Reverend Sun Myung Moon
October 3, 1979
World Mission Center, NYC, NY
Translator, Bo Hi Pak
When you hear "Day of the Victory of Heaven", the meaning of it might not be very clear in your heart. Therefore, this morning we are going to make the meaning clear.
To make a long story short, the fall of man meant the defeat of God. How? God was unable to possess the position in which He could govern the entire world and have true dominion. Consequently, God has not truly controlled all things of creation nor man. Finally, God has not had dominion over love.
Among these three things, what would be the central point? Love is the key and central factor to have dominion over men and all things. Once you possess love, you can actually possess all things and man because love encompasses everything God's history after the fall of man has been one of struggle to regain the position where He could have dominion over love. There is no doubt that the ruler of this fallen world is Satan because he has dominated all three precious things of this creation.
As a result, history has developed as a course of restoration of the lost dominion. In order to re-establish God's dominion, God's side must demonstrate a quality that is superior to any on the satanic side. Thus, a movement must inevitably appear which will show the way toward the restoration of God's position. To accomplish this end the people in that movement will deny their families and world, and even their own lives to serve God.
With what weapon and strategy will God defeat Satan? God's tool in history has been religion. What is the essence and depth of religion? God's prime purpose in establishing religion is simply to bring men to a level where they love God more than anything else under the sun. In order to possess God's love you must become a man of God first. There are many religions in this world, but how many people are really striving to become men and women of God? What about Christians today? Many religious people believe in a certain faith in order to receive some benefit, such as a place in heaven. That is not how God intended to fulfill His purpose for religion, however. The essential intention of religious people must be to restore men and women who will do their utmost to serve God above all else. This is the standard which must be established.
If love is the key factor in religion, what will be the standard and who will set it up? Should men or women set the standard? Let's broaden the question -- should individuals set the standard, or a nation, or religion, or what? In order for God to establish the domain of love, more than a nation or society is needed -- one individual is the key., Who is going to bring that standard, a man or woman?
Restoration follows a process which is reverse that of the fall. Who brought the fall by initiating the fallen action? Women initiated the action by which God lost His love, so who will God use first in restoration? I will ask you a difficult question to help you answer: did men or women give birth to Jacob and Jesus? Women initiated the fall so women are in a position to initiate restoration. This is why it was women who were ordained by God to take action to bring these men to this world. If Jacob, for example, had not had cooperation from his mother, the history of Israel could not have taken place.
What did Jacob's mother do? In order to fulfill the will of God, she went to the extreme of deceiving her own husband and her eldest son, allowing Jacob to be in a position where he could fulfill his mission from God. Have you ever heard of someone trying to buy the birthright from his elder brother? From a secular point of view, Jacob's mother was a liar and Jacob himself was a swindler. The Bible records these things very clearly, as well as the fact that God glorified and blessed them, and this has been a puzzle for Bible students.
Satan is the master of this world, so this satanic world is in the elder brother's position of holding sovereignty. If you confront Satan and inform him you have come to take over his world, will he just drop it and leave it to you? Instead, you say that you will take back the world in the same way that Satan first stole it. It is only logical -- Satan took the world without God's permission, so you don't need Satan's permission to take it back to God.
How did Satan take the world? First, he lied to his own Father and to Adam, deceiving father and son. Furthermore, through Eve Satan deceived the husband. In the process of the fall, God and His daughter were separated when she became a betrayer. In restoration the reverse way is necessary, so God and His daughter must be united; in other words, women should be united with God. Satan and woman united in the fall and took Adam and all things of creation away from God. In restoration God and woman unite to take the husband and all things of creation back to God.
That was the position of Jacob and his mother, Rebecca. Here woman and son united with God to cut the fallen tie, which in this case was to the husband and son on the satanic side. Now you understand why that process was acceptable in the sight of God. Their first task was restoration of the birth right of the eldest son. Why was this necessary? The elder son's position is always that of master or dominator, which was the right and authority bestowed on the eldest son. In biblical history the family heritage always passed from elder son to elder son. Since the elder son's position was stolen by Satan, God used Jacob to restore that position by taking it back.
By restoring the elder son's position Jacob could restore dominion over all things and over men. Since Jacob totally united with God, once he could take the position of elder son he completed God's sovereignty, ending the satanic rule. By Jacob's cutting off the satanic line, restoring the elder son's position to God and creating a tribe and people, God finally had a territory and people He could claim. This is why God gave the name Israel to Jacob, which means victor.
