America in God's Providence

Sun Myung Moon
October 8, 1974
Sermon on Capitol Hill

Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen, I feel deeply grateful and honored to be here this morning. I want to thank the committee of distinguished Senators and Congressmen who invited me, and thank you, Congressman Chappell, for your gracious introduction. My topic is "America in God's Providence."

Today there are many problems of society, politics and the economy. However, the most important problem is the problem of God. God is determined to fulfill His ideal and His will upon the earth.

What is the providence of God? What is His will? God's will is to transform our world and its people into His world and His people. God wants to be the center of all phases of creation-the center of the individual, the center of the family, of the tribe, the nation and the world. Therefore, this entire world is to be centered upon God. God has been seeking one nation truly centered upon Himself. God must find that God-centered nation before he can transform the rest of the world and make it His own. The United States of America is to be the one nation on the face of the earth that is truly God-centered. This is the answer to prayer.

As you know very well. America's founders who came to this land about 200 years ago came for love of God and for religious freedom. This is the founding spirit of this nation. In this sense, America is unique in all the world. This is the nation with the prestige and pride of claiming the title, "One Nation Under God."

You have already said that America is to be one nation centered upon God. But in order to become one nation under God, the individuals in this nation must be centered upon God, the families must be centered upon God, the society and the nation as a whole must be centered upon God. In other words, every phase of the life of this nation has to be God-centered.

America has accomplished a great deal, and has indeed tried very hard to live up to the responsibility to be one nation under God. The remarkable history of America and the abundant blessings she has received are proof of that.

America is also unique in another sense: People of all the different races, colors and nationalities come to this country to make one great nation together. Once America truly lives up to the motto of "one nation under God," then this will be the nation with the capacity and potential to influence the rest of the world, to bring the whole world together united under God.

I do not believe that God has chosen America to be one nation under God solely for America's sake. On the contrary, this nation has been chosen to be a champion of the people of the whole world. Therefore, all mankind is looking to the American people to be the champions of the world. I believe that God has blessed America in every respect-particularly in abundant wealth-not for America's sake, but for God's sake, so that He can bring His message and His nation to the entire world.

My heart was deeply touched when I first came to America, when I looked at your dollar bill and found the inscription, "In God We Trust." No other money in the world would say that. But you say it, and you entrust that money for the purpose of God.

America must realize that God has blessed this nation to fulfill His ultimate goal, which is the salvation of the entire world, not just for America. So America has a great responsibility. God's blessing never comes without a responsibility. America's responsibility is to get involved with the rest of the world, to bring all nations into that one nation under God.

America embarked on this mission at the end of World War II. God truly has a great expectation for America, when she is involved with the problems of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the rest of the world, trying to bring them together for the well-being of all mankind.

When America was involved with the rest of the world, that was God's will, and God was indeed with you. However, in recent years America has shifted her priorities, becoming less and less involved, isolating herself from the rest of the world. Then you may ask. "Rev. Moon, why did you come to America? You have plenty of problems in your home country of Korea?" I came to America for the work of God, who does not concentrate His work in one nation. God's work is focused upon the entire world. And today America is the center of this world, and the providence of God first has to be fulfilled right here in this country.

Even though America is isolating herself more and more from the rest of the world, trying to shift the priorities to her own problems, I see that fortunately America has been maintaining a strong tie With the Republic of Korea. These two nations have very significant roles in the dispensation of God. Therefore, these two nations must stay involved; together they are the axis of the providence of God.

I know you have heard many things about me and my movement, particularly about our young people coming to America from different parts of the world. Unification Church members from more than 12 nations are coming to America by the thousands. Why'.' I want to bring the youth of the world to America to start our movement right here, at the heart of God's dispensation.

I know what God is seeking. He is seeking the fulfillment of His ideal, which is perfected man, perfected families, perfected societies, and a perfected nation. God is seeking to fulfill that goal right here in America. What kind of movement am I beginning in this country? This is the movement to return this nation and its people to God.

Today there are so many difficult problems in our world. America has many problems, as all nation do. We have our problems with young people, juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, crime, and the break down of the family. There are so many problems. But people are seeking answers and solutions without seeking God. I tell you, you will not find answers without God. When we have really instilled God's ideal into everyone's heart, that is the day we will find the answers.

I would like to briefly mention precisely how we can make that one nation under God a reality. All people are seeking happiness, joy, freedom and the fulfillment of peace. All these things have been the goals of man throughout history. Furthermore, we have an innate desire to have these things be everlasting and unchanging. But people are often disappointed, because they cannot find that eternal happiness here on earth.

Everlasting happiness and joy can only come by becoming one with the Source of eternal happiness and joy, which is God. God is not only the Source of life, but He is the Source of happiness, joy, freedom and peace. But I want you to know that happiness, joy, love and ideals cannot come alive until you find someone to have give and take with, someone with whom you can share these goals. By yourself, they will remain dormant and unrealized.

Furthermore, God is Himself seeking that same eternal joy and happiness. God cannot realize these goals by Himself. Even Almighty God needs someone to love and someone to he loved by. And therefore, God created man to be His object.

God's love and joy can never be fulfilled unless he has man. In other words, without you and me, God cannot fulfill His goal. We must realize the great value of man in the sight of God. Without man God cannot fulfill His ideal. Therefore, we are in dispensable, the supreme creatures by whom God can accomplish His goal.

Let me ask you a very simple, naive question: Some years ago when you distinguished ladies and gentlemen were looking for sour future husbands and wives, were you looking for someone inferior to yourself, or somebody superior to yourself? I know the answer. We are all looking for someone most ideal, most perfect and superior to ourselves. This is innate human nature. We are seeking somebody better than ourselves as our object.

Here is another example of human nature: Parents want their children to be better than themselves. Where do these human traits and characteristics come from? We did not create them ourselves. They must come from somewhere else. Since we are resultant beings, they must come from the Cause or Origin, which is God. We act the way we do. and our minds react the way they do, because the Origin acts the same way. We are the reflections of God.

Now let me ask this same question to God: "God, what about Your own children? I understand You created man and woman as Your sons and daughters. Would You like them to be inferior or superior to Yourself?" God will undoubtedly answer, "I want My children to be even better than Myself."

Did you know that we are so important in the sight of God? Almighty God created you and me as His children. And in His love, God wants us to be even better than Himself. We have said that it is human nature to want our love, our ideal and our joy to last forever. How much more so for God! When God invests in a relationship, He wants that relationship to be eternal, not temporary.

So this is most logical, that when God created man as His lasting object, to have give and take with for joy and fulfillment of happiness, God created man to be eternal like Himself to be unique like Himself, and to be absolute, as God is absolute. This is not an easy goal.

There should he no doubt that God created man to live for eternity, not just for 100 years. But today we are not sure about our eternal life. Why? We are separated from that Source of eternal life. Separation has made us ignorant.

So far we now know God exists as the subject of man, whereas man is the object to God. Whenever there is a subject and object, there are two different kinds of relationships we can think of. One is a selfish relationship, and the other is an unselfish relationship. Then which one is the choice of God?

God knows that a selfish relationship will lead only into self-destruction. It will not last forever. As the King of Wisdom, God built His way of life and the pattern of the entire universe upon the base of unselfish relationships.

God created everything in this universe to exist in pairs. All things are made for other things. Thus there will be happiness, joy and everlasting peace. There is no other way these goals can be achieved.

Therefore we must come to another conclusion. God does not exist for Himself. He exists for His children, for you and for me. Do you know why God created man as male and female? They are to give to each other, and live for each other.

What I am trying to illustrate is this: All of today's problems the world problems, national problems, social problems and the problems of each individual-come from one thing. Everyone thinks only of himself. We forget that God created us to serve others, and others to fulfill our own lives.

Then what is the ideal couple, the ideal husband and wife? After the wedding the newlywed bride and bridegroom go on their honeymoon. Everything is most romantic. They confess their love to each other, saying, "I love you so much. You are more than my life. I was born solely for you. Even unto my death, I love These are all most unselfish sentiments. But the problem comes when those pledges don't last more than three days! But if they really carried out that first night's pledge, giving themselves for each other, then they should be the ideal couple in the sight of God.

I want to declare that this is the fundamental truth of the universe: God created everyone to serve others. And living this way of life is the only way we can bring the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Every relationship must be based on giving. For example, parents and children must serve each other. Children must live for their parents, and parents live for their children. Students and teachers must serve each other. Employers and employees must mutually benefit each other. The family and the society must serve each other, just as the society and the nation as a whole must work together. All these relationships are based on unselfishness. This is God's way.

When I came to America, I learned of the great admiration of the American people for Abraham Lincoln. Why does America respect him as a great patriot'? The fundamental truth is very simple. He lived God's way of life. His life has been one of giving and self-sacrifice for the sake of his own people, and his own nation. He gave himself for others. A patriot is one who gives himself for the well-being of his fellow man and for his own country.

From this formula we know who is the Saint of all saints in history. Jesus Christ lived the absolute way of God. He was born for the purpose of the salvation of man. He lived his life for others. And he gave up his life for the sake of his people, even for his enemies. He truly set the supreme example of the way of life of God.

The Kingdom of God, God's nation and the spiritual heaven all work under this one fundamental principle of selflessness. Besides this earthly world, we have another world to live in, which is our true home. I have the privilege of knowing that other world. And I discovered that that world exists only in the principle of God, in the way of selflessness, where people are truly giving to each other.

It is God's will for every man and woman to enter into that Kingdom. But in order for us to deserve that Kingdom, we must live God's way of life right here on earth. This is our golden opportunity. Therefore, all the good religions throughout history have been God's tools to lead all mankind into one common way of life of love and sacrifice.

So when we see that the teachings of the different religions -- whether from East or West -- are consistent in this respect, promoting sacrifice, love and selflessness, then we can see that God has been teaching man this one principle throughout history.

Actually, each of us determines whether we will live in heaven or hell by the quality of life we live here on earth, by whether we live a selfish or unselfish life. Finally, I would like to briefly explain why God has to base His way of life on selflessness. Let me ask you another simple question. Suppose someone truly loves you absolutely, 100 percent. You are filled with joy at the knowledge that somebody truly loves you. In return, you want to love that person. Would you want to return 40 or 50 percent of his love, or would you like to even out love him, giving him more love than he gives you? Which way would your mind work?

This is another aspect of human nature. When you know someone loves you, you want to return more love than that per son gives you. This is natural. For example, when I love Mr. Pak, my interpreter, with 100 percent unselfish love, then he will try his best to return 100 percent. Then 1 can give more than 110 percent, and he will come back with 120 percent. This creates the circuit of circular motion of the give and take of love. And circular motion alone can be sustained for eternity. So that means that the give and take of love brings eternity. It will never end, because it makes a circular motion. Furthermore, that give and lake will bring prosperity. Love is never lost. The love you give will be returned, premium plus interest. You can never lose.

There is another important principle. Those persons who serve others eventually become the center of their family, their society, their nation and their world. In other words, when you serve someone in love, then that will bring you the central position. Let's say there are five members in your family. The one who loves the other four members more than anybody else shall become the master of that family, emerging as the central figure. That person becomes like God. God is totally self-giving. And when you follow God's way of life of selfless giving, you become like God. Just as God is the center of the universe, you will become a central figure, too.

You know, people hate the word "domination." But actually, in our human nature we are subconsciously seeking this dominion of love. We seek to belong to those who love us, not to be isolated. But because all domination we have known is selfish, we hate it. But we are longing for the selfless dominion of God.

Everyone seeks God's dominion, or God's domination, because His domination is unselfish and loving. Therefore, we want to be closer to God, and get involved with Him. We want to be controlled absolutely by God. That is the source of happiness. This is the true ideal relationship of the universe which God initially intended.

Then we come to the third fundamental principle. Why do we live? What makes our life fulfilled'? It is love and our ideal that fulfills our life. But most people do not realize that that love and ideal cannot be self-generated. That is; we cannot realize their fulfillment if we are alone.

Our love and ideal can only be fulfilled by our object-by others. Only others can stimulate us, complement us, or reciprocate our love and ideal. That is the only way our joy, our love and our ideal can be fulfilled. There is no other way.

Therefore, as the King of Wisdom, God created man and the entire universe upon that giving way of life, because that is the only way our lives can he fulfilled. Then what is the blueprint of the Kingdom of God here on earth? We must practice to an absolute degree the way of life of God. A man exists for his wife. A woman exists for her husband. And parents exist for their children and family. The family exists for the society. The society exists for the nation. The nation exists for the world, and the world exists for God. And Almighty God lives solely for you and for me. Therefore, we must live this one grand circle of giving, serving and self-sacrifice. This is the one royal way to gel Io God. Thus, God becomes ours.

It is difficult, hut this is the truth. Selflessness is the key. I belong to my family. My family belongs to the society. That society belongs to the nation, the nation to the world, and the world to God. And Almighty God belongs to you. Somebody must begin this movement here on earth. Because without knowing it, nobody can achieve the ultimate goal of the Kingdom of God and live in God's dwelling place. Somebody must begin.

During my speaking tour I have visited many cities. Many times I have heard my critics saying. "Rev. Moon, you really have a good idea. But it is too idealistic. I don't see how those principles can work, I feel sorry for you. Many people have tried in the past, but nothing has ever My answer to the critics is this: I am not going to do that grand job. God is doing it. I allow myself to be used by God. And I urn asking the Americans and my fellow man throughout the world to allow themselves to be the instruments of God, to open themselves so that God can come in to teach His way of life, so that we can live for Him.

On October 1, 1973, 1 began my speaking tour at Carnegie Hall in New York. Today, one year and eight days later, I have this great honor and opportunity to come to this important gathering. In a little over one year, what I am doing has been discussed by many good Americans, pro and con. In a way, I am emerging as a controversial figure here in this country. Do you think I am doing it myself"? No. Someone greater than myself is pushing me and this movement to create this awakening.

During this year I have really felt to the bone that God loves America. America must not fail God now. And I have thought that if this great nation-starting from Congress and the White House, and all the leadership of the nation and of the stales-was equipped with the truth and united in living the true and absolute degree of the way of life of God, then what would happen to this nation and to the world? The dynamic energy for the solution of all of man's problems would come from this God-centered nation. America today must find that answer through that one fundamental force. God wants to fulfill His ideal here in this country.

He wants to see individuals live up to His ideal. He wants to see His American families live up to His standard. He wants His society and this one nation of America to live up to His standard. I know this is God's hope and God's dream.

This is not my idea. This is not a theory. This is the principle of God. Whether we like it or not, we must live His way of life. This is the only way, the only alternative we have. Once we awaken to God's way of life and return to Him, to the absolute degree that He expects of us, then we shall truly see that all the problems of this country will dissolve. Great joy and happiness will blossom in this land, and through this nation the rest of the world will have hope.

Indeed, our goal is to build the Kingdom of God here upon the face of the earth. In this Kingdom, God's ideal-the true fulfillment of the happiness and joy of man shall live forever. That is the kind of world God is going la re-create. That is God's will. God's providence. And the responsibility of America is to respond to God, so that we shall make His way of life our own.

I truly thank you for your most patient and attentive listening. And I am greatly honored to come here to speak to this distinguished audience of members of the Senate and the House. And finally, God bless each one of you, the great work you are doing for the rest of the world. And above all, may God bless America. 

Let Us Go Over The Boundary Line

Sun Myung Moon
October 6, 1974
Tarrytown, New York
Translated by Won Pok Choi

My topic is "Let us go over the boundary line." In this world, there are many boundary lines. There is the boundary of sleep. How many hours are you going to sleep? How many hours can you be seated like that? There is a boundary. We divide the days into 24 hours each, so there is a boundary there too. When you choose in the Divine Principle to study the "Principle of Creation;" there is a boundary to that. To go across the boundary, you must gain more strength, but we cannot go with our strength alone. The added strength can come either from your inner self, or from an external source. But without that added power, you cannot cross the boundary.

If there is an evil boundary or limitation, we must try hard to go over that boundary. When we are faced with a boundary of goodness, we must try to widen the boundary so that there are no limitations. We want to accumulate wealth and knowledge, and to broaden the boundaries of both without ceasing. Then there is an element that must come in from an internal or external source which will push you towards the goal, to expand the limitation or boundary of goodness.

As in anything else, in the Providence of God there is a limitation or boundary. As individuals, we have our own limitations and boundaries. In our Family too, there are boundary lines. Centered on a nation, there is also a boundary. In the world, there are roughly two leading ideologies, Communism and democracy. And there is a boundary between them. In the Providence of God, there is a boundary between the people of God, and evil people. How widely you expand the boundary of goodness determines which side wins. God's side knows that the evil side should be diminished until it ceases to exist. But the side of goodness must expand without boundary.

If you want to be good people, do good deeds and leave something good in your past. If you want to do something good for your family, you must transcend the boundary of yourself as an individual. Then how should you handle yourself? If you want to influence your family towards goodness, transcending the boundary of the individual, then invest yourself until you are consumed. If you then transcend the boundary of family to serve the world or society, offering your family as a sacrifice, you expand your family. You must sacrifice yourself and invest your whole being in order to expand your world to the family level; and you must do the same with your family in order to expand your family life. Then how to transcend yourself is the question.

You cannot ask your family to sacrifice itself for you; you must be ready to sacrifice yourself for the family. You must invest all your strength. In order for your family to expand, transcending the boundary of the family, some power must be added to break through the limitation. And when the tribe is going to expand the same applies. To reach the next level of the nation and the world, the same thing must be done.

Then let us think of the things from the viewpoint of God. In order for God to help men attain the goal, He must help individuals to transcend their individual boundaries, help the family cross over the family boundary, and help the nation to cross over the national boundary, to reach out to the end of the world. What kind of determination should God have? God will agonize with you in crossing over each boundary and to expand to broader levels, but the final goal for God to attain is to have you cross over the national boundary to reach the whole world.

Then how would God react if you failed in crossing over the individual boundary; if families fail to cross over the family boundaries? He cannot linger there. What if a nation collapsed before being able to transcend its national boundary? If you were in the position of God, what would you do? Would you linger with individuals and weep for them, without crossing over the individual boundaries to the next level of things? What would you do if you were in the position of God? You must leave them and still go on to the next level.

Then where should we focus our prayer? Do we see things from the standpoint of God? We must think that way. Then you will be entitled to ask God for more strength to help you. Furthermore, when God sees in you a limited power or capacity, while you at the same time want to accomplish limitless things, God will even admire you, or at least be ready to help you. When we think of that, we can really imagine that God would want a single individual, to cross the individual boundary to reach the family level; and for the same person with his family to go over the boundary of the family, and then to the tribal, national and worldwide level.

Why should God be doing that? God is most serious to help this person because He hates to be discouraged by the man of His choice. If the man of His choice fails, He will be agonized as much as the man. Therefore He will seriously help this man cross over the individual boundary, leading his family over the family boundary, and on to the next level, to reach out to the world. Do you understand that point?

There are many leaders in this world, but from the viewpoint of God, He would choose a man who is resolved to cross the individual, national, world, and even cosmic boundary. There is no question about that. Then where does God's hope end? Salvation of the individual? There He would cry out, "Let us cross the boundary of the satanic world!" If there is any person who would dash forward toward the goal, spending his whole life, then God cannot but choose that man. He will see the determination and strength in him, the inexhaustible energy in him, to go over any boundary or obstacle to reach the goal; and God cannot but love this person and help him.

