Reverend Sun Myung Moon
Tarrytown, New York
June 20, 1974
Master Speaks
(Translated by Mrs. Won Pok Choi)
World Day actually means the Day of All Things. As you know, this is the 12th World Day we are celebrating. In the world there are days to be celebrated by individuals, by organizations, and by nations. They celebrate those days for their own sake in the worldly sense. But this is an extraordinary day which we celebrate exclusively in our own Family. There are many days to celebrate for the sake of mankind or for the sake of some nation, but there are few people-only ourselves, I think-who celebrate a day or days centered on God.
We celebrate other days, for instance, Parents' Day, Children's Day, God's Day, etc., which other people don't know about. I think we have many here who are celebrating this kind of day for the first time.
It is simple to say "World Day" or "Day of All of Things. " It sounds simple, but the story of how he has set up this day is very significant, and it is no coincidence to have this day. We celebrate Parents' Day, Children's Day, and God's Day. Were it not for the human fall, we could celebrate just one day for the whole universe. But because of man's fall, we have had to set up these several days to celebrate. When we say "days to celebrate," it means we have happy events on those dates.
There are many anniversaries to be remembered. Some are in memory of some sad event. But most of the celebration days in human society are days on which we are very happy. In the world of creation, there is no day on which we can really be happy, before God is able to be happy. And we cannot imagine all things of creation being happy before man is happy for them. If it had not been for the human fall, every day must be one in which God, man, and all things can take delight.
If Adam and Eve had not fallen but had reached maturity in God's dispensation, all things, men, and God could have taken delight in all things together, both on the horizontal and vertical levels. Had it not been for the human fall, this day could have been the day on which God, men, and all things are happiest. If Adam and Eve had not fallen, but had reached maturity, and been blessed in holy matrimony by God, that could have been the day on which God, man, and all things could have been happy, on the physical and spiritual levels, and on the horizontal and vertical levels. On that day, God could have smiled a broad beaming smile, and Adam and Eve could have smiled a big smile, and all things could have enjoyed the day. When you are happy, it doesn't end in just being happy; you will sing and dance. And we could imagine that in the Garden of Eden, the same thing could have happened. Then can you imagine what the first verse could have been in their song? They could have sung praises of God, God as the center of the universe, God as the master of all the creation, and God as our Father.
Then whose praises could Adam or Eve have? For Adam, it would have been the praise of his mate, Eve; and for Eve, in praise of Adam, her mate. The next thing they would have praised would have been all things. They could have sung the praise of all things having been created for them, the praise of the beauty and wonder of all things.
If Adam and Eve could have praised God and all things in gratitude to God, then on God's part, what things could He have praised? When Adam and Eve would have been happy like that, could God just sit still without beaming in laughter and smiles? I imagine God also would have sung songs. Then what could have been the verse of the song God could have sung? Would He have sung in praise of Himself? He would have sung in praise of His children, Adam and Eve --their beauty and maturity, and all the things that He created for His children. He could have praised those things. God could have hoped that Adam and Eve could enjoy the nature He created for them, and use and entertain all those things.
May I ask you a question? When you are happy, does it show up on your face alone, or would your whole body move about when you are happy? (Your whole body.) Then are the strands of your hair happy also? (Yes.) How do you know? Did you ask them? How do you imagine the cells are? Are they also happy? (Yes.) We have not seen them taking joy, and we have not asked them or heard them, but we know that they are happy. In God's eyes all things are like the hair on our skin is in our eyes. The hair on our skin is like all things to God.
When God and men are happy, we can well imagine that the whole world, all things are happy. They cannot just groan. Is this understandable? (Yes.) When God is happy and when men are happy, all things are happy. So when all things are happy, in what would they take delight? Whose praises could they have sung? All things as well could have been well harmonized in the joy of God and men. When we are happy, we laugh, we sing, and what else? We dance about when we are happy. Have you ever seen unfallen Adam and Eve dancing? Can you imagine how they would have danced? Have you ever learned that kind of dance in your university days? Have you heard of such a story? Then what have we seen and what have we heard? We have heard and imagined that due to Adam's and Eve's fall, men have trodden the way of sorrow and grief.
