Belvedere
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
Two Chinese characters represent the word "pledge" and they are pronounced "Mengseh" in Korean. The meaning in Chinese is symbolic and very profound.
The Korean race originated in the Manchurian area of mainland China, but recent archeological studies show evidence of ancient Korean civilizations scattered much further west. Confucius himself is believed to be of that early Korean origin. The great Chinese king Chin She Wang, comparable to Alexander the Great, has also been linked with Korean origins by archeologists. All these things from the past are being revealed by scientific excavations of tombs and relics.
I would like to start a project combining three great scholars, one each from China, Japan, and Korea, to uncover the roots of the Korean people.
The literal meaning of "Mengseh" in Korean is to make a promise before the altar of God. It can also mean simply a promise for the future. We recite our Pledge every Sunday morning at 5:00. The first part of the Pledge deals with the original creation and the loss of that ideal through the fall of man.
The second paragraph deals with restoration of the children that were lost. The third paragraph refers to the way in which God has fearlessly striven for the restoration of mankind and the world. Number four outlines the scheme through which the ideal will be restored step by step, beginning with the individual, family, society, nation, world and cosmos. The goal and hope for the future are projected in part four. Part five of the Pledge is the conclusion. It projects what we are going to create-one sovereignty, one nation, one people. etc.
Let us look at ourselves and ask where we are situated now. Mankind is located between good and evil. between God and Satan, between Heaven and earth, as a result of the fall of man. Goodness and Heaven are the realm of God, while evil and the earth itself are the under the domain of Satan. Without question. God is the central figure of Heaven and He created the goodness of this world and the goodness of Heaven. Satan created the evil world and earthly hell.
Heaven is organized with God at the center and the very best, highest spirits immediately around Him; close to them are the next highest spirits. and so on. Satan organized his realm in a similar way. He occupies the center of hell and surrounding him are the most evil spirits; close to them are the next worst spirits, with the layers filled with spirits of lesser and lesser evil as they go out. Between these two worlds there is a distinct boundary which keeps them separate.
This is reality. and as human beings we are situated in either of these two areas. In spirit world there is a specific location designated geographically as hell. What is the division between Heaven and hell; where is Heaven? If men and women had not been present to respond to evil, hell would not have been created. Both Heaven and hell were created because of human beings.
Mankind is composed of both men and women, with man being created first. Who initiated the fall of man? We always blame the archangel, but without men and women he would not have had anybody to work with. In the long historical process of striving for a world of goodness, women have been victimized and used more often as obstacles to that goal. During the past 70 years, the movement for women's rights has become widespread and prosperous; prior to this, women's rights never became a strong issue in the world.
America is a country in which women have great controlling power over the men, who often behave like servants. This is actually a providential occurrence. Since God knew that the messiah was coming in the position of bridegroom, the bride's position had to be elevated. Women must not be trampled into the ground, so God inspired the effort to give rights to women. Since the USA is a central country in the providence, American women had to play a central role.
The providence of God could be looked at as a hill. During the arduous climb up to the top of the hill, men took the initiative and pulled the women. However once we near the top and start to go over, women have to take the initiative and lead the men. As the central representative of all men. the messiah comes to restore his bride. He has to find that bride and carry her over the hill. Before the bride is restored the women must play the leading role, but afterwards the men must regain their subjective position. Instead of going down the hill together, they will go upward toward Heaven. At the very top of that providential hill are American women, who are very important and very articulate.
Homosexuality is rampant here in America today. One reason for this social phenomenon can be said to be the growth of women's power. When men become afraid of women, they separate themselves into homosexual behavior. Likewise, women freely engage in lesbian behavior.
When men think of their ideal wives, they don't generally think of stubborn, aggressive women. If Adam had been in firm control of Eve in the Garden of Eden, there would not have been any fall; she would not have been vulnerable to the enticement of the archangel. Therefore in the restoration process at the culmination of the providence, man must have a firm, guiding hand over woman. That is the way indemnity must be paid.
In the secular world, women follow men but often with the intention of, controlling them or preventing them from doing something wrong When the ideal world is established, women will follow men but not with such a hostile purpose. They will follow out of a desire to help or serve the man. out of a spirit of total trust.
This morning's message doesn't make you women feel too good, it appears! The truth is that many men have been victimized throughout history because of women. In Western culture, men used to duel with each other for the right to a woman. If two men wanted the same woman, one or the other would have to die. Oriental culture has never seen such a phenomenon. The woman had to wait helplessly for the outcome of the duel; she had to accept the man who won the duel, even if she didn't like him. Women never normally duel with each other. however. over the love of a man. A duel is almost like Eve pushing God and Satan into the position of dueling for her.
Women were often regarded as a commodity throughout history, like personal property or jewelry. Conquering soldiers would take women as the spoils of war and those women would be forced to live with whatever man claimed them. The queen of a defeated nation could become a servant. The only alternative to living that subjugated way of life was to kill themselves. but women generally didn't do that. They normally submitted to their slave situation in order to survive.
Historically, the side of evil has been more efficient and aggressive in the struggle against goodness. Between a good man and an evil one, the evil man is more vicious in a conflict. Evil has no discretion, conscience or moral limitations. An evil man can do anything. killing and hurting without compunction.
Between evil men and evil women, who are the most vicious fighters? It is the evil men. Genuine. good. lovely women have been the victims of evil men throughout history. What kind of women have normally been drawn into prostitution: the ugly. unappealing women or those who are good-looking? It was usually the attractive women. We can draw the conclusion that those women who pride themselves on their beauty are more likely to be victims of satanic attack. In wartime invasions. evil men go after beautiful women as their first targets. Dictators with absolute power always pick beautiful women as their slaves or concubines. This is illustrated in movies, novels. and historical archives.
Evil men have robbed good men of their wives and daughters throughout history. Good men are supposed to have good women, but because of evil men. the good ones have suffered more. Thus women have been the source of great suffering to good men.
In their greed and out of desire to make their women happy, evil men will do anything: organize gangs, rob banks, plunder diamonds and jewels. etc. Thus evil men have the capacity to satisfy women materially. However good men are usually poor because they will not resort to evil methods of gaining money to entice women.
