Belvedere
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The Unification Church usually celebrates the birth of Jesus on January 3, but this year we celebrate it on December 24.
The topic this morning is "The Birth of Jesus and the Consummation of God's Will." We all know that Jesus came to the earth, not of his own will, but in accordance with the will of God. He was not meant to fulfill his mission all by himself. He came on the foundation prepared by God for 4,000 years prior to his coming, in order that he might absolutely consummate his mission with his people, the nation of Israel. Through the Principle we know that Jesus' mission could not be consummated unless three parts were united into one: God, Jesus and the chosen people of Israel.
The coming of the Messiah was made necessary by the fall of man. Originally the will of God should have been consummated by God, Adam and Eve, and their children, but since that consummation was prevented by the fall, the coming of the Messiah was made necessary in order to restore the lost world.
The will of God will be consummated by the fulfillment of the ideal of creation. Then what is the ideal of creation? God created all things according to His will, which He wanted to see consummated through the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, as they created the heavenly four positions centering upon His love. That in turn would also consummate the ideal of creation. The consummation of God's will is always centered upon the consummation of God's love in the heavenly four positions. Without the love of God there is no way we can even talk about the consummation of God's will and the ideal of creation.
Without the fall, individual unity with God would have been formed first. Then if Adam and Eve individually had united with God they would have united horizontally into one centering upon the love of God. The unity in this family would be formed vertically and horizontally, and be centered upon only one thing: the love of God. Then with God, Adam and Eve one in love, soon God, Adam, Eve and children would become one in love.
The Unification Church preaches that the consummation of the will of God is attained through three objects in the base of four positions: God, Adam and Eve, and children. There are always three objects to love: God has Adam and Eve and children to love; Adam has God, wife and children to love; Eve has God, husband and children to love; children have God, father and mother to love. Unless we come to the clear understanding that we have three objects to love, we cannot consummate God's will and the ideal of creation. Loving three objects is the formula of the ideal of creation by which the will of God can be realized.
Today each one of us is in the same position. We are one of four parts and have three other parts to deal with. In today's world, however, the most important part, God, is missing. The tragedy is that God has nothing to do with our world today. The most important role, which was supposed to have been filled by God, has been occupied by Satan instead. The fall of man brought the most formidable consequences to this earth; that is, mankind is born as the children of Satan instead of the children of God. Also, each man here on earth deals with society and other people centering upon his own love, not centering upon God's love. The. fallen way of thinking is this: "Everything exists centering upon me. My father, mother and children exist for me. I must be the center." That is the consequence of the fall.
On the contrary, in the ideal world of creation each person exists solely for the sake of the love of God, thinking, "I am living for the fulfillment of the love of God. I exist for the sake of my father and mother and children." In the original world, you are supposed to be the object of God and take a responding position, but because of the fall everyone thinks of himself as subject instead. Because of the fall that kind of subjective attitude has become the overwhelming trend in the world, expanding from the individual to the clan, society, nation and world.
ln order to restore this fallen world into the original one, God has been working tirelessly for millions of years to create one nation or people who will become the center stage of God's dispensation. What is the meaning of being the chosen people? Originally God chose the people of Israel through Jacob. I want you to understand that "Israel" means "a people victorious or triumphant through faith." The chosen people must struggle against and be triumphant over Satan.
Normally the eldest son receives the inheritance of the father, not the second son. Because of the fall, however, the position of eldest son was taken by Satan. Therefore, God can only work through the second son, taking him as His champion and through him trying to restore the elder son's position. This is how the dispensation of Jacob and Esau came into being. You know from the Bible that there was a struggle between Jacob and Esau, and through Divine Principle you know that it was because God chose Jacob, the younger brother, to restore the birthright.
The Bible has some mysterious aspects. For example, several times Jacob used deception to attain some goal. In order to deceive his own father he used a kidskin to imitate his brother Esau, who was a very hairy man. Jacob came in to his father, who was practically blind, and let him touch the hide on his arms, and because he convinced his father he was Esau, Jacob received the blessing in place of his brother.
How could such deception be accepted in the world of God'? No one has understood this. According to the principle of creation only the eldest son can receive the inheritance. Therefore, in order to attain the inheritance of God Jacob had to move into the elder son's position. Jacob was not practicing outright deception; he had already bought the birthright when Esau was very hungry and carelessly sold his birthright to his younger brother for a pot of lentils. In reality Esau had already lost his birthright because he didn't care enough about it.