You are here, having left your families and the old world to join this movement. In this movement you are pouring out your full effort to cross over the individual, and family and national boundary; and you will strive hard until you gain the last level. And where are you situated now -- on what level? You have no family yet, no children. And you are not in a leading position for your family or tribe to follow you. You are not a national leader. You are not a world leader with the population of the world under you. But in your youth you are planning for that.

However, can you carry out your mission by dreaming? If you remain dreaming, the unified world cannot come about. The only thing that will make it possible for you to carry out your mission is to invest yourself, and sacrifice yourself. Some of you may think, "After toiling three years or more, I'll be blessed in holy matrimony. Then I will have my family and enjoy family life in the sight of God." Can you do that when there is so much work undone in the sight of God? (No) It is easy for you to answer "No" but you must be serious.

If I am asked the question whether or not I have the power to carry out my mission, my answer is always, "When I am with God, I can carry it out." I must cling to Him, every moment of my life. And in the leader's position, I am going to be almost cruel to drive you out to cross the boundary of the individual as soon as possible. When you build your own family, what can I do for you? Must I put your family in the sacrificial position to save the rest of the world? (Yes!) If you are repulsed and wouldn't do that, I must leave you behind. We are in the battlefield, dashing forward to the goal, and if you collapse at a certain level, I cannot but leave you alone and go with the rest. If in your family, either one of the spouses falls away, would the other go forward leaving him or her alone, or linger with him or her? When there are two things, one of which is more important, you must discard the other.

When you build a ship, you cannot be satisfied with the well-being of the ship's crew, but transcend the boundary, even though you must put them into a sacrificial position. Of course, you must love your crew. But there are many people who would be reluctant to go beyond the boundary. Then you must put them into the position of sacrifice, leave your ship, and go forward. If there are some who follow you and dash forward in your defense, struggling hard to attain the goal, would you like them or like those who are reluctant, to go with you?

God would want me or any other leader to be that way, and I would want you as local leaders to be that way. How would God have his leaders do the job? Would He want to have His leaders relaxed and generous, having people rest, or to drive them out, harshly? It is easy to answer. But you must look at yourself. At what point are you going to collapse? Even at that point, can you cross the boundary? Are you destined to collapse on the boundary of the individual? Family? or where? Even now, some of you are dozing off. If you were really attentive, you could not doze off. You must realize that there is a goal set before us by God, and there are many levels or boundaries to be crossed. You must make an all-out effort to mobilize yourself. When you are on the verge of life or death, and when your families, your tribe, and your nation are on the verge of life or death, what are you going to do? Can you still go on?

Seen from this standpoint, when we evaluate what Jesus did, we can justify his saying, "When you are ready to lose your life, you will gain your life. And when you want to gain your life, you will lose it." With that maxim alive in your hearts, you must be ready to sacrifice yourself in order to go over the boundary of the individual, and then by sacrifice, you must discard your life. Even if you have to die on the way, you will rest on the next level. If you have strong faith that you can attain the world-wide level, then even though you may have to die within the boundary of the family, you will be resurrected in future days to the world-wide level.

In the spirit world, when you are asked by God "Where did you collapse?" your answer could be, "I died a physical death within the boundary of the family, but my eyes were set on the goal; so, I really died at the boundary of the world." You can safely answer that. Can you understand? Even though you die while you are within the individual boundary, if your goal is always set on the world-wide level, you are going to be resurrected on the world-wide level. You can claim that.

That is what Jesus meant when he said that when you are seeking to gain your life, you will lose it. If you die just struggling hard to gain your life, you will never be resurrected. In the spirit world, it is hard for you to overcome and go across the boundary. When you are asked by God on what level you died, you cannot lie to Him. If you say, "I died while I was struggling for my own self," then you remain there forever. So, you must be awakened to the fact that this is what Jesus' words meant.

What should your standard be? You must always charge at the boundary, to widen the scope. No matter how miserable the situation you are in, you must get over it. What would you have me do when you are still lingering on the individual level of things? Would you want me to drive you hard with the whole group to cross over the national boundary? (Yes!) You are greedy. And whom do you expect to help you cross over the national boundary? What about the boundary of the individual, family and tribe? In that case, you will not have accomplished so much, but someone will have helped you, or crossed the boundaries for you in your place. That means someone ahead of you has paved the way for you.

In the Unification Church, we give merit to those who have paved the way, and those who are remembered in Unification history. So, you must realize that there are many senior members, the early members of the Unification Church, who struggled hard under persecution in the opening days of our movement. You must give them merit, put yourself in their position and be sympathetic with them. And in your heart, you must go across the boundaries with them under hardship. Have you ever stopped to think of that? Can you say, "That's their portion of indemnity, but we have nothing to do with what the Korean members have gone through." Can you say that? We must think highly of the tradition made by the senior members.

In Christian history, there have been multitudes of martyrs who lived and died for the great cause of God and we must respect them. Unless we do, we cannot benefit from what they have done. You should always think of their having gone through hardships on your behalf. You must be grateful that by their having gone through difficulty, you don't have to go through the same indemnity course. What they have done you have inherited. God would want us to respect those people, as well as the passed-away saints and sages who have done their part. They wouldn't like to see successors who take them lightly, inheriting what they have done.

Then who is the oldest member in the Unification Church? Of course, I am, because I initiated the movement. Then who has struggled the longest period of time for the will of God? The will of God is the will of the Unification Church. God is the oldest one to have worked for the will of the Unification Church, and there are people who have worked long to accomplish the will of the Unification Church. It is safe to say that God has struggled the hardest and longest for the will of the Unification Church.

Then, as His chosen people, you must be ready to inherit hardships from God, to lighten His burden. And you must inherit what I have gone through, shouldering the burden in my place. It is the Godly method of inheriting things. When you are ready to go through the same difficulties your predecessors have gone through, then God is willing to give whatever they attained to you. Do you understand?

Then centered on the will of God, and the will of the Unification Movement, you must praise God, praise your Master, and praise the senior members. When you deny them, you deny the Unification Movement as a whole. And who are the wise? Not those who always complain and think of things in the dark manner, but those who think of things with hope and zeal and confidence. Up to the present moment, the most serious problem for me was how to cross over the boundary of the Korean nation. I kept asking myself, "Could I sacrifice myself, my family, my tribe and all I have at this point to cross over the boundary of the nation Korea?"

The question still continues, "Can you sacrifice your whole tribe or your relatives for the sake of the salvation of Korea?" and my answer is "Yes." If I were not ready for that, I could not have crossed the boundary of Korea as a nation. Then, after having passed the boundary of Korea, when I was to work in America, where people are gathered from many nationalities and races, I asked myself, "If I am not ready to sacrifice my nation for the Providence of God, can I carry out my mission in leading the people of the world in the United States of America?" My answer was, "Yes." I couldn't speak the language. I have never seen you before. And I am not accustomed to your backgrounds and customs. Still I had zeal and faith.

Are American people for our movement or opposed to our movement and to me? The people of America think, "This man from Korea is here to stir up the whole nation. He is trying to lure away all the youth to his side, and he is going to destroy this nation or turn it upside down." They are threatened by me. "We have been leading well-to-do lives here, and we have been peaceful. Who are you to stir up the people like this?" They say that. Constantly threatening telephone calls and letters come without your knowing. If you received that kind of telephone call or letter, what would your reaction be? You must be indignant and angry toward those people, but most of you would just be afraid.

Often I look into your eyes, your blue eyes, and think, "I have sacrificed myself for this, for you, and I have gone through hardships just because of you. Can you really follow me to the end? Can you be ready to sacrifice yourself for the great cause I am working for? (Yes!) What if the whole world rises against you as in the days of Jesus, and you are going to go through persecution as severe as death. Then what will you do? Will you scatter as Jesus' disciples did? (No!)

Are you better than Peter? (Yes!) Until the very last moment, Peter promised to follow Jesus even at the sacrifice of his life. He answered three times, "I will be with you, I will be with you, I will be with you!" But he lied. How long did his vow last? Then what makes you different from him? I see no difference! Can you show me the difference? If you are armed with the idea of how to go beyond the boundary of individual, family, nation and world, in order to attain the goal of God's will and the will of the Unification Church, and if you are resolved to dash forward to the goal, you may be able to attain it.

Have you ever thought that you may die for the Unification Church? You have been constantly thinking that you are going to live for the Unification Church, but not die for the Unification Church. The Christian world is being corrupted. It is perishing because Christians have not sacrificed themselves for the final cause. The Christian people have been threatened by Communism and they are collapsing under the threat.

Even the Christian leaders, are weakened by the threat of Communism. What about you? You have witnessed at Madison Square Garden the protesters assembled outside the Garden. You saw some Communists, Christian ministers, and Christian people opposing me. But what are the Christian people for? They are against me, but they are not against the Communists. They are not strong enough to go against Communism. Am I worse than the Communists in their eyes? Why don't they protest against God? They are weak people. Those Christians are already out of the sight of God. God is leaving them, and they are destined to perish.

Then are we going to build our movement stronger to win the fight against them? (Yes!) What do you mean by your "Yes?" Do you answer only when I ask you the question, or do you always answer yourself, in your mind? When you are resting, when you are sleeping, when you are eating, would your answer still be "Yes?" For people working for the will of God, sleeping is no problem, and eating and resting are no problem. Others forget about the will of God while they eat, sleep, and relax. What kind of people would God love more? It is easy to answer that. But when you are asked if you are like the former people, can you answer a confident "Yes?" Or will you not complain if I drive you too hard?

People are skeptical of the source of our income. I'm confident to give them a retort, saying, "I have earned this money with my own hands. I have not robbed banks to get the money. We have earned the money by being united with each other." Would you prefer to earn $500 a month, or $10,000? The more money you can earn the better. You can even raise $12,000. If you really mean it when you say "Yes," it means you want to have me drive you hard enough to attain the goal.

It is my mission to drive you hard, but it's not an easy job. When I do this, I don't do it blindly. I analyze every fact, and with that data I make decisions. If each one of you can earn that much it is easy for us to raise $1,000,000, or even $1,500,000 a month. Can you believe that? (Yes!) If we are strongly united in oneness with the will of God, you can do it. From next year on, we will mobilize 300 members, and earn $1,000,000 a month. When we mobilize 1,000 members, we can have $3,000,000. Does it sound possible? (Yes!) Yes, it is possible.

Towards the latter part of 1975, I must use $3,000,000 a month. Can you raise that much money? You must be trained for that. For many of you, there is no problem in that if you are only resolved. You know well that I don't use any money for myself. Even though you have raised money in America, I have been using money that I brought from Korea. And many nations donated the money for the American movement. Compared to the sum of money brought into this nation, what you have earned here is less. Did we buy Belvedere and East Garden with the money you raised? I was ready with that money, before you raised it. In every way, America is indebted to me. In Korea, I did not use a penny. We did not dream of using such a vast sum of money for the Korean movement. You must realize that. So, your responsibility is great. The responsibility of America is heavy.

Is there one such leader in the Christian society here? It is my view that I have to sacrifice myself, not to speak of my family and my own church and nation, for the salvation of the world. By my doing that, my motto is, "Cross over every boundary, to reach out to the end of the world." In my lifetime then, the dream which I am going to realize is that we make the whole world into one nation under God. Will it be easy? You have only to follow me, and follow my instructions. As a leader, I am working harder than you, and my agony is great. This cannot be carried out under the leadership of any man, but only under a leader in religion, instructed by God.

What made it possible for so many people from many nations to mingle into the one nation of America was the power of God through Christianity. But the Christian world is now crumbling. We must restore the days of the early forefathers who founded America. America is like two nations in one. There is the Federal Government, and local state governments. There are different laws employed. What if in the future a certain state protested against the Federal Government and tried to win independence? That is possible because of Communists working behind the scenes. They might protest against their having to pay taxes to the Federal Government, while we don't have to pay taxes. They could say that. With Communists working behind the scenes, is it not possible? If one state becomes like that, if two or three become like that, the whole country can be shattered.

Have you ever stopped to think that there could be a new nation born out of corruption on this continent? In that case, the Christian spirit must excel Communist ideology. If both of the ideological blocs are corrupt, then budding from Christianity a new movement of young people must come forward to do the job. Is there any such group? Who else but ourselves? We realize too well that unless in our movement we are united into one, transcending national boundaries, we cannot give hope to the world.

So, we must cross national and racial boundaries. The whole world is just one nation, one people. If our movement is nullified, there is no way for other people to save this nation and world. We must realize that from God's viewpoint too, this group must be protected, preserved and helped to survive all difficulties. This group can save the world by crossing over the boundaries on so many levels. Are you confident to survive all the difficulties and persecutions? What if I put you through more difficulties? I will put you to the test. Do you want that? (Yes!)

In Korea, I trained my members harshly. In the early days of our movement I would have all the members, young and old, male and female, walk a thousand Korean miles. Then I would have them go with barely two hours of sleep of each day for seven years. For them to come to the designated place for our meeting in Seoul, some of them had to walk 15 days. They could cover some distance in buses or trains, but if money was not available or if buses were not available, they would walk. And I ordered them not to carry a penny. They had to beg for their food on the way.

That's the way I trained my people. But when I suggested to Mr. Kamiyama that we assemble at six o'clock, he said, "It's a little too early because it takes so many minutes to come to Belvedere from New York City." Then I would say, "You have a clock! What you have to do is vow to get up early. Then you can doze off, or sleep on the bus." That is the same distance Korean people walked to come to our meeting. What if you are ordered to walk, would you do that? (Yes!) You are not too willing to do that. But you need that kind of training.

After Madison Square Garden some of you may be relaxed saying, "Well, we made the Madison Square Garden crusade a success. Why not rest for a while?" When you start toward a greater goal, would you people do twice as much work, or less than that? Twice as much work, three times as much, or five times as much work as what you have done? (Five) That is what God would want you to do. When I look at you eating, sleeping and resting, I always feel like driving you out to the frontline. And I think that God is feeling exactly the same thing. All problems will be solved if you are ready to think that instead of sleeping, resting, or eating, you must work. When you are told to do that, what would you do? You would escape from me, all of you? (No) Then to survive that work, you must think of how to carry it out. You can put some dry food in your pockets, and you can eat as you walk. I have a theory of sleeping as I walk. That's possible. I can rest while I work. If you are determined to do it, it's possible.

What kind of persons would God love most? Would He like better those who are ready to work without sleeping, resting, or eating all through their lives or persons who cannot do that? Which would you prefer to have as members under you? I'm sure you fall asleep by midnight or at least between 12 and 2 o'clock in the morning; but I sit awake in meditation, and I sometimes strongly feel like going to you, to wake you up and drive you out. You often say I'm a superman, but there is no such thing. Your spiritual posture is what you can count on. In order for me to have you do that, I myself must be ahead of you, doing more work. And as a leader, you must be like that. I am not going to be indebted to you. You are young people, while I'm over 50. I'm on the descent, while you are ascending in life. Then can you say you cannot follow me? I often forget my age and think of myself as being younger than you, with more energy, and more zeal. It's what I'm struggling for.

After hearing me, what do you think? You are worried to think of what you have to go through. Is that right? If you are not ready for that, I warn you to pack up your things and depart from me now, not later. Do you want to leave me? (No!) Even though you may leave me, there is nowhere for you to go. You are destined to come back. Frankly speaking, if I had found any other way possible, I would have left this movement long before now. I have had to work hard under persecution and hardship with people calling me names.

After Madison Square Garden, when I think it over, it is not a great gain I have acquired. I have spent so much money for that and what is the real outcome? What is the result? What have we done it for? I'm sure, I'm very sure that it will bear the fruit of goodness because I have done this not for myself, not for my family, not for my nation, but for the whole world and for the will of God. So, I have faith to be lifted up. Even though I may have to die on the way to restore this nation, history will remember me and all Americans will praise me. I know that. God will also praise me. When there is much work to do, and when there are enemies of our Father, God, that is the way we must go.

Then let us come to the conclusion. Our subject is "Let us cross over the boundary." There is a boundary for women to cross over. There may be "old maids" here over the age of 30, but you must not think of getting married, because there are a great many things to do. By the way I talk, you will see no hope of getting married in a few years, and some of you may have to leave this movement and say goodbye to me. You may think, "Master is cruel! He is married and enjoys his married life. That is why he doesn't understand my situation!" I have my family over here, but sometimes I wish they had not come with me, because they can be a nuisance to my work. Also there are many letters and phone calls threatening to destroy them. A man, to carry out a great mission, should prefer to be alone.

But the Divine Principle says that a man and a woman are created to be together in marriage. Sometimes I feel Divine Principle has been enemy to the work. That is for me a kind of cross. I cannot deny the cross, but bear it. That is my attitude. So, you are in the fine state of your life, without burden. Among the men members, too, there are many who are over the age of 30. They think, "After three years, he said. It was several years ago that he said that. So, by the end of the second seven year course he's going to wed us in holy matrimony..." You are attentive to the lord coming from the air. But if your matrimony will be an obstacle for the work of this movement, we can postpone it seven years longer. You don't look happy. Then I must shout at you, "Cross over the boundary of bachelorship and single life." That means, you don't have to feel lonely. You don't have to feel you must be married in a certain period of time. You must transcend. Would you prefer to marry on the battlefield while you are fighting, or after you have won the victory and the peaceful world is here? Would you prefer to be married when you are the citizens of the Kingdom of God?

In our movement, we talk about three seven-year courses, and the completion of the second seven-year course is something like the completion of the growth stage. In Principle, we must be blessed in marriage when we attain perfection. So, it is preferable to be married after three seven-year courses. When I look at the women's faces, they are calculating in their minds with their faces all in frowns. But unless you are all willing to receive this idea, God cannot bless you earlier than that. Are you ready to go through seven more years before you get married? Then God will nod his head and say, "You have done well, so I will quicken the time from seven years to seven months and I will bless you." God can say that. There has been no such group as ours in the whole history of mankind. That's the point of which we are proud.

Have you heard that in Korea, after the blessing of 777 couples, I drove out all the women to the battlefield for three years, beginning with 1970? All the couples were separated. Then what happened to the children? They could not bring them to the battlefield. So they had to send their children to their parents or relatives. If that was not the situation, they sent their children to an orphanage. When I ordered that, how agonized my heart was. But when things so important lie ahead of us, it cannot be helped. We must sacrifice ourselves as individuals, our homes -- including the children -- our tribe, and our nation, for the world. It is the Principle.

I'm ordering you to do only what I've already gone through myself. In my history, there have been many miserable things. You must realize that there are senior members who have gone through such difficulties that, even after their marriage, they have had to be parted from each other, leaving their children in orphanages. And when you think of that, what you are going through is just nothing compared to that. By your going through those kinds of difficulties, you will have paid your indemnity toll by the soonest possible date.

In Korea, the Communist power is prevailing. Korea needs me more than ever. Why did I leave my country to work here? Because America is the leading nation of the free world, and what I accomplish as a result of my work here will be inherited by other nations, too. This is a short-cut to reach the goal. After I have laid a solid foundation for the American members to work on their own I will leave this country. I will not be here forever. Then where am I bound? Where do you think I'm going after that? You must be aware of the fact that you are paving the way. But you are happier people than I am. How long have you been in the movement?