Men who are famous and very masculine-looking are often sought after by women. For example, Elvis Presley used to be chased around by women wherever he went. Women tried to kiss him and cried and screamed over him. If he had made an announcement to the world, "Any woman who likes me can come to see me tonight," I'm sure millions of American women would have lined up, even leaving their husbands behind. Elvis Presley was like the king of rock music, but in the sight of God. did he fulfill a satanic or Heavenly role? Certainly the superstars of the secular world generally influence the world in a satanic way. Men and women who always worry about their appearance, watching their weight, putting on more makeup. and trying to be alluring to others, are making a basically satanic effort in the world.
What is the standard of the Heavenly side? The Heavenly way is what Satan always rejects. For example people frequently say, "We don't like Moonies or the Unification Church." What kind of people are saying this: good, conscientious people or those who are more on the evil side?
Many American parents today are pushing their children to go out and have lots of dates, worrying about them if they don't. They are actually almost pushing their children toward a promiscuous life. On the other hand, here in the Unification Church I always direct people not to date. not to touch. not to have premarital sex. This teaching is completely opposite from the secular standard. Which do you think is the more Heavenly and which the more satanic?
Do people raise commotion and criticize our church because we are so satanic or so Heavenly? What about you Unification Church members, do you like me? What about you women? Even though you like me, I don't treat you in a warm. intimate manner; I normally don't even shake your hand. However when a woman in the secular world gives the signal that she likes a certain man. he will immediately try to move in and claim her for himself.
Sometimes beautiful. talented and intelligent women have heard that I am such a straight upright man and have joined the Unification Church in order to entice me. Of course, none have succeeded yet' If I paid attention to`' such women, do you think this religious crusade could have continued? God is always pushing me towards a certain goal. so I have no time to get involved with such temptations.
When I came to the United States. I met many capable and charming women. It they tried to wink at me. do you think I winked back" On the contrary, I was likely to make a funny face Women have the special gift of being able to attract others. The negative way of duo it is for the purpose of enticing someone; more positively. a woman can charm and delight someone. Whenever I see a woman trying to entice me, I become more stern and more severe towards them.
Out of the approximately four billion people on the earth at this time, what percentage of them do you think could be classified as genuinely good? Perhaps you might estimate one percent; that would mean 40 million people. Are there that many genuinely good people in the world? In the time of Abraham, God announced His judgment on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy those cities, so God promised to relent if Abraham could find ten righteous people in them. Abraham could not come up with even ten righteous people, so the cities were destroyed.
Do you think New York City today is better or worse than Sodom and Gomorrah? It is worse. This means that New York, and actually every city on the earth. deserves fire and brimstone today. The angels told Lot to leave Sodom because God was going to destroy it. Such an order is about to be given to people in the world today, 'Leave that place behind; don't try to save anything, just come out of there." What would you do in such a situation?
Most of you Moonies are in a honeymoon mood now, after the July I blessing and the Korean blessing. Many of you are thinking of setting up your own sweet homes, but suppose God ordered you all of a sudden to leave everything behind. including your spouse? Suppose God said. "Husbands go north and wives go south," what would you do? Would you protest and try to accompany your wives or husbands?
In the perspective of history, this is not a normal time; it is a time of emergency. In an emergency such as a fire, you would leave a building through any possible exit, even if it were only a small hole. You wouldn't wait to find the normal door. You might lose an arm, a leg, even break your neck trying, but you would still do anything to get out. If a hotel is on fire, the fireman would go in and even throw someone out the window if there was no other possible way of getting him out. That is an act of goodness in a time of emergency.
I am like a fireman coming into a burning hotel. I am very busy gathering people and throwing them out of the burning building. In this emergency, do you think my actions are justified?
Why am I speaking to you of such things this morning? Look at the evils of the world. God is a sad and suffering God who must look at this world and see the condition of His children. It is apparent when we look at this world that God must be experiencing terrible suffering. This is a vicious, dangerous world. Therefore. when you go out to do your work in the morning, you must be well prepared. Pray to God for help in meeting the difficulties of this world so you can return safely at night. When you return at night, look at yourself in the mirror your eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hands. Those are your most susceptible parts, most ready to commit sin. Ask each of your features, "Were you righteous today? What did you do?" You must control your circumstances, rather than being distracted and drawn away by your environment. You must be able to guide your circumstances from the central righteous position.
You are being trained as leaders in the Unification Church so that you can control your circumstances, not become victims of circumstances. We must change the world, not become changed by it.
You did not come to Belvedere for a picnic or as a joke. We came here to do battle, to gain the power to go out for the confrontation with Satan. You will either survive or die.
When you go out, people point their fingers and call you, "Moonie, Moonie!" but that is actually a blessing because they are constantly reminding you of your mission. You can't forget what you are doing. However, if people were totally embracing you as a Moonie and inviting you into their homes, that would be bad news for you!
Throughout history, the good and righteous religions prospered during times of persecution. Why is that? Persecution actually protects people by spurring them on to greater discipline and devotion to their mission. As much as you are persecuted for your religion, God's support intensifies. At the point where their persecution becomes so strong that it threatens their lives, God can distinguish the true believers, those who are truly faithful.
Shall we avoid persecution in every possible way, or shall we confront it? Should we look for the easiest possible route, or go the toughest way? The most timeless teaching of Jesus in the Bible has been that of sacrifice and service, willingness even to die for the sake of others. That means we do not kill those who oppose us; we forgive them. We must embrace our enemies.
God and Satan are engaged in battle. Satan abhors one thing above all: people who love their enemy. He has no way to deal with such people and is helpless before them. When people have that attitude, there can be no war, bloodshed, or confrontations. Satan always wants to create and wage war while God is always trying to stop war.
When you are working on the front line, Satan will try to trip you up. using the people and things closest to you. This is why the Bible clearly states that one's worst enemies in the pursuit of God's way are often the members of one's own family. In the same sense. the closest thing to your mind is your body; so Satan will always try to work through your body. In that way, your body is actually your enemy.
God is telling you. "Don't doze during the sermon," but Satan is whispering to you, "Don't listen to him; go ahead and sleep. You have every reason to be sleepy here because Reverend Moon constantly pushes you: he doesn't understand you. Go ahead and sleep." Satan can always give you some justification. "You worked at the News World all night last night. Naturally you have the right to sleep," he might say. Satan likes to use the word 'naturally."
