Sun Myung Moon
February 22, 1976
Everything would have been restored if the Cains and the Abels had united into one on the foundation of their ancestors. Isn't that so? The purpose of restoration is not just for a nation alone. It is for the world. Restoring the nation is not enough. The world must be restored. Who were the 120 followers gathered in the upper room of Mark's house on the day of the Pentecost, when Jesus ascended to heaven? They were the representatives of the worldwide nation. The 72 Couples become the foundation for the race, and from this a global nation can be established based upon this foundation. What that means is that the original foundation that was laid based on the 12 tribes and 72 disciples can become the center of a nation, but not the world.
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Based on the foundation of the 72 disciples, who were on the level of the nation, if the 120 followers who represented the nations of the world had united together, Jesus would have been able to accomplish the will of God on earth. This is the providential view, and it is the mission of the Unification Church to take responsibility for this by restoration through indemnity. It is the responsibility of the Church, and at the same time, the responsibility of the Blessed Families within the Church.
Then what should these families do? Based on the 36 Couples, the 72 and 120 couples must unite completely into one. They must become one completely. They are represented in the following way: the 120 Couples representing the world correspond to the formation stage, the 72 Couples correspond to the growth stage, and the 36 Couples correspond to the perfection stage. They are our ancestors. That is how we should view them. With the culmination of the Blessing of 120 couples, I could then designate holy grounds around the world in 1965.
Why did I do so? I established the 36 Couples centering on the will of God. This was followed by the 72 Couples, thereby creating the foundation for the race, and finally I laid the foundation through the 120 Couples representing a worldwide nation. That is why the time has now come for me to take care of the world's nations. Since we have entered the era in which I can carry out this task, I designated 120 holy grounds in 40 nations around the world. Through this, the 36 Couples as the ancestors were restored by the will of God; the 72 Couples representing Cain and Abel, and the 120 Couples as the representatives of the world, were all restored. So the time has come to restore the land of the worldwide nation. Since we have restored the people and the land in the age of God's providence, we can now cross over to the worldwide era. This was meant to be accomplished after the designation of the holy grounds in 1965.
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Who are the 72 Couples? Some translations of the Bible state that Jesus had seventy-two disciples, and others, seventy. Originally, 72 is the correct number. Centering on the twelve tribes and the number six (six united representatives per tribe), two times six is twelve and one times six is six. Multiplying them gives us seventy-two. If it were seventy disciples, the numbers would not have added up properly. Hence, the correct number is seventy-two.
The 72 Couples are like the children, the descendants of the 36 Couples, while the 36 are the central couples as well as the ancestors. Our view is that our ancestors failed to fulfill God's will because Cain and Abel, the two sons in the first family in history, failed to become one in heart, thus deferring the fulfillment of God's will. In view of the fact that the foundation of the family, in which the brothers Cain and Abel should have united, was not established, who then are the 72 Couples? Seventy-two is thirty-six twice. Thus, the 72 Couples representing the children of the 36 Couples comprise 36 Abel and 36 Cain couples. They are the representative couples chosen to restore through indemnity that which the historical ancestors failed to accomplish: the complete unity of Abel and Cain.
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The fact that I blessed 430 couples in the year which marked 4,300 years of Korean history signifies that, since the foundation built by a single religious denomination is equivalent to victory on the tribal level only and that this is not enough, then a common gate had to be opened for all the tribes worldwide. That is why people with the surname Lee can also enjoy national and world level benefits according to God's will. The 430 Couples were blessed in order to allow a foundation to be laid, upon which any tribe, the Kims or Paks, and so forth, could receive blessings from God.
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Because I made possible the 430 Couples Blessing, anyone who is a citizen of Korea is now living in the realm of fortune, in which everyone can be equally connected to God's providential will. That is why we can safely conclude that Korea can never go to ruin. It cannot. This is the conclusion. We have entered such an era in history.
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We have entered the worldwide era beginning with the year 1968. Didn't we institute God's Day in 1968? In the year we instituted God's Day, I conducted the Blessing of 430 couples. Isn't that true? We are now living in the worldwide era. We are connected worldwide. After doing so, I needed to connect what I had started in Korea to the rest of the world, and so I selected and blessed 43 couples in 1969 around the world, instead of 430 couples. Why did I do so? Through the 43 Couples, I could connect the fortune I had prepared in Korea to the world.
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The numbers four and three together represent the number seven, and also the 430 years the Israelites remained in Egypt before departing to Canaan. Hence, 430 represents the time for a new beginning. Furthermore, the 430 Couples Blessing also took place upon completion of 4,300 years of Korean history. This is not mere coincidence. God's providence is always carried out mathematically. The foundation built by a single religious denomination is equivalent to victory on the tribal level only, and this is not enough. By blessing the 430 Couples after 4,300 years of Korean history, I opened a common gate for all tribes worldwide.
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This is how the history of the mass holy wedding ceremonies of our church developed. The Blessings were first begun with the three couples, then 36, 72, 124, 430, 777, and then what came next? It was the 1800 Couples. The last one is the eighth. That is how we progressed. This involves the whole world. We are now living in an era in which the gates have been opened, so that any nation in the world can enter the realm of God's blessing. That is why I held Blessings for international couples in the United States, Germany, and Japan as the host nations. That was one reason I chose missionaries from these countries as well.
Because such a foundation had been laid, the Blessing of 777 couples could be held. This number is triple seven, and so it is the final one. It is the final one in the realm of God's providence on the national level. Through the Blessing of the 777 Couples in 1970, the time had finally come in which any nation could enter the realm of God's providence. Just as one needs to perfect the ideal of the couple in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, the Blessing Ceremony of the 777 Couples bestowed on any nation and tribe in the world the privilege to enter this realm of God's providence. You must understand this. That was why, after the Blessing Ceremony was held, the 777 Couples were made to scatter all over Korea for a period of three years for the purpose of world restoration. Japanese members were asked to live separately from their spouses for five years. They were separated from 1970 through 1974, and it was not until June 10, 1975 that I issued special instructions for the couples to finally start living together. Why did I do this? It was in order to create a foundation for the worldwide providence.
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What are the 430 Couples? Their Blessing signified entering the era of tribal messiahship. Since every one of them represents the family foundations upon which all tribes in the spirit world can return to earth and be resurrected – in other words, the family foundations of the resurrected Jesus bestowed upon the entire nation – the 430 Couples are the messianic families of their tribes. What that means is that they are like the families of Christ at his Second Advent to their tribes.
The 36, 72, and 120 Couples are part of me. These three groups of couples correspond to the vertical standard, whereas the 430 Couples have been established horizontally in all directions. Hence, they enter the realm of tribal messiahs, which is why I told them all, "Be tribal messiahs!" As I have already restored the 36 and 72 Couples, who form the center, as well as the 120 Couples, all you need to do now is to restore 120 couples per Blessed Family. Then everything can be indemnified both vertically and horizontally. As such, you must understand that it is the responsibility of the 430 Couples, the Blessed Couples of the Unification Church, to create 120 families in your tribes. So have you fulfilled this responsibility or not? Have you thought about that or not? You did not understand this until now, did you? Now that you have heard my explanation, do you understand?
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