In human history there have been days on which men have been joyful, and days on which men have been sorrowful; these two kinds of days are long remembered. The fall of Adam and Eve is the most miserable day to remember, and we must be resolved not to repeat it. When we repeat the same things, the day will remain a sorrowful day; we must reverse it to a joyful day.
On the day of Adam's and Eve's fall, God was sorrowful, and all things were groaning too. Adam and Eve were sad too. So how do you imagine the whole creation was? Happy? (No.) It is natural that they were very unhappy and miserable. That's why we read in Romans 8:22, that all things have been groaning in travail together. If Master would beat you, you are sure that he does that in his affections towards you, you wouldn't feel sore; you wouldn't get hurt or feel the pain. Maybe you will look painful and say, "Ouch," but your facial expression will be the happiest.
At the time of the fall of Adam and Eve, if God had just slapped them on their cheeks, they could have felt a little relieved in their hearts; but God turned His face away and never said anything, He never did anything to them. If their sin could have been indemnified on the very spot by God beating them, it could have been much easier for men to return to God; but God could not do that. God, men, and all things had to be in utter sorrow and grief.
We have been taught by the Principle that at the moment of the human fall, men were chased out of the Garden of Eden. They ceased to be God's son and daughter; God was no longer their Father; and all things were not under their domination. They too had come into travail and were groaning over the fact that they were being dominated by the evil power, Satan, in place of God. Can you imagine that? Can you believe that was the truth?
God was omnipotent, but there was a reason for His not being able to save man at the right moment, at the very moment of man's fall. So for God, there must be an ardent desire for mankind. And what must that be? God could have assured all things and men, Here I am, still alive. So there will be a day when you can come back to me. Therefore, wait until that moment comes. " He would have said that to men and all things. God created men and all things according to the Principle of Creation, so sooner or later He would restore His children according to the Principle of Creation. The principle of re-creation must excel and not be less than the Principle of Creation.
Then who fell? It was men who fell, namely, Adam and Eve. The target of God's re-creation or restoration was also men-not all things or anything else. God's purpose was to re-create men and restore to their position before the fall. It was the goal for God and for men and for all things. Since it was men who fell, men were responsible to restore themselves and clear away resentment of both God and all things. This was the goal God had to reach, in spite of His untold sacrifice. Whatever the sacrifice they have to pay, men have to restore themselves, too. And all things are waiting for the day on which men are restored, however long it may take.
If God would ask all things, "Would you want to remain in the fallen world, under the domination of the evil power, and make some sacrifice in order to have the men restored to exercise their rightful domination over you?", they would have answered with a loud "Yes." Both men and all things are ready to sacrifice themselves in order to restore the sovereignty of God and reject or repel the satanic power ruling over them. Do you feel the same? When you are asked the same question by God, are you ready to answer, "Yes, we are ready to sacrifice ourselves in order for the day to come in which all the sovereignty is recovered by God?" If you are asked, "Are you ready to sacrifice yourself, your family, your children, your parents, and your nation for the sake of the coming day of glory on which all things are restored together with man?", what must be your answer? (Yes.) There is no doubt about that. On His part, God would say , "Yes, I am glad you are ready for that; I am going to sacrifice you and all things for the sake of the day to come in which all things are restored together with man."
Then we have the view safely implanted in us that we have to sacrifice ourselves in order to restore ourselves. God has set up religions for this plan. Every religion teaches God's love and mercy, but when you closely examine their doctrines, there are contradictions. It is a contradiction to sacrifice ourselves for glory and to shed our blood in order to be restored. In Jewish religion people offered heifers as sacrifices. Priests were responsible for killing the heifers or sheep.
In order for God to restore things of greater value, He had to have man offer something of less value than what was going to be restored. On the basis of that condition alone He could restore the thing of greater value. We know that all things are created for the sake of men, so they are less important or less valuable than man. Therefore, for man's restoration, God demanded him to offer sacrifices out of the rest of the creation. Were it not for the human fall, all things would not have had to be sacrificed like that, and they would not have wanted that to happen. But they are compelled to be offerings and sacrifices due to the human fall.
