Thanksgiving: Gift of True Christian Spirit

In the history of Christianity, new world that was in the realm of salvation was created with Jesus Christ.  Also, the religion of Christianity on the whole went through the same suffering course that Jesus went though. 

When Christianity was still being established and went to a new country for the first time, the men and women went through major indemnity conditions of shedding blood and suffering. 

Those who were murdered for their beliefs, took the suffering in order to be separated from the world of Satan.  They stood where they could get God's love and make themselves as a sacrifice for others in the world to come to God.

What if Christians were to curse those who tortured them and killed them?  Then the faith would not have not have had a foundation to be able to bring restoration in the world.

Christians had to pray for those who had killed them. 

Without this sacrificial lifestyle, the faith would not have been able to mobilize, grow and affect the world.  Sacrifices and suffering had to occur because God had the intention to go back to where sin originated and forgive Adam and Eve after they fell away from him.

If there was a brother, sister or unfallen angle that could have sacrificed themselves for the sake of the other in their place, then they could have consoled God's painful heart and mind that was broken due to their disbelief.


Reverend Sun Myung Moon, The Divine Principle







Throughout human history of the Old Testament there were sacrifices of animals to God in order to separate from the sin.

In the New Testament age, Jesus himself was the substantial offering.  Jesus labored hard in obedience to God and sacrificed himself in place of humanity so we could be forgiven for the sins we inherit and give and take with everyday.

If all of humankind was united into one with Jesus, then we could have been saved on both the spiritual and physical level due to his obedience.

This is why Jesus must return, because of the disunity of the Jewish people and Jesus who left salvation in the physical realm unfinished.  Once the Messiah returns and lays the foundation for the physical sins to be forgiven then Heaven on Earth will be accomplished.

Right now, humanity only has been forgiven of sins in spirit.  Meaning that the physical body still suffers under satanic dominion and attack.

When Jesus was crucified he saved humanity spiritually, but he himself lost his physical body to satanic attack therefore that was left undone.

So the purpose of Christianity is also to restore that lost physical body of Jesus.

 

 

Christianity was unable to accomplish Heaven on Earth in its time.

It must restore the land, the people and the sovereignty.  Christians must stand in the position of humanity as a sacrifice just as Jesus had done on levels of society, nation and the world level.

Through Jesus's crucifixion, Christianity spread throughout Asia Minor and was thrust toward Rome which was the target.  Therefore, Rome was considered 'the world'.

 

 

 

 

For the world to be saved, Rome had to be conquered by the army of Jesus Christ.

Eventually, after 400 years of sacrifice, this inconceivable goal was achieved.

At that time, the Roman Empire, just as America in the past, seemed to be an impregnable fortress that did not seem to be even a topic to conquest.

But through faith and sacrificial blood of the people of Christ, they conquered the army with their bare hands.

Christians did not use weapons, swords or spears. They were only armed with their love of God and Jesus Christ.

They marched fearlessly toward Rome with utter conviction and strength in the power of God.  Through this, they paid the ultimate price in blood.  What army is stronger than the one where one does not fear any death.

 

 

 

No enemy is invincible against an army of faith.

History is witness to the deeds of that army of Jesus.

At last, the Roman Empire fell...Jesus conquered Rome.  Then Roman Catholicism became the center for God to bring about world salvation and eventually Heaven on Earth.  Therefore, it was planned that the Pope would be God's foremost champion.

Unfortunately, time and time again, history shows that time after time, God was let down by leader after leader.

The Middle Ages much corruption and a decline in the sacrificial strong faith of the Christian spirit.  Church leaders and officials of that time were only worried about their own power, authority and welfare and not the true soul of their congregation.

We even see this trend in today's society.

Those in the hierarchy enjoyed their untouchable power and abused it forgetting all about God's original purpose.

Leaders held tightly to their positions and persecuted those who opposed them.  They claimed that they were direct heirs of Jesus's lineage and his disciples, yet they were unable to rise above their own sins.

In many men, the true Christian spirit was dead.

No matter how much disappointment and heartbreak God experienced, He continued forward with His dream of World Peace!

God is not satisfied with any answer that is less than a total response.  During medieval times, there was much corruption in society. There were people like St. Francis and Martin Luther who denied everything society embraced and retreated from the world.

They were loyal to God's vision instead of pursuing worldly goals.

St. Francis was able to create a movement which enable Christians to give their worldly possessions which enslaved them and walk toward the same goal.  Through overcoming their worldly desires, he greatly advanced and led everyone who understood God's goal.

However, even the Franciscan Order became an organization that could not last beyond its human's weaknesses.

The church need to be reformed, therefore, Martin Luther and other righteous reformers emerged within the Catholic's own ranks determined to win liberation from the confinement of outdated,abusive doctrines that only benefited the leadership.

People wanted to freely worship God and Jesus, not just the church as a worldly institution.

People had a desire to directly communicate with God and not have to work through leadership.  Such people were able to bring God's world one step closer to His goal of peace to His children.

Later in England, resisted and objected the state church's practices.  The outcries for reform caused the Puritan movement to form.  It quickly spread amid persecution.

These new seekers seemed to be a threat to the established church leaders, who tried to use every means to suppress the new movement from spreading.

Those in faith who wanted freedom to worship had to either flee or be imprisoned.

They had such a strong spirit that they did not even have enough power to resist the government at the time.

They fled to Holland, yet this wasn't satisfactory to such a burning spirit of people of faith. 

Still these rebels longed for some new world, a new heaven and new earth where they could find freedom to worship God.

Such an untouched, pure land as America then, must had been attractive to such people who dreamed of a new world.

This unknown territory promised freedom of worship which they craved.  The Pilgrims strong desired to create a community of their own.  America seemed such an ideal place.  They made the courageous decision to take the voyage there.

Once they made the commitment to take the treacherous journey across the Atlantic while risking their lives, they found strength in their faith that was stronger than their desire to stay alive.

"Think of it: They had to give up their families, their relatives, their surroundings, and their country, and head toward an unknown land. Their only hope was in God. Every step they took they depended upon God.