Because of the failure of men, God was always in a position as a failure. Now for the first time God won a victory, through Jacob, and set up a foundation on earth. Through Jacob God expanded His territory further and further, add ultimately that family grew into a tribe, a people and a nation.
Because restoration between Esau and Jacob was completed when both were in their forties, or middle age, Satan could still claim that, although he had to admit defeat on that level, God had not changed the foundation. Because Jacob and Esau grew up in the satanic world for forty years, Satan still had some claim. This period from birth-to the age of forty remained in Satan's hands, even though the birthright was restored after that age. Therefore, another step of restoration had to be taken, beginning with the mother's womb.
God's representative was not born in the elder son's position. Jacob assumed that position only after he was forty, so another battle remained which had to be won in the mother's womb. This dispensation was conducted through Jacob's son Judah and his daughter-in-law, Tamar, and the whole course had to be accomplished in a period of three generations. Tamar was destined to be responsible for an unusual dispensation specifically asked for by God.
Tamar's story has always been incomprehensible to scholars. According to Jewish custom, when the elder son died the second son would marry the widow. When Tamar's husband died, however, Judah's second son refused to marry her. The third son was too young to take the role of her husband. Knowing that she must bear a child, Tamar thought of a scheme to have a child by- her father-in-law and thus continue the lineage. This put her in a position to deceive both her father-in-law and his sons. Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and enticed her- father-in-law to have a relationship, out of which she became pregnant.
According to Jewish custom at that time, a woman caught in adultery, such as a widow who conceived a child, was supposed to be stoned to death. Tamar already knew what would happen to her if she had a child, so she wisely took the precaution of asking for Judah's ring and staff, which would prove later that she was not just acting as a prostitute, and thus save her life so she could fulfill God's dispensation. When Judah learned that he was responsible for her pregnancy, he protected her and saved her life. This was not a. joyful act for Tamar, but an act of risking her life. She performed such a dangerous duty simply to fulfill the destiny given her by God.
Centering upon God's mission, Tamar won the heart of her father-in-law, who was in a position of potential enemy who could have her killed. Yet Judah protected her, uniting with the mission of father. Therefore, the children in Tamar's womb could stand on God's side. Judah was the fourth son of Jacob, and out of the tribe of his descendants Jesus was born. In Jewish history Judah's tribe traditionally carried the tabernacle. They held this sacred position because God bestowed it on them, but most important of all, Jesus was born into this lineage.
Jacob and Esau were twin brothers, and Tamar conceived twins who stood in the same position. The closest kind of relationship among brothers and sisters is found between twins. Even in the mother's womb twins truly exchange feelings; if one cries then the other feels some sorrow.
Two brothers, Perez and Zerah, were struggling inside Tamar's womb. At the time of delivery the brother who was later named Zerah reached his hand out of his mother's womb. In order to clearly mark who was first born, the midwife tied a red thread around his wrist. This was representative of Cain, and ultimately foreshadowed the satanic force of the Last Days, which would eventually emerge as Communism before Jesus' birth the Roman Empire held that position. After the red thread was tied on, however, a great struggle took place in Tamar's womb, in which Perez fiercely pulled Zerah back in and was born first himself! Thus, the name Perez means "he who pushed aside."
You can see that at that time the victory won by Jacob over Esau was consummated in the mother's womb through Perez and Zerah. Now restoration was complete in that lineage and there was no room for Satan to exert any claim. , even from the time of conception in the womb. That family tree continued uninterrupted for 2,000 years down through the birth of Jesus. As you can see, God prepared a foundation which was totally cleansed from the root, so that at an opportune time God could have a sinless son out of that lineage, over whom Satan could have no claim.
The restoration of the birthright was first carried out on the family level, and that particular family expanded-to the national level. Years after Jacob won over Esau, Jacob and his family eventually had to flee to Egypt, where over the generations they developed into a great tribe. Why were Jacob and his family sent to Egypt, which was enemy territory? Since that family was given the blessing of being called Israel, all the various elements of that family had to be totally united, but that had not been done. There was still room for Satan to accuse them of not being united. This was manifested in the fact that Jacob loved his eleventh son, Joseph, very much and the ten older brothers were jealous. Instead of thinking of Jacob's happiness or mission, they were envious of Joseph and tried to kill him, eventually selling him into slavery in Egypt. Even though he was first a slave, Joseph became respected and loved by the Pharaoh and eventually became prime minister. When a seven year famine struck Canaan, Jacob's family was eventually saved by Joseph when he gave them assistance in Egypt.