What comes next? Which men will sacrifice themselves for the restoration of mankind? All sages and saints and righteous men are conscious of their mission of restoring man for the sake of God. They were the ones who were martyred and sacrificed for the restoration of all of mankind. Especially in Christianity, many martyrs have had to shed their blood for the restoration of men. Before their martyrdom, they did not hesitate to die for the sake of the whole; this is recorded in history. But by treading on the sacrifices they made, we must go beyond their level and be saved. Without knowledge of all this, we are apt to think that God takes delight in bloodshed. If that is true, is God a God of love? But there is reason for God to have those people be sacrificed because of the human fall. God cannot but have men do that. In God's sight, who must be responsible to make the sacrifice? Can people in the satanic world be responsible for that? They cannot be an acceptable sacrifice.
God had to call His righteous men or chosen men, and when they were ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of all of mankind, He had to see the bloodshed and martyrdom they underwent. God's Heart was grieved, but still He had to do that. It was not because God was powerless to do anything else, but there was a reason for His having to sacrifice His own people, the righteous ones, for the sake of the restoration of the rest of the mankind.
The closer we are to God, the more sacrifice we have to pay; God has to have us be sacrificed. Can you understand me? That is why we have seen righteous men being sacrificed and martyred all throughout human history. If that is the goal set before us by God, what are you going to do? Do you agree with God" Then He will tell you to shed your blood for the sake of mankind and for the goal. Are you ready to do that?
We read in the Bible that Jesus said, "Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it," (Luke 17:33) He said that because by your losing your life for the sake of all of mankind, you are not dead. You will be long remembered, and you are still alive among the people who are restored. That is why Jesus said this.
You answered me that you are going to be the sacrifice on the altar of God. For whom? (For God.) Next? (For the creation.) Well answered. So if you have any human feeling at all, you must feel responsible for the fall of man and be ready to sacrifice yourself to restore mankind. Have you declared you are going to do that? (Yes.)
There are still three kinds of people among you; those who will declare they will be ready to do it; those who are sacrificing themselves; and those who have already sacrificed themselves. To which category do you belong? You are supposed to choose one out of the three. If you are all three at one time, it means you are going back and forth from the past to future. If you say, "God, I have done that," it means you are still doing that. Those who have done it, I am sure you are doing it now and will continue to do that. To which category do you belong? The only one who is entitled to answer "I have done it" is God alone. That's why we must cling to God, in the past, present, and future, too. It is something like being a fly on the very tail of a galloping horse; the fly will be carried to the goal. So you must believe in God and cling to Him and be carried by Him. You say you are ready to sacrifice yourselves, but that's your own will. Can you do it all by yourselves? If you are in the position of the offering, you cannot claim that you are an acceptable offering and want to be the offering on the altar of God. There must be someone who will accept you as the offering, put you on the altar, and finally accept you.
In the Jewish religion, the priest had the qualification to kill the offering, put it on the altar, and ask God to accept the offering. There must be someone like that. However evil you may consider yourself, to be, as the offering, you cannot be accepted. There must be someone who must grab you, cut you into two, and after the bloodshed put you on the altar; then you can be accepted by God. The priest of all priests was Jesus Christ. He was supposed to put the whole nation of Israel, the chosen nation, in the position of the sacrifice. He had to sacrifice the whole nation; and the nation should not have complained, being in the position of the offering. But they did, and their disbelief caused Jesus to die in their place as the offering. God is not a person who wants to see bloodshed. But in order to save fallen men, God had to do that. Because man shed his blood, God had a reasonable condition to restore men. That's why He was forced to do that.
In our church, we are ready to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of God, all things, and men; and by being sacrificed, we can reach out to the end of the world to restore all men. So that's why we are ready for the sacrifice. Do you really understand that? You must have a clear notion of our having to sacrifice ourselves and pay the hardest indemnity that all history has ever seen. Are you ready for that? Do you really mean it? If you really mean it, please hold up your hands.