Their journey was long, and there were many storms. They prayed unceasingly to God. They had but one way to turn. They turned to God. When they were sick and dying on the voyage, they had no medicine to take, no doctor to care for them; they turned to God. Those Pilgrim men and women were one with God. And that is how they survived.

Put yourself in their position of total reliance on God. What a wonderful faith! I am sure that the faith of the Pilgrims touched the heart of God. And when God is moved He offers promises; and when He makes promises, He will fulfill them. God determined to give these faithful people the ultimate thing they wanted -- freedom of worship. He then determined to give them even more.

I am sure you know, as I have learned, that the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock in New England almost in the dead of winter.

November in New England is rather cold. The destiny of the newcomers could have been only starvation because there was so little food to eat.

Given this fact, it really inspires me to learn about the store of grain in the hold of the Mayflower which they would not touch, even though they were starving to death. They preserved this grain for planting the next spring.

This was truly a supreme example of sacrifice. They preferred to die hoping in tomorrow rather than to act in desperation for only a few more days of life."




And this is the foundation not only of the spirit of Christinity around the world, the earth we step on in America.  This is why we should still have the same spirit to fight to keep God's dream on the basis of this great land He still has hope in.

God bless and have a wonderful God-given Thanksgiving!!!




Return for Tomorrow's Post: Part II, Thanksgiving: Gift of True Christian Spirit


Christianity in Crisis from God's Warning to the World --message from prison

America, Get Rid of Complaint

When we look at America, it has fallen far from its glorious Christian path carved by the first settlers who wished to serve God completely in this country.

It is a startling fact to see that teachers in America are physically assaulted by their own students and sometimes lose their life.

The universal law would bring such people down into ruin and they would not be able to prosper.

Nature does not permit this kind of event.

Do you think God would allow this immorality and say that America is still a great country and deserves His blessing?  If you were God, would you give more blessings to that kind of country?

Children who are grateful to their own parents are welcomed by the universe. 

If you have this kind of heart,  you are able to harmonize with your own brothers and sisters, with nature and of course God would welcome that man and woman.

But what can we say is genuine gratitude?  Is it when you can thank your parents under rosy circumstances, or under adverse conditions?  The latter is the most precious.  God is always evaluating the depth of gratitude which each individual has.  From His eyes, He sees each person's value is determined by how much gratitude they can impart.

This is the same principle that works in a courtroom.  If a criminal shows true repentance and a willingness to make a restitution for his crime, he will win mercy from the judge and prosecutor.


I have come to America telling the people what is wrong with America and how it must change, and Americans demand to know what a yellow man is doing coming here to meddle in their business. Will that kind of attitude be acceptable in the sight of God and nature? 


No matter how horrible a mistake one makes, if he shows that he is willing to make a conscientious effort to better himself and make restitution he can win forgiveness.  But the one who blames others and claims that he did no wrong, then there is no way for that person to be forgiven.

Teachers should be thanked for all the hard work they do.

We should write to our teachers telling them how much we are indebted and thankful for them.  We can remember how we resented how strict our teacher was, but we know that we can read and write well because of their teaching.

Because of the strict discipline in class you have gained much and can make clearer judgments.  Now when you see great masterpieces in art and literature, you can remember that it is because of your teacher's views on the subject.

You can write to them remembering what kind of student you were and express your gratitude for now having the ability to perceive and understand great art and literature.  It is because of your teachers bequeathing their skills to you, you should give them unconditional gratitude.  Is there any complaint about that?

Imagine if this kind of tradition was prevalent in every American school.  Would immorality and school shootings happen?

What if American children appreciated their parents? Would there be much breakdowns in the family?  The youth blame the older generation for all of the problems, but the young people are equally or more responsible for trying to separate themselves and do everything at their whim.

Instead, the youth must change their behavior and become loyal.  If this was to happen, even the most evil of parents would be swayed and turn around also.

The parental heart is always present.  So, when parents see their children doing good coming from their children, the parents' heart has to be moved.  If the American young people were to become righteous and do good deeds, even if the parents fight or separate, they could not do it.  The parents would be ashamed and try to become better parents for their children's sake.

If this kind of heart and appreciation was to dominate the family, each member of the family would unite.  But if instead members had a complaining attitude in the home, the family would face destruction.

Here in America the most important thing is how to get rid of complaint.

Are you inclined now to be thankful to your teachers?

Many sisters have beautiful handwriting, but they must be thankful to the person who taught them how to write in such a way.  Now, many American schools are getting rid of teaching cursive writing.

How much more valuable is this skill you have been taught?

That skill has helped enhance your skill when you entered into society.  If you write with that mind of gratitude, then the entire universe will help to enhance your skill even more. Then you find that you are deeply indebted to society and the nation.

When you get a job with a mind of gratitude you will prosper.

What if America was not some social system but anarchy or communism?  How could you live in such a society?


Do most people have a grateful attitude toward the person who becomes President and toward the government? The office of the presidency is an awesome one because ultimate responsibility rests there. 

The President has to protect the people, make good policies, conduct diplomacy and maintain defense. In order for those policies to work the people must unite with them. Should the people be grateful? But no matter how great the leader in office, if the people's inclination is to criticize, what will happen to their society?


What if a manipulative, scheming person was elected president?  What would happen to the American society?

Easy.  Disaster would come to the nation.

The most important quality for a President to have is to truly love his country in a sacrificial, unselfish way.  Do you love President Obama?

What happens to a country built by people who don't feel gratitude for their parents, teachers, or toward their society and nation?  Are we not seeing the effects of that kind of attitude in this day and age?

Where do you think America is headed?

Education is a paramount task now in America. There are two places where education is given through the schools and through religion.

Does the American educational system show interest in teaching such grateful attitudes?  What about the church?  There is so much struggle and politics within the church pews.  

If this is so, it would not seem that the religious people are really concerned about what happens to the nation  or the world.

There should be one religion that has a strong foundation and is on the right track, caring about the family, society, nation and world and teaching those things besides just religious scripture.

The movement of the Unification Church has those principles.