When Jacob struggled with Esau he had to flee to Haran, and returned 21 years later to be re-united with him. When Jacob's sons were not united, the younger son left home and went to enemy territory, where eventually the whole family was reunited. In Egypt they grew in prosperity into twelve tribes of 600,000 people. During this period God allowed the Pharaoh to be very cruel, forcing the Hebrews to unite totally with each other. No one today knows why the Pharaoh could be allowed to be so cruel to God's chosen people. Because the Pharaoh was so cruel, however, the Hebrews became united under the leadership of Moses and were ready to obey God's order through Moses.
When the Hebrews came out of Egypt they took as many of the riches of the Egyptians as they could. This was one of the few dispensational moments that God allowed His people to strike a blow at the satanic side. This very rarely happens. At the conclusion of the Exodus the Hebrews entered Canaan, but again there was more division and lack of unity. Because they did not realize their mission and remained divided, God again used external forces to torment them and force them to awaken. I cannot clarify everything today, but eventually God used even the Roman Empire to chastise them just before Jesus' arrival.
The Romans worshipped many gods, but the Jews and Christians worshipped only one, and the two ideologies inevitably clashed. God made the Roman Empire strong to achieve one goal the unity of the Jews, and a fierce determination to free their people from oppression. God always uses that strategy, so that by allowing an enemy to become strong, His people are forced to unite. In the development of Christianity the early believers suffered terrible persecution. I visited the underground labyrinth of rooms in Rome known as the catacombs, where the Christians gathered secretly in the early days. They were deeply united because opposition was so strong.
God used the Roman Empire to unite the Jews before Jesus came, and after the crucifixion God used the Roman Empire to make the Christians unite. Under those adverse conditions God's people had to give up everything for the sake of God, so that there was no other-.reason for them to exist. Then they could have total oneness with God and with each other. In this way God's dominion over all things, over man and over love could be restored. When God's people were totally united, they would all move as one under His direction for wholesale restoration. All this is historical fact, but this perspective on history has not been known until now.
After 4,000 years of biblical history since the fall of Adam and Eve, the time finally arrived for the birth of the Messiah. This meant that for the first time in history God could finally send His true son in His sinless lineage, in the mother's womb. Because that lineage had already been cleansed, Satan could have no claim on that sinless baby boy, and on this level Satan was defeated. This event was the first of its kind in history, and any people who united with this messianic child could also be made sinless and elevated into heaven. By uniting with the true child of God they would be linked to God, and dominion over all things, men, and love could be restored directly.
The Roman Empire ruled the nation of Israel externally, but the Messiah was to rule it internally once the Jews united totally with him. God wanted the Jews, whom He had trained for 2,000 years, to unite with Jesus so they would be as one. Jesus came to fulfill all of that. Jesus was already destined at his conception to be the son of God. Upon his birth God expected the whole nation to bow down to him.
At one time I was buying clothes at a New York store which was run by a Jew. He asked me if I was Reverend Moon, and then wanted to ask me a question. He asked, "If the Jews are the chosen people whom God loves the most, why did God allow so much suffering to fall upon them? Can you answer me?" I replied, "The answer is rather simple, but explaining it fully would require one hour. Could you give up one hour of your business time to listen?" He said he couldn't possibly do that, so I told him maybe we would talk another time.
I want you to know that it is God's will that all religions be united into one. You know restoration takes place according to the law of indemnity, and that God's purpose is the restoration of all mankind. Some people, like Jesus, are in the position to sacrifice for the sake of the world. The Jews as well are in a position to help God restore billions of people around the world. Their sacrifices must not remain in vain; they served an important purpose in the history of God for the sake of restoring all the multitudes of people in history.
Among the religions of the world, the Jews have suffered the most because God's loved ones are always in a position to be a sacrifice. Because God allowed such suffering to come to the Jews, God expected them to be the strongest, most understanding and most united religious people. Who shall play the central role in uniting all religions? God handpicked the Jews and trained them for that role. This is my explanation of the suffering of the Jews from the dispensational point of view-; their oppression was not a punishment from God, but was the same glorious sacrificial role that Jesus was given in order to complete the restoration of mankind.
After World War II the Jews had a great opportunity because they suffered the most. They should have become flag bearers and champions of God, calling for unity of all religions, including Christianity, under God's banner. If those two had united then the unity of all other religions would only have been a matter of time. The problem has been that Jewish thinking was always nationalistic, while God's thinking was universal. The Jews should embrace all people of the world for their salvation, and in that case they would have won a true victory for God after World War II. But as long as they have narrow thinking they will face more and more problems. Once they liberate themselves to see from God's perspective, their whole situation will become different. If they think self-centeredly then God will leave and look for some other champions elsewhere.