You have been leading a hippie life, using drugs or intoxicated in worldly joy. But from the early days of my life, I began to think of God and His will alone. I know well enough what kind of people Koreans are, and what kind of people Japanese are. Now I'm analyzing and studying Americans. Which people are more qualified than others? That is what I am determining. Sometimes I think, in dashing on the battlefield towards the end of the world, that it might be easier to use Korean people instead of Japanese or Americans.

The road is bumpy and the Koreans are well-trained under hardships. What do you think? You would say, "American people will take the job." (Yes!) Then you must be ready to leave good food and luxurious mansions and go to live on the southern tip of Africa in a primitive society. Can you do that? Then you must do away with your cars. Are you ready to do that? What if you are ordered to walk across the continent of Africa? What if you I ask you white people to marry the black people? (Yes) The women members "yes" was weak. Is there any racial boundary in the sight of God! (No!!) Are there any white or black people?

We must be able to do what others cannot do. The Communists cannot do it. No other group of people can do it. Only the greatest religion can create people who can carry out the plan. Only when we are centered upon God and His will can we do it. We now see that there are many kinds of boundaries in America. There is a boundary between white and black people, and we must annihilate it. We must have our young people cross the boundary of corruption. Family dispute, divorce, is another boundary we must transcend. There is a boundary between God-loving ideologies and Communism, and we must transcend the Communistic bloc. We know that in the Christian world there is corruption, and we must go beyond the boundary between our group and the Christian world, and win them to the new ideology.

To accomplish that, what can we do? We must think things, say things, and act out things in a way different from them. In comparison to what they do, you must be far ahead of them. If they sleep eight hours a day, what should we do? Sleep more than that, equal hours, or less hours? (Less!) When they sleep eight hours, we must prefer to sleep six hours, and when they sleep six hours we must choose to sleep four hours, two hours, or even less. Even those two hours, you don't have to lie in the bed to sleep, but you can sleep while doing something else. You walk to and from the Belvedere Training Center, and while you walk, or in the bus, you can sleep. Then there will be no reason for you to have two hours' sleep in bed. You must study how to sleep, so that you erase from your thoughts that you have slept only two or three hours. Don't ever calculate the number of hours you have slept. Just forget about how many hours you have slept. You can do that by training yourself. If you are so crazy as to think of things in that manner, would God help you or not? (Yes!)

And then, if any group or any person would smite those people who are good in the sight of God, God will leave them. They will be punished. Those who persecuted me have either died or been destroyed. The Korean Christians opposed me, as the Christian world of the chosen nation. That is why decline comes so quickly in the Christian world. It is the Principle that those who come against me will be doomed to decline. If America is going to keep opposing me, it will perish. If the Korean Government received me and the ideology of the Unification Church at the time of liberation, there would not have been the boundary of the 38th Parallel between North and South. The country was severed in two, and for some time even the Government persecuted me. But now, even though it is late, they begin to feel that they need our movement. It is very difficult for those who opposed our movement to come to our side, to be in our favor. If America goes on opposing me, it will not be easy for her to come to my side later on. In order to prevent that, we must work hard.

People here cannot quite define what I am. Some think that I am the puppet of the KCIA, and that the Korean Government is using me. They will know that I have nothing to do with those groups. I am not born for one nation. I am not going to be indebted either to Korea, to Japan, or America. Up to the present, I have done my job with my own strength. In establishing the factory, I worked harder than any other member. It would take me three hours, back and forth, to visit the factory, but on some days I visited even three times. If I concentrate my efforts, focus my attention and mobilize my being to one job, then God cannot but help me. In the beginning, I thought that I was going to need a large sum of money so I had to establish the factory; and if I didn't struggle harder than any other member working there, I would think I was a thief to use the money.

Some newspapers say, "Reverend Moon lives in a stylish house, while his members stay poor." But I have gone through more difficulties than you are now going through, and what I eat is barely enough to sustain my life. I am stingy about using money for myself and my family, because I know God. God is like that. I am a spendthrift for the livelihood of my family. Sometimes we must prepare rich food because we have many guests visiting our home. Those VIP's and other guests coming to our movement want to see me. I would have them stay at Belvedere, but in their hearts they feel a little lonely or dissatisfied, I know. Therefore, I invite them one or two times to dinner and have a conversation with them. Then they are happy.

In this rather materialistic country, I thought that we must have something to show. That is why I bought the estate. And in the future, when I invite to my home Senators and Congressmen and many VIP's from many nations, I feel I must show them other than the miserable side of life. That is also why I bought a luxurious car. Not for myself. In my every-day life, if possible, I choose not to ride in that luxurious car. When I do, I do it for the dignity of the Unification Church, and usually when I take many people with me. Even now, when I use money, I choose to use the money I brought from Korea, not the money raised here in America. That way I am not ashamed at all. Wherever I live is the world headquarters; and for the dignity of Heaven and the dignity of our movement, I do what I do now.

Also, only after I am settled can you be settled. Things have an order. So I have nothing to strike my conscience. Why do Americans revile me? If I used a vast sum of money after I have lived for many years in this country, there is much for them to doubt. But they know that I came here only two years or so ago. I received permanent residency in this country in April of last year. So the record shows that there has been no time for me to earn that sum of money in this country. All the members joined our movement penniless. People can imagine that, by our inviting so many members here from many nations, money could come in. Then they must understand that I've done nothing wrong to draw the money if I have used it for the good of the Unification Church.

If people study us, their statistics will show that before joining this movement, many of our young people were "hippies" and drug users, and that I converted them from these things. Those who have had the experience of using drugs, raise your hand. There are many of you. Are you grateful to me and to this movement, or dissatisfied and complaining? Do you think America needs me? (Yes!) Do American "hippies" need the Unification Movement? (Yes!)

And in face of opposition, what would you do? (Fight!) You must struggle hard enough to defeat opposition and restore this nation in your lifetime. The more opposition power there is, the more struggles you must go through to defeat them. The opposition comes as a limitation or boundary, and we must cross over the boundary. If we dash against the wall, will we break through the wall, or will we be broken? (Break through) What if they come in groups or in mobs, to fight against us?

If American people are determined to kill us, what would you do? (Fight) If you are killed, how can you fight? Yes, you must think of that. Before anything else, we must be well equipped not to be killed or sacrificed by the evil power. In other words, we must increase our membership. We have the tradition with us here through which we can fight evil power; and if we can break through and open the gate to the Christian world, then we will easily absorb them. Place the democratic world under our custody, and we can absorb and restore them. If the American nation is on our side, working with us, the rest of the world will be no problem.

We have no weapons, we have no scientific equipment; but we have power coming from above to fight against our enemies and defeat them. We must win America to our side, to work and fight with us. If we cannot accomplish our mission in our lifetime, then even though we pass away to the world of spirit, we must fight on and on. If you leave the mission unaccomplished, your descendants will have to inherit it and go through the same thing. Seen from that viewpoint, our battle in America is an unavoidably important one, and we have to fight it to the end and be victorious.

When I first came to America at the command of God, to fight in this country to win the people, I did not think it was going to be an easy job. In my plan, I have to let my name be known and to reach out to the people in three years' time. There are rumors spreading among the people. Some say Reverend Moon is a good person. Others say he is bad. What do you think of me? If you say "good', and other Americans say "bad," what if your voices are drowned? Unless we have more people, our voices cannot drown the others. Membership is the problem from now on. If with this ideology we armed the American army, then would the Communist troops excel over the American army? (No!) It would be no problem for the American army to eclipse the power of the Communist side. But as it now stands, can American youth save this nation? Can the American army save this nation? Can American Senators and Congressmen save this nation, using all they have? (No!) We can diminish and eradicate the problems of adolescent crime, racial problems, family disputes, drug abuse and Communist threat, only by our ideology. Why, then, do people persecute us? We must fight on as warriors.

They will soon know that I no have no ambition other than to carry out God's will. I am doing what I am doing for the sake of mankind. Sooner or later, they will know that, and they will know what is good and what is evil. In history we will be conspicuous. Heaven will be on our side and all conscientious men will be on our side. They will recognize our movement and me. In proportion to the distance we will have covered, we will be known and recognized by others. Evil powers will decline as time goes by.

In three years' time, I have become famous. In New York all the citizens know me, if not all of the American population. In three years' time, I have to let people know my name. Some may think I am evil, some may think I am good, but my mission is to let people know the message and my name. In Jerusalem a great stir came about when Jesus appeared on the scene. At least I have stirred up this nation.

People will witness the light of life emanating from your eyes. They will see that you are well-trimmed and full of energy and zeal to carry out the mission. You are poorly clad, but not ashamed. You are luxuriously clad, but are not proud. As Westerners learn to sit on the floor with folded legs, almost torture for most of you, people will ask how you can do that, and it will remain a puzzle.

Someone may say, "Here I am. As a great leader of this nation, why don't they follow me? And why should the young people follow Reverend Moon, an oriental man?" They will say, "We know he cannot speak the language." They will study more and more, until the riddle is solved. Then they will finally find that from the outside they cannot understand this group, so they will come inside. While they are skeptical about our movement, cocking their heads to one side, we will expand. Including the years we have passed here, after seven years' what will happen?

The day after tomorrow, I am going to talk before a larger group of Senators and Congressmen. So, I must break through the boundary at the top level. If they do not listen to me, if they are not receptive to what I say, I am going to create Senators and Congressmen from our side. That is what I am planning. America is not for Senators and Congressmen, but Senators and Congressmen are for America. That is God's way of thinking. And America is supposed to be on God's side. What God is hoping for is to have Senators and Congressmen on the side of God.

In the future, I must stop the mass media from saying ill things of us. With what am I going to do that? I must create a newspaper. With articles in our daily newspaper, we are going to protest! The mass media can either destroy the world, or lift it up and elevate the world. Some of the newspapers are being used by a Communist power. Then I say now, "Let what may, come now. But wait a little while, and I will attack you!" Before long, I will make a newspaper larger than the New York Times. In Japan, they were instructed to make a daily newspaper in a year's time. I must make them out-sell the Communist-controlled papers. They have difficulties concerning how to distribute the newspaper, how to get more subscriptions. But our organization is vaster and stronger than theirs, and upon the command from Father, you can get the paper even to the remote villages. At that time, I am going to make you sell our newspaper instead of peanuts.

In the soonest possible future, I am going to make a daily newspaper in New York. You have been filled with resentment, having been faced with bad reports about us in the newspapers, and we have to clear away the resentment by making our own newspaper, rebutting the attacks. We must lay the foundation for that. Through the newspaper, we will draw people to our side and attack the people who are against us.

The next project is for us to establish a university. We will set a world record of having established a university of great prestige in the shortest possible time. I am going to carry this out. If you are ready with the attitude, mind and zeal to help me, I can do that.

When I assemble scholars for the Unified Science Conference I am going to meet and examine the scientists and all the professors, including the Nobel Prize winners, to use in later days. So far, for the London Conference this fall 120 scholars, professors and Nobel Prize Winners have applied. There are 22 to 24 Nobel Prize winners among them. Next year, to the Unified Science Conference in New York, 600 to 1,000 scientists will be invited. It is going to be a historical meeting.

On that occasion, I am going to give them an official speech. At the first and second conference I spoke at the end. This time, I am going to speak at the opening of the meeting. This time, the coordinators invited me to speak before anyone else. They began to realize that no one but Reverend Moon would spend such a large sum of money for that kind of conference. Soon then, the top minds of the world will know me, and America as a whole will know me. In these ways my name will be known in every corner of the world.

Why am I doing this? In future days, when I establish a university, if I pay professors a little more than they are paid in other schools, they will come. We can work in such a way so that as soon as we open our school, we can fill it up from the freshman to senior class in a year's time. How can we do it? We will bring our members from the college campuses all over the country, and even from other countries -- from all over the world. Some are freshmen, some are sophomores, some are juniors, some seniors.

In this way, we can fill up the whole school. In a year's period, we have educated 120 European university students, besides our members, 120 from Japan, and 700 Korean residents, too, in Japan. They are now more or less on our side. We are doing all these things for one purpose: so that people will know us and positive rumors will spread. Then the university established by the Unification Church will bring brilliant young people from all over the world. All the other universities will see this, including of course, professors.

Why am I going to do this? If we invite brilliant students to study at our university, giving them scholarships, we can draw them very easily. When 120 students were invited from Japan, they came from 52 universities. Now they will be working and propagating to invite brilliant students from their schools. We can select only good students. Without your knowledge, I am doing this already. When we establish our university, we are going to educate brilliant young people who will work in every field of life, and work for many nations. Do you want me to guide you in realizing these things? (Yes!) What I need is money.

If we have 100,000 members, all the problems will be solved. In that case, we can mobilize 30,000 MFT members to work in America. If I scatter those 30,000 young men all over the country, you can really imagine their success. If I instruct you to sell flowers, people will see flower sellers everywhere. They will even go demonstrating with the flowers in their hands. Then florists will have to demonstrate, because they cannot sell their own flowers. When we are all out selling peanuts, the peanut sellers will be faced with bankruptcy. Wherever we go, whatever we do, it will arouse the attention of the whole nation. When we mobilize 30,000 members, we will be able to raise one hundred million dollars in a month. How can we use that much money? That is nothing to laugh at.

We are going to buy the Empire State Building, the Ford automotive factory, and Pan-American Airlines. They are what we need. If we possess those things, the whole nation, America, will profit. If we own the Ford Company, we will have our people sell the products of the Ford Company. Then people will reject cars from other countries and buy only American-made cars. No car from Germany will be sold. Then America will profit. If we own the Pan-American airlines, we can always fill the airplanes with passengers. We will apply the peanut-selling technique to get the passengers on our planes. No one else can compete with us, and every government will know that our young people will work so hard all over the world, that unless they win our favor, they cannot go on. Finally they will find they need Reverend Moon. Because they know that without Reverend Moon, they cannot go on. There is no doubt about that. Once I have spoken, I will bring it to pass.

If you had remained in the outside world, you could not dream of being a success after ten year's struggle. But here, you can win victory after three years or even less. Our interest should be always in crossing the limitation or boundary. The Christian world is against us. The Communist world is against us. And mass media is against us. But we can easily transcend those boundaries. First you must have confidence. If you cannot have confidence in the plan, you cannot carry it out. In Korea, our group has done what the government itself has not been able to do. And how would you carry out your mission here? Would you do the same, or more? (More!) Then let's do it!

You must have the confidence that there can be no such thing as a boundary or limitation before us. In the training center, when you study the Divine Principle or Unification Thought or Victory Over Communism ideology, you must not feel any boundary there. Going beyond the boundary, you must break the record. And after having passed the examination on those things, you must be able to witness and bring members into the family, and raise a definite sum of money in due time. You must constantly have in mind that you are going to be the future leaders of the world. Furthermore, you must think that you are the warriors to exterminate evil power and to liberate God. You are the courageous warriors, fighting for the cause of God, so you must have confidence and courage.

I want you to ask yourselves, "On what boundary am I going to die? Am I going to die on the battlefield, or in retreat while relaxing?" You must realize that we are now situated at the point of the fiercest battle in the world, and in the Providence of God. In three years' time, if America loses the base from which to fight against Communist power, the nation is doomed to decline. The highest officials of the United States Government don't realize that, while we do. The threat of Communists and other evil powers is becoming fiercer and fiercer, and from that, I can gather that the final battle with Communism is at hand.

We can imagine that on the way, our comrades may collapse and die, but we must leave them in death on the battlefield. We expect and anticipate fierce battles ahead of us. Didn't you think it was strange that the Communists protested against us when a religious man like Reverend Moon was speaking at Madison Square Garden? Why do they do that? Because they know only too well that if this groups grows to represent thousands and more thousands, then they are going to be weakened and run over.

The top government officials must know Reverend Moon first, and more than the Communists do; but the Communists realize the importance of my job, and the threat of my mission to them, not the government officials. When 650 young people went through fast and prayer on the Capitol steps, they were awakened to the fact that we are a strong group; but some of them were skeptical and even felt threatened, thinking that this group might turn the government upside down. Reverend Moon's aim is not to become the president of the nation. My mission is to carry out God's will for mankind.

You must try to lose your life in order to gain it, but prefer to die. And what should you die for? You must be so resolved to have victory in three years' time. After three years, when I have laid the foundation here, I will leave this country with all my family. If this nation is restored, so much the better; but if America rejects me, I will discard this nation and leave. We have only three years left. If you cannot go ahead, I must stand in the vanguard and carry out the job. Standing in the vanguard, to carry out our mission I am resolved to lose my life. And would you have me stand in the vanguard, or would you go dashing forward ahead of me?

If I am sacrificed, the horror will be great. But you do not know the clear picture of God's plan and Providence on earth. We must realize that we are at the danger point where Master could be sacrificed if you don't act strongly and protect him. So you must become completely serious in contemplating this. Do you understand? (Yes!) We have three years' time. It is going to be the culmination of my life in the fight.

After three years, the foundation will have been laid. Behind the scenes I am laying the groundwork and paving the way in every direction possible. Starting from the year 1972, I am going to work for seven years in this country. After that time, America will go through a grave crisis. If people do not receive our ideology, they will realize after I have left, that what I was doing was for this nation.

Do you love your country? (Yes!) I want you Americans to love your country more that I do. Then, if I am resolved to lose my life for this cause, how would you act? You know that the city of New York is the most dangerous place. You are now doing things at the risk of your life. If you are really the patriots of your nation, caring for the future of this nation, you must stand ahead of me, protecting me. Unless you can do that, you can never be relaxed.

If yesterday you left the center for peanut selling at 9 o'clock, and returned from peanut selling at 9 o'clock in the evening, then you must try to come back later than that, even a few minutes later than that, today. You must become more and more successful. If you have been witnessing to people for three hours, you must do more than three hours tomorrow; if you have been doing six hours, more than six hours. And if you have witnessed to 100 people today, you must witness to more people tomorrow. Those are the boundaries you must cross over; and we have still more boundaries, more limitations, and more obstacles. So, after having gone past all those obstacles and boundaries, we still meet at the goal with victory. If in three year's time my aim and purpose are attained, then the rest of the world will be no problem. But it is not as easy as it may sound.

I left Korea with the resolution that I was going to fight a hard battle. The three years that are left ahead of us will be easier. During those three years we must concentrate our whole effort on the purpose, and invest our whole being and mobilize all we have. You don't know, but I feel and anticipate what is coming in the future. So I am desperate for us to carry out our mission here in this United States in three years' time. Our job is to cross over all the boundaries obstacles and limitations now.

Would you rather choose what is easy, or what is difficult? (Difficult!) Why? It is because a certain point in the Providence of God will not always be there. If you let it go, it will never come back. Men are always there, money can be always there, but not the time. The time will slip past. So, even without money, even without enough manpower, if we cling to God and ask for help, letting him work with us and through us, then we can carry out our mission, even in misery and hardship. If we are ready to lose our lives, and if we are doing things at the cost of our lives, we are sure to attain the goal. Up to the year 1977, or at the latest 1978, we must carry this out day and night. I am completely serious about what I have told you.