Then what are we going to restore by our being sacrificed? What is the purpose of our being sacrificed? What is the restored man like? Before he can be the father, he must be Adam and Eve before the fall. The messianic hope was God's promise to send someone who has nothing to do with sin-Adam without the fall, one with the original status of man before the fall. All throughout human history, God's endeavor was to send such a man or re-create such a man. Do you really miss the original Adam, the Adam without the fall? How much do you want to meet Adam? How much do you want to meet such a person, an Adam without the fall? If you have a choice to make, and your parents are dying, but you must go out to meet the Adam without the fall, somewhere right at that moment, would you leave your dying father and mother? Even though your parents would cling to you and say, "Don't leave me," you must go. Instead, it is very desirable for the dying parents to say, "Leave me alone. I am dying anyway, but you must go and meet that person. " That kind of parents are wonderful parents. If there is some loved one of yours who is almost dying, would you be ready to leave him or her to go and meet that person?
Suppose your own nation, the United States, is faced with peril, and it's going to perish right at this moment. Would you rather leave this nation and go in search of that man of perfection in order to meet him" Then American history would say you are a betrayer. If the nation of the United States would not let you go and cling to you, telling you to serve the nation without serving that man, then the United States as a nation would be committing sin against the whole of mankind. Isn't that true?
Even though the whole world is faced with peril, you have to leave the whole world and go meet this person; and in that case, are you a betrayer of the world? The perfected Adam, or the Adam without the fall, has a value greater than the whole world. There is no doubting the fact that even though you sacrifice yourself, your family, your nation, and the whole world, if you go and meet and receive the perfected person coming in Adam's place, God will have him save the whole world, including your nation and yourselves. Do you have a clear notion of what it is like? Can you do these things all by yourselves?
The Messiah is the person whom you must miss more than you would your lover, your family, your nation, or the whole world. You must serve him more. That's why Jesus said, "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." (Matt. 10:37, Luke 14:26) Can you do that? You must be more like that than was Jesus himself. Can you do that?
It took God 6,000 biblical years to locate a man like the Messiah, or send the Messiah to the human world. So we must miss him all the more and sacrifice for him, because he is the only goal of God, men, and all things. Then what is the Messiah going to do? He is a man of perfection, a male person. What is he going to do first? Can he set up his family right away, with only himself and his nation? What was lost in the Garden of Eden must be restored around the person of the Messiah; with him must be his bride; the lost Eve must be restored. What was lost in the original world must be restored, so Adam and Eve must be restored as the core of restoration, that is the very central idea of the Bible. That's what makes the Bible the holiest book among all the scriptures of other religions. With this knowledge we know that God exists.
Then when will God's Day, Parents' Day, Children's Day, and All Things Day be perfected? Those days will be perfected at the time of man's perfection. In the original world of creation, the day Adam and Eve were blessed in holy matrimony was the day of God, all things, and all parents and children, would celebrate. But in the Garden of Eden,
Adam and Eve fell at the last level of the growth period, leaving the perfection stage unfulfilled. The whole world is now situated below the level of the final stage of the growth period, even at the best.
Even the Lord of the Second Advent cannot reach the last level of the perfection stage by leaps and bounds. He must tread his way up. In the Bible we read that seven years of tribulation will come to all humanity; but the central figure, the Messiah, has to go through seven years of tribulation. It can be prolonged to 21 years, or three seven-year courses. If Christianity had not rejected our movement, the whole ideology of restoration could have been perfected or fulfilled during seven years' time. But because of their rejection, we must go through three seven-year courses, which is 21 years.
In the real sense, God's Day, Parents' Day, Children's Day, and Day of All Things must be set up when men have reached the perfection stage. But due to the human fall, we have at least seven years ahead of us before reaching a certain stage where we can set up those days.
Then out of those days to be celebrated, which day must be set first? God's Day is supposed to come first. But due to the human fall and due to the fact that we still have seven years left, which day did we set up first? Parents' Day. Because of Adam's and Eve's fall, we lost our human ancestors, and all mankind is beneath the level of the growth stage. So we have to restore the parents first and have them tread the seven years ahead of us. Therefore, we set up Parents' Day first. If you don't know this, in the future when we give you examinations on this you will fail.
