Sun Myung Moon
May 19, 1984
Excerpts
Leaders' Conference
East Garden
Father and Mother, Kook Jin Nim (left), Hyun Jin Nim (middle), and Hyo Jin Nim (right) watching the multiplication of the Love of God candles.
Six days after the Supreme Court's decision, Father called 270 leaders to East Garden and delivered the following amazing messages. He was truly concerned that we as members are supporting him, especially now, and that we don't get discouraged or hopeless. "On the contrary!" he said. "This is just the beginning."
The entire conference lasted from 9 o'clock in the morning until midnight, and was followed by a four-hour prayer vigil, which Father called the II Jeong (One Heart) prayer. It will be a tradition in our movement, according to Father, "until all the satanic forces are gone from this earth."
On the next day, Father and Mother declared another holiday: the Day of the Love of God (page I I). Toward the end of the speech Father asked Mother and the True Children if they were with him all the way. They replied firmly and without hesitation: "Yes, Father." Then he asked the same thing of the members, who also responded, "Yes." The seriousness and meaningfulness of that moment could be felt to the bone.
After the speech, Father and Mother passed on their blessing to all brothers and sisters who were present.
As a symbol of the presence of True Parents' spirit, Father left us the "Love of God Candles," which, once lit, bring their presence wherever the candles are.
One could feel that Father and Mother prepared us for the future, hoping that we would take on their role, no matter what.
At this time of great injustice have you dedicated yourselves anew to God, True Parents and humanity? Did you pledge that in front of God in the name of our Mile Parents? We are doing it again now in front of 'flue Parents...
During my entire life, do you think I had a moment like this to reaffirm before others my commitment to God and my mission? The only difference between your commitment and mine is that you can pledge it in front of the 270 leaders and True Parents; but I was all by myself. Your situation is different because you, as world leaders, can pledge your commitment together. I was always alone between heaven and earth.
Also I want you to understand that your pledge is not just your own pledge, but that there are millions of people in many countries on all six continents making the same pledge and commitment that you are now. This is true in the white community, but is even more so in the minority world. This is the first time in history and in my life that such an overwhelming unity, sympathy, compassion, support and common protest has occurred. An outburst of anger is coming from all the forces of the universe. There has never been any parallel to that. There is a momentum being created in the world of mind and spirit; a new effort on the side of the spiritual world of mind is being made, ready for explosive action.
Furthermore, all world systems have run their course and are now tired out; both the democratic world and communist worlds have no hope. The only hope they can look forward to is the Unification world.
For several hundred years, the United States presented much hope. When the Pilgrim Fathers crossed the Atlantic, having separated themselves from the Old World and the old church, seeking religious freedom, and landed on this shore, they initiated a God-centered "world," the United States, which has been flourishing for two hundred years.
Where Is The United States At?
But what has happened? What has become of the United States? A vivid example is a Virginia school teacher who taught creation science in his classroom instead of evolution theory. The mere fact that that teacher taught creation science cost him his license!
Another example is the "equal access" bill recently before Congress which would have allowed high school students to hold religious meetings in classrooms on the same basis as any other extracurricular club. But the equal access bill was defeated. Schools allow almost every other kind of organization to hold meetings: the gay movement, the communist movement, etc. That's where the United States is presently "at."
Today the United States of America has become like Great Britain and the Old World of three hundred years ago. It has become a land of oppression, particularly of the freedom of religion, oppression which your ancestors fled. The government of Great Britain was becoming tyrannical before the independence of the United States. In America, humanism and secularism have become tyrants creating an atmosphere similar to that in which an independent continental army was formed and the War of Independence became inevitable. America has come once again to that point of oppression.
Therefore, a new mood has arisen here, a feeling that there is a need for another group of Pilgrim Fathers and another true God-centered independence movement. A new national independence movement has come upon this land. A new momentum has been created.
Father and the regional leaders choose new state leaders at the leaders conference on May 19, 1984, at East Garden.
The Same Position as the Pilgrim Fathers
However, is the Christianity of today ready for that kind of revolution? Ready to be united by the Holy Spirit? No, but somebody has to do it; there is no question. And that mission is upon you. You are the ones who must ignite the new spiritual revolution, become the second Pilgrim Fathers and touch off another war of independence. Therefore we are in a situation parallel to that of the Pilgrim Fathers three hundred years ago. For that reason we are here to redetermine ourselves.
The Pilgrim Fathers were ready to give up their lives for the cause. After they landed in this "New World," they fought many varieties of opposition. Being the minority, the Pilgrim Fathers were terribly oppressed. However, in those times of battle and difficulty, God was always their ally. They said: GOD IS OUR ALLY, OUR POWER; IN GOD WE TRUST. That was their only power, so they had the courage to go on.
