not the land of the kingdom of Heaven and is not the world of the kingdom of Heaven. It is not a world centered on God, but a world centered on Satan, a world that stands opposed to the kingdom of Heaven. Nonetheless, in the concluding period of history, without fail there will emerge the watershed when the evil world is restored to the kingdom of Heaven of goodness. The 2.4 billion people of humanity today have crossed the pass of the restoration of the individual, family, society, nation, and world in accordance with the dispensation of God.
The central purpose of Jesus Christ coming to this earth and disseminating the gospels was the restoration of the kingdom of Heaven. This standard called the kingdom of Heaven is supposed to not only restore you as an individual, but going beyond that, also restore the family, society, nation, and world. Therefore, from the day that you began to believe in Jesus, you have been traveling the road of conflict for the sake of restoration.
The lives that people lead now in this world are not for the sake of the world. Although they claim that they live for the sake of the nation, they do not. Although they claim that they are living for the sake of the family, they are not living for the sake of the family. Moreover, although they say that they are living for the sake of themselves, they are not really living for themselves.
All human beings that live in this world of evil today should live for the sake of the world, but they have not been able to do so. People who should be living for the sake of their nation, their people, their tribe, family, and themselves have lost that fundamental position.
When people today live centering on themselves, they are not able to live centering on their minds. When we examine how low we have fallen, you will find that we have fallen so low that although we should live centering on our minds, we have not been able to do so. We have been living for the sake of our physical bodies. We have become people who live only for the sake of our self-centered desires.
Similarly, for the sake of restoring fallen men, God has been carrying on the work of rectifying the body to subjugate it before the mind, rectifying the individual to make him submit to the family, rectifying the family to subjugate it before the people, rectifying the people to make them submit before the nation, and rectifying the nation to make it yield to the world.
Therefore, in any society, individualistic people have been standing in the position opposing the revolutionary course of faith in Jesus. What is more, people who have centered upon themselves have also stood in the opposing position. Because God works in line with the progress of history, in other words, in the orderly progression through the individual era, the family era, the people era, and the national era, in that course of progress, there have been difficult moments of crisis when people could no longer follow.
The Center that We Must Pursue and the Order of Restoration
In this era of the last days, when the 6,000 years are being consummated, the ideology of Jesus Christ has been established on earth as the ideology of the restoration of the whole world. In other words, today the ideology centered on Christianity is becoming manifested as the central ideology of the entire world. However, the ideology of the enemy has counter-attacked, and these two divisions are engaged in a fight.
Then what is the standard that we who stand in this kind of position must pursue? If we look at it through the hope of Jesus Christ, who established the ideology of the restoration of the kingdom of Heaven, this world is not the only ideal garden that we must pursue. The ideal standard of restoration that God seeks is not only this earth. It is the garden of ideology that has become one based on the union of heaven and earth. Therefore, God has been carrying on the dispensation until now for the sake of finding the one glorious day when we can join in harmony and sing centering on Heaven.
What must we, who live in this era, understand? We ourselves must restore through indemnity everything in the history of sin.
When you believe in Jesus, there will unfold a fight on the individual level. The fight between the mind and body will unfold. Those who become stragglers in this fight cannot become the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. When evil acts centered on the body try to subjugate the mind, if you cannot overcome it and be victorious, then you cannot become the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. We today have the mission to restore from the world to the nation, from the nation to the people, from the people to the family, from the family to the couple, and from the couple to brothers and sisters. Because of such a fundamental standard for the ideology of the kingdom of Heaven, we must first restore ourselves.
Since it is said, “the kingdom of Heaven is in you,” although the universal kingdom of Heaven must also be built, the individual kingdom of Heaven must first be completed. What this means is that you have to become someone who can stand before the universe after establishing the reciprocal base for mind and body. Therefore, now you must become someone who can be assimilated into and be harmonized with any aspect of the entire ideal of Heaven. If Jesus is compared to a grape tree, you can maintain the shape of a branch of that grape tree, no matter which aspect we belong to. Your moving from the branch to and through the stem is what restoration is all about.