Jacob knew the will of God and God's dispensation and he wanted to become the heir who could receive the inheritance. The Bible speaks of "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Not the God of Esau, but the God of Jacob. This is so because Jacob was right there to receive the inheritance. In order to win that position unselfishly for the fulfillment of the will of God, he had to bring himself to the eldest son's position.
The struggle over this birthright continued even after he received the blessing from his father During another 21 years of hard struggle Jacob was constantly working to win the heart of Esau eventually. I Jacob never thought about destroying his own brother, but about winning his brother's heart, and finally when Jacob came back from his sojourn in his uncle's land he won Esau's heart and the two brothers embraced.
That was the struggle of Jacob and Esau as elder son and younger son in restoring the birthright on the individual level. On the national level of the dispensation the chosen nation of Israel was like Jacob, while the world of Esau or older son's position was the Roman Empire. The same struggle as that between Jacob and Esau was carried out between them on the worldwide level. Both nations struggled for the position of elder son and so they fought.
The chosen nation tries to restore the birthright by winning the territory of the Esau nation. Initially the two nations are enemies, just as Jacob and Esau were. God-centered religion has always been established in the position of Jacob, which is why worldly powers have always felt animosity toward God-centered religion: emperors, kings and governments all know that religion must eventually replace them.
That was precisely the situation of Israel. Jesus, the Messiah, was born among the chosen people. Why? Because the chosen people needed a commander-in-chief, Jesus came in the position of chief priest and king of that nation. Therefore, the religion of that era, Judaism, was supposed to unite with Jesus and the people as a sovereign nation should have united with him also. By establishing this unity centering on Jesus, Israel was to inherit the position of elder son.
At that time the Esau nation was the Roman Empire. The Jacob nation, Israel, should have centered upon its God-given commander and chief, Jesus, and overcome the Roman Empire by restoring the birthright. Jesus and Israel were to win the heart of Rome so that it could come into the second son's position while Jesus and Israel regained the eldest son's position. If that had been fulfilled 2,000 years ago, the will of God could have been consummated in Jesus' time. Then not only would the elder son be standing on the side of God, but the restored younger son would also be in a position to be loved by God. When each of them is restored to the side of God there will be no territory where Satan can move or work. He will be completely deprived of territory.
If God, Jesus and the nation of Israel had been totally united into one there would have been hope for God's side to win over the Roman Empire at that time. If Jesus had attained that goal without being crucified on the cross, there would have been no talk about a Second Coming because no more revelation would be needed. The will of God and ideal of creation would have been consummated in his own time.
God had a specific reason to send His son, Jesus, the Messiah: that was the fulfillment of the will of God and the attainment of the ideal of creation. But the people rebelled against Jesus and finally crucified him, and the mission remained unfulfilled. The Jewish people were completely separated from God's will at that time. Without God's will being fulfilled, the mission of Jesus was prolonged after the crucifixion and a completely new foundation had to be erected, which was Christianity. Christians took the position of the Jews as the chosen nation, but they were a chosen people without any territory.
In the new dispensation the same providential formula applies: there should be total unity between God, Jesus and Christianity. If they had become totally united into one, how would that be any different from God, Jesus and Israel being united before the crucifixion? If unity had been made between God, Jesus and the people before the crucifixion of Jesus then God's entire will would have been fulfilled and there would be no need for a Second Coming. If the will had been fulfilled in Jesus' time, the 2,000 year prolongation would not have occurred.
The providence of unity between God, Jesus and Christians has a different foundation. Israel 2,000 years ago was in a position to unite with the Messiah spiritually and physically, but Christianity today is like a cloud in the sky, floating from one place to another without territory. Therefore, no matter how much Christians try, the only unity with Jesus they can attain is spiritual unity. Without having physical territory, Christianity can't fulfill physical salvation. This is the reason the Second Coming is an absolute necessity.
If the purpose of the Second Coming is the fulfillment of God's will physically here on earth, do you think that His ideal and purpose can be fulfilled by having the Second Messiah appear in the sky on the clouds of heaven? No, the Messiah is coming as a physical individual to claim his territory, starting with his own individual, family, clan, society and nation. He has to recreate all those things that were
lost. When the Messiah comes the second time there is no question that he will come on the foundation of Christianity, but he will physically recreate, one by one, the things that the first Messiah could not attain, the things Adam lost. He will expand his territory within the Christian world, steadily heading toward the showdown with Esau's world, the hostile world outside.