I want you to understand that because of this failure of religions to unite, Communism could rise after World War II. In the event that they take over the free world, the first group of people to be annihilated will be Christians. The worst bloodshed, never seen in history, will take place and touch all people of the world. The genocide of the Jews in World War II will seem small in comparison as millions and millions of people will die in that bloodletting. God will require the toughest kind of unity to be forged under those circumstances.
Pope John Paul II visited New York recently and received a wholehearted welcome, but do you think he could have been given such a welcome under worldwide Communist rule? No, the Pope and all Catholics, Protestants and Jews together would have been killed at the outset. What about the Unification Church? We would be the first to go. In that respect all religious people face a common destiny. My proclamation is that we must unite and go beyond the level of denomination and the boundaries of religions. I established a movement to unite religions, but instead of being united, Christians are uniting with Communists to accuse and oppose us. What seems to be unanimous opposition to me, however, is being split by you who crossed over the line to unite with me. You are the people who saw the Will of God and want to give your lives to it and fight for this goal.
All of this has been a tangent because I thought about that Jewish merchant, so let's go back to the main topic. Yet it is necessary that you know this common sense truth.
The nucleus of God's dispensation is given to the chosen people through the Messiah, who brings the true meaning of restoration to the world. Should God send a man or woman to be the Messiah? Could the Messiah be born of a man? Of course not. "Man" is a short, simple word, but "woman" is a bigger word; that "wo" means "Wow" or "wonderful," so women are "wonder people".
Who was chosen to fulfill that most extraordinary dispensation in the sight of God at the time of the Messiah 2,000 years ago? Her name was Mary. "Mary" and "marriage" sound quite alike. In God's sight the first woman in the position of bride was Mary. She was a culmination of all God's work through 4,000 biblical years of history, the pinnacle of this dispensation, and her responsibility as this chosen woman was to pass through a course representing all of history.
In the process of the fall three deceptions took place. Eve deceived God, her Father, as well as Adam, her husband and God's son. When God summoned Mary to take up her great responsibility, she was already engaged to be married. This was significant because the fall took place during the period of Adam and Eve's engagement. Mary conceived Jesus without having any relationship with Joseph, so there was deception of her husband-to-be involved. When the angel came to Mary, he told her she would conceive a son whose name would be Emmanuel. How did she react upon learning of this incredible mission? She could have refused, saying she was already engaged and that her fiancée would be angry, that she would be stoned if she conceived a child. The mission presented to her was a life risking one.
Her husband-to-be was involved, as well as her own and her husband's family, and the Jewish people. She was given a mission to conceive a child out of wedlock and faced condemnation and death. But did she refuse? She answered the angel, "I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." She knew people would revile her, so her determination was that she would willingly die, but not until after she had borne this son. She was clever and thought that the best way to protect herself would be to win Joseph's heart. But could she go to him and claim she was carrying the Messiah in her womb? She faced incredible difficulties, but I don't want to take the time to go into detail.
Ultimately, because Mary made up her mind to give her life for the mission of God, God cooperated to help her. *An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him not to fear taking Mary as his wife. Joseph was also a man of God, and where another man might have dismissed this as but a funny dream, he took it seriously. He turned his back on the external appearance of the situation and accepted it as God's will. He took Mary as his wife, knowing that she was carrying a child that was not his.
Do you think that naturally he would ask her whose baby it was, since after all he had saved her life? Could she reply that she conceived through the Holy Spirit and expect Joseph to accept it? If the Pope was in' Joseph's position would he believe her? Would Billy Graham believe his wife if she told him that? That kind of conversation between Joseph and Mary could have led only to a great argument, with Joseph accusing that even though he saved Mary's life she still was not being honest with him. Though this is not exactly what took place, do you think there was no tension in that family when Jesus was finally born? At first the community would think he was Joseph's son, but it was impossible to keep secrets. - Any conversation between Mary and Joseph must have been overheard, even by the birds or insects, and I'm sure rumors spread quickly that Jesus was an illegitimate child.
More children were born to Mary and Joseph, and they all knew that somehow Jesus was different. The Bible does not speak directly about this, but the fact is that when Jesus was a boy there was a great deal of tension, and even Mary was distant with him at times because she was a victim of the everyday situation. Jesus was lonely as a child and often left the house to be alone. Once his parents even left him behind in Jerusalem for three days, only coming back to look for him later. How could parents leave a young boy behind that way? There were not many happy days in that family.