The Stages of Restoration into the Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven
The first stage that you must find is the stage of becoming the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. Before you lies the fate to enter this stage of citizenship in the kingdom of Heaven. You who are in this situation must have a new historical concept. You are not to live for your own sake; you must have the mentality to live for the sake of the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven, the compatriots of the heavenly nation. You must not have a partial concept but a universal one. Moreover, if you belong to a society, then you have to have the mentality of that society. If you belong to a nation, then you must have the mentality of the nation. If you live in a nation, then you must learn how to love the citizens of that nation.
We today must be able to assert our will with our minds and bodies before God, who has been guiding history for the sake of the construction of the kingdom of Heaven. We must be able to love the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. We must have the mind-set that we exist for the sake of building the kingdom of Heaven, for the restoration of the world, which is the will of the Father. We, as the believers in Jesus, should not blindly support Jesus, but be able to believe in Jesus by becoming one with the fortune of heaven and earth internally and externally. God has been establishing the ideology of the restoration of the kingdom of Heaven centering on the universal dispensation. We must become the sons and daughters and citizens who can stand there. Furthermore, we must learn to love the compatriots of the kingdom of Heaven.
If there are those who have faith among the people around you or beside you, then you must be able to consider them as your brothers and sisters and your compatriots. Moreover, you must persuade everyone to do the same. When we look at these kinds of things, it is clear that your responsibility is unspeakably immense.
Then what is the demand that God is making of us in these last days today? It is none other than mobilizing the faithful believers and building the garden of the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, individuals must become united and peoples must become united to become compatriots of the kingdom of Heaven. You must understand this.
When we look at the 6,000-year history vertically, in the Old Testament era, God gathered the citizens of Heaven. In the New Testament era, God gathered children of Heaven. Similarly, history flowed in a reverse manner.
In the world today, there are people who are trying to build the kingdom of Heaven centering on the ideology of the compatriots of the kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, there are also people who rely on the ideology of brothers, sisters, and couples of the kingdom of Heaven to build the kingdom of Heaven.
The Legal Standard and the Standard of Life in the Kingdom of Heaven
Now you must learn to obey the laws of the kingdom of Heaven in your daily life. To establish the kingdom of Heaven, you must learn to abide by the laws of the kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, while you learn to obey the laws of Heaven, at the same time, you must learn to lead the life of the kingdom of Heaven. Furthermore, while you learn to live the life of the kingdom of Heaven, you must also become one through the love of the kingdom of Heaven.
God has been working to restore the kingdom of Heaven until now, so centering on what should we abide by the laws of the kingdom of Heaven? We must obey the laws of the kingdom of Heaven centering on the Biblical words that Jesus gave to us. Since words are the very laws of the kingdom of Heaven, we should live centering on the words. This is where your path is. You are to live especially according to the laws of the kingdom of Heaven centering on the Divine Principle words that testify to the internal truth of the Biblical words.
Then what kind of life should you live? You must live a life that represents the thirty-year life of Jesus. Your life in the last days today must be a life that testifies to Jesus Christ. Because of this, you should be able to divulge your life to all people. You must live the same type of life that Jesus demonstrated to us. You must follow the example of the life of Jesus, who abided by the laws centering on the words of God. By leading a harmonious life, you should live for the sake of Heaven.
Therefore, centering on the words, you must now lead a life that represents the life of Jesus, which is based on the laws of Heaven. Your hope and ideal must be the love of God. For this reason, you must set the condition of harmony for the sake of making a link with the love of God. This is what God demands of all the Christians of the world today.
The resin of one tree branch flows to other branches. It circulates through all the leaves and branches. Similarly, you must learn to create harmony between yourselves and give. Such people can possess the eternal love of God.