One thing will be different about the Second Coming of the Messiah. His area of activity is not going to be limited to one nation, but shall cover the entire world. When the Messiah comes the second time he will work on a supraracial, supradenominational, supranational level. Since the same principle of Esau and Jacob will be followed, the Messiah will create Jacob's world, which will include not only Christianity but all the religions of the world. Together they will create one bloc to fight against the barbaric world of Esau.
Today we see two worlds around us. One is the democratic world or free world, and the other is the communist world. One is a God-accepting world and the other a God-denying world and the two worlds are struggling with each other, trying to win total hegemony. Today the nation of America is the center of the Christian world. Therefore, America's responsibility is a grave one. America should not only unite the Christian religions in this country, but united with other religions America should also restore the communist world. America should bring the God centered ideology and be in the restored elder son's position.
Who is really controlling the world today, however? Not the free world or America in Jacob's position, but the communist world. Why is this? It is because Christianity could not fulfill its responsibility. The Christian world has lost its hope to fulfill the will of God and attain the ideal of creation and for this reason God must make a new force emerge in the Christian world. That is the Unification Church.
Christianity is in the position of Israel today. Because the Unification Church and Christianity have another formidable enemy to overcome, they must be united into one instead of fighting. What we need more than anything else is unification. After unification is created, what would we do? Together we shall acquire the greater strength and authority that can overcome the communist world, which is now claiming to be the elder brother. We must restore that position. Then what? Unless we restore the elder son's position, we will not be in a position to inherit God's kingdom.
In God's tradition the elder son was supposed to be in the position to control, to govern and manage, but since the fall the elder son's position belongs to Satan and God cannot accept it. Since the second son must be in a position to exercise control over the elder son, you can see why history has been nothing but a record of struggle.
How can we overcome the satanic position? There is one way we can attain the elder son's position; that is by making ourselves superior to Satan in every way, becoming a responsible individual, family and nation. On any level in which we compete with the world we must demonstrate superiority. What would prove we are superior'? We will not be superior by fighting and being violent. Our proof of superiority is that we demonstrate greater love. In the war of love-giving we shall be superior.
God is going to love the elder son, so whoever loves God the most shall stand in that position and inherit the kingdom. God judges according to the standard of who loves Him the most and who deserves His love more, determining in that way who is going to be the elder son and who is going to be second son. God can declare to the world and to Satan, '`This is the one whom I choose as my elder son. You mistrusted and betrayed me, taking power for yourself, but my son is truly loving and sacrificial toward me; he is one with me and obedient to me. There is no one like him in history and he is my heir." This is the only declaration toward which Satan has no accusation.
How can we become the elder son ? God's chosen people must demonstrate superiority in every respect-in loving the family, serving the parents, loving the nation, loving mankind and the world. On every level these God-centered people shall demonstrate superiority so that they can do better than the world. On all levels we shall do better and be superior.
Most important of all, in God's way there is no coercion, only willing participation. Through our own willing enthusiasm we must do better than the world. Satan is always centering upon himself and trying to win love, but in God's world it is different. There each person is trying to sacrifice himself and give his whole self to the consummation of God's love.
The Unification Church is the movement which has set out to do what I am speaking about. Judaism and Christianity failed to live up to this. Now the Unification Church is going to live up to God's expectation and truly love Him more than the entire satanic world. In this way we shall consummate the elder son's position. In the Unification Church our way of life becomes clear. We cannot live just for ourselves and we cannot limit ourselves to the small cubbyhole of our own family. We have to shake off the shackles of one small territory and raise ourselves up to embrace the world and mankind. If you give yourself as a sacrifice for the sake of mankind and the world, what will happen? You will possess more than the world, for the world includes your nation, clan, family, society and yourself. It includes everyone.
We must become superior to Satan both spiritually and physically in every way. We cannot be defeated by him. Today our job is to obtain the qualification to become the elder son and by doing so to inherit the kingdom. That is our way of life.
So far the satanic side has monopolized the world's power and sovereignty. Satan can direct people and money, military power and governments, yet he knows his position is always threatened by religious movements which truly center upon God. Using one form of persecution after another, earthly powers are always trying to destroy all God-centered religions. That has been the pattern of history. Jesus came to be loved and accepted by the chosen people, yet those very chosen people went against him. The Christian world was supposed to be the foundation of the Unification Church, but instead Christians rebelled against this new God-centered ideology.