A genuinely good society begins with good parents, then children who grow up in gratitude and go out to relate to society through their teachers, and to their nation through the head of state, and finally to the world.



After parents teach their children for a few years, they then pass the baton to the teachers to educate them, then they in turn pass the students out into society and the nation.  In this way, the person takes on a higher mission all the time.

The person who grows up in the home with gratitude for his parents, teachers and nation will become grateful to the Almighty Creator.  Unless one exhibits this attitude, he will never be successful.

Harvard became such a popular school to attend because of its excellent teachers, and the students who are taught there want to take up important positions in society such as President or Cabinet members that will influence the nation.

This attitude is acceptable if the student is in the right frame of mind, and they will think that by wanting to influence the nation, that they will serve the world.  This kind of public thinking should be taught in the education system.

That kind of person would not want to stop there.  They would want to become nationally important and go on to become world leaders.

The true worldwide leader is a religious person, or saint.

This is true because the worldwide level already goes beyond the boundary of race and nation.  The only person that has this kind of life and attitude is truly a religious person.

To know God and enter heaven as a saint is the destiny of all men. 

To go this path, each person carries a bag of love of parents, of teachers, nation and finally from the saints, and then reach God.

From childhood all through your adult years you have to gain certain qualities in order to reach the ultimate goal, which is God.

At each stage of completion, you will receive a certificate from your parents in recognition that you are a child of filial piety.

Then your teachers will sign it, saying that you are a devoted and grateful student.  Then the head of state will confirm that you are a patriotic citizen, and the saint must affirm that you are trustworthy and dependable for the sake of humanity.

Then you can take this certificate to God and He will accept you.

When you get to the national level, you will not always be able to listen to your teachers and parents because you will be at a level of higher responsibility.  At that higher level of your mission, you should be able to govern even your own teachers and parents.

In that situation, you will be able to listen to the saints above you and to God.  Then, once you reach that level of sainthood, then you will surpass the saints level of teaching.  You will listen directly to God who is the greatest teacher of all.

You are going forward step by step, trying to reach higher goals, ultimately focusing on the supreme teacher of love. 

At each of these levels, the capacity of love is different.

As a child you learn about receiving parental love, and when you are in school, you learn to love your teachers.   At the national level you learn love of the patriots, and in sainthood you learn the love of the saints.

On the world level you learn love of the world, and finally above that you learn the love of God. Then ultimately the universe is yours.

Through the practice of love,  you get to know your parents and teachers.  Also, through love you find your nation, world and you find God.  This is the kind of education we are talking about that is need in schools.

That kind of man and woman will be able to go anywhere and harmonize with anything.  You must, therefore, become a recipient of the love of parents, teachers, head of state saint, the world, and finally God. Until you reach 18 years old, parental love predominates the other types of love.

The most important of all is to set right from the start ample appreciation for the love you receive from your parents.  Then in this frame of mind, you can move on to each stage and develop in the right way.

The subject of education is love, and the attitude of education should be gratitude. 

There are two things to inscribe in your heart: love and gratitude.

People these days think they do not need anyone, but in all of this time there is nothing that is yours.  Everyone is completely indebted to someone else.  You will confirm your position when it is your turn to give ample love to your own children, brothers and sisters.

You determine your position on the horizontal line, which consists of the love of your brothers.  Then on the vertical line is the love of your own children.  Then you become a teacher and a patriot. Then you become like a saint yourself so you can introduce God to others.


In all of history, these processes of education in love and gratitude have failed.  This process must be indemnified.  Through finding an example and following it, you can make restitution for all that has been lost in the past.  This movement teaches the love of parents and the love of teachers.

We teach love of the nation, head of state, how saints should love their disciples, and ultimately how to love God.


I am in a position of parent and also of teacher, instructing you how to become a teacher. Also, I teach patriotism, which national leaders today are failing to do. In the position of saint, I am teaching how to love humanity and the world, and ultimately I teach how much God loves the world. 


Therefore, once you leave home to go to the world, it is not a violation of the universal law.

You come to a new world learning the very best essence of education.  Many are faithful to their own parents, but are able to put that aside and join a higher mission in the sight of God.

You may have been studying for a degree, but will put that aside to join the church because here you are getting a better education.  You are told to love your own parents.

The Unification Church with the Completed Testament can unite the universe. 

As soon as it is known what Divine Principle stands for, then even famous theologians will say that here is a modern-day saint who out dates what others have done and sets a new trend of love.

You each must become saints who love the world as much as you love the Messiah.  The true heart of God is being taught for the first time ever in history, the past, present, future, and in the society, nation and world.

Other people are not even sure if God exists, but we are talking about the very heart of God. This is why we can teach the true love of God.  The Messiah is an universal being.

Your heart knows and understands that you receive the best education on how to be a good family man, teacher, patriot, saint, and how to reciprocate the love of God.  Would the courses of this school be easy?

No, these courses in love will be the hardest of any institution.

This education is not confined but goes beyond boundaries of races, nation and even between the spiritual and physical worlds.


When I go to Korea the members there call me their father; when I go to Japan all the members there call me their father, and here in America you call me your father, too. What historical applause that will be when you really understand your position. 


In this environment, we find the power for unifying the world and cosmos.  We know this can be done.  A lifetime may seem like a long time, but once you pass through it and look back,  you can see that life is just a spark of light, and the beginning and the end pass ever so quickly.



Return for Tomorrow's Post:  Can We Become 'Ideal'?


This post was rewritten and derived from the speech Reflection Upon Life

Perfection of True Love

True Love is at the summit of the world of love; it starts from the highest point in the world. As thunder and lightning come down from heaven, true love also thunders down like lightning from a very high place.



When human beings love one another, their cells are one hundred percent activated.  Even in the satanic world when a man and woman fall in love they say they feel electricity go through them.  This electricity comes from the archangel, therefore it is only uni-cellular.

The original world of love is the lightning of a universal-level love whose power is several thousand times stronger than normal lightning. It is Principle that man and woman cannot meet God unless they put all their energy toward the point where the lightning of love meets.  This is the perfection of the purpose of creation God originally intended to take form.