Throw Away Self-Centered Concepts
Accordingly, we Christians should abandon our self-centered mentality and develop a new mind-set that we represent the world and the universe. Therefore, when we look at our members, we should understand that they are not simply who they appear to be today. You must feel that they represent the 6,000-year history, the eternal dispensation, and horizontally, the 2.4 billion people of humanity. In each person, we can find the universal promised will of God’s love. Consequently, you must become the co-operator of that person. Because such a mission rests on you, you must learn to view the dispensational will of God with a correct perspective and represent that will.
The same thing is true in your personal or family life. Your children, your parents, and your spouse do not exist for your sake. Your children are not for your sake and your brothers and sisters are not for your sake. The same thing is true for your parents. They exist for the sake of something greater than the nation and the world, for the sake of the universe.
We should be aware of this, and on that level, relate with our brothers and sister and with our parents. If you recognize this fact and feel this in your life, then you cannot judge anyone with words.
We must never forget that the universal will of God can be found in each of us. You must be aware of the fact that you do not exist for yourself but for the sake of the world, for the sake of heaven and earth. You represent the mission of restoration. You must become unified in your daily life.
You who have been traveling the path that others do not walk must abandon a self-centered life. You should cast away self-centered concepts. Even in our Unification Church, we must throw away a perspective toward life centered only on the Unification Church. The reason is that we are all cells and particles of the universe.
We who live in the last days must feel the historical workings, the providential workings of the heavenly principles, the workings of the comprehensive love of God. Moreover, only when you become the victor in the universal fight with Satan by conquering your bodies, can you become the people needed for the garden of the kingdom of Heaven. In this kind of moment, you will develop a relationship with Heaven. You must understand that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have joined their hearts and are fighting with Satan in order to realize this hope.
When you try to fight with Satan today, you must distinguish whether or not the thoughts, concepts and ideology that you have are for your own sake. If all of your thoughts are for your own sake, then you will have no way to escape Satan’s realm.
What is more, we Christians, who are moving forward toward the world, must step beyond the mentality of history constrained in this world. You must be able to transcend that to comprehend and judge the world with a universal perspective of history.
Blessed Are Those Who Bring Peace and Harmony
Then what would happen now to the world whose purpose is restoration? What would happen to the society, family and to us, whose purpose is restoration? What is the will of God, whose purpose is restoration? You must understand these and go beyond them. To do that, you must be able to live relying on the words, having the sacrificial heart of Jesus Christ, and able to live in harmony. Jesus said, “Blessed are the ones who bring peace and harmony. They will be called the sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
Those who can bring harmony wherever they go can go close to God. You have the responsibility to bring harmony to all individuals, to all people, to the world, and to heaven and earth.
If you fail to feel this somewhat substantial responsibility in the living environment that you are in, you must at least feel it in your hearts. You must have the mind-set that you will become the sacrifice who can bring harmony to individuals, to families, to societies, to nations, and to the whole world. On that foundation, you must have the attitude to confront Satan and go before the Father.
If you build this kind of relationship and lead your life, then when you see someone who is doing good things, you will naturally have the desire to bow your head down and elevate that person. Moreover, if you see someone who is doing evil things, the thought will arise in you, “It is my task to guide that person. I will be responsible for that person.” If there is someone who feels this to the bottom of his heart in his life, then he does not have to pray for his own sake. He does not have to pray for his own family. If each of you makes the determination and pledge that you will build the kingdom of Heaven that God wishes on earth and if you live for that cause, then God will be with you.
Therefore, if there are people who can join hands and build the altar of harmony, then they can bring forth a new revolution that will stride forcefully toward the world. The same thing will be true for the churches. If there are people who are determined to die, with the mind-set that they will join hands and become the sacrifice of harmony following the example of Christ, then although the steps they take might seem unsatisfactory and fragile, it is not so. Their steps are robust steps directed toward the construction of the kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Jesus Christ came to earth with the amazing mission of heaven and earth on his shoulders. In the 4,000-year course of history in which there was no loyal subject or filial son who lived for the sake of Heaven, it was Jesus Christ who came to fulfill the mission of the loyal subject and the filial son that Heaven sought.