Frankly speaking, Judaism, Christianity and the free world powers all want to subjugate one innocent man: Reverend Moon. They are trying to cut me off somehow so that this movement can't flourish. Isn't that what's happening? They have used all kinds of weapons-threats, violence, intimidation, accusation -but we fight back with silence and with truth. I am not an American citizen. I came from Korea. But in loving the world I am not behind anyone. That is the very principle I am teaching today because that is the qualification for becoming the elder son.
This is why anyone who follows me is superior to and can surpass whatever the outside world might have. We are setting an important condition that we have loved America and the free world more than anyone else; we are loving mankind and the entire world more than anyone else; ultimately we are loving God more than anyone else. We are competing with all religions of history to demonstrate greater loyalty to God. Judaism and Christianity can compare their devotion to God with ours, but ours will be superior. That is going to be our tradition. We are fighting to win that qualification because the principle already holds true that God is going to give His inheritance to whoever meets the qualification to become His elder son. Therefore, the inheritance of the Kingdom of God shall be attained through untiring love of God.
Why do you want to come here early in the morning? It is because we have so much to do. We have to sell newspapers as well as go out fund raising, plus witnessing. Our duties are so vast that everyone has to learn how to do two or three things at the same time. Are we going in the right direction? Why'? By living this way we are excelling and no one else can compete with us. By living this way we can inherit God's kingdom and authority and the world will have to follow us because we will be the only leaders.
Right now opposition is so intense that for the first time in American history parents are trying to kidnap their own children. We are writing a new chapter in American history. Parents are desperate to take you away from the Unification Church and they ask, "Don't you love me more than you love Reverend Moon? What's so good about him? What does he give you? I gave you everything." These parents do not know that the love they are striving for is only on the kindergarten level, while we are trying to attain the love that encompasses the entire world. You already have a taste of this love and see clearly the goal we are headed for. This is why no matter how hard parents or deprogrammers try to dissuade you, they can't succeed.
What I am speaking about is not just some fantasy or dream world. This is reality based on the truth that is unfolding. It's amazing that this experiment is working here in America; this country is the toughest testing ground for the Unification Church and you are helping to prove that the truth of God is working. America is the best place to test that truth because today this country is very individualistic, pragmatic and self-centered. I brought this ideology to America not only to have some impact but to turn America around 180 degrees to a totally different direction.
Anyone who is only thinking about himself, his own glory and goal, is on the highway to Satan's territory. America is driving down the highway straight to Satan and there is no question that eventually she will end up in failure and destruction this way. We have to reverse the tide here in America so that she will go on to that new territory and qualify to be the elder son of God who can receive and live under His authority.
The movement that will do this will transcend nationality and color of skin. God doesn't see color of skin. If white people adamantly oppose His will but black people respond to it then eventually black people will govern the world. There is no question about that because no one can bend the power of God.
I am now nearing the age of sixty and there has never been one easy day for me. Every day the enemy is trying to kill me, to persecute and destroy me, yet I have survived. I not only survived but this movement today prospers on the worldwide scale. Do you think that is due to my power and cleverness? Who did it'? Why did God make this movement successful? It is because without men like me God will be in trouble. God needs His champions. God is comforted that at least one movement represents His will 100%.
As a religious leader in history I am sure there is no one comparable to me in terms of causing controversy. In my own lifetime I have shaken the entire earth. I convinced black, white and yellow people to follow this way of life, and they are now spread around the six continents of the world. Are you like that? Those who are, raise your hands please. Thank you very much.
All kinds of crazy things are happening in the world. You recently heard about Jim Jones and the Guyana situation. That is definitely one sign of the end of the world. Unless we quickly restore sanity and reason centered on God, this will surely be the end of the world.
I have worked very hard. For what goal? Because I want to eat twelve meals a day'? Because I want a little money to go out drinking and have a good time? Is that why 1 have been suffering all these years? The world is watching my every move with a magnifying glass because they want to see every little thing. Satan is in trouble, however, because my opponents have said everything they want to say and still it hasn't stopped me. There is no truth in their accusations. When Satan wages war on the heavenly world, the more he fights, the more he loses. He thinks he has beaten us, but then he finds he has been defeated.
You must have read in The News World about Barbara Larsen. She turned out to be our heroine. The deprogrammers thought they had scored a victory, that she had cracked and they had her, but then what happened'? The deprogrammers were arrested when they came to New York trying to get her back! They thought they had won but in the end they lost. This is the beautiful strategy of heaven. Satan always attacks and thinks he has won, but when he turns around he has lost everything. We think we are retreating, but all of a sudden we find we are the winners.
ln World War 1 the attackers lost in the end, and in World War 11 they lost again. We can say we are in the Third World War because the communists are always attacking, taking every opportunity to grab more territory. They always thought that America was their most formidable enemy and that once they knocked America down the world would be theirs, but in the last few years they have discovered that America is a peanut compared to me. The communists found that their real enemy is not America but Reverend Moon and his Church, and now they are more concerned with gathering allies against me than they are about attacking the American government. The American government together with Christians and Jews has found ways to link forces against me.