Moreover, the sound made by all the cells of each organism would be the same as thunder.

From whom do you think true love, which forgives and embraces everything, starts?

Could this high standard of love come originally from human beings?  True love starts from God who is the subject.  God created human beings with true love and He desire to receive true love from humankind.  When God returns that true love once again to man, God and man both perfect true love.

The holiest thing in this world is true love. True love starts from God. 

Any power melts before true love. just looking at or touching it makes you happy.

If God exists, then there is no other way.  God desires to see, listen, eat and touch true love and wishes that we go the way of true love.  We cannot stand before God unless we go the way of true love.  Doesn't man have this desire?  If we receive a kiss from God, we feel as though our insides are exploding with joy.  Would God find happiness by possessing diamonds or jewels?

True love completes the unification of the universe.   Even if you were to view a world-famous masterpiece painting, you would gag at looking at it if it did not include the taste of love.  When true love disappears between husband and wife their relationship is over.

What is the most precious thing for woman? It is man.

Why is it so? Love is an action. A person who only looks at high things cannot unite with low things. Therefore, this person cannot become true. Love can be found through reciprocal action; therefore, if love can relate with high places from a lower place, it can be eternal and can go anywhere. Then, for the first time love becomes genuine. Therefore, we can come up with the concept of eternity when we try to make the love of the lower higher than love of the higher.

Then the quality of man is more important than how he looks or his status.  What is important is if you can find a man who has valuable love and this is the same for woman.  A woman with true love is a true woman. How can we define true love?  True love is love that can love very low things even more than high things.


In this respect, what kind of an existence is God?

God is a God in a high position that can even love those living in the bottom of hell, not just those in heaven.  God must be the one who can love everything.  Because of the principle of action, God should be able to love the lower more than the higher He is the one with the concept of eternity.

True love makes you feel that when you meet a person you want to be with that person for hundreds and thousands of years.  The love between a husband and wife makes them want to love each other eternally.

 In true love, there cannot be any hell or Satan.

The body of a human being has five senses. Man is made to feel and recognize true love through these five senses. An eye looking toward true love would be covered and intoxicated by it. How beautifully an eye shines when it is intoxicated by true love!

God made man to feel and recognize true love through these five senses.  Have you noticed how a person in love eye's shine when intoxicated by true love?  Think of a smiling mouth enraptured in true love.  How beautiful is it for God to see the five senses in harmony moving toward Him intoxicated by true love.  God cannot experience the joy and beauty from this alone; He must experience this through a partner.  This is the purpose of God creating humankind.

If there are a beautiful man and woman who want to touch the eye, kiss the lips, or play the melody of the mind intoxicated by true love, what would God do? If there is an Eve of true love, God would have the desire to at once travel the world of her heart. God would be driven to see how deep and wide is the heart of this beautiful Eve.

God would want to travel in the world of Adam and Eve's heart, which has more beauty than the heaven and earth God created. Definitely, God would want to travel in the world of the heart of a person of true love more than He would want to travel the universe, and God would not want to depart from the world of Adam and Eve's heart of true love.

If God had found this kind of love after creating humankind, what kind of world would this be?

After God created humankind, if God became intoxicated in man and woman's true love, what would have happened to this world? God would have been living in man and woman, and the world which God and they created together definitely would have been a world filled with happiness and beauty.

If this kind of true love had been established between men and women, God would have submerged in that love and would always be happy.

In that world of true love, every human being would have lived happily ever after for the rest of their lives without regret.  There would be no history of war, complaints, divorce or unhappiness.

If true love were perfected in the history of humankind, then all the problems of politics, economy and culture, including struggles and fights, would be solved. All the difficult problems in the world now can be fundamentally solved only through the perfection of true love.

True love is eternal, unchanging and has no day or not.  If it is only for myself, then it is not true love.  True love is not an individual possession.  For instance, a man can love other people and women, but if that love is only for himself with no connection to wife, or others, it is satanic love.

True Love is what ultimately connects family, society, nation, world and the universe.

The Christian ethic of 'love each other' is not about receiving love.  Love is for the sake of the other which means each 'serves for the sake of others'.

What kind of world would it be if in the morning you woke up and all the people served and sacrificed for the sake of someone else and the whole instead of oneself?  This would be a world of peace.

If the whole world came to love each other with true love, even at the price of death, there would be a burning fire of rebirth.  If all people loved each other, the world would be like a flower of happiness and peace blossoming to fill the world with a beautiful fragrance.

A world where everyone actualizes true love is indeed the ideal of humankind.  However, our current world, everyone asks to be loved first, struggles, fights, jealousy and doubts result.

Truth does not exist far away from us, it exists within us.

Photo courtesy : freedigitalphotos.net


Return for Tomorrow's Post: Everybody Wants True Love

Textbook: Blessing and Ideal Family

Love Your Enemy = Nations Loving Nation

We all heard of the idea to love our enemy from many saints, religious leaders and prophets. Why did God make efforts to teach us that loving our enemy is important? Satan says to God, "In order for You to be God, You must always maintain the standard of ideal, eternal love."

 God replies, "Yes, that is true." Then Satan says, "God, when You made me the archangel, did You do so just in order to love me temporarily, or to love me forever?" And God says, "Forever." If God loved only temporarily, then He would be like Satan. By the same token, if one has no standard of loving forever, he cannot show God's dignity to Satan. In order for God to be God, He must love Satan no matter how much Satan is opposed to Him.

Satan says, "I fell and became evil, but You who are good can never change, and You can never do the things I do. I enjoy attacking and fighting, but You hate fighting. You must be silent even if You are beaten." Hence, God cannot forcibly resist Satan's aggression. Why? God cannot crush Satan just like that. He must love him unchangingly so that Satan will finally come to say, "Oh, indeed You are God. I surrender to You."


Centered on True Love

No matter how much suffering you may have to experience, you have to love the archangel and even your worst enemy who attacks you daily until the ideal of heaven is completely established in this world. God's hands are tied by that demand. As you go on your way to the Heavenly Kingdom, Satan will test you. Just as God must love Satan and let Satan surrender to Him in that way, so should God's children love the archangel if they want to go to the Heavenly Kingdom.