We could draw a line representing the division between God's realm and Satan's. That which is above the line is Heavenly and that below is satanic. How does your own life measure up? Would more of your life exist below or above the line? When you live more time below the line. do you think you deserve Heaven or hell? You don't like hell, so why do you permit yourself to exist below the line? It requires great concentration of all your faculties to stay above the line; without that, you become dull and loose, slumping below the line.
Do you like Chinese food? If I were to tell you to go every day and eat Chinese food and enjoy yourself. would that activity be above or below the line? You should decide, "I could go out to eat at a Chinese restaurant every day but that would be pleasing only to my body, so I won't do it. Instead, I will eat the most tasteless kind of bread." Could you resolve to eat the worst kind of food and do the best kind of work? That is the way I am resolved.
Compare the origins of two babies. One couple might go out to a nice restaurant and drink and dance, having lots of fun; afterwards they go home and conceive a baby. Another couple might be very poor, working hard for their missions and able to afford only the worst kind of bread to eat. But they pray with gratitude to God for giving them nourishment to allow them to continue doing their missions and afterwards, they make love and conceive a baby. Two babies are conceived, but the motivations of their parents are entirely different. Which of the two babies would have its start above the line. on the Heavenly side? Undoubtedly, it is the second baby.
Among the blessed couples, there are many variations. One couple might have a very comfortable apartment or a good room at the New Yorker, living well each day with no hardships. Then there is the couple in which the husband goes out for his mission, traveling to the south while his wife heads north. both working like beavers. They might meet only once in six months to spend a night in a room at the New Yorker, and at that time conceive a child. Thus even in our movement. there are two different ways of having a baby. Which do you think is more sacred and Heavenly? Which way would you choose'.'
The messiah, Jesus Christ. was born into the world and laid in a manger. The angels came there and gave praise to the son of God. They were the only beings around, so their songs were shouted out with great strength, since no one else was there to give praise. Imagine, however, if Jesus had been born in some royal palace in Rome. There would have been a large gathering of people. including prime ministers and important people. In such a case, the angels would have been just one of the crowd. Since the messiah was born in a lowly place, the angels had to shout out their praises with tremendous power and excitement.
Reverend Moon came to this world with a mission. Would it have been more dramatic for me to have been welcomed by the world as a prince of God, dwelling in a golden palace, or to suffer in the lowest possible circumstances, trying to construct a victory for the sake of God? We are only a handful of people who know this wonderful truth, so how much more excited and inspired we should be! We have to face tremendous opposition from the world, and we have to teach them the truth. Do you have the power, energy and commitment to face the world? There is no way you can retreat in the face of all that opposition. You can move forward and endure any kind of hardship.
Would you rather follow a God whose demands are easy and an easy-going Reverend Moon, or a fighting God and a fighting Reverend Moon? It is easy to say you want the harder way, but it is difficult to do it.
It is more difficult to witness to people when their language and culture is entirely different from your own, but would you like to do that? When you white members go to black cultures. do you think it will be easy? Certainly you will be opposed initially. Likewise you black people, would you like to go to the white culture and make a breakthrough, or stay in the familiar black world? Which is more dramatic? The richest and most privileged people should go to the most primitive countries and the poorest people should go to the richest cultures. When they get to the affluent societies, they should suffer even more than before for the sake of that society. Is such a thing absolutely impossible? There is a principle and truth behind what I am saying.
I have gone through incredible suffering, battles and persecution throughout my entire life, and I have not had even one entirely good day. Under such conditions I have been persevering every minute of every day. Compared to such a life, the one-time martyrdom of the first century Christians was much easier. Am I striving so hard now for my own salvation or for the sake of the world? The first century martyrs died for the sake of their own Heaven, without any concept of dying for the sake of the whole world. However. I am working every day to bring the world back to God and into salvation.
Do you come here to Belvedere to listen to me so that you can build your own Heaven for yourself? That kind of person is not needed at Belvedere. Have you ever considered that Belvedere is like the "mother's womb" of salvation for the world? In the future, long after all of us are gone. people will come here and touch this blackboard and say, "This is where Reverend Moon spoke and that is where all the members sat." They will touch the walls, everything, trying to feel what it was like here. If some chalk dust still remained in the room from when I wrote on the board, those people would want to touch or feel even one particle of that historical dust.
In the future, great numbers of people will make pilgr/images to this auditorium at Belvedere. Kings and queens of many countries will come here and kneel down to pray with tears. If you are living at that time, you will be able to proudly announce to those kings and queens. "When Reverend Moon was preaching, I was sitting right here on the front row and he even hit me on the head with a piece of his chalk. I have it right here. I have kept this piece of chalk for fifty years." Those kings and queens will regard you as a sacred, holy person. Have you ever thought about the Unification Church rising to such a position in the future?
Jesus was able to redirect the history of the past two thousand years, yet he lived only 33 years and had a public ministry of only three years. He was able to leave virtually nothing substantial behind, but look at how many things I will be leaving behind. Through the works and words I have spoken the world has hope.
The very reason I bought Belvedere and East Garden was not for my own comfort, but for the sake of future generations. I know that they will need a holy land to visit, so Belvedere and East Garden will fill that need. I am leaving footprints for posterity.
When I came to the United States. I had virtually nothing in Korea. I built a church there, but no home of my own. I am telling you this so you can realize what a precious position you are in today and how precious each of you is. When I leave the United States. you will come here to Belvedere to feel my spirit. At that time you will say, "I wish I could hear Father speak here again," and you will cry and cry. Why don't you do something about it while I am here?
I want you to understand that what Satan hates the most is love. We must make a pledge to God this morning. Our determination must be to do the things in which God will have the utmost delight and Satan will hate the most. If you make that promise to God then Satan will kick you and persecute you wherever you go. As one man, I have been totally opposed by the world, including the communist world and the democratic world. Every nation, as well as organized Christianity, Judaism, and other religions have opposed me. Do you think that I am doing such evil things that I deserve this kind of opposition from the entire world? By any standard you may use to evaluate me, I am a force for goodness; in the sight of God' I am faultless. The rest of the world hates me simply because I promised to God something totally pleasing to Him.