Eventually one side will prevail in this struggle, and you know which one it will be. Because we have the crucial formula and principle, we know who will be the survivor in the end. It's not whether America or Christianity or Judaism has more power or territory that will decide the survivor; the deciding factor is which side God is on. One man standing with God shall be the majority. Have you ever thought, "I will be the survivor. I'm a majority because it's me plus God, and nothing can prevail against that majority"? God is the ultimate power and authority and He is desperate to fulfill His will and bring the ideal of creation here on earth. He needs His champions and cannot afford to lose them. Therefore, this rule will work, and whoever sides with God shall triumph. You know that the Divine Principle teaches all of this.
There is no question that we are in a battle on every level; individually, as a family, clan, society, nation and world. We have to win this battle, but instead of fighting separately is there any way we can collectively win one battle and finish everything? Once you aim at the highest possible level, give your utmost and sacrifice yourself. Your "self" is the ultimate thing you can sacrifice. You have Cain and Abel within yourself, with your mind in the Abel position and body in the Cain position. Your mind is always trying to sacrifice and live the public way of life, but there is always friction within yourself. Your body rebels and says, "I want to take it easy and relax." This physical body gets mad easily and is temperamental. When you see a certain situation and Divine Principle says to keep quiet and cool, your body always says, "No, I cannot stand it. Mind, you stay behind and let me take care of the situation." The body is always excited.
No one is more temperamental than 1 am. I was born impatient and could never stand injustice, but 1 have been patient and have sustained myself for sixty years by letting my body stay behind and letting my mind and Divine Principle step forward. At the Washington Monument rally we demonstrated to the world what we are and what we can do. After that, people used all kinds of methods to destroy us, but we only confronted them in legal ways. This is why we have undertaken many court battles. God assured that at least the judicial branch would still uphold justice and now we are winning one court battle after another. We are not restricted to being always on the defensive; the heavenly side can go on the offensive, but not in the satanic sense. That means you do not go out and wage war with your fists, but with truth and love. If you try to use your fists then instead of winning the nation and the world you will lose be cause you are using Satan's method.
Now let's go back to the celebration of the birth of Jesus. I want you to know that God's original ideal of creation was that God, Adam and Eve, and children make up the heavenly four positions. Since that was not fulfilled, God is recreating the heavenly four positions through the Messiah, his bride and the Messiah's family.
Did Jesus meet his bride? The Christian interpretation is that all members of the church are brides to Jesus. Without question there is a certain symbolic meaning here, but God's ultimate desire is to give a physical bride to His son.
Because of the fall of man, which took place with the very first man and woman, there were no true parents for mankind. The true parents disappeared because they never came into being. Instead, Adam and Eve united with Satan and false parents came into being. Restoration naturally means going back to the original state, and therefore, the first True Parents must emerge.
True parents means two persons: father and mother. Which did God create first? Do you know where women came from'? The Bible says a woman was created from one rib of Adam, but the true meaning is that God created woman after the example of man. Actually woman is the latest model. Which one is physically bigger'' Men and women have complementary positions. Men have stature and strength, while women are the soft aspect of mankind.
Do you women like feminine men, or men who have strength and firmness'? What about men'? Do you like women who are firm and tough like bone'? Just as one body must have bone and flesh harmonized together, men who are like bone and women who are like flesh need to come together beautifully into oneness. America thinks it is a very cultured nation, but look at this nation's plague of homosexuality. Men and men are trying to get married. Women and women want to get married.
Your mouth is one beautiful example of a hard I and a soft part working harmoniously. Teeth represent strength, while lips are soft and flexible. Can you imagine lips made of hard ivory, or a tongue made of iron? Put yourself in the position of the tongue. Many times every day it travels between the two rows of teeth in your mouth, and if your teeth made a mistake your tongue would get chopped in two! If any part of the human body should become paranoid it should be I the tongue most of all. It lives a hazardous life between the hard teeth, but you never hear of people biting their tongues in two.
If God created such perfect harmony within yourself, don't you think that if there had been no fall men and women would have been united into one with perfect harmony? In the love of God men and women can truly consummate perfect harmony.