How much love would that take?

Jesus demonstrated this exact act through his words and finally through his actions when he was spat upon, kicked, tortured on his way to the cross.  Jesus did not have one moment of revengeful thought or hate as he went on his wretched walk to the cross.  He then was ridiculed to the end as he told God to forgive the lost for they did not have any way to overcome being dominated by Satan and I give my body in place of their way to be freed from him.

Even though you are persecuted by all of this world, which is the realm of the enemy, you must love the evildoer with your whole heart. That is the condition you have to fulfill.

God is most concerned about that condition.  Those people who are striving to be God's children should also be most concerned about it. This standard of loving might appear simple, but it is the very boundary line between God and Satan. No one has fully understood this before. In order to go beyond this boundary, God cannot even regard His enemy as an enemy, and He must not take revenge.

The conclusion for us is to love our enemy. When Jesus prayed for those people who were killing him, it was the greatest victory. If he had hated his enemies when he was about to die, then the providence of God would not have been successful.

But as Jesus overcame his difficulties through love, Satan began surrendering, thus Jesus obtained the qualification of God's perfected child. You have to come to the point where you are able to say, "Satan, don't you agree that I am a child of God?" and have Satan concede, "Yes, that's true."

You must be able to say confidently, "I'm following God's direction, expanding His sphere of love from the individual level through the family, clan and nation, to the worldwide level. You have no objection to that. Right, Satan?" And Satan must say, "I have to agree with you because it's the Principle."

In this way the individual spreads this type of altruistic love to the family and children, then to the society and to the nation.  Nations with citizens who love like this will love other nations as they global brothers and sisters.

This is the way God has proceeded with His dispensation, centering upon Christianity. It has been the path of sacrifice and martyrdom and, through its bloody history, Christianity has been a movement to expand God's love to the family level, the societal level, the national level, all the way to the worldwide level. Through the standard of Christian love, which loves the enemy, enemy nations can be conquered; the enemy is won over.


Return for Tomorrow's Post: Only Belief in Jesus Not Enough

Today's post is taken from the teachings of Dr. Rev. Sun Myung Moon studied and taught the bible for over 80 years.  He also wrote the Divine Principle which breaks down the bible from God's point of view of bring His children back to his heavenly ideal on earth.

Why World History Repeats Itself Part II

Moses Disbelief, Israelites Follow Canaan Idols

In the period of slavery in Egypt, the First Israel, the chosen nation, separated itself from Satan, who was able to invade because of Abraham's failure in the offering, through circumcising (Ex. 4:25), offering sacrifices (Ex. 5:3), and keeping the Sabbath (Ex. 16:23).

Why does history repeat itsel?  It is an answer that cannot be answered without viewing God's standpoint.

History repeats itself when God preordains a chosen people and nation, and they do not complete their mission.  God chooses another time, nation and people through which to work his providence.

During the First Israel's slavery in Egypt, the chosen nation was able to indemnify or pay back Abraham's failure when he failed to cut the doves in half when making an offering to God.

Even though his descendants have been cursed for this failure, Abraham indemnified that mistake by having to offer Issac, God could work through Abraham's family, in order to do this, they endured 400 years of slavery.

After the 400 year period of slavery ended, Moses severed his ties to Satan by the powers of the three miracles and ten calamities, and headed for Canaan. Likewise, the period of Christian persecution by the Roman Empire.

This time period had to be indemnifie.  In other words, this time period repeated. Therefore Christians indemnified the past by the offering of saints as living sacrifices, keeping the Sabbath and partaking in Holy Communion and Baptism.

Then after this 400-year persecution period, Jesus in spirit along with his followers, influenced Emperor Constantine and moved him to recognize Christianity publicly in year 313. Then Theodosius I declared Christianity the national religion.

In this way, Christians came to be restored, spiritually, out of the Satanic world.

According to the law, God subjugated Pharaoh by giving Moses external miracles and signs.

After the period of slavery in Egypt had ended, Moses set up the center of the Old Testament by receiving the Ten Commandments and words on Mount Sinai. By receiving the tablets of stone, the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant, the First Israel, the chosen nation, came to set up the will to receive the Messiah.

Likewise, after the period of persecution by the Roman Empire, the Second Israel, the chosen nation, decided on the New Testament by collecting the records of the apostles  to fulfill spiritually the Ten commandments and the ideal of the holy temple of the Old Testament Age.

This laid the groundwork to receive the Lord of the Second Advent, which comes at our time, by establishing churches centering on the words of the New Testament. After the period of Jesus, he and the Holy Spirit have been leading Christians directly. In all periods.

Throughout biblical history, there was always a central figure such as Noah, Abraham and Jacob.  Yet, after Jesus's coming, he did not set up any one person as the central figure of the whole providence. 

We do not read of anyone coming after Jesus bringing a new truth such as Noah, Abraham and Moses. God had labored to bring such a person, but there were many failures of His people to bring about such a person before our time.

In the period of the judges, after the Israelites, led by Joshua and Caleb, entered the blessed land of Canaan, they formed a new nation of God's elect, centering on the judges in the new land given to each tribe. Thus they established the foundation of the Israelite feudal society.

Likewise, in the period of Christian churches under the patriarchal system of Christianity, after its liberation from the Roman Empire, which represented the Satanic world, spread the gospel to the Germanic tribes, who had moved to Western Europe because of the invasion by the Huns in the 4th century.

By setting up the Germanic people as a new people of God's elect in the new land of Western Europe, they established the foundation of the Christian feudal society.


Feudal Society Failed

In Moses's time, the people of Israel set up the foundation of substance through the tabernacle as the symbolic being of the Messiah.

Therefore, after they entered Canaan, the Israelite nation in the period of judges should have exalted the will of the tabernacle of God under the leadership of the Judges.

But, by living among the seven tribes of Canaan, the representative of Satan's society, the tribes did not destory them as ordered by God, and the Israelites came to worship Canaan's idols and their evil customs, thus bringing about great chaos in their faith.