I want you to be determined to keep wide awake to the facts, and invest your whole being for the cause, winning victory over all evil powers in three years' time. We have New York members here. Your responsibility is important and heavy. You have worked well to make the Madison Square Garden success. The New Yorkers will think, "After the Madison Square Garden success, what are the New York Unification Church members doing now?" And not only the New Yorkers, but all the people of the United States will look at you. If, with the success at the Madison Square Garden alone we cannot extend our movement with more power, we are doomed to decline.

We have to make 3,000 members in the nearest possible future. If I were you, I would make 3,000 members in a month's time. I am so anxious to get that many members I would do it in a month's time. If you think you may be killed if you cannot carry out the mission, you will force yourself to carry it out at all costs. Then each of you has to bring in 10 members in a month. If three hundred members win one member each, it will make 600, including your existing members. If after a month those 600 people bring in one member each there will be 1200; 600 new members and 600 older members. And will you stop there, bringing in one member a month, and be contented? Or, if all mankind is on the verge of life or death, including the Providence of God, then can you not be so serious as to go on at all costs?

So let us be united into oneness, and under the command of our Master we will go forward to attain the goal of 2,400 in three months' time. Even three thousand members will be easily won. If you are resolved to drive yourselves hard enough, the members will bear the fruit. If not, I cannot send our people to Japan and elsewhere next year. Accordingly, the Providence in Japan will be postponed.

The mayor of Tokyo is pro-communist. We have to stop him from being elected next time. That is the mission of the Japanese members. The election is going to be in June next year. It is very urgent, so we must plan on it. You must be able to mobilize all members in Japan, and win in that campaign. So the Communists in Japan and the Victory Over Communism group in our church are the fiercest enemies. If Japan is going to be communized and revolutionized by violence, then the fate and destiny of all Asiatic nations will be the same. In the long run it can influence the American nation and all the Western nations. If Japan is going to be threatened and then occupied by the Soviet Union, then before long, the Soviet Union will make the Japanese people stand in the vanguard of the battlefield, to fight against other Asiatic nations, as it did some years ago in the Second World War.

We are now driven by the intensity of the political situation in the world. Someone must do something at this very moment to stop dire things from happening, and we are the only group to do it. What we are doing in our campaign in America will influence Japan and other oriental nations, too. So you must be awakened to fight hard to win victory here. If Japan repels Communism and wins over it then all the Asiatic countries will be on our side. If other people, including your government, are at a loss to repel Communism, and we as a group do the job, then the Government cannot but rely on our movement. Then we can direct the Asiatic world, and finally the whole world.

We are going to submit a list of names of the members who are going to Japan next year. They have to go through visa formalities. The urgent thing is to have more members. By the first of November, all the Japanese members will return to New York, because even by forcing them, I will make them carry out the mission. I am going to do that for Japan. To increase the membership to 1,000 will be no problem, and I want the New York members to carry it out. As you know, we need 2,000 more members for vast projects like Madison Square Garden, and by next year, we will need 3,000 members working for another goal, greater than what we have had. If we keep 2,000 members working in New York, New York will be stirred up. If we are going to arouse questions or problems at all, we are going to do that for the good of the city and the nation.

Our job is to let the people know that we are fighting against Communism which is the evil power desiring to overthrow this nation; and after winning them over, we are going to save the world and restore it to God, to carry out His Providence. If the Japanese members assembled in the city of New York will carry out this job, then you will have accomplished your mission in this country and you are entitled to go back to your nation and work. If you are all alive in the spirit of God, accomplishment of the mission will be no problem. God is more anxious to have the mission accomplished by you than I myself. And if you are more anxious than God and myself to carry out your mission, then all will be solved.

You are smaller in physical build and you are less handsome than the Americans, so the only way for you to win the heart of God and the heart of the people is for you to work hard and accomplish your mission. Then you will be treasured and praised by the people. With smaller statures than the American members, you must work hard while they are still in slumber. These American members are not quite awakened to the importance of their mission. If they should tackle it with an all-out effort, you are doomed to be defeated by them.

They are bigger in stature, more forceful, and in better health. So while they are still in slumber, you must work hard, gain fame, be praised by the people, and be remembered in the history of our movement. Leaders, you must drive them harshly enough to win the goal, with no sympathy. You will be working for several months at the longest, so you can even go through this period with fasting and prayer. It will be no problem.

Mr. Kamiyama is sure now that he is going to have all the Japanese members back in New York. At that time, Father will allow him to use the Japanese language, and you will be working centered on the Japanese members. So, American members should learn the Japanese language in order to understand them. If by doing that we can realize the goal, we must do that. Then all the American members, larger in stature and thinking themselves to be more courageous, will be defeated. If, with a membership of 300, the Japanese members win 3,000 members in time, then how many will the American members bring in? More? Less? (More!!!)

How many American members do we have here? With such a resolution, we will start today. Today is the first of October, a most important month. In the history of the Unification Church, the month of October has always been the month of victory and new beginning. So, you must live up to the value of the meaning of the month. With a new resolution, with a clear goal ahead of us, I want you to dash forward until you attain the goal. Are you resolved to advance forward with new resolution? (Yes!) Then, I will put you in good competition, between Japanese and American members.

Before leaving this nation, let us break the record as soon as possible and leave this country. After you have gained the goal, I will constantly nudge and push the American members to accelerate their efforts to win more members, without being defeated by the Japanese. Then the American members cannot complain. They promised not to be defeated and not to be beaten by the Japanese members. After all the Japanese members leave, I will be alone working here. Even though our plan is to send a thousand members to Japan, all the Westerners will sooner or later have to leave this country to help them in order to make the project in their country a success. So they will be leaving sooner or later. But if some of you Japanese members are reluctant to leave this country, because you like this place to work, then I will drive you out of the country. You will be punished, or scolded.

Let us make a new start today. Before us there is no such thing as boundary, and no boundary can prevent us. That is our goal. Do you understand? (Yes!) I trust you.

Scanned by Hans-Juergen Hutzfeld, 10.01.2008-Duesseldorf.

Let Us Cross Over The Hill

Reverend Sun Myung Moon
Tarrytown, New York
September 29,1974
Master Speaks
Translated by Mrs. Won Pok Choi

My topic today is, "Let Us Cross Over The Hill." Recently we have crossed over a period of intensity. Previously we worked toward the 18th of September for the Madison Square Garden project, and ever since we have been coming down the hill. Now we are headed for another peak to cross over.

Recently I spoke about how to connect the Madison Square Garden project with our history. We thought the Madison Square Garden project was the very peak of our work, but compared to the vast history of God's providence, it was only the beginning.

When we are down, to go up we need a spurt of power. Even in the case of our climbing a tree, we exercise more strength when we go up, and less coming down. The steeper the mountain is and the longer the distance we are going to climb, the more strength we need. Many members have fallen away in our history, but those who fell away, almost without exception, were on the way up like that. For instance, we can divide a hill into three parts. Some get exhausted when they have barely covered one third of it; others at the point they have covered two thirds; and some are even higher when they get exhausted and fall away. But if you exert all your efforts to climb and attain the goal, and cross over the peak -you may be still here. But you don't know how much ground you have covered in the history of our movement. You must be strongly aware of the fact that when you have crossed over the junction or peak you may get loose and relaxed. For those people it is very difficult to cross over another peak. I have instructed the leaders of each group to awaken their people to this fact and reorganize themselves to go over another peak.

Early this morning at dawn, I experienced a very shocking thing. Every Sunday morning I get up earlier than 5:00, but when I woke up this morning it was after 5:00, a very rare experience. I didn't realize that the electricity was off during the night and my clock was an electric clock. The clock read barely 25 minutes after two. Mrs. Choi was prepared and knocked at my door, shouting. I thought she was out of her mind. I shouted back, "It's early. Why do you wake me up?" without opening the door. But who was right? Without realizing that the electric clock had stopped, I shouted back almost scolding.

If you do not know the facts during the time you are sleeping, you can make mistakes, shouting at innocent people. It is something like this: in the city of New York some people are proclaiming the coming of the new age, but New Yorkers are deep in slumber, and they shout back, "Why are you shouting? We know of no such thing as the new age. " To the eyes of the New Yorkers we may look like crazy people, always running on the street, telling people that there is a new age, though they don't realize it. It is a great lesson to be learned. We must not look at ourselves alone; we must look around and see things taking place around us. The same thing can occur between you and myself. You are just obeying me and doing as I instruct you.1 know the providence of God and I know where we are situated, so I am very serious when I instruct you while you are not too serious when you act. But I can tell you that we have crossed over one peak, at least. We are now moving downward across the hill. We are headed for the bottom. Would you want to go down slower than you went up? If it took us five hours to climb up, we must spend less hours than five to come down, isn't that true? (Yes.) Indeed, you must rush down, and on the spurt of the remaining power you must dash up again.

If you draw a wave on a horizontal line, it is like this: if you come down at full speed, on the momentum of that power you can go up even higher on the next peak. We have valleys always. You became relaxed after a great event like Madison Square Garden. You loosen up and think, "Oh, I want to sleep a thousand years and I want to eat good food." You look around for good clothes and things like that. When you are headed downward, you want to continue down and down. When people get sick, they do so when they are on the downward motion. When you are going up, concentrating all your efforts on one thing, your physical body and your spirit will be together, united to go up.

After the Madison Square Garden project is complete, you must have a period to reorganize yourself or gather your strength. Many people fall while climbing up, but more people get relaxed and fall when they are headed for the next peak or target.

Then we must realize at what point God is working with us and helping us, and at what point Satan is undermining us. In human endeavors we are all without exception struggling to go up. That is the human desire, to cover ground and attain the goal. Above a certain point, ordinary people cannot go without God's help, and without help from the spirit side. When you are at this point, God is going to help you most. The axis is turning a circular motion and when you have crossed over a certain point it is easy for you to attain the peak. Both you and God know that when you have crossed over this point, you can attain the peak. It is not easy for you to realize that you are being helped by God. But Satan and his agents are always lying in ambush. If God helps you after you attain the goal, it is against His law, so He cannot help you then. He will let you alone; and if you are undermined by Satan at a certain point, you will come under the satanic position. Besides, you have a certain responsibility in the earthly sense, and you will rise with help from God. However, at a critical point you may encounter Satan.

When you meet Satan, God will withdraw. He will not attack Satan for you. God must be this way because of the law of your five percent responsibility. Knowing this, you must always keep alert at this critical point, because it is easier for you to fall down then, and downward motion is easier.

But when you are engaged in downward motion, if you keep up your speed, you can go up toward the next peak very easily. Without being caught by Satan, you must go down with a spurt of power and then cross the critical point headed for another peak. This a rather dark period where you are easily attacked by Satan, so you just pray hard during that period. You must double your strength, always reminding yourself of the time when you went up and how hard you struggled. This is the formula and we have many such times. For instance, in the history of the chosen nation of Israel they had their sunny times and dark times; periods when they were helped by God and when they were attacked by Satan, under persecution.

When we have a great event like Madison Square Garden we always strengthen ourselves and create a new zeal. Wise people realize that it has been practice to reach another goal, however great the event may have been. So you must always realize that when you are moving downward you must exert more strength. Without doing that, you can have no power to go up again, and you are very apt to fall back. When I think of that I place you in toil. And when you are headed for the peak you must always exert more energy so that you will have enough strength to cover the rest of the ground.

On the physical plane, too, you must exert more strength. For instance, during critical periods, I would go out to sea whenever I found time. I would train myself physically and work very hard for others. While doing that, I would cultivate my spiritual life, too. During that period I would have barely several hours of sleep, and I would get sleepy on the boat; but I would awaken myself and become alert, putting my physical and spiritual side in balance, always. And after Madison Square Garden I reminded myself that I was in the most difficult period.

After Madison Square Garden, the Philadelphia project is nothing; but when I was on the way to Philadelphia I was very serious. I may have been even more serious than I was for Madison Square Garden. It is because I am on the downward motion now until Washington, D.C. Therefore, I realized that I must be even more careful than before. As in Philadelphia, when I stood up for the speech in the banquet hall or in the hall where I made my speech, I did not think of myself. I was occupied with something else. I was deeply faithful to God, believing in Him and His helping me. If I didn't cross this critical point with seriousness, I was apt to fall down; I knew that. I expected satanic attacks coming from Philadelphia and I was anxious to meet them with victory. Just before that night there was a traffic accident and one of our vans was struck by another vehicle, and three of our members were injured. At the moment I thought, "This is indemnity, so the attacks coming from Satan will be lightened." If you have the knowledge, you will know how precisely we are going according to the formula. Those who are in responsible positions as leaders, always keep alert. Belittle yourself and exalt God and you will be safe. If you are arrogant, or if you feel like a victor, then you are apt to be attacked by Satan

What was most difficult for me was the great leap from Carnegie Hall to Madison Square Garden. To go from Madison Square Garden to Yankee Stadium is no problem at all. I think that even three months preparation will be enough. Don't you think so? (Yes.) I look so confident so you are about to say "yes", but people hearing me must be stunned. When you are situated in this position, God is prepared to step on you and make things more difficult. In that way He will push you forward. Then if you can lift yourself up in spite of pressure coming from above, then God will smile at you and be delighted and pleased with you. This is very strong and clear logic. When you are held down with pressure, then you can fight back and go upward with a spurt of power.

Again I emphasize that the difficulties we are going through are for practice, discipline and training. At the end we are going to have an historical meeting mobilizing heaven and earth, and even Satan, as an audience. We will have the greatest rally history has ever seen. How wonderful it will be. Centered upon God, all the spiritual world will be mobilized. And even Satan will be mobilized. And after the success of the rally, God will proclaim that Reverend Moon is the victor of victors, and Satan will have to recognize him. This is going to be a universal, historical event. Then what are you going to be doing? Before that is fulfilled you can never sleep or rest. We must attain that goal.

I have not been exhausted and I am sane, intact. My excitement is not fading away, but remains until the next project comes. I know this is necessary. And how about you? Are you all relaxed? Or are you still excited? How long will it last? (Forever.) Then I can stop. It should give you a greater sensation to think of the next project than to think of the previous one. With what you gained from Madison Square Garden, you can go to the next goal. If you are this happy after the success at Madison Square Garden, then just think of the success at Yankee Stadium. You will be gloriously happy and you cannot but dance about in excitement. After that, several hundred thousand people will gather in Washington, D.C., in front of the Washington Monument. And that will be the culmination of our history. At that time, God, too, will dance about. We have to plan something sensational like that. Wouldn't you like that? (Yes!) If you like the idea and if you find in Reverend Moon the leadership to make it a success, then it is worth trying. Are you confident of that? (Yes!) And are you confident in my being able to lead you? (Yes!)

Last evening, after the Philadelphia speech, I came back very late. I didn't go straight home but stopped by the Holy Ground. I came to Belvedere and prayed before going home. You must be well aware of this formula. At the International Training Center in Belvedere, up to the present moment, there have been no accidents or undesirable things happening here. But after Madison Square Garden you must expect that and be alert. Even the New York Centers must be very alert not to be attacked by Satan.

Compared to what is coming, the Madison Square Garden project is small. We must expect another goal even higher and another peak higher than that. You must now gather the strength on the downward slope. Yankee Stadium is another peak, so you must get prepared to fight for that goal. You must realize that the Madison Square Garden event was an experience to practice for the next project, which is even greater. You now have a clear picture of how much money we have to spend for that kind of project and how much manpower and energy we must mobilize.

What I want you to know is that after crossing over the peak of Madison Square Garden, if you don't put more energy and reorganize yourself you cannot cross over the higher peak of the next project. So among yourselves you must gather the strength and give strength to one another.

After a good thing is over there is always a dark period. There is a Korean saying, "After the feast, there is quarrel. " When you evaluate things, critical people say you have this or that point wrong. When you evaluate, of course, you may find that there are good people who have done a good job and those who have done a less good job. Then you must be able to criticize, but put more strength on those who have not done a good job. That's the attitude you must have.

Above everything, you must be united into one. United, you will stand. In a nation's destiny, when it is faced with difficulties, attacked by other nations, the shattered people gather together, and united they can exert more power. In human history when people were in trouble and difficulty, revolution often came, and history was woven toward a higher peak; always a higher peak. For instance, in the history of Israel, when they were in trouble as now, if they united into one they could emit a great light and exert great power. The people of Israel must gather their power and imagine that they have more power than when they went through greater difficulties, shattered and dispersed in the world. If they live only in the past, getting loose and exhausted, they cannot go any further. But when they exert more strength and they have spiritual power, they can gain the hill easily.

People have gone through much persecution all over the world, passing through dark periods. But when they recover, if they unite in the great power coming from God, they can build a great nation. The same thing applies to any individual. When you feel resentment, having been persecuted and wronged by other people, if you just grit your teeth, resolved to dash forward for victory, then you can be victors.

Even though you may go through difficulties it is not always bad, because the experiences which you go through will teach you lessons. Then you are stronger than ordinary people who have not been immunized through difficulties. History is a witness that after you go through difficulties you arouse yourselves and shout, "Let's mobilize ourselves and go on fighting for victory!" Then a new strength will well up in your mind and after being united, you can attain the goal, investing your whole self for success.

Korea is the best example: For more than 4,000 years that nation has gone through difficulties, attacked and occupied by other regimes. But once this nation is awakened to the fact that we can gather strength and fight back against the evil force and win the favor of God, the world, and all mankind, then we will be able to exert untold power. It is very logical, after long years of training by God, having undergone difficulties and persecutions that this nation will be attentive to God's call. And when they are prepared, God will mobilize this nation through one person sent by Him. They will be mobilized by the battle cry, and exhorted by the central personage to become the strongest nation in the world and to win victory for God's side.

People may think that President Park Chung Hee and his regime are not quite democratic, advancing forward too strongly; but without being strong he could not manipulate the nation. It is done, in a way, in God's providence. Without your knowing, centering on Korean problems, several nations were on the verge of rupturing in the tense world situation. During that period the Korean people could have shattered into pieces. Instead they crossed over the peak, and when they are united they will be stronger than ever. They have made an historical junction where all the people began to think that they could not go on without the Unification Church movement and without the ideology we are teaching.

People of Korea thought that this movement would be nullified because it has gone through such persecution and difficulties. But they found that if they put more stress or pressure on us, there is still a way for us to rise, evading all difficulties. So you must not think that pressure coming from the outside is always bad. It does not work that way. As we go through persecution, we will be more conspicuous and become even stronger.

When our movement came to Japan it went through the same thing. The Japanese people were almost all against us. But somehow we managed to get through those difficulties. We are doing the same thing in the United States. We are fighting here, taking action according to the situation. All the Americans are surprised by the fact and say "We have built the culmination of culture and civilization in 200 years time, and this small group of people is going to destroy us!" "Also we are the leading nation in the Christian world but this small group under Reverend Moon is leading the Christian world with Reverend Moon as its prophet. "

When I first came to this continent in the year 1972, people thought lightly of us, and our movement was an insignificant phenomenon. When I began our strategy at Carnegie Hall, they did not feel the urgency of fighting against us. The smaller the bullet is, if it is shot at full speed, the greater its piercing power. In less than two years-one year and ten months' time-we pierced the Madison Square Garden target. Even the New York Times thought we could never fill up the Garden. According to their calculations, we might fill up two thirds of the place at best, and even that was not likely. But according to my plan, Madison Square Garden was filled to overflowing.