I'm sure many of you have grown up with a step parent, and even in an open society like America's today there is tension between a step parent and step children, so imagine how much more difficult it was 2,000 years ago. In this sense Americans are in a position to be sympathetic with Jesus' position; more young people are experiencing the same kind of suffering Jesus went through.
Satan took Eve away through deceit of father, husband and son. Mary, in the reverse position, willingly faced difficulty and misunderstanding in order to do the will of God. In spite of her mistakes, she was a great woman for she accepted the call and strove to fulfill it.
This is the background of the circumstances under which Jesus was born. He was destined before his birth to be the Messiah, but he was not accepted by the people. He was rejected and crucified. God worked unspeakably hard to bring this one son of His to the world, guiding a course of incredible history. After all His effort, do you think His Messiah came only to die on a cross at the age of 33? Was that God's will? The Messiah was born as the elder son of the universe on God's side, having sovereignty over all things. Jesus was sent to the world as the representative of God's personality, God's love and God's entire creation.
After 4,000 long years of struggle, one person, Jesus, could be born as the representative of God in totality. Christians today must repent for not knowing that the crucifixion was not the will of God. The path of the cross was not God's primary will, and the cross is not a pleasing symbol to God at all. Because this is what I teach, people call me a heretic, but let them go ahead. This is the hidden history that only God can reveal, and until now it has not been known to anyone on earth. If men continue in this ignorance, they are destined to be destroyed, but instead God has chosen me to reveal the truth for the first time in history.
If I am truly a God-sent champion to reveal truth God has never disclosed in all history, then any religious leader or believer who opposes this work shall inevitably decline. Look at how Christianity, which has prospered for 2,000 years and spread throughout the entire world, is faltering and crumbling in the thirty short years since World War II. It cannot be a coincidence.
What happened after Jesus' crucifixion? God's dispensation was divided, with one side a physical dispensation and the other a spiritual dispensation. Jesus remained the parent on the spiritual side. The Trinity of God and the Adam and Eve, or male, and female spirits, are represented by God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Hence, Jesus fulfilled the position of parent of mankind spiritually. His body was killed, so he was in a position to be a husband spiritually. The Holy Spirit is in the bride's position, but has never had physical form as Jesus once. did. In the end, however, the Holy Spirit will take physical form as one woman, who together with a physical man will become True Parents to mankind. Together they shall be the channel by which mankind can return to God. Only with the installation of True Parents who are both physical and spiritual can the Kingdom of Heaven on earth be formed which can finally be lifted into heaven. Therefore, the Bible and the Divine Principle teach that the Kingdom must come first on earth and then be opened in heaven: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
God created both man and woman, not just one or the other. Could Jesus be the parents of mankind all alone? The inevitable question is whether Jesus should have taken a bride. Then he would have had children, right? If his lineage had continued from generation to generation, would such a system as the Papacy have been needed? Of course not. Jesus' descendants would have been the center of the living Kingdom on earth. If Jesus had left heirs on earth would there have been unity or not? Nothing like that happened, so the natural conclusion is that Jesus must come again. In order to fulfill this mission could he come as a celestial body on the clouds?
Based on Jesus' spiritual heritage, the entity we know today as the free world was formed. What is its purpose? It exists as a foundation for the coming of the Lord of the Second Advent. The center of that free world today is America, a nation which contains the essence of the Christian world in Europe. People of all denominations who lacked freedom of worship in Europe came to America, and the founding spirit of this nation is "In God We Trust." When the Pilgrim fathers came here, they came to make a better world centered upon God. They were outcasts in Europe, and because their consciences could not accept the government oppression there they wanted to make a better world somewhere else. God opened a new horizon to them in their search, and led them to America. They fled from Europe, determined to make a better country.
Did they have a joyful, lighthearted departure from England? No, they were outcasts fleeing their own country. The Mayflower was a tiny, rickety ship and they sailed without any assurance of what their destiny would be, realizing that they could very likely all die at sea. That was the strength of their determination when they set sail.
The Mayflower is a symbol of men who value their faith above their life, men who don't mind risking their lives to find freedom of worship. Because of the strength of their faith, America rose to incredible prosperity in the short time of 200 years. The people in this nation were determined to make a better nation than any in Europe, and believers and immigrants of all kinds came from abroad, creating a melting pot of faiths, races. and nationalities in this one nation. America is a movement of unification under God.