Likewise, in the period of Christian churches under the patriarchal system, the Christians should have exalted the will of the church as the image-entity of the Messiah.

Instead, there came about a great confusion in their faith partially due to the influence of the many miscellaneous religions of the German people.

The Israelites received Jesus only after the 400-year period of Roman persecution.   Therefore, in order to restore this by indemnity, Christians now can receive the Lord of the Second Advent only after the 400-year period of preparation for the Second Coming of the Messiah. This began with the Pope's return to Rome from his life of captivity in Avignon.

Let us observe how the background and environment were formed in each of the two periods which were the preparation periods to receive the Messiah.

At the time of the first coming of the Messiah, God sent the prophet Malachi to His chosen nation 430 years in advance, having him prophesy the coming of the Messiah which would be Jesus. He reformed Judaism, preparing Israel as the chosen nation to receive Jesus.

Meanwhile, among the Gentiles, at about the same time, God had Gautama Buddha of India (565-485 B.C.) pioneer a new base for Buddhism by improving Hinduism. Also, in Greece He had Socrates (470-399 B.C.) pioneer the period of Hellenic culture. In the Orient, He had Confucius (552-479 B.C.) set up human ethics and morality through Confucianism, thus having them establish the culture and religion suitable for the place and people in order that they may make necessary spiritual preparation to receive the coming Messiah.

This explains the mystery to why cultures all over the world had similar customs, religions and beliefs even though they were not in comunications.  Many fables such as the city of Atlantis tries to describe such a phenomenon.  Without knowing God's providence to restore man back to His ideal,possible to know the reason behind the history of events.

God prepared this basis, foundation around the world in order to unify all the regions of various religions and cultures into one sphere of Christian culture.  God planned for the Christian culture to absorb and win over Judaism, Hellenism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and other religions from around the world. This was God's ideal to bring World Peace in this way.


Democratic Sphere Usher in Messiah

The Renaissance period occurred in order to restore history through indemnity. This period served as a background and environment to establish a foundation for the Second Coming of the Messiah. In addition, the rapid progress in politics, economy, culture, science and all other aspects of human endeavor that we enjoy today all began in the Renaissance period.

The political territory in Jesus's day was formed by the rise of the Roman Empire.  Romans had ease of communication in all directions, and the vast cultural territory formed centering on the Hellenic language. This established the foundation to expand the ideas of the Messiah - from Israel to Jesus, to Rome centering on Israel, and then to the world centering on Rome.

Likewise, since we are living in the days of the Lord's return, the democratic sphere, which is based on freedom, is covering almost every corner of the earth. Transportation and communication shortens the extremes between East and West. Also, due to the free exchange of languages and cultures, the true ideology for the Second Advent of the Messiah can freely and swiftly flow into the hearts of all mankind.

It is easy to see this is the best foundation to spread the truth and ideology of the Second Messiah worldwide within the shortest possible time. In other words, the Internet, the ability to go anywhere in the world in under an hour was brought about to prepare a way to spread the Messiah's message to the world's people upon his returns. 

Once the world accepts and follows the returned Messiah, centered on his new truth, the world will head toward God's ideal of peace.

Return for tomorrow's post: Why World History Repeats Part III


Photos courtesy of: freedigitalphotos.net

Note:

The text above was taken directly from the Korean textbook, "The Divine Principle". This has been rewritten in conversational form without changing the philosophical or spiritual nature of the text. To learn more about the teachings it is based on, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, please visit, www.unificationnews.com.

Messiah Superhero Returns To Save Earth

Every hero came out of their shell when it came time to defend the earth against evil.  Many comic book creators say that they created their characters based on their wish fulfillment.  Many times this wish was to end the wars that were occurring, Rambo was a wish fulfillment to end the war with Vietnam and other conflicts.

Comic book creators of the past came from a background where their money situation was less than desirable.  The creators of comic book heroes were comic book geeks before there were comics.

These superheroes in their bright happy colors, with godly powers, were the hopes of all of their creators to save them from their own situations.

They created characters that were bigger than they were and strong against the bullies in their schools, bigger than the enemy of their nation. 

Comic book creators wished to be just as handsome and wealthy as Tony Stark and Batman.  Sorry, comic guys, for saying you are not as beautiful as your characters, but they know why their characters still exist over a half century awing audiences with their creations all the way into the millennium.  We all have this dream to have The One appear to stop evil, to pummel whoever is trying to end our freedom. 

We each either want our own superhero, or we want to be a hero.

Why is this so steeped into humanity?  It is even seen in our human history, the need for a hero.

4, 000 years ago, the Israelites were given a promise by God that they would receive a Messiah that would bring Peace on Earth and conquer their Rome.  How did the Israelites feel looking up in the sky for the return of Elijah only to see John the Baptist as the witness to Jesus? 

Even the Israelites dreamed of a superhero. So how did the Israelites feel when a meek man, in a poorer condition then they were, proclaims that he was the Son of God? The One that they sought to save them for 2,000 years. 


What Are the Messiah's Weapon?

Look in the bible again, Jesus was met with many disbelievers.  Even John the Baptist sent one of his followers to Jesus when John was in prison and asked him, "Are you the one to come, or should we look for another."

Even John the Baptist asked Jesus before he was beheaded if Jesus was truly Israel's hero.

Today, we watch these Superhero movies like crazy, they seem to come out every week, and we can't get enough.  Is this connected somehow to the fact that humanity wants to be save from their world of depression, divorce, sadness, starvation, war and fear?

What is the number one phrase spray painted and plastered in every city: Jesus Saves!  Jesus Saves!

Save what or whom?  Earth? Animals?

The Messiah saves God's lost sons and daughters from the life of sin.   Superheroes are popular and carry symbols of their liberty through their outlandish costumes and such.  What would be Jesus's trademark for salvation? 

What weapon did Jesus use to conquer  his foes?

Jesus was the only human who was God's True Son.  The winds and the waves listened to his commands.  He was the true embodiment of a human being.  The one we aspire to be.