People fought against us and found that we were stronger than they expected. Then their eyes were opened, and they came to write articles about us; and the mass media was with us. You remember the boxers Patterson and Clay? When they fought each other, some expected Patterson would win, and some expected Clay would win. But when they saw the, unexpected person win, they were surprised. The same thing applies to the mass media. Some time ago the media thought lightly of us, but then they found great strength in us. They attacked us, but found that we won over all others.

Just imagine: America is the leading nation of the democratic world, a part of the Christian heritage, and New York is the center of this nation. Madison Square Garden is a huge place of which New Yorkers are proud. And we are a small, inconspicuous group which they thought could not succeed. But we went through the ordeal and made it a success. So all the New Yorkers as well as the rest of the American population are surprised at us. At this historical event, indemnity was paid when a Korean minister initiated the opposition to us at Madison Square Garden. It is a picture of Cain and Abel fighting each other. In Korea, those who opposed our movement were named Moon. The person who killed President Park's wife was named Moon, too. This is very strange. And, at Madison Square Garden, very ironically, a Korean minister objected. So when he was dragged out, the American audience applauded. God certainly was delighted at the scene. But even after this long and fierce battle-am I exhausted? No, I have set another goal, even higher than before. I said, "Yankee Stadium next year."

Even President Kim thinks it is not too easy a job, so he will wait and see. But I like that kind of idea, and a man in the leadership position must have zeal, energy and confidence. When our goal is set, you must be confident to fill up the hall with twice as many people as we plan for. In the eyes of the omnipotent God, Yankee Stadium is less than a small particle of sand. So if you resemble God as His children, if you are confident, the spirit side will help you. We accomplished Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium is our next goal.

Without your knowing, I have been using my P. R. members to win the minds of the Senators and Congressmen, and get them assembled. I am going to talk before those Senators and Congressmen soon. For six month's time, I have planted them for this purpose. On the 8th of October, I will speak before the whole group. We are in the time when people are anxious to know about me, because, up to the present moment I have been a mysterious figure. So when the Senators and Congressmen are asked about me, they have no way to answer the questions. Therefore, they must gain knowledge of me. Now the Senators and Congressmen are responding; and even though they are busy, some of them will send their aides because they must be informed about me. Then by the time we have our speech in Washington, D.C., they will come to our aid. So, the aides are being made aware of what we are doing behind the scenes. Are you glad? (Yes!) You say yes, but do you really mean it? (Yes!)

Some of you may have been saying, "Oh, Reverend Moon, your project is infinite! It is going on and on. We are going to be used up and too exhausted and worn out to carry it out!" Do you think it is worth doing? (Yes!) What if I kick you while you are sleeping? Won't you mind? (No!) Then, without exception, without failure, God will help us and we will be pushed forward by His power.

Billy Graham planned a big banquet of 20,000 people, but they had only 9,900 for their 25th anniversary. So, their pattern will be related to us. Conservative Americans and all the white people band together and come against us, but we will win over them and all America. In the meanwhile, in the Far East, Korean people will support Reverend Moon, and the Japanese people will support Reverend Moon. The speakers will come up and say, "We support Reverend Moon!" And then Free China will say the same. They will influence European nations, and then America. The nations who are against America will be on our side. When we are united with those people, America will be crushed. That is the battle we have left to fight. Maybe the FBI and the CIA together will oppose our movement and hate Reverend Moon. I don't care.

Meanwhile, I will be sending missionaries to 120 nations, to make them come to our side. We are planning to send our missionaries to 120 nations of the world, and we are in the first half of the battle. Do you realize how strongly you must be resolved? What you are going to do now is only the present project. Our target is the whole world, and unless we can witness to and bring in the last people of the world then we will still have more to do in this big world. Can you realize the victory to the end of the world during your lifetime? (Yes!) Then, would you wait for other people to do the job, or would you do it yourself? If you witness and see the victory being won by our own power, then you will live as the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are at the starting point, you must realize that.

I must not get old. I am 55 already, 54 according to your time. People resign from any post at 65 in this country. Would you expect me to get exhausted when I speak before vast audiences, my voice fading and things like that? Would you want me to be like that, or still youthful and full of strength? You just don't know how serious I am. I have spent the prime of my youth in prisons and in other difficulties, and here I am, coming to this nation to work hard. I have not too many years left, but I am going to be powerful and still youthful to carry out the mission. I'm resolved to do that in my lifetime.

After our victory, after our triumph in this nation, I must build an ideal city or state in this nation. Then people will visit that place in chartered planes from all over the world, and if I'm not able to do that, I will be a failure. I am resolved to do that in my lifetime, and our project will be something new for the people of the world. In that way, we have to make a new tradition. You must know the seriousness I'm feeling. If I cannot succeed in my lifetime, you Unification members will be divided, there will be division and disharmony, you will be discouraged.

In the Christian world, there are many hundreds of denominations because of the divisions in their ways of thinking and interpretation. I am responsible over the establishment of the Heavenly Constitution in the world, and I must do the job while I am on earth. I am so serious, and you must be equally serious. Do you realize that?

My topic this morning is, "Let Us Cross Over the Hill. " But how many hills have you crossed over? Just one. Was it the smallest hill, or the biggest? It is as though we have had only one spoonful of rice when we were hungry. We must have an appetite, to have something more nourishing. Are you hungry for more work? (Yes!) We are at the point where we must prepare ourselves to go toward more work, towards the next target. I am really serious, and I want you to be ready for that. You must be newly resolved towards the greater goal with full energy. After we have accomplished our mission, God will be our God, and the Kingdom of Heaven will be our kingdom.

This is a vast project, and we are small in number, but our ambition is great. We will be able to cover the whole world. I want to be really serious and prepared for that, and then the Kingdom will be given to you. If you are resolved to do that, will you please raise your hands in pledge before God? Thank you.

Where We Are Situated Now

Reverend Sun Myung Moon
Tarrytown, New York
September 22, 1974
Master Speaks
Translated by Mrs. Won Pok Choi

This morning my topic is "Where We Are Situated Now. " It is very important for you to know where you are situated. You are standing here but you don't know whether you are faced to the south, north or east. If you don't know the direction, you are not quite secure in your position. Those who have experience will know that when you are out on the ocean without knowing which way you are facing, when a storm comes and the ship rocks this way and that way, you don't know where you are drifting. Without the compass you won't know where you are drifting and your bearing is not steady.

You must first of all know where you are situated, and then the distance and the direction. Only by knowing that do you have any idea how far you are from the land.

In the providence of God, in the providence of restoration, you must know the direction first. It is critically important to know the situation, the position you are in the providence of God. In the Old Testament Age, in order to know how much distance you have covered you must know the situation and direction. The same applies to the New Testament Age and the Completed Testament Age. Even in the Completed Testament Age you must first of all know where you are headed, what situation you are in, and then only can you know the goal. Seen from this point of view, it is very important for you to know where you are situated and in what direction you are going in order for you to be successful in your mission.

As you have been taught in the Divine Principle, we have to cover the formation stage and growth stage and then the final stage of completion. It looks very simple when you draw the diagram and it shows formation stage, growth stage and perfection stage.

In the total picture of restoration we can explain that we are now situated in the last stage of the growth period, going over to the perfection period. And then we have learned that we are going through the process of restoration through indemnity, developing what has been on the vertical level, on the horizontal level.

In the Unification Movement our mission is to complete God's dispensation, so we have to stand on the foundation of formation and then the foundation of growth which our predecessors have laid. We have to inherit and connect the base of success for the formation and growth stages. Then alone can we successfully carry out our mission in the perfection stage. Then what was our formation stage like in the early stage of our movement? It was before 1960. The years after 1960 have been the growth stage. Basically the growth stage in the New Testament Age should have been trod by Jesus, by his having laid the foundation of his family. If he had not been crucified, he could have built his own family; and around his family the dispensation both on the spiritual level and physical level could have been realized. Then the kingdom of God could have been erected at that time both on the spiritual and physical levels around his family. But he was crucified. That means only the spiritual side of salvation was realized, while the physical side of salvation was left unrealized, unaccomplished.

Through Christianity, for 2,000 years after the death of Jesus Christ, the salvation on the individual level, family level, national level and worldwide level has been realized only in the spiritual realm. So Christianity is the course of spiritual salvation.

In Christianity we have only spiritual parents. The Holy Spirit is the mother spirit; and with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit working together we cleanse our sins and are given rebirth on the spiritual level. But Christianity has aimed to have people go through total salvation, both on the physical and spiritual levels. With Christianity as it now stands, however, we cannot be saved on both levels. That's why Jesus has to come again; and only around the mission of the Second Advent can we gain physical salvation, too.

So around the mission of the Second Advent we must accomplish the physical side of salvation, too. Without our being able to do that, completion of salvation cannot come about. This is why Jesus must come again.

In the year 1960 we started our mission around one core family. What we have as the foundational basis must be developed on a wider scale-from the family scale to the tribal, national and worldwide scale. If the whole Christian world is united with the central person, the whole Christian world will lay a foundation on the individual level. If the whole Christian population is united with the core family, they will have laid the foundation on the family level. If they unite with his tribe, they will have laid the tribal foundation, and then widening the scope, they will have laid the next foundation at the national level and worldwide level.

What we are doing in our movement, what is taking place in our movement, has to do with the worldwide level of the providence of God and salvation under His will. So, we must be careful in what we are doing because it will affect in a good way or bad way all sorts of levels of salvation. On the other hand, those opposed to our movement are doing something against God's will, not just against our movement, but against God's dispensation.

Originally our movement should have started from the growth stage, as I said before, on the foundation laid by our predecessors, inheriting what they have done; we should have started from there. Since Father is born of a Korean background, Korean Christianity represents the world Christianity, and whether they are for our movement or against our movement will greatly affect God's dispensation. If from the beginning of our movement, Korean Christian society had been cooperative with us, things must have been different. They were not only uncooperative with us but they opposed our movement, so not only Korean Christianity but the Christianity of the whole world is now in the position where it must go through the course of indemnity. God's dispensation cannot be carried out where people are all against it, so I had to go through everything our predecessors have gone through, starting in Korea. The problem is how to handle the Korean government and the Korean Christian world in the dispensation.

What took place was something like the way the Jewish people, hand-in-hand with the government at that time, went against Jesus. The whole Christendom in Korea, in cooperation with the Korean government, came against our movement. That was in the year 1960, when their opposition was in its prime state. Then the government and the Christian world was against us, and that signifies that the whole world or the whole Christian population of the world were against us. The problem for them was how to eliminate the central personage of our movement. With opposition coming from all directions, I had to go through something like Jesus' crucifixion. I was not quite killed, of course, but on the 4th of July in the year 1955 1 was jailed. If I had been sacrificed at that time, God's dispensation would have been greatly affected and something serious could have happened. But after 100 days, on the 4th of October, I was released as innocent, so the dispensation started from there all anew.

With the opposition of both the government and the Christian world in Korea, I was in the situation of having lost all things, including myself. So I had to locate all those things-myself and the foundation laid by my predecessors and I had to start right there. I myself had to create a foundation something like the Christian world has laid on the spiritual level. I had to gather a handful of members at that time, and the Unification Church started there. I had to set the condition of trying to unite with or win the favor of the government, and only by my doing that could I go on to the next stage. I had to do it all over again and lay the foundation of that level spiritually and then on that foundation I had to realize the same level of things in the physical respect; and the physical level of things came right after what I had attained on the spiritual level. It's something like the physical Second Advent of the Lord that will follow the spiritual accomplishment of things. Even though we are small in number in the Unification Movement, we must be strong enough to resist the opposition or persecution coming from outside and win over them.

In our view of the providence, in order for an individual to be secure, he or she must have established the foundation of his family. In order for a family to be secure, it must have the foundation of the tribe. In order for a tribe to be secure and solid, it must have the foundation of the nation, and so forth. For instance, with the central figure as the core, the next level must be cooperative with him. With the family as the core, the next level must be cooperative with that. In order for us to succeed we must be cooperative with each other, bringing the larger level of things into cooperation with the smaller and more important level of things.

During the three years following 1960, 1 had to restore the foundation laid by my predecessors in the Old Testament Age, and at the beginning of the New Testament dispensation. In the face of opposition, I had to start the tribal or national level of dispensation or restoration, both on the spiritual and physical levels. There I had to lay the foundation of restoration both on the physical and spiritual levels, which was left unaccomplished by the Old Testament predecessors and New Testament ones. For instance, around the personage of Jesus Christ, by his choosing his 12 disciples and carrying out the dispensation around those people he had to accomplish what had been left unaccomplished by his predecessors in the Old Testament Age. Around three chief disciples, 12 disciples, 70 apostles, then 120 apostles, he had to lay that kind of foundation, and from then on he would have had to start his mission both on the spiritual and physical levels, if they had been able to carry that mission out in his lifetime. In other words, he had to build his own family on the physical level so that around his family the tribal level and national level and worldwide level of physical salvation could have been brought about.

So in our movement, around my family, I had to bless three core families first, and then 12 families, and then 32, 72, 120. 1 had to bless 36 couples -including 12-because in that way I had to connect Old Testament Age, New Testament Age, and the Completed Testament Age, where we can begin the completion of the mission. By our doing this we could realize the tribal level of salvation which Jesus was to have done in his lifetime, and then proceed to the next stage, the national level of things. At that time we were in the situation where we had laid the foundation of the tribal level and were going beyond that level, going into the level of the nation. Even in our movement you are in the position of the Christian world and I am in the position of the dispensation around the Second Coming. Then your mission is to restore the whole nation, and on that foundation I can work. In my family I must go through the growth and beyond that, coming into the stage of perfection. Around my family I have to go through the completion stage in my first seven-year course. Do you know what I mean? This is the core of the Divine Principle. You must know that.

The human fall came about at the last stage of the growth period, and fallen man has to restore himself to that level first. Human beings have fallen down into the pit and must raise themselves up to the original level that they fell from. In Jesus' days he had to work on that level, making it possible for people to cover the completion level or perfection level, both in the physical and spiritual respects. But since he failed to do that, my mission is to go through those stages without failure centered around my family, and what you must be doing is laying the foundation for that by winning the favor of the government, and the favor of the Christian world, and the favor of the people of the nation. In my going through the seven-year course, I could not have gone by myself or with my family alone but leading the tribe and the nation. I was in the lead of others, so it is the course of the Parents to go through the first seven-year course leading the other people behind me. In the face of opposition from the Satanic world, I had to lay the foundation to be successful in going through that level. In that seven-year course I myself together with Mother had to disentangle everything in human history centered around the fall of man. During that seven-year course, I had to re-educate Eve because Eve fell by dominating Adam. So I had to reverse the order and have her be completely obedient to me. If I listened to what Eve said, it meant I was repeating the act of the fall. I know only too well that by Adam's listening to what Eve had to say, he caused the human fall, so I had to educate Mother to be utterly obedient to me. Even at the sacrifice of her life, at the cost of anything she had, she had to obey me, and I think I was successful in that.

In the beginning Mother was raised from the position where she was almost ignorant of the Divine Principle, but I snatched her out of the Satanic world. Physically she was situated side by side with me, but on the spiritual level, she was far behind me, and from the worldly level of the satanic side, I had to educate her stage by stage. She was in this position to have to go through the three stages.

The first stage of formation had to be successfully passed by her, and then the second stage of growth, and then the third stage of perfection. And during that time, even though she was with me, I could not treat her as my wife. In other words, for us to be successful figures in God's dispensation, she had to grow by my fostering her stage by stage.

Only by her success through her own struggles and her own efforts going through those three levels, could she play the role of restored Eve. Can you understand? (Yes.) Even though she was blessed in holy marriage with me, she had to live separated from me for the first few months. After three years, by going through all those stages she could live with me as my wife. So the first seven-year course for me and for us all is the stage in which we have to lay the foundation around the central family.

The one who was in the position of the mother had to go through all those bitter struggles successfully and come to that position. After going through the first seven-year course, by the year 1968 1 could set up God's Day on the first of January. By my proclaiming God's Day we completed the first seven-year course successfully. Without the human fall, the first day of the year could not only be God's Day but also Parents' Day, Children's Day, World Day and all. But in the course of restoration things came in reverse order and we had to first set up World Day, and Children's Day next, and then Parents' Day, and then God's Day. Originally there should not have been any such days set up. Just centering on the natural world, all things should serve as the sacrifice or offering to God, all the children must rejoice in God, and the parents must be restored in God's hands. Up to the present moment in Christianity, those who were in parents' position have had to go through difficulties and hardships, for instance, Jesus and the Holy Ghost.

So in our movement, we must go the reverse way to reach the original position. By our setting up Children's Day and Parents' Day it means they have gone through the last stage of the growth period going into the perfection period. Originally Parents' Day should come first, and then Children's Day and World Day, but in the course of restoration I had to do things in the reverse order by setting up World Day first and then Children's Day and Parent's Day. When all those had been set up in a successful manner, I could connect all those to the final level, and then alone could I set up God's Day.

In the Garden of Eden the children had to be obedient to the parents, and centering on the parents they had to have dominion over all things; but all this was nullified, so we have to put it back into order. Of course those things should have been done centering on God. By our restoring all those things we are coming under the direct dominion by God. So by the end of the first seven years-that was the end of 1967-we completed the first seven-year course, and the next year, the first of January 1968, 1 set up God's Day. And in that there is the significance that the parents, the children and all things have become one with each other, and as a wholesome offering they will go back to God's bosom and be connected with Him. Then God's direct dominion over all those things could come about. By my being able to do those things in that year in the restoration process, with myself and my family in the core and our movement in the outer level-my family, blessed families and the whole Unification Movement all together-those are the levels of formation, growth and perfection. That is the symbolic core of the family of the Lord of Second Advent, the Christian world, and in the symbolic sense the whole world. And the whole world is, in that case, on the formation level, and the Christian world the growth level, and the Lord of the Second Advent and his family the perfection level. In that seven-year course in the Unification Movement, we have paved the way to reach out to the ends of the American members, English members, and German world.

During the year 1965 1 had to set up holy grounds in 48 nations, and then by the year 1969, by my blessing 43 couples all over the world, and in the year 1970 by my connecting all those blessed couples with 777 couples from ten nations, I laid the foundation to open up the world. On that foundation I could extend my blessing to the worldwide level.

In the year 1970 my mission was to connect all those things on the worldwide level, and the subsequent three years have been most important, beginning in 1972. Beginning in 1972 through 197@ and to 1974, 1 have to connect what I have accomplished with the worldwide level. When I left Korea in the year 1972 1 had gone beyond the national level in Korea only in the spiritual respect. In a way both the government and the Christian population in Korea had to be on our side-they could not but recognize our movement. So I set the condition to have gone beyond the national level by my winning the favor of the government and of the Christian world, when in a way they were compelled to recognize our movement. So I had to leave Korea in that year. And by my coming to the United States, the leading nation of the world, the dispensation started for those three crucial years.

In the western world, America was in the position of Adam, while England was in the position of Eve and Germany was in the position of the Archangel, so in that year I had to make my public appearance in those three nations. It corresponds to what Jesus went through. In his day, with the cooperation of the Jewish faith, he had to subjugate the whole of the Roman Empire under his providence.