When I first came to this country and visited New York, I saw Eighth Avenue, the street of prostitutes. I promised to God, "When I return, Father, I will take responsibility to clean up this street." The secular world doesn't appreciate that kind of moral stand, so they opposed me. In 1976 it reached a peak. Everybody was opposing me, like village drums beating so strongly against me. However, since that time the opposition has been declining and all their efforts only serve to make the name of Reverend Moon more famous.
The Korean nation has been the one to oppose me the most. They called me a traitor, a shameful Korean-all kinds of names. But what do they call me now? The beacon of hope for Korea. They are saying that Reverend Moon is the only true patriot since our founding father, Tangun, five thousand years ago. Now there is a consensus even among the children that, as Koreans, they are proud to present Reverend Moon to the world.
The Japanese at first called me by a scornful name, without any designation of respect. Later they gave me the title of teacher. Now they are referring to me as the greatest religious teacher the Oriental race has ever produced. They don't want to call me just Korean, because they want to be included too, so they call me Oriental!
At this time the Western world is striking at me to the highest possible degree, but have I been declining or retreating? On the contrary I am prospering and the opposition is declining. Even while facing trial in the courtroom I did not lose even one iota of my spirit.
I want you to be aware of what is happening in the Orient. In that way you can measure what will happen in America. I began there at the worst possible level and have risen to the highest level of success. In New York, people are learning that Reverend Moon's friends consist of Moses, Buddha, and Jesus. I keep good company!
There has been a great change in Washington, DC People there are wondering, 'Who is Reverend Moon?" Discussions of the Washington Times often end up with one question, "Who is he?" Whether they like me or not they are weighing the issues and asking the right question. Once they start asking the right question, soon they will come to the right answer.
People at least are concluding that what Reverend Moon is teaching makes sense. If that is the case. he must be at least a candidate for messiah. They are watching and waiting for one more step to be taken.
Our detractors thought they could knock me down at any time, so they put up a strong opposition. However, nothing happened to me, while they have become weaker and are about to be defeated.
God's dispensation is moving up to the summit, the pinnacle. Going up takes the most energy, but as soon as we near the top, it becomes much easier. Communism is not the problem; the free world is the problem. As soon as the free world accepts the truth. communism will fall down the hill, pulled by its own weight and the force of nature.
I have now climbed to the top of the tree. The world is making a final effort to shake me off and the wind is blowing strong from all directions, trying to dislodge me. I am holding on tight, so as soon as the world admits they cannot shake me off, the whole tree will be conquered.
You are all holding on to me; would you also like to have someone else holding on to you? Right now people are clinging to me, but the line doesn't extend far enough to reach all the way to the ground. As soon as the line extends that far, we will have a stabilizing line which will anchor us no matter how hard the wind blows. Nothing will be able to shake me off from the top of the tree and we will have three or four lines reaching up to me like ladders from all directions. People can climb up to me on those ladders. Therefore, you should welcome anyone who wants to hang on to your back.
In the secular world people live selfishly and don't want other people hanging on to them or stepping over them. But in the Heavenly world people offer themselves and let others use them as ladders to the pinnacle first. Some of your parents and brothers and sisters are trying to pull you back into the secular world, but the Heavenly world is the opposite. Here we push our brothers forward and children push their parents ahead of them. With this illustration, I want you to understand how tar the Unification Church has come and where we are standing now.
Do you think the hurricane winds are blowing harder now than ever? Our adversaries thought that indicting Reverend Moon would put an end to him and the Unification Church and that no more young people would follow him. However they made a big mistake; it is not happening that way at all. Even while fighting the court battle, I continued my work. If I am put in jail, that will not be the end either. Would you respond, "While Father is in jail, I will stand around and wait for him"? No, I am sure our people will go to the State Department, the Justice Department, the While House, and demonstrate, protesting that the United States cannot torment a righteous man of God.
We will not stand still: we have been given the marching order and we will not tolerate this. Our weapon is not a sword or rifle, but the truth, the most powerful weapon God has given us. Let the New York Times and the Washington Post write whatever they want: we shall keep them informed of the truth. Are you determined to do so? Do you have the confidence that you will do that ?
We have already gone over the pinnacle and we are winning. We will let the world know that the Unification Movement is the toughest and most powerful movement of all. We are not resorting to violence. The U.S. Constitution and laws are on our side, so we simply demand that justice prevail.
Personally speaking. I would enjoy having a few months' vacation in a private place such as a prison. My job is tough-speaking here at Belvedere is hard work! To take off for several months and do nothing, just meditating and having fellowship with God, would be a pleasure for me. However. we cannot let that happen. We are going to do what Satan hates the most. Our pledge is to do whatever is pleasing to God and at the same time what Satan hates the most.
Satan hates the idea of one sovereignty centered on God. He wants all kinds of divided, fighting sovereignties his tactic is to divide and conquer, having people fighting among themselves. But God's message is to bring people together, uniting them. Therefore, the effort of Reverend Moon is to unite people, to bring denominations and religions and races together. Satan wants to see war between the races and the religions. Are the Christian denominations who fight among themselves helping God's efforts? The Unification Church is dedicated to regaining God's sovereignty in this world, to putting Satan out of the picture and exposing his work at corrupting people and inciting them to racial and religious wars.
The basic motivation of Satan is self-indulgence. People drink, smoke, and bribe each other because of Satan's influence. Since we understand that fact. we go the opposite way. Satan starts out big and self-important, but he always shrinks to the smallest entity: himself. His only thought is 'Me first." In the Unification Church we are taking the opposite course; we deny the individual, ourselves, in order to dedicate ourselves for the family. We dedicate the family for the sake of the nation; the nation for the world and the world for the cosmos. At the center. the individual is no longer just yourself but is connected with the universe. What you do as an individual is what the universe does; you are a public person.
Satan's way, however, was to grab for the largest level and then to fall down to the smallest level, himself. He fell even further down, all the way to the dungeons of hell where there is no way out. The person who lives on an individualistic. selfish level is in hell; the size of his selfishness determines the degree of his hell. The person who could sacrifice the world for his own sake is in the worst place in hell. Those who would sacrifice the nation or the society for his own sake are accorded a corresponding position in hell.
However, even from those positions in hell, if a person begins to deny himself for the sake of something greater, his family, the society, etc. his acts will bring him up. Only unselfish, public actions can raise people out of hell, step by step.