When you go out witnessing, when people ask questions, how will you answer them? As a member of the Unification Church, you must be able to answer the questions in the right way. You can't read any of this in the Divine Principle book. In later days, we have to print another edition dealing with this kind of thing. So I want you to listen to me attentively. Without knowing this, you cannot pass through the spirit world. You will be asked questions in the spirit world when you enter that realm. Have you known this fact? Have you believed it and put it into practice?
It was in the year 1960 when we set up Parents' Day; the Parents had to start right on the last level of the growth period. In that situation, the Parents were not ones of glory and honor, but from that day on they had to be in the position of the priests who have to shed blood among the members. That is, they were going to sacrifice you for the sake of the whole world. Why is it so? It is because the Christian world has rejected our movement.
The Christian population was in the position of adopted sons of God. If they cooperated with our movement, they could have played the role of the sacrifice; but since they failed to do so, we had to choose people out of the fallen, non-Christian world, and then place them in the position of the sacrifice. That was the reason for the Unification members having to be sacrificed until now.
For what are we sacrificing ourselves? And why? If the Christian world came into cooperation with us, winning the whole world could have been no problem at all. If the Jewish people had cooperated with Jesus, this could have been realized in Jesus' time. But due to the failure of the chosen nation of Israel, God's preparation was nullified. So now the Christian world is rejecting us, and we have to take responsibility for what they should have done. Therefore, we have to go through a seven-year course, or if it is prolonged, three seven-year courses. By going through three seven-year courses, we are going to indemnify the 2,000 years since Jesus Christ. So within these 20 years' time, the world situation will radically change.
In the secular world, things are declining very rapidly; prosperity will come to our movement, and we will rise, while they fall. Hope is with us, and we are confident of winning our goal; you must be confident too, every one of you. We have to culminate our efforts, which we have so far been mobilizing, and we have to win the goal at all events. So we are in the final battle, the fiercest battle.
To us, the United States is in the position of Rome in the days of Jesus, so we are now working in this nation on the worldwide level. We must know the blessedness of having to work in this nation as the Rome. This nation is a democratic and Christian nation, which makes it easier for us to work. In the United States, people are stalemated, at a dead end, and they are destined to call for help from us.
During the first seven-year course, our project was to restore the Parents and Cain and Abel; this means the restoration of the family. The first seven year course was when Father had to pay the indemnity price to erect his own family. For him, that was the first seven-year course. In Adam's family, the first seven-year course was left unaccomplished because he could not erect his family, his perfected family. So after going through the seven-year course, Father could set up God's Day. During the first seven-year course, after setting up Parents' Day, he could set up Children's Day because after the restoration of the True Parents, he could restore the day of the True Children. By going through the perfected Cain and Abel level, he could set up his own family, by having those who are in the position of Cain obey those who are in the position of Abel.
By having the true children restored to the True Parents, he could set up the foundation of the restored family, and then on that foundation alone he could set up the Day of All Things. After restoring the True Parents, and after restoring Cain and Abel as his children, he could set up the foundation of the true family, and then, as he said before, he could set up the Day of All Things. This was May 1, 1963, according to the lunar calendar. We celebrate all those days according to the lunar calendar.
Since he set up his own family in the position of the family without the fall, and all the blessed families achieved more than the standard of worldly families, then we restored all things and properties and positions of our families and have the properties belong to the church.
In 1965 he could set up 120 Holy Grounds in 48 countries, claiming it to be God's foothold on earth. By setting up Parents' Day, Children's Day, and Day of All Things, those three together, he could reach the level of victory. Because the Christian world rejected our movement, we have done this much only on the spiritual level. We are celebrating those days within our Family, not with the rest of the world.
With these days set up in reverse, finally in the year 1968 he set up God's Day. It may sound very simple, but behind the story there have been many complicated things.