Then why in that year did I make my speaking appearances in seven cities in America? Since America was the leading nation of the world, I had to lay a wider foundation here and bequeath it to other nations by my having one speech each in England and Germany. Those things were done only on the spiritual level. In order for me to connect everything on the physical level I have to bring all the success back to Korea and totalize it there.

So right from the beginning when I was here in 1972 1 mobilized the Japanese members-of course members also. So we are now in the process of developing our movement with the United States as a base. What we are doing here by assembling all those members from so many nations is to lay the foundation on the worldwide level in the spiritual sense. You are still in the stage of laying the foundation on the spiritual level because I have done that on the spiritual level and you have to go through the same course. Do you know what I mean?

We are in our all-out mobilization to attack this nation. What you are going to do here is to attack the whole of the 50 states of America. In other words, all the members of the Unification Church in cooperation with me will attack the whole Christian population. If they can, they will at first come against us, of course, but if you are strong enough to go through the opposition, get over it and be victorious, then our mission will be a success. Meanwhile the Christian world is being corrupted and the nation itself is faced with danger. It's paralyzed, in a sense. On the other hand, there is revival taking place in our movement. We are reanimated. We are all alive to revive others.

That's the meaning of the great revival meetings in the years 1972 and 1973. Without knowing the meaning of all these dispensations, you have been following me. By doing this we have reached the next level by leaps and bounds. Then to what does our Madison Square Garden project correspond? Most people must have thought that only Billy Graham could fill up that hall. Billy Graham is in the position of John the Baptist in Jesus' days, so the one who is coming in the position of the Messiah must go beyond that level. So in our movement, at our public rallies and in our campaigns, we must surpass all those who have done the same things. But we have something different from all those people. When Billy Graham had his rally, all the people assembled without objection; they just flooded in. But we had to be faced with opposition. That's how we are different from other people. We were at the summit of opposition at Madison Square Garden this year.

Christians were in the position of the Israelites, and in the democratic world they are in the position of the Roman Empire. In Jesus' days the Jewish people in cooperation with Roman Empire went against Jesus, and the same thing must take place in my days. When I saw people opposing me I thought that in the providence of Korea as Israel and the United States as the Roman Empire they must come hand-in-hand against us. It was not coincidence that the Korean ministers' group came against me with the cooperation of American Christians. At Madison Square Garden you saw someone screaming and yelling with his hands raised high; that was a Korean minister. And in unison with him all the American ministers shouted, too. But fortunately we are now in the democratic world and democracy is prevailing in the United States. They will persecute me, all right, but I cannot be killed by them. And outside you saw the Communists protesting against me, picketing. It was because the event was a worldwide event. They spiritually sensed it. We saw a contracted form of every possible persecution coming from them -Korean ministers, American Christian people, and Communist people. They all came in opposition to our movement. It's a worldwide event.

But however hard they may struggle against our movement, the dispensational tide is such that it will sweep them away. It was an historical event we had on the 18th of September 1972 at Madison Square Garden, New York, United States. It was the historical moment at which the Unification Church went over that level by defeating those people. We were victorious and triumphant over them, around me, of course, but with your cooperation. Do you follow me? But our opponents could not kill me or you; and together at that moment, we went through or went over that level to reach the worldwide level. But as I said before, we are going through all these things only on the spiritual level.

Then how to connect everything on the physical level is the problem. We must set the condition for the Korean government, the Korean nation, to become one with us on the worldwide level here in the United States. Then we will open up the toll gate to reach out to the worldwide level both in the physical and spiritual senses. From the 12th to the 18th of September 1974, all those things took place, in one week's time. Out in the political world, Korea, Japan and the United States came into turmoil. Great tension was there. All the political resignations brought these nations to the danger point. If Japan and Korea are enemies to each other, that means Adam and Eve are in conflict. If conflict could come about between Korea and the United States, it would mean the rupture between Adam and the archangel. My helping Nixon in the United States is for me in Adam's position to help the Archangel. Former President Nixon is still in the position to think of Korea through me. He cannot forget me, so he cannot forget Korea. Well, President Nixon unfortunately had to resign, and the new President, Mr. Ford, at first did not have a good impression of Korea.

The Japanese Prime Minister, taking that chance, was going to be in good harmony with the United States, even though he had to discard Korea. But the United States fortunately was sensitive to the danger coming from the Asiatic world, and President Ford is struggling to make peace between Japan and Korea. At this moment Korea is badly in need of me. If the relationship between Korea and Japan were to be nullified or brought into conflict, then Korea and her government would lose the foundation in Japan. But they think that our movement alone can play the role of that foundation for the government.

In this world of chaos, the Korean government is more on our side, begging for our opinion and actions. However, Japan's attitude toward Korea is not quite normal because Japan was not cooperative in arresting that co-conspirator, the assassin of Mrs. Park, and Korea is now in a bad situation. From the point of view of President Park, he was strongly determined to reject Japan if it continued to be like that, but very fortunately, right on the same day, on the 19th of September, the Japanese government sent its former foreign minister to Korea to appease its government. In that the United States was cooperative, and we barely got over the tense situation. The Japanese Prime Minister visited the United States several days ago, and now President Ford is planning to visit Japan and very possibly Korea too. President Ford has decided, according to Mr. Kim, to stay overnight in Korea. In this way a very interesting thing is taking place. Korea is strongly on my side, the Korean government is in favor of our movement, and the Japanese government cannot discard Korea and come to its side, and then America hand-in-hand with those two nations will be able to carry out what they can do in the dispensation of God without their knowing the significance of their actions.

On the 12th of September, the Korean government did something to connect with me, and without their having done that, the world situation could have been brought into turmoil and tension again. Centering on our Madison Square Garden project, all those things took place, but without your knowing it. Some of you may have known that in Washington, D.C. I had planned to have a demonstration and have you protest before the Korean Embassy and the Japanese Embassy to arouse the attention of the people of the United States, but we had to quit that. We were stopped 30 minutes before it was due to begin. In fact, we didn't have to do the demonstration. And in this way I myself and those nations starting from Korea could come together both on the spiritual and physical levels, and all together we could go over the level to reach out to the world. Do you follow me? Right at that moment we had the rally and the big revival meeting at Madison Square Garden. Do you understand? For the rest of the seven cities we will have no problem at all. Only by our showing people the pictures of what happened at Madison Square Garden, they will be overwhelmed and they will rush to the place to hear Father.

My having decided to have the public speeches in eight cities means our renewed start, because the number 8 is the coefficient number of re-starting. All those added up, the number of the cities I will have gone through, in which I have given speeches will be 70. By the time I complete the 70 speeches we will have gone through the point to reach out to the end of the world.

Even though in the seven remaining cities people may not fill up the halls, people will still think that we are successful; in their memories Madison Square Garden will be alive, vivid. We will complete the year 1974 in success, and when we go beyond this year into the next year of 1975 we will be standing on the worldwide level. Do you follow me? (Yes.)

We are at the historical moment. We must clear away the resentment of Jesus' death. Either we can start the liberation of all the sacrificed predecessors, or we can clear the resentment of God having sent His son who was killed. It is our opening ceremony of the gates to the world, while the gate was tight shut until now. Up to now we have been the target of Communist threat and persecution, but by our cooperating with the Christian world we will be strong enough to win over them, and the triumph will be ours. We are at the breath-taking moment, whether or not we can be successful to pass through this situation with the people of the world watching us, and we are at the critical moment history has never seen before.

I have already laid the condition to have gone beyond this level. We are entering, by the end of this year, the third seven-year course. From the beginning of the third seven-year course you must do what I have done in Madison Square Garden on the individual level. You as individuals must be able to do that. On the physical level you have to go through what I have gone through during these three years. You must be in the leading position to reach out to the world, and that's why my project from now on is to organize the international team-IOWC, International One World Crusade. And we will sweep the whole world. At least we have to cover 120 nations of the world. It is because in Jesus' days his 12 apostles corresponded to 120 nations at the present day, and we have to go over that level. We have to send out our missionaries to at least 120 nations next year.

Until now when I sent out missionaries I sent only one-I could only send one to each nation, but from now on, three for each nation. Centering on Father, one Japanese member, one American member, and one German member. Three for each nation. With Father included, four. We are a new breed of people, transcendent of national boundaries.

What is the significance of my sending three persons for each nation? It is because we have already laid the foundation of the Adam nation, Eve nation and the Archangel nation, and then on that foundation we can go over that level and reach out to the world. Just imagine, three people for each nation. Our missionaries will be scattered all over the world in 120 nations. And I'm going to mobilize 3,000 IOWC team members. We can charter three jumbo planes. First of all we have to connect our foundation in seven important nations: the Archangel nation from the western hemisphere will go to Japan, the Eve nation; and Korea; and then the Eastern Archangel nation will go to Free China, England, France and Germany. Seven. If we are successful in our campaigns in those seven great nations then there will be no problem for us to land in other countries. In smaller nations like Japan and Korea and Free China they will object if we are going to fund-raise, so in the meanwhile our members will be working in the United States to make money and support them financially. The latter half of 1975 1 will need three million dollars a month. I must use three million a month. Do you understand me? (Yes.)

Then how to do it is the problem, and we must mobilize our all-out efforts and concentrate and focus on that project.

God blessed America to use her as the instrument to reach out to the world, so you are for the time being the custodians of the wealth, and this wealth must be used for the purpose of the whole world. Then the wealth under the custodianship of America is for God's children all over the world. So the people of the Archangel nation must, in obedience to God's will, make money and support the activities all over the world. Make money and serve God's children. It's the Archangel's responsibility. You must again realize that American people are only the custodians of the wealth to be used for the children of God, and your wealth, your military power and everything you possess must be used for the salvation of the world. Then salvation will come to you.

God blessed America with material and military strength and as the melting pot of all nationalities, all races. He did that to provide for the lost children to come back to His bosom by using America as His instrument. From the old world of Europe your forefathers came to America because of persecution in the religious world. And from Catholicism your forefathers came here and settled as Protestants. Without Christianity this nation could not have become one like this, and you would only have reproduced what you had gone through in the old world of Europe. They were all resolved to become better than the old religion of Catholicism. Your forefathers formed a nation and they struggled hard to have this nation prosper more than the European nations. In my plan, within 20 years' time the Unification Church will form another civilization under God.

Between the years 1980 and 2000 we will have established a new culture, a new civilization under God. We are pioneers to create that civilization, and after we have created it, we are going to be citizens of that world. Do you understand me? (Yes.) We are now situated at the critical moment to see whether or not this nation can carry outs its mission and accomplish God's will intended at the time He blessed this nation. We now see that this nation and the Christian churches together with the government in this nation are being corrupted, and before it gets worse we have to do something. We cannot sit still just looking on.

I've repeated so many times that the years 1977 and 1978 are going to be most crucial years of world history, not to speak of the nation of America. We must at all costs be able to stop Communism from prevailing. Do you understand me? (Yes.) Who can be relied on for this project? It must be done during those three critical years, and we are the only group who can carry out the mission. We are only a handful of people, not too many in number. In this leading nation in the leading city of New York the leading group will be the Unification Church members, though small in number. From here we must be able to influence the whole of the United States. We have got to reach a level beyond what Billy Graham has attained so far. Up to the present moment I have struggled hard to lay the foundation for you people. From now on it is your job to do the same. Do you understand me? (Yes.) Are you confident? (Yes.) Even without me? (Yes.) In these three years, starting from this very moment, we must be able to influence the whole Christian population of the United States and the whole Christian population of the world, and do greater works than what Billy Graham has done. I sometimes think how good it would be if we were to provide the audience and without my speaking to the audience we could invite Billy Graham to speak. Then that means the Christian world is on our side, and we will have won the favor of the Christian world and we can work hand-in-hand with them. If Billy Graham wouldn't listen to our invitation then I could do the job. I have to. You have heard Billy Graham so many times, but are there as serious contents in his speech? It's something like a rotten log. It looks big, but it's all rotten-no contents, no life. We are like a budding new branch. Do you understand me? (Yes.)

My topic was "The Place Where We Are Situated Now. " Do you understand that point? (Yes.) Exactly? (Yes.) You answer me "Yes." Is it true? (Yes.) Yes. (Mrs. Choi: He doesn't need an interpreter.) I don't speak in English because I'm afraid that I will forget the Korean language. In God's will, too, every moment I should be remembering Korea and the Korean people. Otherwise what we are doing here will not be connected with God's will. That's why. So even though I will be able to speak the language, I may have to use an interpreter. Secret things will be talked about in the Korean language, so you must learn the language, your mother tongue. You must learn Father's language.

This is the fourth day after Madison Square Garden and we must put back in order all the things and reorganize ourselves to start for the rest of the cities. Well, I want New York centers to play the role of the central mission. Would you like the idea? (Yes.) Do you really mean it? (Yes.)

Are there many newcomers? Can I trust them? (Yes.) When I first came to America in the year 1972 1 said to some of the staff members, "After three years I will speak in Madison Square Garden," and they cocked their heads like this and were doubtful. Skeptical, very skeptical. But what I said at that time was realized. Isn't that true? (Yes.) I understand it was unbelievable for me to fill up Madison Square Garden with the audience, but from now on when I say I can stir up the whole of the United States, it will sound very possible, isn't this true? (Yes.) The whole city of New York is stirred up like this, and then New York City will stir up the whole nation of America, and then the whole nation of America can stir up the whole world. It's possible. It's possible.

Then who will get you started? Who can do that? [Father] (In English): No, no, no, you. I want you to do the job, and in that case you are greater than 1. You must trust yourselves.

Starting from today for three years longer you must never complain in the face of any difficulty, any problem. You must feel that you can put the world upside down or inside out. All the New Yorkers are very much concerned with what Rev. Moon is doing. Some lay Christians will come to their ministers and ask questions about what Rev. Moon says, but what would their answers be to this question; they will not be able to answer. They will lose face and lose dignity, and all the Christians will be on our side.

Then all the Christian ministers will have to answer, "I agree with what Rev. Moon had to say," because they have no alternative answer. You have, you know, swords in your hands and if you cannot fight against them and defeat them, you are going to be nothing. Do you follow me? Are you resolved and determined to fight? (Yes!!)

Well, look at your own hands and look into the mirror at your own eyes, nose, mouth and ears, and you must be resolved and determined to use those as instruments or weapons to fight against the evil power. If you are compelled you must dig the ground with your hands more than the moles do. Your two eyes must function more than periscopes would. Sometimes when you want to look at things in position you must have your eyes play the role of a microscope. You must have your mouth play the role of the speaker to reach to the end of the world. Yes? (Yes.) You can understand Korean, yes? Your whole body must play the role of bulldozers or tanks. Can you have your bodies play that role? Your feet must be in that case tank chains.

Do you understand? (Yes.) If we are so resolved as to win over all the evil power, the Communist threat will be no problem and will be conquered. Satan is very keen and sensitive about our power. That's why they come to protest against us. We are strongly resolved to make a new start at 8:00 o'clock on the 22nd of September 1974. 1 declare it. If you are for me, if you agree with me, will you please hold up both of your hands and pledge before God? You are pledging before God. From now on what is left is to act, to act it out. Until now I just left you alone, but from now on when I see you idling away the time on the street I will just kick you. You will never complain because you vowed before God. If you are going to be tearful and cry, don't cry the cry of failure but the cry of touched heart and deep inspiration. From now on, what we are going to do will remain for us, and will play the role of the foundation for you people, while what we have done up to the present moment has been the indemnity course which you have gone through.

We are now entering the age in which your forefathers and all the ancestors will work for you and all the predecessors and passed-away saints will work for you, and all the spirit world will be mobilized in aid and work through you. Since the whole spiritual world is mobilized in cooperation with us, it will be easier for you to move the whole world on a physical level. So our project is how to develop our mission filed in 120 nations at the earliest possible date. If we mobilize 3,000 IOWC members, if we divide them into groups of 30, how many places can we send our members to? We can organize 100 teams. If those 30 strong m6mbers will work three months in each of the nations, it will be easier for them to get 50 or more members. If each of those nations will have 50 members, with them being active, they can restore their own nation. If we would divide 3,000 members into ten teams, it means we will have 300 in each team, and with that number we can restore the nations very easily. If those 300 members will work three months in each nation, we will easily sweep over the whole world. Then each nation can easily have 500 members, and in that case we can send 3,000 IOWC members into each nation and they can receive them on their own and feed them and house them and get them work, and sweep the whole nation. Then people will see we are doing what even the Communists cannot do, and people will come to our side and become in favor of us. By that time you will be all in wonderful uniforms and beautiful hairdos and then march the main streets of the capitol of each nation. Then we will be the topic of people's conversation and we will be the puzzle and riddle of the world.

All these things are going to be done, and done successfully on the foundation we will have laid in these three years' time, so we are at the critical moment, the historical moment, and this is the place we are situated now. Then let's put it in order.

In order for us to be able to do this would you prefer to sleep seven hours instead of six hours? (No.) We are used to sleeping, for instance, six hours. Would you prefer to sleep for seven hours or five hours? (Five.) Would you prefer to sleep four hours or five hours? (Four.) Would you prefer to go to work without sleeping or sleeping? (Without sleeping.) I don't want you to die so I will let you sleep barely enough to sustain your life.

What I'm thinking is that although you get thin like ghosts, with big eyeballs, skinny all over and stooped down like this in walking, stuttering-but if .by your doing that, by your being like that, we are successful in God's providence, I would prefer to have you do that. If you are all flushed with health but the providence is delayed in being realized, what would you prefer? Even though you become as skinny as ghosts, if you are successful it will be easy to put on the weight in a short interval of time. But if you are all healthy and plump and you are failures, then all your weight will be taken away by Satan, every ounce of your energy and every ounce of your flesh will be taken away forever.

So we have to wear our belts tight. That means we have to be prepared for hard work. So we will start right from this moment.

Next year we are going to make a contract with Yankee Stadium. In order for us to be able to do that we have to have five times as many members as we now have. Then after our success at Yankee Stadium, we have to mobilize 10,000 people and have another successful meeting by assembling half a million or more-700,000 people, in Washington, D.C. Then each one of the 10,000 members will hire a bus accommodating 60 people and be responsible for 60 people to come, and it will be no problem for us to fill the place, whatever the place may be. In order for us to be able to fill up the bus loads of people and bring them to the auditorium, you must make your utmost efforts to witness to the people and bring in more members. At least 70 people each in two years time. If you bring 70 members by that time, you can bring those people to the auditorium and you don't have to hire a bus for other people.

In my calculation there is a possibility-and I have a scientific way of thinking and scientific mind-in my calculations it's very possible. Don't you think so? (Yes.) That is our goal, and with that goal you must go rushing ahead like a bulldozer. If you were a bulldozer, would you prefer bumpy land to level out, or just a plain space? (Bumpy land.) So wherever you go, you must make noise. The stronger the opposing power, the louder the noise you will make. Do you have that kind of power (Yes.) Strong power, resisting power-in that case you must realize that you are not working alone but God is working with you and through you.