Also, when the Pilgrim Fathers crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower, they faced a desperate 57-day ordeal. During that time their only hope was God, nothing else. The captain of the Mayflower prayed a tearful prayer at the ship's wheel, because there was no other hope but God. And after they landed, they had to face other desperate situations. Again, they trusted that God would protect them.
When their descendants declared the war in which they would have to fight the British Royal Army, the power of which was great, whereas George Washington's army, consisting of volunteers and ragtag American militia, was very weak, again they had one thing in common: the belief that "God is on our side." Every soldier who died on the front line knew that his death was not in vain, that he was dying for the great cause. Each of the soldiers had that conviction, and they stood up for God. They died for the sake of the Will of God.
Today, you are in precisely the same position as the Pilgrim Fathers and the Independence Army soldiers. The difference, however, is that a Pilgrim father was all alone and by himself, but you have many powerful allies. In addition to the support of God, you already have so great a foundation horizontally.
Furthermore, we know the lessons of history, so we understand what is happening today. And we have a reality in front of us [Father], so our position is infinitely stronger than that of our predecessors. If we now can stand up and make a commitment to God in the same way as those brave persons, then we become invincible. In what way do you make your recommitment? There are only two options: one is, I want to accomplish the goal, but I want to save my skin first. The other way is: I commit my life, my way of life and every ounce of energy, sweat and blood to achieve this goal. I will sacrifice for that battle.
We must realize that those Pilgrim Fathers made their pledge to God. Also the Independence Army soldiers pledged to God. We have this heritage, this tradition. Today we have the same mission, though now the worldwide Providence is in our hands. Therefore we should make the same pledge.
Now we know clearly to whom we pledge, and what kind of pledge to make. Which is your pledge: the one in which your own salvation comes first, or the one where the first thing is committing every ounce of your energy to the goal?
Remember that you made this pledge in front of God and the Tie Parents. That will be your source of power, your powerhouse. You can draw from it all the energy you need in your battle.
Join your hands, and look at your ten fingers. Pledge that you will not make your hand, your fingers, your body, your legs or your mind a betrayer. You will never become a betrayer to these "pledge hands." Thank you all!
I Never Betrayed My Pledge
Actually that's the purpose of this day of gathering. We have done it beautifully. We have achieved the purpose of this meeting already.
When I made this same pledge to God, I was only a teenager; not even my parents knew about my determination. Neither friend, nor relative knew my intention. I made the same pledge to God that you did this morning: Unto my life, and every drop of sweat and tears and blood, I shall uphold this pledge. And also I declared that through my entire life I would fight as a front line soldier and confront Satan. I pledged. As long as my life lasts, I will not betray that pledge.
After beginning my mission, I suffered a great deal. Many times I was imprisoned. However, I never betrayed my pledge. Rather, I was grateful, and always thankful. I always accepted joy and pleasure and left the consequences up to God, determined to do my absolute best according to my pledge, so that God's will would be done. That was my attitude.
I have always thought that had I been all by myself with no mission or dispensation, I could have been killed many times. Who allowed me to survive? God. God wanted my mission to go on, that's the only reason I was protected. And that's why I am infinitely grateful to God.
Today, I feel exactly the same way. I am not moving even one iota against His will. I know that the mission of God will survive, no matter what. There is always a way to achieve God's will. Though I may suffer, I welcome the suffering and am grateful for it. My position is not one of weakness. It is a front line battle all the time, a confrontation with Satan.
When Satan tried to choke me to death I said: "Go ahead. You think you can choke me to death? Impossible! Go ahead and try!" Satan marshaled all his power to try to finish this movement off and end my life, but I said: "Satan, I am just beginning! I am just starting, taking off slowly!"
Internally speaking there is an incredible unity forming around me in the minds of people. This internal victory is closely related to the meaning of this event here. Externally speaking, I have an extra layer of defense against unlawful, violent attack from outside.
The enemy has been thinking, "Rev. Moon seems to have a lot of money, so before we finish him off, why not squeeze some money from him? The best way to do this is to kidnap some of his children." However, they cannot do it, for they fear the outcry of public opinion.
Internally, the most important victory of this time is that the worldwide Unification Church will be united like a rock. Solid unity will be formed by this. For that reason, I tremble not one bit, and feel neither fear nor worry.
God Will Never Lose
When I initiated the movement in Korea many years ago, there was strong opposition and satanic attack. At night sometimes I felt Satan coming and physically choking me. Compared to that time, even though we suffer today, it is like heaven. Thirty years ago, I didn't have worldwide support.