In modern day America, the most popular way of life is centered around selfishness. Do the young people generally care about the world, nation, society, or their fellow man? In general they are only oriented to seek fun for themselves. The journey of such Americans toward God must begin from that point of selfishness and when they achieve a certain level, they can become a Moonie. As Moonies, you go up and down continually and some of you never achieve the highest level, although that is a necessity. If you step too low, you can reenter the domain of hell. It is natural for your life to go through ups and downs; but your movements must take you steadily higher. You may go up, then down a little less, then up more than down, then gradually you are moving in an upward direction.
For the Unification Church, the world is our stage, our center of concern. Therefore, if you go to Africa or Asia or South America and serve for the sake of the world, you will transcend the up and down level; you will jump right into the center.
If you go to Africa with such a heart, you will truly become a central figure because you will be with God, the central figure of the universe. If you are truly aligned and one with God, you can even say, 'Africa exists for me," and God will not be upset with you. If Satan tries to accuse you, God will intervene and defend you because you are motivated by His heart. God may allow Satan to test you to determine whether you are truly with Him or not and Satan may give you many difficulties like He did Job. Regardless of Satan's test, however, God's man or woman will not be shaken.
This has been my situation here in America. Satan has been testing me through all the opposition. It has been like a prizefight with Satan trying to knock me down. God is winning His ultimate, final victory and He is telling me, "Yes, my son, you are doing well. Keep going'" Don't you think God is delighted to see the consistent fighting spirit of Reverend Moon?
I want you to understand that the time has come for us to go completely over the hill and cross over to victory. However, each of you has a hindrance, like a 'tail," of fallen nature which you must be able to cut off in order to get over the boundary. If you cling to your own narrow identity as an American. that will stop you. Are you willing go cut that tail off? How can you do that? The answer is simple: don't do anything that Satan likes and do whatever God likes.
We are living for the sake of the one sovereignty of God, our Heavenly citizenship in the Kingdom of God. This is what God wants, and Satan doesn't like one sovereignty at all. From the first day of God's creation, He has desired a world of one sovereignty. This morning in the Pledge you said, "I am proud of the one sovereignty." I am talking about that as a reality now, not just an empty dream. The time has come in which that point has been reached.
What is your citizenship, then? You are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and independent soldiers of that Kingdom. You must resolve to take the difficult way; have pride and authority as the unique, historical independence army, fighting for the independence of the Kingdom of Heaven.
George Washington actually betrayed his mother country, England. If the Revolutionary Army had been defeated, he would have been condemned as a traitor; surely he would have been dragged to London and beheaded. Likewise, Satan is calling me a betrayer of his principality; I am a traitor to his sovereignty. He is telling me, "You are taking away my people and property." This is similar to what the Queen of England felt about George Washington.
Some of your parents believe that Reverend Moon is evil and that I am stealing their children from them. Consider the fact that God's providence called for America's independence. George Washington was God's chosen champion, fulfilling a sacred duty. The independence of America was not the work of George Washington; it was God's work. Washington was God's instrument, like a messiah restoring sovereignty back to God.
Historically, American independence was similar to our mission today, but on a smaller scale. People joined George Washington's army because they believed in the cause and entrusted their lives to him. Among the descendants of those first Americans, God is summoning His independence army today. My position is like that of George Washington; I am asking people to join with me and restore a nation and world under God. That is our battle cry.
Satan is accusing us of being traitors but from the Heavenly point of view, this is the most significant and sacred war that God has ever waged. As the heavenly soldiers of independence, your weapons are not rifles and swords but truth and love. God gave you those weapons with which to conquer and win the world. Truth is like a sword and love is like an atomic bomb. An atomic bomb sets off a chain reaction that creates enormous power; likewise, true love will create a chain reaction of goodness, expanding and multiplying. An atomic bomb is so powerful, it wipes out everything in its path: by the same token, true love can wipe out all the opposition and cleanse all corruption.
Reverend Moon has come to work in the worst possible place in America: New York. It is the most famous. but also the worst place. Therefore, I established our headquarters in New York and launched the Home Church crusade there. This tactic is like the Inchon landing, in the middle of the enemy camp. Do you want to fight an intense battle or a mediocre one? As the commanding general of Home Church, I must be the most tireless and courageous soldier, pushing everybody forward for the sake of the one, Heavenly sovereignty of God.
The Unification Church is truly a great movement; it is the unique beacon of hope in the sight of God. Communism will never conquer the world; but Godism, one sovereignty under God, will prevail over all the world. "One nation under God" was a wonderful slogan at the time of American independence. However, today our slogan is "One world under God," a leap forward. America was supposed to be a spearhead for one world under God, but at the moment this country is the worst enemy to that goal. America must decline, then, because she is not following God. Therefore, American Moonies have the greatest commission to turn this nation from its atheistic attitude toward the concept of one world under God.
Communism is proclaiming, "One world under communism and Karl Marx." Can you permit that to happen? Should Africans, Koreans, or Americans be standing on the front line in this battle? Americans should be the ones and that is the reason I came to this nation. I never came because of American skyscrapers, her money, or her technology. I came here because Americans must spearhead this battle for one world under God. I came here to teach the new philosophy to awaken America, to point her toward the new goal. Is that evil? You must rally around me and form that new independence movement.
Until this time in history, all independence movements were only for the sake of small groups or nations, but this movement is working for no national sovereignty, only God's sovereignty. Therefore all five races of man, all colors of skin-white, yellow, black-have come together and are marching forward as one family.
Which major race is marching forward now, at the head of the line? I foresee many Africans and Latin Americans joining the Unification Church, far surpassing the white people. If I had a satanic mind I might say, "Let's just get rid of white people; they have done so much evil and committed so many crimes in the past. We don't need them in the future world." On the contrary, I came to the leading white nation, the U. S. A. Because of this historical fact. once the American people are awakened to the new ideology they will be the first to truly appreciate it. They will bow their heads in humble apology, asking to compensate for past evils by serving others. American people will not be saved by arrogance but by humility and service for others.
Every Sunday morning you have been saying the Pledge, containing the words, "We are proud of the one sovereignty." Although you have been saying the words, you have never taken them seriously; that is the problem. We are the final, ultimate independence army. There has never been in history an army like ours. We are fighting the unique, fundamental battle. Once we win this battle, there shall be no more war.