Jesus went one step further than any superhero.  He not only saved many people physically on earth by feeding thousands, healing the sick and raising the dead, Jesus was the first to heal even the human heart.  Based on Moses's strong faith, God could separate the seas yet Moses and his people's hearts would fall into faithlessness and would never see the dream of the land of milk and honey.

Jesus from beginning to end gave up his life way before the cross.  He gave hope to the poor and hope to his disciples about the coming of Heaven on Earth.  He sacrificed his life to teach others about the life giving Word of God.

This is a Truehero. 


Jesus Conquered Rome

Have you ever seen an account where Jesus took up arms?  Where does it show that any saint conquered their foes using force?  Well he did, and so did the saints. 

Time and time again, during Romans rule of the earth, followers of Jesus stood before massive beast of men.  They faced lions, and until death they sung songs of glory praising God and Jesus.

As we know through the study of history, Jesus's followers conquered Rome.  How could this be?  What force did the first Christians use to conquer such a powerful civilization such as Rome?

This force is the strongest force on earth.  Stronger than Superman's power.  You might be surprised.  Let's see.  The atomic bomb didn't exist back then.  I don't remember any followers carrying swords or held riots.  How do people of faith keep winning in the end?

The bible proclaims that Jesus had a sword, a shield and carried a body of armor.  This of course was in symbol only, so what was his power?

This force is God's True Love. 

Perfect love is so powerful that it can melt the heart of the enemy. No matter how intense two people hate each other, their rift will be healed once true love comes between them. 

The basis for the emergence of good and bad is the motivation to obtain love.  We usually like someone because they understand us.  On the other hand, it is hard to love someone who hates us.  This is why it is so hard to unite.  Perfect love is so powerful, it can unite enemies.  If you were to ask a strong communist if love could unite or absolute power unites, he would not say love unites. 

The idea that love has power does not even exist in the communist ideology.  Regardless, even if they deny love's power, they know in their hearts that love is more precious than material.


Communist Deny God

The communist ideology places material in the center of their ideology.  This view conflicts with the basics of human nature because  God created us for the purpose of love.  Then there must be an error with the Marxist ideology. 

If the communists really want to build an ideal world, then they must proclaim love as the supreme power in creation; otherwise they are lying to their own hearts.

The Returning Messiah's weapon is found in Revelations.  It will be fire.  Yet this is not a literal fire for he comes to save the earth not end it.  This weapon is the truth revealed in the Completion of the New Testament.  This word will make the communist ideology submit voluntarily.

Communism's ideology has an ending point no matter how powerful it may try to appear. God is infinitely large.  He does not fit into human logic.  How can the large force of love which is the greatest force in the universe be contained in a smaller container.  Since a small container cannot become bigger then this means that communism can never conquer the world or bring a World of Peace.

What will be able to unite the different races and cultures?  In order for the racial problem to be eradicated, Christianity should be practiced in the highest sense.  This will happen upon the revival of Christianity that will be able to unify the religions and the world.

If God planned for the Messiah to end the earth upon his return, He would have not prepared his people for thousands of years; He would have ended the world when Jesus first came to earth.  Why look for a superhero who comes to save only you, and burn the rest of the world and God's children.

Jesus said that he came with fire.  Fire is the word and he will save us upon his return with the power of love and God's word.  With this emerging hidden word renewed, we have the power to conquer Satan completely in our own lives and in our lineage.

This is the hope of all humanity.  You are living in the time of the Completion Age, and you should have no fear of our hero's return for he plans to bring us back to God's direct love.


Return for tomorrow's post: Back to the Future: Messiah Restoring Family


Photos courtesy of: freedigitalphotos.net

Notes:

These writings are a compilation from one of Reverend Moon's speech "Happy Unification Church Members" and other speeches based on the bible.  To learn more about the Unification Movement, please visit: www.familyfed.org.

Can Religion Bring World Peace?

We all have encountered them once in a while - street preachers.  Some of them are just as aggressive as salesmen, while others are as quiet as St. Francis.

Whether they are loud, or if they softly give the teachings of their faith, street preachers have a determination to share the word of God.  They have a dream that the Word will give strength and life to the people they run across in their daily lives.

Why is religion needed anyway?

We as human beings must resolve God's grief that was caused due to the violation of the heavenly law thousands of years ago.  We as humans pass this problem on generation after generation.

But sometimes those sharing the word do not know this fact and just spew out scripture without knowing the ultimate reason behind our ancestor's actions had on humankind.


Christianity Teaches Through Historical Accounts

The bible is not made up of just mere stories, there is a richer meaning, and God's work behind each.  For example the Garden of Eden and the Fall were not just about the first human couple eating of the physical fruit of good and evil.  It has a deeper hidden truth that until it is solved, our world will never see the ideal world of peace that God sought at the time of Creation.

Those who take the bible only literally must pray for 21 days to find out if this fact is false.

Humans, you and I, were not born into a normal lineage - we are said to be born into sin.  This is why religions emphasized a celibate life - as having children was seen to be connected to sin.
 

God abhors lewdness. 

Why? 

Because humans beings engaged in illicit love in the beginning instead of centering on God's love and turned heaven and earth upside down - this is symbol of the fruit - Adam and Eve's love.  And ever since then, generation after generation is born with evil blood.  Therefore, the religious world advocates celibacy.

Whenever a man enters a state of returning toward God, he always encounters the appearance of  the opposite sex which tempts the person away from God.  This inevitably occurs blocking the person's path back to God. 

Why does this happen?

It is because this is human history; our history is based on illicit love.  Our first ancestors were tempted away from God through having love relations outside of God's realm.  Those who interpret the bible only from a literally stance of Adam and Eve eating a literal fruit, they will miss this important fact which has been a hidden fact.  Then they have a possibility of repeating the fall.

Every family should have a True Brother, True Sister, True Husband, True Wife, and True Parents who have relations with one another centered on God, and then mature to become incarnations of God.

In order to be a True Husband and a True Wife, you must first be a True Brother and True Sister, right?  And in order to be True Parents there must first appear a True Husband and True Wife.  After this is acquired, then True Children appear.  True Children become one with their parent's philosophy through true love. 