There were many thousands of Indians in this country when the Europeans came, yet God sided with the white people and allowed them to push the Indians back and settle this country. Indian opposition to the settlers was quite necessary, however. If the Europeans had found this bountiful land all free and idle for them to use, selfishness and division would have been more extensive among all the different groups and they would have more easily forgotten God. God allowed the Indians to attack so that the white minority would have to unite. In the end, however, the white people made a great blunder. They should not have ruthlessly massacred the Indians but should have made the same unity with the Indians that they made among themselves.
The law of cause and effect cannot be avoided in history. America is an extension of Great Britain, which means that Satan is more interested in America's fate. Thus, America is in a position to indemnify what Britain did wrong in history. The British had done great evil over the centuries, particularly in Asia and India. They aggressively developed the opium trade in the Orient in order to bring out ton after ton of gold for themselves. Official policy gave no consideration to the well being of the Asians, totally unconcerned that whole groups of people became addicts as long as the British could keep getting gold. Someone today has to pay for that sin. America is paying that historical debt, and young people here are plagued by drugs. White people crippled the lives of Asians through the effects of opium, and now the same evil is plaguing America.
No other race in the world trusts the word of white people when they say they bring salvation because, especially in recent history, their actions have always brought greater evil and distress to other peoples. Look, for instance, at the plight of the boat people since America's blunders in Vietnam. If Asians, however, come forward to say there is hope in the world, other people will listen to them. There is an unbridgeable gap between white and black people today, so a mediator must come and that can only be yellow people. It is historically sound to say that God will bring hope to the world from Asia.
Do you hear any Orientals proclaiming hope for all mankind today? No Filipinos, Vietnamese, Chinese or Japanese have come forward. The only voice crying in the wilderness is Reverend Moon's and I am proclaiming the solution to the problems of the world. But I am not just shouting like a crazy man; this message is logical and truthful. America needs that voice and should listen, but instead of accepting me this nation is trying to suppress this movement. That is the reality.
Someone might be skeptical and want to know why, if I am destined to save this world, I didn't come to America sooner instead of waiting until I was fifty. The answer is that a foundation was necessary on the national level. Since Jesus lost his physical body and the national sovereignty of Israel was subsequently destroyed, that position must be indemnified and restored. Both spiritual and physical things must be restored on a national basis. Until then the world dispensation could not be started.
Unity between spirit and body must start from one individual, then be expanded to one family, one tribe and one nation, then to the world. It is impossible to jump to the world level without following each of those steps. Before coming to America and the world stage I had to liquidate the debt of history. All the sins committed by men and women of history had to be solved before I could come.
Jesus was opposed by his family, tribe, nation and world, and before I came to the worldwide level I received the same persecution. In order to indemnify the past I had to receive the same persecution, yet win. I came as the world champion of goodness, yet I was treated in the worst possible way, as was Jesus. From Satan's point of view the Messiah is the worst person in the world and he never wanted to look at Jesus, but from the heavenly standard the Messiah is the best. Satan doesn't care how much the Mafia grows or how much drug addiction spreads, but he can't stand to see my work growing in America and the world.
If Satan is to survive he cannot allow me to prosper, so he began an all out attack against me, mobilizing even the Communists. He was even successful in getting religious people and well established public figures to unite against me. No matter how righteous religious people may have been, if they oppose the central figure on God's side they automatically put themselves on the satanic side. The ultimate showdown, however, must be done on the worldwide level. My work in Korea, Japan and Asia was only preparation. To make the final showdown I had to come to America, and you know the. history of what I did after that.
I arrived on December 18, 1971, but the real battle and offensive began on April 30, 1973, the day I was granted permanent residency in this country. On that. day I was given legal permission to stay here, which meant I was allowed to begin the battle. It was all culminated roughly 3 1/2 years later on September 18, 1976 at the Washington Monument Rally. That was a gigantic heavenly offensive on the worldwide level. During those years I created a God-centered nation on the worldwide level and God centered people on the worldwide level; everything I did in those years was on the worldwide level.
The ultimate goal is that centered upon the love of God you restore dominion over all things of creation and all people. In every respect the standard of God's people must be superior to any satanic standard. How can we prove that we have set that standard? If you have a great chunk of gold, will you put it in your pocket, or rejoice that it will serve the purpose of the Kingdom of God? When miners found gold during the 1849 gold rush they killed each other to keep that gold for themselves. But in the heavenly standard we rejoice that it can be used for Kingdom-building, not for ourselves.