When men and women become one in total, perfect harmony then all of mankind is one in perfect harmony. When a man looks at his wife, she is more than his wife; she is a representative of mother and daughter and of the entire female world. A husband is representative of father and son and the entire male world. When you love your wife or husband and children totally without any reservation, you have the qualification to love the entire world because all mankind belongs to one of those categories. Knowing that God loves them as He loves you, you can love them because God is appearing in them. When you look at others, you are seeing the image of God.
Jesus came as the father of mankind. Therefore, he must restore the mother of mankind and then together they would become the True Parents. There is no other way true children can come. If Adam and Eve had not fallen and had united individually with God and together as husband and wife, they would have created the God-centered family, clan, society, nation and world. Isn't that true? But that was all lost in the garden of Eden. Therefore, in restoration God wanted to fulfill that ideal through the Messiah who came 4,000 years later.
Sinless Adam and Eve should have become the temples of Cod's spirit and been the source of true parental love. Because of their failure Jesus came on the national level to initiate true parenthood, which would then expand to the Roman Empire. He would have become the parent of the world at that time, and forever afterward in the spirit world he and his bride would have been the True Parents of mankind. Whether you are in the spirit world or the physical world, you have the same True Parents.
Because God has no form and is invisible, He wants to manifest Himself; that is the very purpose of existence of His creation. Otherwise, God would have no reason to create the world and man. He wants to fulfill His love through give and take with His physical objects. Why did God create the world and man'? God wanted to make Himself visible and to fulfill His love by having an object. God wanted to be a father and have children, but God has not ever had that relationship with mankind so far.
God wanted to have Jesus and his bride become the beginning point of God's own fulfillment by becoming True Parents. Jesus came as the true father of mankind, but just as Satan murdered Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, 4,000 years later he again murdered the true father, Jesus. It was an indescribable tragedy. Since then, the most important thing God prepared for the Second Advent was the atmosphere and foundation of the free world, so that when the Messiah comes again in the position of true father, the tree world must not be able to murder him.
The Unification Church is the very movement which will install true parenthood here on earth, starting from the individual level and expanding to the family level, clan, tribe, society, nation and world levels. We can help people of all five colors of skin become brothers under one parenthood of God. Your first step is to become true children, and then later the True Parents will elevate you into the position of parent. You must set the right condition and prove yourself worthy and qualified to inherit parenthood. Each one of you is a small-scale messiah and you must show to the world that you love God and mankind more than anyone else in history. You must create your own world microcosm because the entire world is too gigantic to deal with. God makes restoration easier by creating a small world of home church in which you will find your true individual, family, tribe, clan and everything. By loving that small world, you can say you have loved the entire world.
In the small world of the home church you are going to demonstrate that you love the people in your area more than anyone else in history. You must be superior in heart to everyone-past, present and future-in loving that small world. lf you can love them more than anyone else in history then you can certainly love it more than Satan. Then God can say, "Yes, my son, you have fulfilled that qualification. Come to receive my inheritance."
This morning my topic concerns the birth of Jesus and the fulfillment of God's will. God's will shall be physically consummated in this home church system, in which you will find the consummation of all human history, the will of God, and the entire ideal of creation. I am asking you to become a tribal messiah to that home church.
God's ideal failed to be realized in the garden of Eden and again at the time of Jesus. This is our opportunity to restore those past failures. In order for you to have this home church territory, however, great sacrifices have been made. God, Jews, Christians and all of mankind have been paying terrible indemnity for this home church dispensation even to start, but all their sacrifices shall bring resurrection. God is asking you to undertake restoration of the position of elder son in your home church mission.
You must expect rejection in your home church area because that formula is unavoidable. Your people will slam the door on you, curse and spit at you. Without experiencing that rejection you cannot feel the heart of God. When you taste rejection, think of God who has been rejected for many thousands of years. Think of Jesus, who was rejected by his own people. Think of me, for I have been rejected my entire life by my own people and the people of the world. You are sharing that suffering heart.
It may take several years to restore your home church, but if you are as good as I am you could restore 360 homes in one year. If your baby is sick, you would drop everything to go to the hospital and try to heal him. If your husband or wife was sick I know you would immediately take him or her to the hospital. Love your territory more than you would love your ailing husband or wife, and then you can say that you loved your territory with a love superior to all satanic standards. There is no question that if you meet that criterion you shall be the messiah of your territory.