Remind your body that it was made to participate in this volunteer movement for the Kingdom of Heaven. Tell your body, "Be strong. The time has come now for us to wage the battle." You must be activated for the purpose of Heaven. All your five senses and all your organs must be immune to satanic influence. We must change the satanic environment instead of being changed by it.
Although we may have children, we have no country in which to register them as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. You should desire to set up that territory of Heaven before you have children. Every minute of the day we must be determined to winning this battle for God's sovereignty. You are candidates with reservations for the Kingdom of Heaven, but you are not yet registered as citizens. At this time in spirit world the Unification Church is like a paradise, still waiting for the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven. By the same token, we have not yet reached the goal of the Kingdom on the earth. We are moving to that point at this time; therefore, we are at the level of Paradise soldiers. Do you want to remain at that level? We must be committed to marching forward in this battle.
I have another court battle to wage, but I will never lose the dignity of Heaven. The desires of God and all of spirit world are in harmony with us. We are privileged to be participating in this most glorious crusade.
It doesn't matter what specific activities you may be doing, whether you are selling flowers or sweeping floors in your home church area. Realize that you are working in order to bring about the establishment of the Heavenly Kingdom on earth. You can think, "As a volunteer soldier, I am selling these flowers to support the independence movement. I am not ashamed." If you feel ashamed to be selling flowers for the sake of the independence army of Heaven, what is the meaning of dignity? How can you be ashamed?
In our army, there are no ranks or classes. We all have the same, sole purpose: the achievement of God's independence. Wives should not worry about whether or not your husbands have college degrees or not. You need only worry about whether your husband is fulfilling his duty as a true independence soldier.
God has declared an emergency at this time in history. Perhaps you have seen that movie, "The Guns of Navaronne." The members of that task force were totally determined and disciplined to achieve their goal. We must be more disciplined than they.
Because you are the independence soldiers for the establishment of God's sovereignty, if you fail this mission here on earth, you will be unable to lift up your face when you go to spirit world. That is why I am so serious, every moment of the day. When the Washington Monument Rally was over, I immediately set the next goal: the Moscow Rally. I would like to take the independence movement to Red Square and hold the greatest rally of all there. How much joy that would bring to God! You must be bold and strong.
In the Pledge, we say that we are proud of one sovereignty, and then one people. We must help the poor and suffering people of the world. The Japanese members have been helping the American movement, rather than thinking of themselves. The U.S. has the responsibility of helping the rest of the world. Americans may love their nation, but God's people must love this nation even more. America is more than just one nation; it is a microcosm of the world and therefore represents all the nations of the world. I am very aware of the fact that Korea is a very needy nation. If our movement invested all our activities. wealth, and energy in Korea, it could be instantly improved and the people there would accept me better. But because America represents the world, I am dedicating our movement at this time to help this country.
You American people should love this country in the position of independence soldiers of Heaven. You should love this nation and all others more than their countrymen love them because they belong to God. America could never decline if Americans were giving that kind of love to the world. All around the world at this time. people are crying, "Yankee. go home," because America has become a selfish nation. However, once they see America giving unselfishly for the world, they will start welcoming Americans.
Is it a bad thing that Reverend Moon has come to this country to educate you Americans how to become great. to make America great? We raise money here in America and then spend it for the sake of the world. Is that bad'.' God welcomes such a thing. America's hope lies in serving the world. People today are becoming involved in such things as drugs. free sex, and homosexuality. Is that for the sake of the world? We Moonies don't take drugs, smoke, drink. etc. What do we devote our energies to ? To serving the world. We are doing this because that is what Satan hates the most. Satan does not want to allow this to happen, because these things will cause his kingdom to crumble. However, God's Kingdom will spread and grow. Therefore, the more people follow the teachings of Reverend Moon, the greater the joy of God.
The third phrase of part Five says, "We are proud of the one land." Who was the originator of national boundaries? It was Satan.
The American immigration department is one of the toughest in the world. What if they started a new requirement for people coming into this country? Suppose they required each new immigrant to complete the 120-day workshop in Divine Principle. Think of the benefit this would bring to this country. Communism would be no problem. Within a matter of years, the whole nation would be restored. Once everyone was living according to Divine Principle, do you think America would need immigration offices? No, they could welcome every citizen of God's world.
That would begin a movement for all the national boundaries of the world to be abolished. Certainly the free world would welcome that. Ultimately. the result would be one world under God. Once a Divine Principle person becomes commissioner of immigration, or Secretary of State, such a thing could happen in this country without too much difficulty. What is wrong with such a thing, which would benefit the entire world?
By then, we would not need to do fundraising. Every citizen would contribute to the Heavenly Kingdom by paying their taxes. In the present, everybody tries to dodge taxes in any way possible, but when the ideal world comes, all Divine Principle people will want to pay, even more than is requested. Satan certainly hates to see people giving more than is required for the sake of Heaven.
Right now in Latin America. the Unification movement is working hard to confront communism and fight immorality. If North America refuses to listen to us, we will work for 21 years in Latin America. the way Jacob worked in Haran to eventually win unity with Esau. After we win the victory in South America. we can return to North America. bearing many gifts and in that way, we shall win the victory here If that is the fastest route, we should not continue to spend time here but should all go to South America.
What if all the Moonies moved out of the U.S.? It would become such a boring place! Americans would not have anything of interest and they would long to have the Moonies hack. They might ask me to send some Moonies back: maybe they would even make a new immigration law giving tree passes to all Moonies.
Regardless of what the world is saying. you must he determined to continue to go forward. Are YOU proud to he a Moonie?
We are proud of the one land. Korean members are asking me to spend some money for Korea, since I am a Korean. American members are saying. "Please spend the money here; this is the best place." However. the money is being spent for the sake of the world, wherever it will bring the best result in bringing the entire world back to God.
We are proud of the one sovereignty, one people, one land. and one language and culture. When I go to South America, I will not feel that I am visiting a "foreign country." I am at home wherever I go. When I go to South America, the unthinking person will say. '1 want to go to South America, too." However, the clever person will say, "I will go to Africa while Father is in South America because he will be coming to Africa next." What would be your response if I asked everybody to go to Africa tomorrow. while I go to South America? By working hard in Africa, you would be able to restore a nation much easier than by continuing to work here in America.