Only love is the force that can bring harmony into the world.  All elements and species of creatures, all objects wish for love.  Every object is attracted towards cells that are directly connected with God's love which is Human Beings.


Which Religion or Ideology Brings Reconciliation?

This is the universal law: when one invests one's self for another, entities at a lower level wish to invest themselves in service to this higher level.  So Darwin's theory of evolution is not true to this extent. 

The Darwin Theory states that domination or survival of the strongest wins in the end - larger eats and dominates the smaller through strength.  This theory is what Marx basedd his communist ideology upon.  The stronger seeks to get rid of the weaker class or use them for their own power.

When seen from God's point-of-view of love, the smaller animal is absorbed by the larger and in essence becomes greater.  It is not pure domination that rules the land for eternity - it is love.  So, entities of lower levels want to be part of a higher level and do so by allowing the survival of the higher being through consumption of the lower being.  It is necessary in the animal kingdom - this does not perpetuate struggle. 

Through love, a tiny creature serves the higher purpose by being absorbed as an element to sustain the life of an higher order thus increasing the smaller animals value.  If a lion does not eat antelope, the lion will not survive a week in the Sahara. 

Thus this makes the value of the antelope just as great as the lion's value.  When we look at humans, the way of Darwin's Theory or ideology it devalues the 'lower' entity by ignoring the motivation of lower being consumed by the higher.  That motivation is love.

What kind of religion will bring everlasting peace?

It is the religion of the True Parents. A True Parent religion must be declared, a servant-level religion.  It is a religion that serves the purpose of the whole world of people - not an individualistic view of "save only me".

This perfect religion begins with self-denial.  This religion begins with the complete denial of the fallen world.  That is why we deny the world, deny our nation, tribe, family, wife and husband, deny being a man or woman and deny our own mind and body.  Religions have taught us denial in order to be subject over the fallen ideal of these positions and be reborn connecting these relationships to directly back to God. 


Why Religion Was Born

To put it simply, the world has been overtaken by Satan's will and in order to go the opposite way God taught us how to become subject over our bodies in order to go back to his Will.  Religion trains us how to subjugate Satan through the creation of an ideal person - a person who does not  give and take with Satan's ideals.  A world of individuals that subjugate their evil ways will automatically bring World Peace.

Is there any religion now that can teach us fully how to become individuals who can subdue Satan, or teach us how to completely get rid of sin, and stop passing it to our children? 

Humanity has inherited Satan's lineage, Satan's bloodline, his will, his sin etc. This is the main reason that God does not destroy Satan - we are connected through sin and thus humanity would be destroyed as well.  Instead, God tries to restore humanity through religion.

If God tried to remove this evil blood tied to Satan's lineage all at once, He would have to exterminate the entire human race. If the blood we inherited from Satan were to be extracted, human beings would disappear. Even Adam and Eve would disappear. Humankind would have to be totally crushed.

Why didn't God just annihilate Adam and Eve and have more children? 

God gave all of HIS being to create humanity, and this action can not be repeated.  Also, love is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end and therefore cannot God cannot strike human beings as the object partners of that love.  This must be clearly understood.

There is a religion that arises that gives humanity hope to turn around the tragic situation of God.  This religion changes the blood lineage from satan back to God's pure lineage.  There should be a religion that shows the importance of lineage as a tool to purify the satanic lineage that passes sin to each generation. The changing of the blood lineage should be the very core of this religion.

This religion teaches people on earth how to become God's True Sons and True Daughters.  True Children naturally become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and enjoy World Peace the way God had planned from the beginning.


Current Religions Have Not Brought Peace

This is the reason religions have not been able to bring World Peace, because they have not been able to properly teach followers this fact that they as fallen individual must change their lineage. 
All religions teach mainly that we are all brothers and sisters. 

Christianity says that we are God's children, but needs to differentiate between adopted sons and True Sons.  A True Son is born into the direct lineage of the Father and inhabits all of the Father's bloodline and absoluteness. 

Are we humans currently, perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect?

Then that means we are not in the direct lineage of God.  Christianity even says that Jesus was God's True Son.  If Jesus was God's son then who are we? In order to go to God we must engraft onto Jesus's lineage so we are not God's True Sons and Daughters. In a way God adopts us from Satan's lineage, we are adopted sons. 

In other words, being children born into sin we have not been born of God's direct lineage and bloodline, and we need a mediator to connect to God.  Sadly, we are God's adopted sons and daughter.   Just as we connected to the false parent satan's blood, God adopts us through the blood of Jesus.

But God did not intend for us to be adopted sons and daughters forever, He dreams of the day that we can be a True Son and Daughter and become grafted onto His lineage directly without any attachments to Satan's lineage. 

Then we will share in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth as True Sons and daughters living centered completely on God's love.

Since Christianity teaches this principle, it is one religion that can bring us closer to the ideal world -  so why hasn't it done so? 

Yes, free will is another factor, but why hasn't religion been able to eradicate our fallen blood?

During the Old Testament, the Israelites never dreamed that there would be a new truth added to the bible, this is the main reason many people did not believe Jesus was the Messiah to bring the new truth; they thought the Messiah came repeat Moses' Old Testament. 

This new truth is the New Testament.  And just like today, many Christians never dreamed that there would be a new truth outside the New Testament, they think the Messiah returns to repeat the New Testament.  Illogical. 

Christianity must receive the new truth in order to completely accomplish God's will.  This new truth will be the Completed Testament.  These three stages equal God's process of restoration: Old Testament (servant age), New Testament (adopted son age), Completed Testament (True Son Age).

Once a religion can teach absolutely how we can engraft to God's lineage, completely place Satan back into the servant's position, then religion will complete it's purpose: a world of peace full of True Sons and True Daughters.

Return for Tomorrow's post : Importance of Lineage to World Peace

Today's words was taken from the speeches of Reverend Sun Myung Moon who has 8 textbooks based on the bible that teach how we can achieve World Peace.

For more information about the Unification Movement - the fastest growing worldwide community, please visit www.familyfed.org.