Due to the fall of Adam and Eve, the first human ancestors, the True Parents in their position had to do these things without consulting any other people about the matter. After going through the first seven-year course, he was ready to come to the United States. The last three years of his second seven year course he has been here; 1974 is his third year in the United States. After having brought the level of our movement here to a certain point, when he made a brief visit back home several weeks ago, he could set up the Day of Victory Over Resentment.
Without your being aware of the fact, on the spiritual level the whole world is under the claim of Satan. For instance, you have the claim over your own house and over your own property. But all things were under the claim or domination of Satan.
Then who can expel Satan and restore the ownership? We can expel or chase away Satan in the name of our True Parents, as their children, and the True Parents themselves can do that. They are entitled to do that. If you order them to leave the ownership to you in the name of the True Parents, in the name of the True Family, in the name of our movement, and in the name of the nation under our movement, they will be chased away. You believe it, and you can exercise the power. Can you believe it? (Yes.)
If you claim a certain land as your land and as God's, in an absolute faith, that land is already claimed. But there is one condition. Would you want to know it? (Yes.) The only condition is that, "I can never change before God. " If you are really resolved to be the son or daughter of God, and you will never leave that position, and if you are sure of that, you can exercise the power. If you vacillate and are not sure of not being changed, and if you exercise that power without having the deep faith, then you will be counter-attacked by Satan.
For instance, if 400 members of ours are in strong unity in oneness and harmony, and then go exercising the power in utter faith, then that faith will be like a rock, never vacillating, and then you can chase away Satan and claim the ownership. Are you sure you will never change? (Yes.) Yes? (Yes.) It is easy to answer with affirmation, but acting this way is very difficult. It is not so easy as it may sound.
I have seen many of you being exhausted or frustrated, and you miss the days you were enjoying in the worldly sense, and you say to yourself, "Oh, I am a university graduate. What am I doing here? I look so miserable, while my friends are successful in the outside world. " And you think of the old days and you miss your old selves. "So many of my friends, so and so, such and such people are all successful, and they have quite a well-off position, but I am here selling flowers and candles like this. How miserable I look. " Isn't that what you have been saying to yourselves? (No.) You are answering with your lips. Well, honestly, you have been quite a bit like that.
You must have strong faith, like a rock. The name Peter meant "rock." You must have the faith as of a rock, and then if Satan will come trying to invade you, he will be counter-attacked, and he will get hurt and not you. You sometimes are proud of yourselves being this and that. What are the points you can be proud of in yourselves? God has every reason to be proud of Himself. But He is only grieving now. He says, "Mr. Moon is qualified for every kind of thing. " He is not important just as a person of ability. He isn't an incapable person. There have been many saints and sages in past history, but have they been persons who were foolish and incapable of doing something other than what they have done?
God has gone through difficulties. Jesus has gone through martyrdom. And I am here going through many difficulties. Is it not natural for you to have to go through the same? (Yes.) Before you go through it, I have been analyzing the situation. I have been comparing the work I am doing with other work and I would meditate or contemplate over this and that, and I finally chose this mission. What you are going to do is just to follow me, so you must be grateful for that.
Without some of you, especially the new members, knowing it, we have gone through the first seven-year course successfully; and we are now in the three years towards the end of the second seven-year course. If we are successful in the eight-city speaking tour, we will successfully conclude the second seven-year course; then we are going to enter the third seven-year course. From then on we are going to work on the worldwide level. Upon entering the third seven-year course, we will see the world being changed, and we are going to conclude the project of restoring the rest of the world.
Now let us come to the conclusion. Seen from this viewpoint, whose God is God? (Ours.) He is our God, the God of our parents, and my God. And whose is mankind? (God's) God's children-if they are God's children, they are our brothers and sisters, because we are God's children. The people in the satanic world are in the position of adopted sons to you, as true children of God; and when they want to be saved, they must go through a formality to become the true children of God through you, who are that already.
It is desirable to educate the whole of mankind, the whole population of the world at one time, but since we cannot reach out to the people in that way, we must get in touch with every person and witness to people on an individual basis. Before restoring one whole nation under God, we cannot save people in national units. When we have restored a nation as a whole, we can have the government carry out the project; we can build our schools, where we can educate people under our ideology; and we can build our schools, schools that history has never seen before. And we can organize an army which human history has never seen before.