The purpose of MFT is training to prove to the secular world that our standard is higher. If we earn $100, we want to give $101; that's the way we think. Then that money shall come under God's dominion, without restriction. Adam and Eve lost that standard, so men and women, you and I, should restore it. Some people might say they like the Unification Church and the Divine Principle, but they don't like to fund raise. Is it right for people just to want to enjoy some benefit for themselves? Unless you set a standard higher than Satan's side, you have no way to represent God's dominion over all things and all people.
When you join the Unification Church, the first thing you do is fund raising. You must liberate yourself from the old selfish way of thinking about money, giving up the concept that money is for your benefit. On MFT you might think you are tired and want to use the money you earned for a big meal at a nice restaurant, or for a taxi instead of walking, giving the leftovers afterward for God's mission. That is not the right way to think. Adam and Eve never had a car, so we walk too. The excuse that you need vans for fund raising is not acceptable. Unless you keep the highest possible standard in fund raising here in America, how can you win on the worldwide level?
This way of thinking is rather fearful, but it is not my thinking it is God's thinking. If you live this absolute standard, Satan is the one who will be trampled and have to bow down to you. That is the victory God wants to gain. If there is anyone who has the right to complain, I am surely the first one. Have you suffered as much as I have? There is absolutely no suffering that I have not gone through.
Satan has mobilized every technique to oppose heaven's forces and there is no method he hasn't tried on me. When he opens his big guns against me, I squat down and hunch over and just take the beating. The enemy encircles me, but since I am down so low their fire ultimately hits each other instead of me. The government and religious leaders thought they were firing at me, but they have discovered they are firing at each other instead. I take their fire calmly, but they are fighting among themselves over me. That's God's strategy, and no one can outwit God, right.?
It is inevitable that a controversial giant shall emerge around whom all four billion people in the world shall gather and start barking at each other. In the end they will conclude either that he is the most precious visitor sent by heaven, or the worst criminal. I cannot be halfway or mediocre; I must be either completely good or completely evil. The world is divided over this, saying both that I am the best and the worst. Where do I stand? You recognize that I am a controversial figure in the world. In one thing I have unquestionably won the championship: I am the King of Controversy! That is one thing no one can dispute, young or old. Mother and my children also believe that.
Either I am extremely evil or extremely good, but which side am I on? You are just saying I am on the side of good, right? When the entire world hits you, will you divide or unite? You are not so dumb that you will divide? Are you United? I see all kinds here -- yellow, white and black skins, and all colors 0 f hair. Are you united? Will God say He cannot forgive me because I took His love and all the young, people, or will He be excited and encourage me to do more?
What a wonderful goal we have! For the first time in history we want to create one race of mankind -- what we call the love race or Adam race -- with all colors of skin as brothers and sisters and no national boundaries. If I were living in the remote countryside of Cuba, and called all the Moonies of the world to come see me, would you come? Even if your parents and all your relatives opposed you? Even if the US Government refused to let you go? Would you swim across? Sharks might get you! The one principle of life or credo which would bring you is what is in the Bible: "Those who would lose their life for my sake will find it."
Do you think there will be years of greater controversy to come in the future? No. The year of most heated worldwide controversy was 1976. Everyone was watching the Washington Monument Rally, including nations and US Government agencies, hoping Reverend Moon would sink down. Only one group of young people was insisting that I would go up instead. The problem is which side God stands on; He stood on my side and because of that support vie won the victory. This hectic battle will continue until 1980, but a culminating point must come and it will all be finished.
Without the help of God would it be possible that one man coming from a mountain village in Korea, not understanding the language or the culture, could go to a foreign land and stir up the entire world in 3 1/2 years? Is that an ordinary or an extraordinary thing? Furthermore, that battle was not fought in an obscure place, but in front of the US Congress. It was a modern-day confrontation between David and Goliath. I predicted in those days that we would prevail, but when I spoke like that in 1976, 1977 and 1978, did you believe me 100%? Only a few of you said yes. Most of you were not sure.
After all these victories were won, God declared the Day of the Victory of Heaven, forty days after the victory at Washington Monument. All the 6,000 years of biblical history were won at that point. On the foundation of that victory I proclaimed the year one in the history of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, on February 23, 1977. From that point on the defensive battle was finished and now everything we do shall become a monument to that victory.
The battlefield since that day is home church, where we are deeply moving into society. In home church we are winning on the level of family, people, nation and world, and the home church victory represents all victories. Home church is your divine altar to offer yourself as a living sacrifice for God. When you make a righteous offering there you are inheriting all of heaven. Your 360 home area is your world, your place of love, service, worship and prayer. There you care for the people and teach them, awakening them from darkness to light. Ultimately you shall be recognized as their tribal messiah. You shall be a master in three ways: master of love, master of all things, master of people. It all comes together in home church.