Have you ever before realized the exciting contents of our Pledge? When Sunday comes, do you get bored by the idea of saying Pledge, or do you say, "I wish Sunday would come every day." Perhaps you would like to say it every hour? I know you rascals, though! You are always thinking Sunday morning comes around too quickly!
God is fond of Moonies because we have such exciting contents to our lives. He never looks at people from an external viewpoint; He is always looking at your mind and your heart and taking His delight through that. You must pledge to God. "No matter how difficult it becomes, I will never let You down. I will make one sovereignty, one land, one people." There is no better prayer than the contents of our Pledge. If you seriously recite the contents of the Pledge and live with them all the time. God will stay very close to you. Therefore, be strong and bold.
Consider how small-minded you have been sometimes and what ridiculous things you have thought about. You can never enter the Kingdom of Heaven as simply a citizen of the United States; you must be a citizen of the world and the cosmos. By living and serving others for the sake of the world, you shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
If you live in an expedient, fun-seeking way, you will never have a place to settle once you die and go to spirit world. However, if you are a true Moonie. Living for the goal of loving the world and emulating the True Parents, nothing will be wasted in your life. When you are close to God and the True Parents, you must think the same things as they.
When husbands and wives embrace each other. are you only looking forward to a small goal. such as your own apartment? How wide is your world? Let the world be your apartment. Even if you have to dress and eat like a beggar. when you are working for the sake of Heaven. you are living a dramatic life. Maybe you will be so poor you can only afford to eat pretzels from street vendors. The word "pretzel" sounds like "blessing,' so when you eat pretzels under such circumstances, you will feel you are receiving a blessing. I have eaten the simplest of barley meals and enjoyed them.
I always felt I was going to Heaven, even when I was on the way to prison. When I was being escorted to the prison in North Korea, I raised my handcuffed hands above my head to wave to my followers and I felt no shame at all. I knew I was still on my way to Heaven. In my mind, I can still hear the sound of those handcuffs clanging against each other. Even then, I knew that many movies would be made in the future about that time and young people would be inspired by that sound.
Jails in America, compared to those in North Korea, are like first-class hotels. In totalitarian regimes, jails are slow-killing death chambers. Many lice live in the seams of your clothing; when you press your thumbnail along the seams, it turns red from your blood, which the lice have been sucking. However, each of those lice represents a medal of honor in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Nobody else can compete with me because nobody else thinks the way I do. Any normal person would collapse and eventually die in such a prison as in North Korea, but I survived.
Next in the Pledge we say, "I am proud of the one language and culture centered upon God." Many American people think such an ideal is virtually impossible. People all over the world are trying to learn English, so maybe you American members think we should say, "I am proud of the one English language and culture centered upon God"? But what is the mother tongue of the Heavenly Kingdom? The mother tongue should be the language of the True Parents.
Are there many True Parents in the world today? Once the world receives the one. central True Parents, many branches of them will spring up. Those branches will be connected, not all separated and different. When the wind blows through a tree, all the leaves and branches sway in the same direction. A culture is like the wind, like the direction of a given country.
God happens to be working through Korea. so we consider Korea the fatherland of our faith. During its 5,000 years of history, Korea was invaded 931 times. Yet Korea was never totally destroyed; it always continued as a distinct entity. Korea originally was a gigantic empire, including parts of mainland China. It has continued to shrink because it never invaded any other country and has always been in the position to defend itself from attackers. Korea lost territory each time it was invaded and moved east, eventually to occupy the current Korean peninsula.
The Korean people suffered incredible heartbreak, much bloodshed, and made great sacrifices. Because of the foreign invasions. Korean people have shed more blood than any other race, yet Koreans never sought revenge: they continually forgave their invaders.
Korean people were very bold and strong whenever they were attacked. The Mongolian hero, Genghis Khan, built up a gigantic empire and, according to history. he was never defeated except on one occasion, when he attacked the Korean people.
Korea was primarily conceived for a special dispensational mission. From the beginning of their history, Korean people worshipped God. For that reason, Koreans are peace-loving and, at the same time, brave and independent in spirit. That is evident in the Korean leaders of our church in America! They have a very stubborn spirit and they never give in. Ten Korean leaders may have ten different opinions and none of them will give in! There is only one person who can control them-me! They are very obedient and loyal to me. so whenever I make a decision they follow with no reservation.
Koreans are everywhere and have become the center of controversy in many places. In the markets of New York City, they own so many vegetable and fruit stands that people think they are trying to take over! According to U.S. government statistics, Koreans have the smallest ratio of recipients of welfare among all the ethnic groups. The basic spirit of Koreans is to want to help others rather than to be helped. It is a great shame to Koreans to have to become a burden to others. This is the cultural background from which Reverend Moon arose. It is a natural kind of background for such a person as me, don't you think?
Nothing happens as the result of pure accident. including the reason why I was born in Korea. Another quality of Korean people is their absolute messianic fervor. Many revelations have heralded the coming of the messiah to Korea. I am not saying these things in order to propagandize for Korea. Its history is filled with stories of evil men plotting against good and innocent men. Korea has been an Abel-type nation tormented by Cain-type countries. Within the country as well, Cain-type people have always tormented Abel-type people. This is a persistent theme in Korean history. However, the good people always depended upon God.
According to the law of indemnity, Korea was the most appropriate nation to further the providence and play a central role in human history. From that historical background. Reverend Moon's spiritual ideology will spread to the entire world. This is not just my own personal, individual ideology. God gave His revelation through Reverend Moon. who must spread it clearly as God's revelation.
For thousands of years, Korean history has traveled through a labyrinth, yet it has always been heading toward a distinct goal. Because Korea served as an Abel nation, it has suffered throughout history. Now the Korean peninsula is surrounded by major world powers: China, that gigantic country of over one billion people; North Korea; Soviet Russia which borders close to the Korean peninsula; and Japan. The communists are trying to "unify" Korea by force, but the South Korean people do not want any part of that. The Unification Church, which has emerged from this land, will bring together not only North and South Korea but eventually the entire world. That is our claim.
Which do you think is easier: creating a world language, or bringing people from all races of the world together and marrying them? Is it easy to bring young people from over 100 languages and cultures together and unite them under one parent, who matches and marries them? It is definitely easier to learn Korean than for black and white people to come together and accept each other as eternal spouses. I know you have been thinking that "one language and culture centered upon God" is impossible. Yet people are coming together in marriage without even knowing each other's language, so unification is happening! Learning a language is just a technical matter!