Now members come from all six continents, 130 different countries to give their lives to defend me. This is like a bulletproof jacket surrounding me. With this kind of foundation, do you think that I would tremble even one bit or be concerned about my own well-being, fear U.S. prison, or be afraid to face oppression? Not at all!
I see the victorious difference of the present situation compared to the past. I feel victory in this -- that no matter what, it is going to be a victory. God will never lose. For that reason, you should not fear. Instead, become champions, commanders, persons of faith!
The only thing burning in your heart must be: "I know Father's determination, I know Father's power, passion, enthusiasm and his commitment and absolute dedication. I want to inherit this tradition."
Burn with passion to be a leader of the free world. Your determination today must be: "As leaders of the free world, we shall save the nation, the world, even though the providence may have to be prolonged. By next year, we will achieve this much. By the following year, we go this far. We shall achieve our goal."
Father and Mother loin the leaders in prayer at the East Garden Holy Ground during the Il Jeong prayer vigil on May 19, 1984.
The Day Of Harvest Is At Hand!
Until now I have been declaring the road and history of indemnity. But, I tell you, that indemnity era is over! Now we are harvesting. Something will be reaped from every battle. This court battle is not just paying indemnity. No; God is claiming His victory, His truth. So the world, and the universe are like farmland in autumn. All the fruits are ripe and need to be harvested. They are waiting. The opportunity is such that people will say: "We misunderstood the Moonies. There is nothing wrong; they are great people." Furthermore they will say: "We need them to win our battle, because they realized the threat is not just to them but to all the nations' religions and to the very destiny of America."
God is waiting for the harvest. Humankind is waiting for the champion of the harvest. God is trying to mobilize the champion of the harvest to send to the farm. When will He do it? Today is the day. The day of harvest is at hand!
Second Reverend Moons
Your pledge that you made today was your pledge as an individual. But now a new pledge will come forth, namely, that you will be not just an individual but a second Rev. Sun Myung Moon. You as a public person will take the role of Rev. Sun Myung Moon the second. Each one of you should feel today that you are the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Junior. That means that if Rev. Moon for some reason left for a while, that would not bother you, because there would be hundreds of thousands of "Rev. Moons." Can you make that second pledge to Heavenly Father?
I declare that this pledge is done today by 270 leaders gathered here, but it is not limited to this East Garden room. It will go on t, all the Unification missions of the world, the membership in this country and abroad. This is the official position of the Unification movement.
The momentum we have created is a historical and universal event. So your way of life from tomorrow will be like this: Whenever you are facing difficulties, important decisions, or critical moments, don't even think about yourself and say, "What shall I do?" There is no such question. You'll think, "What would Father do? Since I am a second Rev. Moon, whatever he would do, I will do."
Dominion Over Myself
When I initiated this movement, I had three principled goals in my life. The first was in the form of a prayer: In order that I can have a dominion of love over the universe, please, God, give me the power for the dominion over myself. Usually when the worst moments have come, my body tried to escape, taking the easy way. Whenever I was following a path of crucifixion, my body would say: "I don't want to go there." But I always said: "No, you stay there. I have dominion over you."
I also strove for dominion over my eyes. The eyes always want to see something pleasant. But I told them: "Eyes, you are going to see reality now!" The mouth is always trying to eat good things. So I would say: "Stop, mouth! I have dominion over you now." Ears always want to hear good words, so I would say, "No, you are going to hear reality." The body always tries to feel comfortable; there is always sexual urge and sexual sensation. But I would say: "No, you've got a job to do." Therefore my position was always that unless I could control myself, dominion over the universe would be impossible.
Until I had total control over myself, I wouldn't even walk in front of a theatre or a bar. Also, I didn't want to be praised by people, because I felt that would make me arrogant. The worst of all to overcome was sleep. Hunger is second, and third is the sexual urge. Those three physical desires are the worst of all to overcome. But I persevered without compromise, and I attacked the problem as a way of life.
Perhaps you think I was born a saint and always had a different character, and that all these problems were not problems to me at all. But that is not true. I am a super-sensitive person. Therefore I am very sensitive to all these desires, and needed extra energy to overcome them.
I always told myself: unless I can have complete dominion over myself, I cannot even think of having dominion over the world, the universe or spirit world. Adam and Eve fell simply because they lost dominion of themselves. I am sure you've heard this before but you never heard such an in-depth explanation. My hand, where does it go? My foot, where does it go? My thinking, where does it turn? I devoted every ounce of my flesh, body and emotion to the will of God, so that I would become one thousand percent the instrument of God, with naught else on my mind but how to do the will of God. That's how I disciplined myself, and I succeeded.