Since your home church represents the world, when you win there you can go all over the world and there will be no national, racial or cultural boundaries confining you. Home church. is where you should do your utmost. I know you have been working hard in all your missions, but the culminating point of service to be recognized as sons and daughters of the True Parents is found only in home church.
If you are united into one then our opposition shall cease, slowly but surely. As long as there is division, however, there will continuously be enemies coming against us. The Communists will continue to pressure the free world until it awakens and becomes one.
Now you can clearly understand the meaning of the Day of the Victory of Heaven. This is the historical day which marks my victory over Satan and payment of all the debts of the world, just as Jacob struggled with the angel at the ford of Jabbok and finally won. I have restored the name Israel , which means victor, on the worldwide and universal scale. That is the meaning of this day.
We have laid a firm foundation for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Even if all of us except one person were to die, leaving that one person to carry the banner, he would succeed in building the Kingdom of Heaven. But we will not die; we shall win and the Kingdom of Heaven shall be a reality, not a dream. Since the Day of the Victory of Heaven, unity between God, Adam and Eve, and the archangel has taken place. In the garden of Eden they were all divided, but here they are united and restored.
Adam and Eve represent the physical kingdom of God on earth, while the archangel represents the spirit world, or Kingdom of Heaven in Heaven. All three united together create the unity of the Kingdom of Heaven both on earth and in spirit world. Now that the foundation is laid on earth, all the spiritual power that had been confined-to heaven can freely work and intervene on earth as well. This is why you can act boldly and strongly -- the entire spirit world and angelic world is behind you. There is no way you can be alone and weak.
Unless you have a bold and dynamic trust in God and True Parents and demonstrate your faith by your achievements here on earth, you will not be respected when you go to spirit world. I want you to understand the true meaning of this day. Before this day was declared, the spirit world was in the subject role and here on earth we were in the passive role. But the establishment of the Day of the Victory of Heaven reversed these roles and now people on earth are the masters over the spirit world. We are in command, not the spirit world.
From now on, those who join the Unification Church shall be fierce fighters who will do more work than the old timers. I want you to understand this very clearly because unless you do very well you shall be in the position of Cain, not Abel . Who is Cain? He is the one who doesn't want to go to the front line. That is why I push out all the Abel forces to the front line, as in CARP. If you just want to sit relaxed and idle, your foundation will be lost and you will find no position in the Kingdom. This is why the Bible clearly predicted that those who were first will become last, and the last become first. This is why I had my first disciples from several decades ago in Korea come to America and sent them to the front line. That's the only way they could survive. The front line is the place of survival.
What is the gift the Day of Victory of Heaven brought to you? What will home church bring to you? God's providence has prevailed in heaven and it shall prevail on earth; the priority has been reversed from spirit world to physical world. A new age has dawned. Why do we proclaim this new age? The old history has been terminated and the new age has begun. The direction of God's work has been changed from heaven to earth, and God will dominate directly. The highest of-the satanic positions has been taken over by the heavenly side.
We should work with the spirit of going 24 hours a day plus one more hour. Since it is physically impossible to have 25 hours, you have to run faster. There is no time to sit down and eat in relaxation. There is no time to take all your clothes off and relax in bed; just lean against your bed standing up and sleep a little bit. That is the kind of tradition you must build. You will become pioneers of the new age if you live this way, in the ultimate age which is dawning in the Kingdom-of Heaven on earth.
Rebecca, Tamar, Mary and others really gave up their lives to serve God. Do you think I did that too? Would you inherit that tradition too? From this time on God is with you. Home church is your life giving duty, and unto your life you should do home church. It's not a lukewarm approach, or merely a technique -- it is a matter which will decide your life or death. Without home church you have no way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven in heaven. In home church you will indemnify everything that was lost in history -- all the things of creation, all the love and heart which was lost, all of God's personality which has been lost.
Shall we renew ourselves on this anniversary and make a new beginning? Those who feel, "Today we must make a pledge never to shame the Day Of the Victory of Heaven, raise your hands. Now the emphasis has shifted from heaven to earth. God's spirit is coming down and the emphasis of spirit world has shifted to earth. We shall not get behind those in spirit world but lead them. That should also be your pledge on this day. Raise your hands and show me if you determine never to shame the Day of the Victory of Heaven but to lead the spirit world and angelic world and win the victory. God bless you.