So let us draw the conclusion: With this vast project ahead of us, are you resolved to bring in 70 members or more? If you are resolved to do that, hold up your hands. And down again. If you are resolved to be able to bring in 70, from now on I will be awfully busy. Around the city of New York I must have more than 3,000 members. When you distributed 800,000 tickets, you got the addresses from 400,000 people, and from now on you must get in touch with them through phone calls and visiting and have them become our members at all costs. For the Unification Church members every minute is going to be rush hour, and people will see the young people with the symbols of our church just rushing back and forth on the street. They will come out and ask, "What is happening here?" And they will know that we are from the Unification Church and you can say, "If you are willing to hear us, come to us."

Until now towards the Madison Square Garden project we have made a great noise in the city of New York, but from now on in order for us to bring in 70 members each we will make more noise. As it now stands, at least for the time being, the New Yorkers will miss us because we are seemingly all gone and we don't make much noise on the streets, but in a few days they will see you doing the same or more.

Some of the New Yorkers may ask you, "Why did you not return to your places after the success in Madison Square Garden?" and you will say, "We will not let the New Yorkers alone until all of them are restored into our movement. " And they will open their eyes wide and look at you with more wondering eyes. You will say to them, "We will not stop until we save the last New Yorker," and then you can say, "If you don't want us to be so noisy, just come to us and we will stop doing our work if everyone of the New York citizens will be restored." "There is an alternative, though," you can say. "If you don't want to come to our side, leave this city. We will leave you alone. Wrap up your belongings and leave this city."

From now on you must walk as though you have springs on your feet. You must have confidence that you can grasp the whole city of New York in your hands. Do you feel good after having taken down all those posters overnight? (Yes.)

If I can mobilize 1,000 members-3,000 members-to clean up the city, I may announce through the radio at midnight that tomorrow morning before dawn the whole city will be all clean without any scribbling or remnants of the posters, and people will find it true in the morning. People will be moved and touched, and we won't have to fight our battle. That's possible. So there will be nothing impossible for us if I have 3,000 members in New York. I may announce that on a certain day at a certain hour you will be assembled at the Empire State Building to clean up the whole place because the Empire State Building is the face of the United States and we want it to be all clean. And people will see it done. You can even protest that this building is going to be ours in a few years, so we have to make it clean. There's nothing to laugh at there. I'm serious. God's providence will be shifted to the next stage and the next without your realizing it-sometimes overnight at an instant, so you won 't realize when the deed to the Empire State Building will be placed in my pocket. Even without your knowing that, that kind of thing will happen. Do you want it that way? (Yes.) In order for you to make it possible, you must be driven harshly on the battlefield. Do you understand? Are you resolved to do that? (Yes.)

Our motto this time is for each of the fundraising teams to earn $12,000.00 a month, a high goal. For one person to raise $3,000.00 a month will be no problem, so if I mobilize 3,000 members, how much will be our income per month? $900,000. If I mobilize 1,000 members, each earning $10,000.00, then we will make three million dollars a month, which is a usable sum. I will train the fund-raising team to make at least $3,000.00. When I mobilize 10,000 members, it means $30 million in a month. Then we can buy Pan American Airlines, and the Empire State Building. We shall buy the Ford Motor Company, not to speak of the Empire State Building. That's possible.

Though my fist is small, when I say something I will carry it out. And if I am that confident, God has got to help me out. When I am resolved, you will be the same. Centering around me, God is one with me and you are supporting me and cooperating with me, and nothing is impossible. Would you want to do that? (Yes.) Then you must be convinced that you as an individual can either make your family or nation prosperous or have it perish, including your ancestors in the spirit world; your tribe, your nation will be affected by what you are doing. Every individual is in the position of John the Baptist on the national level. Centered around Father, you can carry out the job. It is true. It is not empty words. If you receive it and are resolved to realize it, you will find yourself different from what you were a minute ago, what you were yesterday. Do you find yourself different from what you were a few minutes ago, before hearing Father? (Yes.)

After the success of Madison Square Garden you are sort of exhausted and slumped down in relaxation, but this morning with the sword of words you are struck and you are reawakened and you are jumping up and getting on the spur to act again. We are going to reach things of different dimension. Would you prefer to descend like this, or go on the level ground, or ascend, or just shoot up? (Shoot up.) Then where do we reach after shooting up? (Heaven.) When the booster would shoot up the rocket, it shoots up like this vertically, and it will reach the moon. If you are going to shoot up like this on the vertical level, you must hold up your hands straight up like this and be in the motion to fly. To be in the motion of flying means to be happy, all afloat in your heart and kick yourself like a booster up and up. If you prefer not to kick yourself, I will kick at you and play the role of the booster. But your situation, your position must be on the booster in the right position, and then alone you are prepared to be shot up.

If your position is crooked just a little bit you will not reach the moon and you will come down, crash upon the earth. So what we are going to do is to shoot into the heart of God and be placed there.

Then God, who may be dozing off , will be awakened by the strike. And you can drag Him wherever you wish and tell Him, "How can you doze off while we are so busy?" If you drag Him around, finally God will say, "Oh, don't, don't, let me alone," and then you can say your wish and He's got to have your wish realized. Because God is omnipotent, He can have your wish realized. Then our motto is to irritate and push God, don't let Him alone. Don't let God alone until we have our wish realized. We will not have our Father alone until our wish is realized.

Each one of you will assemble a vast audience and invite me, and the other person the next day will invite me over there, and over to another place, and I will be tom into pieces because I am invited there and here and everywhere, every other day, every day-every hour. Then, you know, you will never let me alone. I will be tom in pieces, and I will be delighted with the idea. But I am confident that even though you are going to tear me apart I will remain energetic. And will you please test me? And you will say to yourself, "Oh Father has endless energy. I will just exhaust him by inviting him every moment here and there. " If you are resolved to do that, I will show that I am now going to be test-proof. Are you confident to do that, to make me that way? (Yes.)

Now I feel I can trust you. You Westerners have bigger eyes, higher noses, big stature and broad shoulders for the male folks and bigger hips for the girls, and I feel I can well trust you. You can do bigger things because you have broader minds. So I can trust you more than I do other people. Before long you American members will say, "Go back home, you Japanese brothers and sisters, go back, Father; we can do it without you, on our own. With Father around we are sort of noisy. So we can do even without you. We will invite you when we will have done our work. You can come back when we have been successful. " Then I have got to leave this country. Would you like that? (No. Yes.) If you would let me do that, in the meanwhile I can learn English and I can later speak to you directly in the language. (No.) Still you don't like the idea? Even though I may have to stay in the United States, would you drive me-to hard work or let me be relaxed?

Whether you drive me hard or give me a vacation, the question is how to win the battle. What makes victory great is that however hard you may have worked for the victory, if you are successful in your mission, what you have gone through will be glorified. Even though you have been beggars, even though you have been starving to death on the way, if your battle ends up in victory, what you have gone through will be glorified; and in proportion to the hardship you have gone through, the victory will be greater and more glorified. Isn't that true? (Yes.)

So in order for you to pave the way to victory, the more hardship you go through the more glory will come to you. History has witnessed so many people going through so many difficulties for lost causes, and they will be long recorded in human history and long glorified by their descendants. But if you have gone through the same thing for your own success and for the evil way of life, then people will turn away from you, never remembering you, and you will have lived your life in vain. With the picture of glory and victory at the goal, we are dashing forward on the battlefield. But right at this moment when we are about to start, we are miserable people and we must be ready and resolved to go through the obstacles and difficulties. But you must prepare for the battle in deep prayer, and aid will come from God and you will not work alone, as I said before. And then in every moment of prayer you will dash forward on the road towards the goal. You are in the position to have the last bullet shot at the target, and you must be serious. And before doing that you must pray deeply and prepare yourself, set the goal, and with no thought about anything else, you must set your mind only on the target. And I want you to be successful at that. I want you to become one with the will of God, one with God Himself, and one with each other, and shoot yourself towards the target and get the success at the earliest possible date. And I want to trust you, and then I want to start the mission right at this moment, from this moment.

Joe Tully, you have to do more hard work from now on. All members, the same way.

Shall we pray?

Hello, World!

Significance Of Madison Square Garden Success

Reverend Sun Myung Moon
Tarrytown, New York
September 19,1974
Master Speaks
Translated by Mr. Bo Hi Pak

In 1972, 1 began the Day of Hope Tour at the Lincoln Center. The next year, 1973, we initiated another tour at Carnegie Hall in New York. And this year, 1974, we have just completed our campaign at Madison Square Garden.

When I began the Day of Hope Tour, pledging before God to speak to American people over a three year period, I was quite serious. My responsibility was to tell all Americans the truth during this three year period. If that responsibility were not carried out appropriately, I knew heaven would suffer. The Kingdom of God would suffer. Therefore, that has been my anguish-how could I fulfill my pledge to God? My first problem was the small number of people we had. In 1972, 1 already knew our goal: the Madison Square Garden. Already I was always asking myself how could we accomplish the goal with so few people? In early 1972 1 mapped out the strategy and began to fulfill it step by step.

As you know, we completed a speaking tour in seven American cities and a few European cities in 1972. In 1973, we conducted the 21-city tour. In early 1974, we organized the 1974 Day of Hope Tour which carried us to all of the 50 states of America. It was truly a blitz operation, and we were under pressure from all directions. It was not an easy job to do. Many people thought that it was madness because we did not even have money to carry out the campaign in all 50 states. When we carried out that campaign successfully, mass media and the public wondered where we got the money to do this work.

We have won the nickname, "the multi-millionaire church," and Reverend Moon has become known as a very wealthy person. This has happened through our hard work! American investigating authorities looked at me with wondering eyes, because they knew I had come to America a year before the tours began. How could this man launch a movement in such a fantastic fashion? They knew, by then that I had a world-wide organization and they drew the conclusion that most of the financial power was coming from outside America. Also, my Watergate declaration brought great attention and raised controversy throughout the country. In these ways the name Reverend Sun Myung Moon has become known to Americans very rapidly.

Also, our campaign of fasting and prayer on the steps of the Capitol a month ago had an immense impact throughout the country. People could not find a movement anywhere in America or the world so committed to a cause. All of these campaigns and all of our strategies pointed to one great success: Madison Square Garden. The previous campaigns were preparation for this one great D-Day of God. Many other groups have gathered at Madison Square Garden, but our meeting was different. It has a historical, dispensational meaning. Therefore, this meeting was unique in history.

My three-year ministry in America is comparable to the three-year ministry of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion. If Jesus Christ had not been crucified at the end of three years, then he would have had a meeting in Rome, the center of the world-the same kind of meeting we had at Madison Square Garden. If Jesus Christ had been welcomed by Rome and accepted by the Roman Empire, and if the Son of God and the people of Rome had become one, then indeed, history would have been different, and the Kingdom would have been opened from that time.

At that time, Israel was a very small nation, under the dominion and influence of the Roman Empire. Today, history is repeating itself. Korea is in the position of Israel under the influence of the great country of America. It is most logical. America is in the position of the Rome of two thousand years ago. We are in New York, the heart of America, and Madison Square Garden is the heart of New York. Therefore, the fire kindled at Madison Square Garden is most significant in dispensational history.

One reason for the incompletion of the mission of Jesus Christ two thousand years ago was that Israel was under three faiths. The Roman Empire did not share that faith. They had their own Roman religion. That was the cause of tremendous difficulty for the mission of Jesus Christ, so God prepared for two thousand years to create a better environment for this time. For example, Korea today is under one religion, Christianity. Furthermore, in order to create an even better environment for the Messiah, America has been backed into a comer, losing her sense of value, becoming troubled, and desperately seeking help from somewhere. This is the environment God created for this day. America has been known as a melting pot, and the backbone of this country is the spirit of Christianity. Without the Christian spirit, this process of fusion-the melting pot-would never have taken place. Therefore, if Christianity weakens, America will weaken and inevitably fall apart.

Then, the Unification Church in America is the solution, the clear-cut solution to her problems. It brings first, the revival of the Christian spirit, a new logic, and a modem expression of God. It will not only unify the weakened churches, but rebuild the American homes and family. It will restore the young people, particularly the young people of America. These are only the internal problem areas in America. However, there is external trouble, too-the unceasing threat of ungodly Communism. The coming of the Unification Church to America is the solution not only to the internal trouble of America, but the external trouble as well. In other words, we are the group who have an ideology superior to the ideology of Communism, an ideology which can truly defeat Communism. We must continue to attract national attention, the attention of the American people. Then they will realize that we hold the solution to the problems of America today.

You first pioneers of this great crusade are different from the ordinary youth of America. How are you different? You have an absolute conviction, and commitment; a confidence that we alone can save the world, because we have a new ideology. During the last several weeks, you touched hundreds of thousands of people in New York. They felt your vibration, your commitment. They sensed your power. Surely, you have been a wonder in New York the last several weeks.

Even the posters, which drew so much attention and raised so much controversy, were a great event. That was, in itself, a great battle well won. When we started pestering, the Communist or leftist elements tried to out-poster us, but we out-postered them! In the end, we set a record for pestering here in New York. This morning, we must not blame the leftists or Communists, because they helped us to set the record.

During these events, mass communication, the media-previously busy with other things-turned their attention to focus on us. Yet I never granted an interview for any reporter. I will remain as a person of mystery. Meanwhile, they will have to use all the power of their imagination. However, they now know, through you, the frontline soldier, that our movement is not going to be a fly-by-night organization. It is going to remain, and it will surely change the world.

In the ten days prior to Madison Square Garden, you know, the pressure mounted until there appeared to be a kind of emergency status for our movement. Not only all of us, but even New York citizens felt the gathering of two thousand young people from around the world. They knew that New York had been shaken by our youth. They are asking "Why?" Why did these young people gather from all over the world in New York? Why do they follow that one oriental man from Korea, the Reverend Moon? What is his power? They are trying to understand. I do not think they yet know the answer to that question. In the meantime, there are all kinds of rumors. There are vicious and false accusations. However, they want to determine the truth by hearing the man who is in the center of it all, Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

We distributed over 800,000 tickets throughout New York and around 800,000 tickets were not only distributed, but we received the name, address, and zip code from sixty percent of the people who were ticketed. About 130,000 people promised, "I will be there. " They gave their word. I knew that at least one third of the sure commitments would come to Madison Square Garden. Through this formula, I knew that over 40,000 people would attend. But before the campaign was completed, in June, the New York Times predicted that we would never make it. They said we would never fill Madison Square Garden. Therefore, this is not only victory over New York, but victory over the New York Times, too!

In order to fill Madison Square Garden, Billy Graham may start working one year prior to the campaign, or crusade. They can work in a very systematic and organized way because all the churches in and around New York respond to his call. They cooperate with him. Even, they spend a tremendous amount of money to prepare for the crusade. Our crusade is basically and fundamentally different from the crusade of a conventional evangelist. First, all the churches are not our friends. They have opposed us and therefore, in a way, they are enemies. Furthermore, there are many people who, influenced by conventional Christians, are not sympathetic to us. So, we started our campaign under adverse conditions. In order to win under these conditions, we needed to demonstrate extraordinary power.

I don't blame the experts in predicting that the Unification Church would never fill Madison Square Garden. However, we not only gathered a crowd beyond the capacity of Madison Square Garden, but turned away thousands of people. We created a miracle here in America. And who created that miracle? You. This small group of young people-you did it! Actually you members gathered here constitute a very small group, even smaller than the capacity of a small high school. So this small high school, our heavenly high school, pushed New York to our side. We moved the mass of New York. When we realize the significance of it, I am sure that none of us could really sleep last night. So I knew your mind. Even though I asked you to go to bed and rest until 10 o'clock this morning, you could never sleep because the excitement and joy was so great. So I put you to work taking down all the posters! Even God in Heaven is nodding: "Well, I cannot keep up with that Reverend Moon's strategy. "

Until yesterday, the city officials and the police officials were complaining about our posters. They said, "We must fine Reverend Moon twenty dollars per poster. " But when they went to the city to look for the posters, there were none there! They were like a hunter--one moment late-all the game had flown away. This morning the New Yorkers woke up and went outside. There were no more young people there, and no posters. They must have wondered.

In the outside world, when they win a great victory they usually celebrate by drinking and dancing all night. Then they go to bed for several days. However, the very first night, even before our celebration of victory, we took care of New York, picking up all the posters. This is really a page to be proudly recorded in American history. If we had done the same thing, but one day too late, say today or tomorrow, even though we did the same thing, the effectiveness would be greatly reduced. So, without sleeping last night, you truly brought a tremendous result, and a tremendous benefit to the Kingdom of God. So, a job well done? (Yes!) Did I give the right instruction to you last night? (Yes!) Now you are all smiling and happy. But I don't think you were that way when you were taking down the posters last night. It is a matter of patience, and those who have in any other way complained must be repentant now.

In the dispensation of history, we are now moving from the second seven-year course to the third seven-year course. And the world situation is getting more hectic. More crises are arising, particularly in the relationships between Korea, Japan, and America. Christianity only has a spiritual kingdom. That has been a reality for two thousand years. So these important three countries, Korea, Japan, and America, have been related only on a spiritual level. However, because of our movement and our action, things will now begin to fall into place in physical relationships between these three nations. The formation stage has been completed. What we need during the next three years in America is to create a perfection level on the physical plane. We must install the Kingdom of God here on Earth, centered upon America and including the rest of the world.

We must establish a record that even Billy Graham can never compete with. Yes, Billy Graham in his own lifetime held the biggest meeting in Korea, gathering together a half million people in Seoul. Reverend Moon, coming from Korea to America, will assemble a half million Americans for dinner. Join me in my confidence that after Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium will be just peanuts. The next step will be in Washington, D.C. On Capitol Hill, on the Mall, one of these days we'll gather more than half a million people. One year and ten months ago, when I first came to America, Madison Square Garden was so far away that it seemed farther than the moon. But we achieved it last night. From here to that gathering of half a million in Washington will be a very short distance compared to what we have already covered. First, we must have faith and conviction. All we need is ten thousand people like you. Each person will run one big bus. Each one will take a bus all over the country, fill that bus, and bring it back to Washington.

It is within our reach. Our strength shall grow into ten thousand in a very short time. Don't you want to do it? (Yes!) Then, what is the course of action from now on? In order to have a core of ten thousand members, then we must go out and double the strength and double the membership now. This is our pressing goal. I want you to really believe these words: all you really have to do is work for three years. After three years of hard work, you won't have to go out to witness because there will be too many people. An avalanche will take place, and you will not be able to take care of them all.

Americans, particularly the young people, have come to a deadlock. They have nowhere to turn, except to you. This is the way to bring resurrection to the American home, the American people, the American nation. That revival, resurrection, and new life, is the one way that we can save this world for God. We must become a single-minded instrument for God; we must establish the clear goal, and we must ruthlessly march toward that goal. It is truly a tremendous task and a historical responsibility; we have to create hope for America, and for the world.

Many Senators may not pay attention now. But wait and see: they will have to pay attention to what to do. If they do not, we will create Senators who pay attention to us. These are not just empty words: when I say it, I will do it. Soon, our strength will grow to 500 in each state. So think of it: if there is a person like you with 500 members in each state, that state will have to pay attention to you. You are the future Senators and the future Senators' wives! This is serious. Our goal is so clear-cut; and if God's will is with us, there is nothing we cannot do. But time is very urgent. America does not have much time in the time-bomb of today. We must do the job before the time-bomb explodes. We have only a certain amount of time available to us. God allows us to do certain things only within a certain time. So I have a master plan to reach the goal, and I need you. Will you follow me? (Yes!) No matter how hard I push you, will you complain? (No!) Then, let me trust you. The Western people are tired of my having so much trust in the people of Korea and Japan. This time let me trust you.