The thirty-year life of Jesus was completely for the sake of Heaven. It was a world level and universal life. What is more, his life was a life of sacrifice for the sake of Heaven. You must follow the example of Jesus Christ who, unlike anyone in history, came as the filial son for the sake of Heaven.
Father’s will is building the kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom of Heaven is the world in which the humanity of the whole world joins hands to be in harmony and in intimate friendship and to intermingle in love and raise their hands to return glory and gratitude to Heaven. When we think about that, then clearly the life of faith that we have led so far is very immature. We must get rid of this kind of immature life of faith.
God Pursues the Ideal of Unification
The time of any kind of denominationalism has passed behind us. The time of any kind of ideology of people has passed behind us. Now the time has come when we must find the ideology of restoration and the concept of faith on the world level.
Koreans today are pitiful people. What these pitiful people must understand is that the history of God tears down the individual to build the family, tears down the family to build the society, tears down the society to build the nation, and tears down the nation to build the world. This is the judgment of Heaven.
Humanity has passed through judgment like this, but what is the problem remaining in the last moment? It is to destroy the course of Cain, which is one of the two courses of Cain and Abel that have been in confrontation and in conflict. Therefore, you must become a different person centering on the words of Jesus. You must establish the words of Jesus as the laws and become different people. You must become the loyal subjects and filial sons of Heaven who can represent the life of Jesus.
Having done that, you are to go before God, who is pursuing the ideal of unification, and be able to say, “God, please liberate through me the bitter grief of not having been able to unite the world and embrace it in love.” Christians today do not understand that there remains before us such a great, historical, universal, and cosmic mission. Then to what extent have you been able to manifest the love of Jesus Christ? To what extent have you realized faith and life based on Jesus Christ? You must understand the line of that limitation.
The grace coming from Jesus is universal grace. Therefore, we today must live with the concept of the kingdom of Heaven in us. Your every movement and all of your feelings must be centered on the mind-set, “I am the representative of the kingdom of Heaven.” You must live with this kind of mentality. When you are cursed before all people and feel a surge of anger within, you must suppress it based on the concern that your anger might bring curses upon the 2.4 billion people of humanity. This is the heart that Heaven has been feeling until now. If you, even after knowing this fact, become overwhelmed by fury and disobey the will of the Father, then how can this be tolerated? All of you are to join in alliance and help each other.
Which people are in difficulty? You must feel that person’s difficulty as if it is a wound inflicted on you. You must then co-operate. This must not be done just by the Korean people. The whole of humanity must help.
You must walk the path of restoring the kingdom of Heaven. You must become the sons and daughters who receive the love of the universe. Next, you must learn to attend God, who is the center of the universe. The God whom you cry out for and Jesus Christ whom you seek and believe in do not exist only for your own sake. The people who believe in Jesus today do not understand that. They think that Jesus and God are only for their own sake.
This is not God’s wish. This is not the will of God. God’s place is at the center of the whole of heaven and earth. You must learn to attend God like this today. However, this is only possible for those who live the life of the kingdom of Heaven.
The Correct Attitude of Faith toward God
Then what is the reason that God has been working in history for 6,000 years? It was for the purpose of embracing the whole of history in His bosom. God has been wishing that not just earth but even the spirit world will become one with the whole through His love. He has been longing for that one day. If you want to receive grace from this God, then you must pray, “Father! Please call on me.”
God’s love must never end with you. What you must understand today is that the grace that God gives is not only for your own sake. At the same time it saves your life, it is also for the sake of saving the whole of humanity.
Nonetheless, because the people of today live centering on themselves, though many people want to find God, there is almost no one who receives this grace. You must free yourself from this. You must penetrate through it and dismantle it to serve God as the cosmic God. Before this universal God, you must feel the responsibility that penetrates deeply into your minds and bodies. The garden of hope that you believe in and desire is not just your garden of hope. The archangel fell because he tried to seek and believe in God centering on himself.
The God that the people of today believe in is both our God and the God of humanity. He is both our God and the God of the world. He is both the God of the world and the God of heaven and earth. At the same time, he is our universal parent.