Then how strong will that nation be, under God's ideology? (The strongest.) God is anxious to have one nation restored like that; God can rely only on our movement, our people, to do the job for Him. We are not fighting against the world, or against a nation, with weapons. Faith, knowledge, truth, personality, and love are our only weapons. We must have more love, more truth, and more personality than worldly people. With these people put together, we are going to restore the whole world back to God's bosom, after going through the stages of family, nation, and world.
We must be proud of the God's Days which we have set up. We must be proud of the Parents' Day we have set up. We must be proud of our having Children's Day here. Especially, we must be proud of the fact that we have the Day of All Things.
By putting God, men, and all things, together and connecting them, we will accomplish the will of God. Then we want to be men who can really smile and laugh before God. We must become people who can really smile and laugh among mankind. When we smile and when we laugh, we must laugh the laughter and smile the smile which is more valuable, the ones which people have never smiled and laughed. What kind of laughter and smiles must those be? (The best.) You can really smile and laugh that kind of laughter and smile only after sacrificing yourself.
Jesus could bless his enemy even on the cross when he was put to death, and that's what makes him great, greater than any other saint. You must be greater than Jesus himself. I want you to be happy, even though you are going through difficulties. Can you do that? (Yes.) We must sing throughout our whole life. You must sing in praise of God, in praise of humanity, in praise of all things; and if you sing in that way, you are the great things. The greatest of all songs is the song by a person who is dying. Even though you are dying, if you can sing at that moment, that's the greatest song. If you are faced with death, and in case of death you can still dance, you are the greatest person of all humanity.
There have been many martyrs who were happy when they were killed, but if they calculated in their minds, "By my dying this death I can be entitled to heaven," then that death is meaningless. At the moment of your death, at the moment of your being killed, if you have the sense of dying for the sake of God, for the sake of the whole of mankind, for the sake of all things, then your death will be significant and remembered by God, and you will live by dying.
Can you understand me? (Yes.)
Some of you may think, "Whenever Master speaks to us, he always commands us to die. Oh, what a Master he is. " Sooner or later, we will die; and if you are going to die at all, what kind of death must be more significant and will be greater? When a man dies on the way to do research, would that be more significant? For instance, an athletic champion dies on the way to wrestle, or something like that; is that a greater death? Or if he dies for the sake of his own family, or himself, would that be a great death? If you are going to die at all, those kinds of deaths are something to be avoided. You must be ready to die for the sake of God, for the sake of mankind, for the sake of the whole world, all the things of God's creation. If you really die that kind of death, on that day God will console your spirit, and the whole of mankind will console you, together with all the things of creation.
If you were in God's position, would you not console that man's spirit and say, "If you remained on the earth you could have done this and that; I wanted you to enjoy all those things"? He will console the heart of that man, and all the people around him will console his spirit by saying, "You wanted to do this and that, and I want to accomplish what was left unaccomplished by you." All the world together will console his heart and long remember him.
What kind of death would you choose, if there were three kinds I will name? You just want to have a seemingly peaceful life and reach the end of your life; and on the sick bed you will die-not quite a natural death, but that kind of death. Or, you are so ambitious as to fight for the sake of yourself, your fame, your position, and things like that; then in the course of that
fight you will be killed and have an earlier death. Or, would you choose rather to die for the sake of the whole world, and God, and all things? (The whole world.) You know what you are going to do? (Yes.)
Just superficially speaking, a young man, Jesus, came into the world, and he was sacrificed on the cross. He died young, and he passed away. But what happened after his death? He could change the whole world on the spiritual level, and many millions of people are following him. And on the physical level, things were left unaccomplished, but this time Master came, and in place of God and Jesus, he is going through untold difficulties. His aim is only to change the whole world back to God's bosom. And would you not follow him? (Yes.) If you are ready to follow him all throughout your life, hold up your hands in pledge before God. Thank you.