Your home church is the altar on which you can vindicate the suffering heart of God. God suffered terribly when Adam betrayed Him, and He was in anguish when the Israelites crucified His son Jesus. God suffers when he sees the entire world come against me, but you are going to vindicate all of this at once in the home church mission. God has tasted many failures in history but by your victory in your home church God will be able to forget them all. You are going to make God glorious and triumphant.
Have you truly loved someone else as you love yourself? Have you loved some stranger more than your own wife, husband, or parents'? Jesus set a profound criterion of love by saying that if a person loved his parents, spouse or brothers and sisters more than Jesus, he was not worthy of Jesus. Only when a person loves him more than anyone else can that person have a new beginning. That was Jesus' criterion and having that kind of love is the only way you can inherit the Kingdom of God.
Would you do it reluctantly, being pushed by me, or are you going to do it willingly'? When you become older you long to be married, and in that case would you marry because someone pushed you to do it or because you were longing for it.' It's natural to want marriage, isn't it? In the same way, even your physical nature should be longing to become a messiah, longing to reach your destiny.
Is home church the place where God will be fulfilled or not? Is that where the mission of Jesus is continuously fulfilled or not fulfilled'? Is that the place where the historical Jacob-Esau struggle over the position of elder son will be resolved'?
Home church is like a launching pad for the heaven-bound missile. A rocket to Mars and a rocket to the stars can both be launched from the same pad because everything starts from one point. The home church mission is the launching pad, but how far you go is up to you. From here you can propel yourself up to the nation, spirit world and everywhere. You are an Apollo 11 with the mission of inheriting true parenthood. You are carrying 360 homes and should serve them as you serve True Parents, taking them with you and arriving in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and in heaven.
The fundamental mistake was actually made in the garden of Eden and at the time of Jesus, but since the people involved were our ancestors, we too are responsible today. We cannot negate that responsibility, so it is most logical that we are the ones to pay the debt and consummate it. In giving the love of God you should not get behind anyone. Suffer more and love them more. In that love all kinds of people and all five colors of skin are included. If you are a white brother, would you visit white people first? If you are black, do you visit in the black community? Actually, it should be the opposite. Black people should go to white homes and white people go to black homes. That is the way we can destroy all the barriers of I racism.
God set the goal in the garden of Eden and that ideal still remains. That goal continued through the time of Jesus and comes to us today in terms of home church. Whether I remain here on earth for another ten or hundred years doesn't make any difference. I have fulfilled the ideal already and now it is up to you to fulfill through home church. Now is the time for the sons and daughters to fulfill as the parents have done. The criterion is to love your home church more than you love True Parents; then all kinds of miracles will take place.
The third seven-year course will be over in 1981. By then all negativity and opposition will be wiped out. Wait and see. 1976 was the culminating year of God's dispensation, and for the past three years we have been pulling the entire dispensation ahead of schedule. We have 1979, 1980 and 1981 left. In your own lifetime you are passing through the most critical moment of human history. This third seven-year course is the most crucial time in God's history, and you are not only living in that period but you are participating and bringing the entire dispensation ahead of schedule. What a wonderful record you are going to possess.
In the remaining three years the home church system shall be totally consummated and then everyone shall rejoice together with the True Parents at the celebration party. The third seven-year course is not primarily for the True Parents, but for their children. It is the children's responsibility, and the consummation of the total will of God shall climax at this point.
The entire world is bustling about, commemorating Christmas with all kinds of events. People have no idea of the dispensation of God or for what purpose Jesus came, or of how miserably he died because of the rebellion of his own people. When God and Jesus look down on the world today would they be happy to receive today's extravagant celebrations in the world outside this Church'?
We have one thing to do: we must qualify for the elder son's position. Why shall we do it? Because we must inherit God's kingdom. In order for you to qualify, the only instruction I can give is for you to go out to the world and be a messiah. God said the same to me; "Get out there and restore the elder son's position. Receive the persecution of your own people and the entire world and then I will see whether or not you qualify for the elder son's position."
I obeyed and received the rejection of the world. Instead of rebelling against it or complaining, I accepted it in the heart of the love of God because I knew the heavenly strategy of how to overcome Satan. Satan always tries to strike more than once. If you are attacked and yet withstand it and forgive, moving forward in the love of God, then you will win the medal of God. If I had not known the truth of God, I would have been a very fearful person. But because I knew the truth of God, even though I was born with a fearsome temper I withstood every injustice.