However, if you examine the faith of the people who believe in Jesus today, they are saying, “Please be my God,” and those who are a bit better than that do no more than say, “Please be my family’s God.” Rising a bit higher from this are those who say, “Please be the God of our denomination.” We should never have these kinds of concepts.
There are many denominations in the world today that are crying out for God. However, we do not need the God who is sought within a denomination. Only when people gather who transcend the denominations and call out to Him as their father centering on the whole of heaven and earth, can humankind attend God on earth.
Therefore, we today must let the concepts we have be linked to the whole through our families. You who have embarked upon a new road must abandon your life up to now and make a new and historical departure toward the concepts of universal life.
At such times, the attitude that you should have is the heart that can attend the substantial presence of the universal God. By doing so, you can receive the love of God and build the relationship of giving and receiving with God. At such a moment, you can finally consummate the ideology of the universal bride.
After consummating the ideology of the universal bride, you can go seeking the restored world. But you can appear as the bride before the substantial manifestation of the universal God only after restoring the people and brothers and sisters, and the children and couples. Only when you reach that position can you stand before the substantial manifestation of the universal God centering on the love of God that springs out there and become one with that love. The couple who comes together in this way is the couple who can dominate this earth and live in the kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, only after you have children as this kind of a couple can you build the family of the kingdom of Heaven. When you form a people with these brothers and sisters and children, you can finally bring the dispensation of restoration to a conclusion and live the life of the kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Likewise, the great movement of restoring the kingdom of Heaven is exhibited through you of today. Therefore, you must increase your efforts toward the realization of that will and never become servile before Satan. Just as Jesus Christ did all that was possible as the loyal subject and filial son of God, we must also complete our duties as the loyal subjects and filial sons.
To Complete the Restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven and Return Glory
You must understand this: only after you cause the humanity of the world and all the spirits in the spirit world to fulfill all their obligations as loyal subjects and filial children, can you become the sons, children, brothers and sisters, family, or people who can return to the Father the victorious glory of having completed the restoration of the kingdom of Heaven.
Prayer
Beloved Father, today we must dash forward. Although our strength is not enough, we face an amazing historical conclusion in which we must jump over tens of stages at once. Although we are in the position to magnificently pass through the course of judgment, we are in a deep sleep today.
Father, we have become bewitched by the secular world. We are accompanying evil. Father, we desire from the depth of our hearts that You will lead us to eradicate all evil elements and raise us as victors who can return victorious glory to the Father, who is the center of the cosmos.
All the hidden stories of history have become entangled in us. Father, we pray that You will allow us to cut them all off and find the center of liberation so that we can stand in the position of a friend to Jesus Christ and make a full bow before the Father.
Please lead us, the ones chosen for the restoration of the kingdom of Heaven, not to trample upon the ideology of the kingdom of Heaven by centering on ourselves. Father, we hope with the utmost sincerity that, until we can be pulled by the ideology of the kingdom of Heaven and can accomplish it, You will allow us to go forward, to sacrifice, and to fight on. Until we attend You as the universal Father, we pray that You will allow us to persevere and win the victory in the battle.
Father, please govern our minds forever. Now please allow us to become sons and daughters who can offer a full bow of gratitude before the Father, who is the center of the whole based on the new standard of universal life. We earnestly request that You will allow us to become sons and daughters who can be immersed in Your love. Father, we prayed all these words in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Notes:
1 Hyung Sang — A Korean term that can be translated roughly as “external form or shape.” This term is explained in the first chapter of the Divine Principle, “The Principles of Creation.”
2 The word “will” in Father’s speeches usually refers to the divine will, and it also means the dispensation of God or the divine providence. To make the point more clear, The Way of Tradition in the original Korean is “The Way of the (Divine) Will,” which really means “The Way of the Dispensation of God.” Although this word will be translated frequently as “the will,” where deemed appropriate, it will also be rendered as the “dispensation or providence.”