You are in the same position as I was some time ago. You must achieve what I have achieved in gaining dominion over myself.
When I tried to quell sexual desire, Satan was always attacking me with incredible temptations. Satan's chief base is SELF. Evil is not up in the sky, in the world or in wealth, but it is always you, and has your mind as an initial base. Unless you liquidate this situation, this initial base, it's not thinkable that you can achieve any heavenly realm. Today you made a pledge, but the application of your pledge starts from right here, yourself.
Become the Second Self of God and Jesus
You haven't known about the second goal of my life, because I have never spoken about it clearly. The goal was that I would become the "second self' of God and Jesus, so that everything I would do would he done not just as the Rev. Moon, but as God and Jesus would do it. "I am representing God and Jesus." This echoed in what you pledged to me earlier saying: "Yes, I am a 'second self of Rev. Moon."
Concerning for example the result of the court case, an average person would look angrily upon the United States. But I don't look at it in that fashion. I look at it from the viewpoint of God. I ask myself, what would God say? What would Jesus say? Jesus forgave his enemies on the cross. Beyond Jesus there was God who inspired Jesus to do so. In the same way God inspires me to forgive my enemies and I don't do it reluctantly.
When Jesus forgave his enemies in his time, at every moment he realized that God and the entire spirit world were following him. Today, the situation is exactly the same: when I move, the entire spirit world and power of God follow. When I think in that fashion, inevitably God on our side, along with the entire spirit world and Jesus. I am the "second self" of God and Jesus and you are my "second selves." For you this is very real: You are the "second selves" of God, Jesus, Time Parents and Heung Jin. Therefore, when you have a difficulty, you should pray to God, True Parents and Heung Jin with the heart of a "second self." Then the past can be solved.
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he faced a very serious moment and prayed a very serious prayer. Likewise when I confront such a serious moment, I have such a serious prayer, always knowing who I am and who I represent. I'll never forget that position. Even though sometime you might get lost spiritually and not know clearly whom you represent, just have courage and plunge to the place of death, giving up your life. Then an entire horizon of the new world, the new universe, will be opened up for you. When you do that to that degree, a miracle always occurs. You know how to behave now.
Since today is such an important day and meeting, I now expose the entire secret of my life. There is nothing to fear under the sun, in heaven and earth! When you make up your mind that your life is up, there is nothing to fear. Then what will happen? Are you going to love that life? No, of course not. You are going to restore that life to an even greater position and you will be victorious. Life comes with the victory. When you give up your life, the resulting victory will become your fighter. The victory will shatter your enemy. Victory and life both will be yours.
Love, Wisdom and Faith
My third goal and principle was to witness.
I prayed for three things for my life: the love of Jesus, the Wisdom of Solomon and the faith of Paul and beyond. I wanted to have infinite trust, infinite faith to come to the point where there would be no more to believe, to even ask: "God, if there is something doubtful in your heart, give it to me, and I will believe it for you. Also if you have some worry, let me take it from you."
Heavenly Father finally brought me to a love greater than Jesus', a wisdom greater than Solomon's and a faith greater than Paul's. For that reason, any faithless person who comes to me loves me and wants to be close to me, because my heart is one of love and trust. I look at all women as God's younger sisters, at all young men as God's younger brothers. My attitude toward them is love and trust. Therefore they are bound to love me.
These are my three principled goals of life and prayer. The reason I talked to you about them is that from today you are meant to become second Rev. Moons and inherit my way of life. These goals can be realistically applied to daily life. They can be applied every minute of the day. When you deal with the day, you are challenged to love more than Jesus, to exercise wisdom every minute and to manifest your faith. When you have infinite faith and attack a problem, there is no problem. You simply say," God, you are my subject; I am your object; I am your second self."
Now you know clearly the source of my power, from which I get such endless energy, will power, commitment and determination. These are the sources, the way of principled life, experienced in these three principles.
Those who have already made up their minds to become second Rev. Moons, inheriting his tradition of life according to principles one, two and three, say Amen!•
Il Jeong Prayer
True Father has asked that every member set aside one night every forty days as a prayer vigil from twelve midnight until four o'clock in the morning -- alone or with others.
Also Father's desire is that we fast one full day or at least one meal during the forty day period and donate the funds from those meals to a local church center or headquarter to hold. These special funds will be collected once every seven years by International headquarters.
May 19, 1984 was declared as the beginning of the "Il Jeong" prayer vigil.