To Western people Korea is insignificant. Many Americans probably don't even know the location of Korea, but one yellow man came to this country and declared the truth and love of God. Although I was fired upon by 240 million Americans, I kept my position and moved forward. I know very well that American people don't like to hear me say that I came to save America as a doctor because this nation is dangerously ill. I also said that America's young people are corrupted and without hope, but if America will leave the young people to me I will take care of them. Even though I am a yellow man, in understanding God I hold the highest position. Even Americans must respect the authority of such a person. In order to qualify to be superior to others, I took no time to sleep but just persisted on and on. You know this is true. Your position is precisely the same as mine.
You are actually in a more blessed position than Adam or Jesus or me because you inherit the pioneered foundation, while I spent my entire life just to open the way. If you just work with that knowledge then everything can happen in six months or one year.
Once public opinion about me changes, a mood will sweep the country in favor of the Moonies. Once people conclude that the Moonies can certainly save this nation, our job can be consummated in six months. The truth will come out eventually and the public will know how the media distorted the truth and condemned an innocent man, how even the government tried to destroy me. Then the truth will win. The time will come when the American people will apologize and respect me from that time on.
How will Americans be grateful when they realize what I have done'? I was subjected to incredible persecution but I withstood and didn't get mad; I didn't run away and give up on America. America will understand that I invested everything, including my life, energy and money, everything I have to save this nation. Then how grateful would people feel?
Now the home church mission is rather difficult, but the time will come when it will be the easiest job under the sun. You will be welcomed with red carpet treatment. The day for the vindication of God, Jesus and the True Parents is here. I want you to realize what an historically important position you hold just by hearing this message here today.
The best way to think is: "Don't pity me or try to comfort me. Just push me out. I need the kind of leader who will make me a messiah." The person who thinks that way won't have enough room for hanging all his medals in front and will have them hanging behind also. Having your medals on your back is very handy because Satan will see them; he always follows you and seeing your medals will frighten him. Will you say, "Father, leave it to me. You don't have to send Bo Hi Pak to chase after me. I will do it, Father. I shall fulfill your expectation 100%"? Do you need someone to push you out every day or do you want me to leave you alone and let you bring the victory yourself?
Imagine that one day the New Yorker kitchen prepared breakfast as usual but no one came to eat because they had already gone out for home church witnessing. Would that be a very annoying phenomenon or a happy phenomenon? Usually everyone gets home at a certain time each night but suddenly none of them are returning because they're still at their home churches. Is that good or bad? You must set a condition that will be superior to the past, present and future. If you come in so late that the dining room is closed already and there is no more dinner, do you feel, "I worked late and came back hungry and they didn't save anything for me. What kind of church is this?" Or would you say, "Thank you Father. I'm making history now." One way to eat dinner is just to tighten your belt and go to bed. If you come in late and just collapse on your bed then when you wake up again in the morning you are all dressed and ready to go. How will God feel to see you? The only thing God and spirit world worry about is how long that man or woman will last. '"Will they continue one year or two years, or do they have an iron will so they can go on for their entire life," they ask.
There are a number of blessed couples in New York and their attitude sometimes is not right in the sight of God. They may think that because they have a baby to take care of that others should go out witnessing. That is wrong. The baby would say, "I'm a heavenly child. I don't want a mother like you but a mother who will do home church." Sometimes the baby cries because of that. Having a child is a blessing but it is no excuse not to do home church. I am going to expand the nursery so you can go out and work in home church.
Here in America I have begun a nursery so that the children of the blessed couples can be taken care of, but in Korea the members do not have that kind of luxury. When the blessed couples went out to witness years ago they left their children in public orphanages or handed the babies across the fence to their parents and then left. This is not the time to cling to your children because you must set the condition. People in the secular world cannot give up their closest loved ones but you must set a better standard. God gave up His son Jesus, so why can't you give up your child and go out for the salvation of the world? That is God's most logical strategy and that's how I have lived already. Many blessed couples in Korea have also suffered in that way.
1979 will be a year of markedly different accomplishment. It is no year for complaint. Do you have a mouth to complain with or to glorify God? Would your mind concentrate on a selfish way or only in a public, heavenly way? Why? Because you have the pride of being the sons and daughters of God and you want to be qualified to be messiahs. You have to demonstrate what I have demonstrated. Can you do it?
If you can do it then you are truly celebrating Christmas, and this will be the one celebration that gives comfort and vindication to God and Jesus. You are the hope of God, of Jesus, and of the world. Those who would become the hope of the world, raise your hands please. Thank you. God bless you. Let us pray.