The original language of the Divine Principle is Korean, so if you want to become a true authority on the subject you must learn Korean. If one person studied the translated English version of Divine Principle for twenty years and another the original Korean version for only five years, who would be the true authority? If a dispute arose between them, the person who studied only the translation would have to bow to the understanding of the one who studied the original version.
You are hearing my words through Col. Pak today. When I listen to his translation, I hear him leaving out many things; some things he doesn't have time to say, some things he doesn't remember, and all kinds of mistakes occur. Do you want to understand me directly in my own tongue or through an interpreter? You are children who have to have an interpreter to hear your father. even after all these years. You should be ashamed.
You have not fulfilled your pledge of one language and culture centered on God. I came here and have been trying to learn English. in order to be able to communicate with you. If the parents are trying to learn your language, how much more effort should you be making to learn their language! I am certainly a lot older than you, yet you young people try to excuse yourselves because it is too difficult. Are you learning Korean now?
What if, when you go to the Kingdom of Heaven. the only language is Korean? You would be in deep trouble! Later on. when the Unification Church becomes larger, the official language of our church will be Korean. All official conferences and meetings will be conducted in Korean. The Catholic Church has always used Latin for their official language.
There have been untold difficulties in the world because of language differences. If the best encyclopedia was written in the Korean language, students around the world would surely learn Korean in order to gain the benefits of that encyclopedia. The encyclopedia of the Heavenly Kingdom will be compiled in Korean.
There will be a permanent museum in the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you think the most prominent displays will be about the United States heroes, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln? Or perhaps they will show the accomplishments of Great Britain, or German technology? Or do you think the displays about the life of Reverend Moon and the members of the Unification Church, the soldiers of the independence army of Heaven, will be most precious? Your own faces are museum pieces. Do you want to be priceless museum pieces, or cheap ones? You must work at it if you want to be priceless. Certainly the entire spirit world will visit those museum displays. When the guidebook for the museum is written, which language would it be written in? True Parents' language.
Not learning Korean would be your eternal shame. Your ancestors will say to you, "You were on the earth at the same time as the True Parents, yet you didn't even learn their language. Shame on you!"
You spend a lot of time and money eating three meals a day and a lot of work goes into their preparation. You will probably eat tens of thousands of meals while you are on the earth. If you go to Heaven and proclaim, "I ate a hundred thousand meals on the earth," nobody will even look at you. Such a thing will never be a source of pride. However, even though you may not eat so many meals, if you can say. "I learned Korean." you will be regarded with great respect.
I know many of you want to live in Korea but since it is such a small country. there isn't room for all of you. Therefore, we would have to live in North Korea, as well. In that way, North and South Korea would be united, and then you could overflow into Manchuria and Red China. Soon we could make a UN resolution abolishing national boundaries. Don't you think all the embassies would be glad to learn they no longer had to issue visas? Starting with everybody coming together centered on the Korean language, the movement to abolish national boundaries everywhere would automatically arise. When Kim 11 Sung in North Korea hears about this, he will tremble.
Once we have one sovereignty, one people, and one land, it is most natural that we would have one language and culture centered on God.
Next we say, "I am proud of becoming the child of the One True Parent." Because we are all children of one Father, all the people of the world are our brothers. No one is our enemy; even the Russian people are the victims of communism and not our enemies.
"I am proud of the family who is to inherit one tradition." What is that tradition? It is the tradition of the parents. The purpose of creation is to build the Heavenly four-position foundation, the Heavenly family. Adam and Eve were the parents and God was the grandparents of their children. Three generations are necessary to make the four positions. God is the Origin, Adam and Eve are the product of His division, and the Union results in the children. The give and take between the horizontal and vertical elements makes the four positions strong. Within those relationships, we must learn how to love. Give and take is expressed in turning, circular motion.
You are connected with your spouse, your parents and your children. Men are in the position of father, husband, and son. Women are mothers, wives, and daughters. When you love, you love your parents first, then your children, before you love your spouse. This is Heavenly law. Even in the secular world, when a couple gets divorced they often go back to their parents and they want to keep their children. Universal, natural law operates in people's minds, moving their lives.
The True Family tradition is the textbook of love. You are learning to apply that textbook to different levels, such as the society, nation, and world, based upon what you learn in the family. Contrary to the secular standard, we do not ignore the rest of the world and center only upon our families. We look at the family as a microcosm of the universe, so whatever we learn in the family we use as training and discipline for the way we must act in the society, nation and world.
You should regard all elderly people as your grandparents, people of your own age as your brothers and sisters, and younger people as your children. In this way, you can relate to everyone. With the family as your center, you can reach out in any direction to any distance. The furthest extension of this circle is in Heaven; automatically you will be entitled to dwell in Heaven. There is no room for boundaries between people or separation based on races, religions, or cultures. There is never any war in such a concept.
Because of the satanic element. we have not yet fulfilled this family tradition. We must expand the family tradition through sacrificial service, until we briny the entire world under God.
Finally we say, "I am proud of being a laborer who is working to establish the one world of the heart." through heart we shall fulfill the Heavenly ideal. We will tight anything that goes against that ideal, not with swords and rifles, but with these three weapons-the parent/child relationship, Heavenly tradition, and Heavenly heart. We must use these tools with our whole lives.
The seven points of #5 of our Pledge are the things which Satan hates the most and what God loves the most. Therefore, these seven points are the battleground upon which God and Satan are fighting. You are at the center of this battle. You are learning to go beyond the family, all the way to the society, nation, world and cosmos; finally you will reach the Heart of God. We have to get rid of all traces of Satan in this world; only God's vertical and horizontal lines will remain. Those individuals who are championing this great cause call themselves Moonies.
From the Heart of God, we inherit the true tradition, gaining the true parent/child relationship; then we will fulfill the goal of one sovereignty, one people, one land, and one language and culture centered upon God. That is the Pledge we make every Sunday morning. When we make this Pledge, we are promising something to God and we must fulfill it.
Today you have come to realize fully that the Pledge is not just a ritual of our movement. They are words we must live by and determine to fulfill, as the champions of God. They will become reality here in America and throughout the world. Those who are making this promise to God, raise your hands and say Amen!
God bless you.