The third seven-year course is now beginning. The first three years of that seven years shall determine the fate of the world. In this seven years, we shall indeed liberate God! This is the period in which we will vindicate our good ancestors who have been victims of evil. This is the period in which we will breach the gap between the two worlds, the spirit world and physical world. This is also the time when Satan will have to pack up his things and run away! And this is also the period in which three billion people of the world shall raise their eyes to you and me. You have given me champions of God during the most critical crusades of the universe. This impossible group, gathered together here this morning will be the group who has won the day in God's battle against Satan. You shall become a handle for God, so that He can pull the entire world. This period will show that nobody under the heavens can deny the existence of the living God. We have come to the final battle, the final barrier; and during the next two years we shall break through this barrier. We are moving toward the apex, the top of the hill of the dispensation. Last night, God gave us the greatest fruit of all-the victory at Madison Square Garden. This victory , this gift from God, shall become your weapon, and your instrument when you carry this movement to Washington, D.C. and the rest of the United States.

You have not only won the battle here in New York. Do not consider this a victory over New York, but a victory over America. We are laying the spiritual foundation for the remaining seven-city tour. The New York Times finally admitted what we accomplished last night. They had to write some truth at least, and they did. The rest of the world will hear, through the New York Times, that we have done it. Let's make the remaining 7 cities equally hectic, equally exciting, equally victorious campaigns for God and his Heaven! Victory in this 8-city tour in America will bring the firm foundation upon which we can take off for greater victory during the next three years.

You may be very hungry now, but we cannot stop. We must march toward victory and win complete victory in the seven cities. Now, on this day of victory, we are all happy, serious, and excited. We must begin today to work another victory for tomorrow. Yesterday's victory will provide you with something for the victory of tomorrow. But we must invest ourselves. We shall together commit ourselves for the great call, and we shall pledge our loyalty, life, fortune, talents, and all resources we have for the ultimate victory of heaven. Those who can make that commitment, raise both your hands. Thank you very much.

You know that my job is not easy. I have to work day and night, with God's help, so that your job becomes easier to win the battle. You are young people. I am over 50. And you are in a position to go beyond and exceed my energy, my strength. But, even though I'm older than you, I am committing myself to compete with you: I shall not be behind you. I want you to win over me. But I will try my best to win over you. While we are engaging in this beautiful competition, the Kingdom of Heaven for all of America is coming.

I am in the position of the right hand of God's Kingdom. You are in the position of the left hand of the Kingdom. The two hands must join together, work together through suffering, and create a new world. We must begin now. We are one. So we must go our respective ways to fulfill our responsibilities. The fight begins here.

The New Future of Christianity

Sun Myung Moon
September 18, 1974
New York, New York

Ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to be here tonight. Thank you very much for coming. We are gathered together in this impressive setting of Madison Square Garden tonight in the name of God.

My topic tonight is "The New Future of Christianity." But before I begin this evening's message, I would like to make one personal plea. I did not come here to repeat what you already know. I have come to reveal something new. I want to share with you a revelation from God.

There is only one God, one Christ, one Bible. Today, however, in the Christian world alone there are more than 400 different denominations, all looking at the same Bible from very different points of view, with many different interpretations.

What we are interested in is not the human interpretation of the Bible, but how God interprets the Bible, and what God's will really is. Therefore, no person by himself is capable of satisfying us. That information must come from God, in the form of revelation.

And I want to share that revelation with you tonight. Since this message came from God, and since it is from God's point of view, the content naturally may be different from human understanding. Therefore, it may be very new to you. But what we need is new ideas -- God's ideas because man has exhausted all of his own ideas already. That is the reason for my coming to talk to you tonight.

So I ask each one of you to open your mind and open your heart, so that the spirit of God can speak to you directly.

For 2,000 years, Christians of the world have been looking forward to one great culminating day, as prophesied in the Bible -- the day of the Second Coming of the Lord. Since this has been the promise of God, the Second Coming of Christ will definitely be fulfilled.

Why is the Lord coming a second time? He is coming to consummate the will of God. Then what is the will of God? Do we know clearly what God's will is?

God is eternal, unchanging, and absolute. And He has one will, which is also eternal, unchanging, and absolute. In the beginning, God had a definite purpose for creating the universe and this world. That purpose was the reason for creation. And God began the creation of the universe and man to fulfill that purpose.

According to the Bible, after the first man and woman were created -- Adam and Eve -- God gave them a commandment. That commandment 'Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.' (Gen. 2:17)

God asked them to obey His commandment. God was implying that by Adam and Eve's obedience to the law, His purpose would be fulfilled. However, God made the consequence of disobedience very clear. He said, "The day that you eat of it you shall die." The fruit of disobedience was death.

However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God. The result was the fall of man. Spiritual death came to mankind, and the purpose of God was not realized. The fall of man means their deviation from the original state that God intended. Adam and Eve departed from the fulfillment of the purpose of their creation. They made a wrong choice, creating the opposite of what God originally intended.

After their disobedience, God had no choice but to expel this man and woman from the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is a symbolic expression of the Kingdom of God on earth. Adam and Eve no longer deserved citizenship in God's Kingdom, so they were cast out into the ungodly realms, the living hell -- which was their own creation.

Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

If Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they would have brought the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. What would that kingdom be like? Adam and Eve were created sinless, with the potential for perfection. And they were to grow into perfection by obeying the law of God. While they were growing into fully perfected man and woman, their relationship was to be that of brother and sister. They were expected to set the true tradition of brotherhood and sisterhood.

What is perfection? Perfection is man's total union with God. A man is supposed to be the temple of God, in which the spirit of God dwells. Such a man is divine, as God is divine; that man is holy, as God is holy.

Jesus was the first such perfect man. This perfection is the state that Jesus was speaking of when he said,

'Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me.' (John 14:11)

When you become one with God, His divine power is yours, and you shall be perfect as God is perfect. Therefore, Jesus set as man's goal to be perfect as God is perfect when he said,

'You, therefore, must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.' (Matt. 5:48) God created one male and one female. Why? After their reaching the state of perfection, God wanted to bring them together into one heavenly couple, through the blessing of heavenly matrimony. God intended to begin His Kingdom with Adam and Eve as the first husband and wife.

If that had become a reality, then God's blessing to be fruitful and multiply would have been fulfilled. He would have given them the power to multiply children of God. And those children would have been sinless and perfect. What else could they be? Sin would never have been introduced into the human race. By having children, Adam and Eve would have become the God-centered True Father and Mother -- the True Parents of mankind.

If Adam and Eve had formed this first God-centered family, from them would have come a God-centered tribe, a God-centered nation, and a God-centered world ruled by God alone. Then perfection would have reigned from the beginning to eternity.

Where did God create Adam and Eve? Up in the air, out in space? No, right here on earth. Therefore, the prospering of Adam's family should have brought the realization of God's ideal here on earth, and God would have become the center of mankind. This would have been nothing other than the Kingdom of God on earth, in which God would have dwelt with men and women.

If that had been accomplished in the beginning, there would be no great divisions of races and languages. We would all belong to the one race of Adam under the one tradition of Adam. And Adam's one language would be our universal tongue. And indeed, the whole world would be one nation under God.

So, in God's plan, all men are supposed to be born into the Kingdom of God on earth. We are to enjoy the heavenly life on earth. And then when our physical earthly life is over, we are to be elevated into the Kingdom of God in the spiritual heaven, where we shall live for eternity. That was God's original plan.

There could be no Satan, no evil, and no hell in that world. Indeed, God did not create hell for His own children. No good father would construct a prison for his newborn child. Why would God need a hell for His children? Only heaven was God's original will. Because of sin, however, people lost their original value and became human trash. Hell is like a trash can. But it was necessary only after the fall of man.

Kingdom of Hell -- Paradise Lost

Then let us further examine the state of the fallen people and the fallen world. We read in John that Jesus says,

'You are of your father the devil.' (John 8:44)

By the fall, man was brought under the false fatherhood of Satan. Man changed fathers. We left our true father, God, and united with the false father, Satan. The first man and woman became the children of Satan. Under the false fatherhood of Satan, Adam and Eve united unlawfully as a couple without God's blessing or permission. And when they multiplied children, they all came under the same false father. They were all born as the children of sin, not the children of God. Therefore, the multiplication of sinful children from one generation to another has brought about this fallen, sinful world.

Because God is not at the center, this is a world of sin, a world of mistrust, a world of crime, a world of war. And we, the nations and societies of this world can destroy each other and feel no pain. This is the kingdom of hell on earth.

The master of this world, indeed, is not God, but Satan. This is why John 12:31 indicates that Satan is the ruler of this world. We know this universe was created by God. We know God created us. But God is no longer the master, because people changed masters. Man betrayed God and united with a false master, Satan. This Satan became the father of mankind.

The fall of man has brought great grief to the heart of our Heavenly Father. God lost everything when His people turned against Him. That is why we read in Genesis,

The Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. (Gen. 6:6)

God was grieved because the exact opposite of His will had become the reality. If God's intention had been fulfilled, He would have been joyful. If the consequences of the fall were the result of God's own plan, why should God be grieved to His heart? Why would He have been sorry that He had made us?

Salvation Is Restoration

Almighty God is a God of love, a God of mercy. His heart is compassionate and He grieved at the living death of His children.

He knows no person is capable of breaking his chains and getting rid of sin by himself. He knows that only one power can bring people into salvation -- God Himself. And God, in His mercy, is determined to save this world.

What is salvation? Salvation is simply restoration. What does a doctor do to save his patient? He restores the patient to normal health. That is a cure. What would you do to save a drowning person? You would save him by bringing him out of the water and restoring him to dry land. That is a rescue.

By the same token, God's salvation of man is simply to restore man from an abnormal, deviated state to the original state of goodness.

So, salvation is equivalent to restoration. God is going to restore the kingdom of hell to the Kingdom of Heaven.

God made His determination clear in the Bible:

'I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.' (Isaiah 46:11)

God did not say He might do it. He said He will do it, showing His absolute determination to restore man and the world to the original design.

How? By the Messiah. To restore mankind, God sent His only son, Jesus Christ, into this world as the Savior -- as the Messiah. Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ came into our world as the author of life. He came to transform all sinful people into Christ-like people. He came to restore the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

Therefore, Jesus Christ proclaimed as his first gospel,

'Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' (Matt: 4:17)

With the coming of Jesus Christ, people were truly at the threshold of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Preparation for the Messiah

However, before God could send His Son to restore the world, He had to prepare the way step by step, starting with one individual and expanding to a nation, in order to establish a foundation of faith upon which the Messiah could come.

After all, this world had been Satan's world. If the Messiah were to come to this earth without a prepared foundation, the satanic world would destroy him. So God worked diligently and carefully to establish one nation, one sovereignty over which He could have control. The nation of Israel was the result of that preparation for the Messiah.

God prepared the nation of Israel as the "landing site" for the Messiah. Upon Israel's foundation of faith, God could send His ultimate champion, the Messiah.

Likewise, Christianity today is the parallel landing site of the Messiah for his Second Coming. And Christians are supposed to be forming a foundation of faith for the return of the Messiah in the final hour of fulfillment.

Today, as never before in our troubled world, the Messiah is our hope! The mission of the Messiah is restoration -- to bring fallen, suffering humanity out of this world of evil and restore man into the original perfection and goodness of God. He is to destroy Satan's evil sovereignty over this world and establish God's sovereignty.

Jesus Christ came as the Messiah of 2,000 years ago for this purpose -- to restore God's Kingdom. Today we are waiting for the Second Coming of Christ. The purpose of that Second Coming is precisely the same -- the restoration of God's original Kingdom. That is the one purpose and one will of God.

We Christians are today's chosen people of God. Christians are Christ's co-workers. So we are in a position to prepare a foundation for the Lord, to welcome and accept him when he comes, and to participate in his mission to destroy Satan from the face of the earth, and bring all mankind to salvation.

But today, Christians are not sure about the will of God. We are more interested in our own personal salvation, our own heaven somewhere, and the guarantee of our own little niche up there. But that is not the way God intended Christians to be.

Where are You, My David?

God is looking for His champions among the Christians of the world today. And the work of God needs a sacrificial spirit. How many Christians are now saying, "Use me as a lamb on Your altar, and out of my sacrifice save this world"? God is seeking a self-denying spirit. God is searching for the bearers of the cross for the 20th century. And today's Christians are deaf to that call.

Instead, Christians today are crying out for "my heaven," "my salvation." What about God? What about the rest of the world? Will you be able to keep your small piece of heaven when the rest of the world is crumbling? No. If, on the other hand, the whole world were saved, would your own salvation not already be included?

Today, if the Christian churches persist in the same individual-centered way, the spirit of Christianity is bound to decline. Before we cry out for our salvation, let us cry out for the fulfillment of God's will. We must liberate God from His sorrow, His grief. When we have solved God's problem, man's problem will automatically be solved. Then Christian fire will truly burn for the sake of the broken heart of God, not for ourselves.

In their 2,000 years of history, Christians had great opportunity to bring the entire world to God. But Christians simply did not clearly know the will of God. They did not act when opportunity knocked.

That same opportunity is knocking once again. This time the opportunity has come to America. If today's American Christians recognize the will of God in the present day and act upon it, we can turn the world upside down and right side up, and bring heaven down on earth. The hour of the Second Coming of Christ is at hand, yet we are missing the signs of the times.

Instead of continuing to ask and pray, 'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,' (Matt. 6:10) we can act upon God's will now, and make that heaven a reality right here in New York, because we have already arrived at God's scheduled hour of fulfillment.

Each one of us is part of the body of Christ, so when Christ comes we are the extensions of his living body. If each one of us is willing and ready to nail his body to the cross in order to have our world live, then we shall indeed turn this world into the Kingdom of Heaven. To live and die for God and Christ -- this is the privilege of being a Christian!

Remember, God's will is to save the whole world -- not just Christians, not just churches. There is a universally known verse in the Bible, which we learned as children in Sunday school:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The emphasis there is on the word "world." God so loved the world, not just the church, not just the Christians, not just one particular people, but the whole world. For that reason -- to save this world -- the Messiah is sent.

If you asked our Lord the question, "Are you the savior of only the Christians?" he would answer "No! I am the savior of all mankind."

If you asked God, "Are You the God of the Christians?" God would say, "No! I am the God of the universe, the God of all creation, the God of all people."

Two thousand years ago, people were awaiting the coming of the Messiah, but for very self-centered reasons. They thought that the Messiah was coming as a sort of military conqueror to avenge them and defeat the Roman Empire, and to reward Israel with great glory and power in an earthly sense. And they simply missed the whole point.

On the contrary, the Messiah was coming to Israel to lead the people as a sacrifice to reach out to the rest of the world, to bring the entire world into God's salvation.

God determined to restore the entire world, and to bring all people into goodness and perfection. If God could not do that, He would be a defeated God. Defeated by whom? By Satan! Then God would not be God.

Imagine yourself in the position of God. When God looks upon the Christian world today, I do not think He is pleased. He foresees a great battle to be fought and won. God must have a confrontation with the formidable power of the enemy, the power of Satan, the power of sin.

For that, God needs a modern day David to confront this Goliath, Satan. Do you not hear God's cry, "Where is my David? Where are you, my David?" And God expects today's Christians to respond, "Yes, my Lord! I am Your David. Your will be done!"

But the Christians of this world seem to be in deep sleep. And the handful who are awake are busy fighting among themselves. The time of harvest has come in this cosmic autumn, but God has no workers to send out to the fields.

Ever since the fall of man, God has been waging a divine war against the power of Satan. That war has not ended. The final battle is yet to come. Christ is coming for the second time, as the commander in chief, to wage that final battle. And that hour has arrived. Yet, alas, no heavenly soldiers are ready. Christians are asleep.

So far, God has only been able to engage in "guerrilla warfare" against Satan, not total war. However, God has been preparing for one great day, a heavenly "D-Day" -- like the D-Day of the Normandy landing -- when God can launch an all-out offensive. That day is the day of the return of Christ. That D-Day of God is at hand! The Bible is the record of God's patient preparation leading mankind into that final battle. The fulfillment of the Bible is the coming of the Lord -- - the return of Christ for that D-Day.

The Bible Is a Coded Message

What is the Bible, more precisely? The Bible has been a book of mystery. However, the Bible contains God's message to you and me.

The Bible does not use plain language, but is written in symbols and parables. Do you know why God has presented the Bible in symbols and parables? Why did He not speak the truth clearly?

God has had to deal with the world of evil. Throughout the ages, God has hand-picked His workers, or champions, out of this evil world. Abraham was such a champion. Noah was such a champion.

And God's champions were always in the utter minority in the evil world. If God revealed His strategy too openly or plainly, the enemy would use that information against God's champions. Thus, the Bible was written as a coded message, so that only God's agents or champions could decipher it.

Let me make an analogy. To protect her security, America sends out many agents overseas to collect vital information concerning potential enemies. When the home headquarters is communicating with these agents overseas, particularly in enemy territory, would they communicate openly and plainly? No. No one would be that naive. They would communicate in coded messages -- secret messages -- so that the enemy could not decipher them.

Throughout history, righteous people have faced nothing but suffering on this earth, simply because they were in enemy territory, and Satan did not want to have God's agents prosper. Whenever Satan's forces discovered God's representatives, they tried to destroy them.

We must realize that God has had to give His instructions in coded messages. Thus the Bible is written in symbols and parables. In a sense, the Bible is intended to be mysterious. Then how can we know the true meaning of those symbols and parables?

It is simple, in a way. If you are an agent dispatched by your headquarters, and you want to decipher a coded message, then you must either have a code book, or communicate directly with your home headquarters.

By the same token, the meaning of the symbols and parables in the Bible can only be clear when we communicate with our "home headquarters" -- God. This is truly the only sure way we can know the ultimate meaning of the Bible.

Two thousand years ago our Lord Jesus Christ brought the blueprint for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. However, he could not speak plainly about his plan even to his own disciples. Jesus spoke in figures and parables. Why?

Jesus knew the adverse circumstances in which he had to work. There was political pressure from the Roman Empire. There was the ruling monarchy, who opposed any change. And there was a strong religious system and tradition. These could all be directed against the building of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus came to kindle the fire of revolution in people, which would in due course change the structure and the life of the entire nation. But he could not speak plainly of any of this even to his own disciples. Instead, he had to speak in figures and parables, saying,

'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.' (Luke 14:35)

If you attempt to interpret the Bible literally, word for word, letter for letter, without understanding the nature of the coded message of the Bible, you are liable to make a big mistake.

Therefore, in this day, at this hour, what the Christian world needs is a revelation from God. God must reveal to us His plan; He must tell us His timetable, and give us instructions as to what to do at this time. God indeed promised that by saying, in Amos, 'Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.' (Amos 3:7)

Tonight I am standing here at Madison Square Garden not according to my own will, but in obedience to the divine will of God. God has called me as His instrument, to reveal His message for His present day dispensation, so that there may be a people prepared for the day of the Lord.

Tonight I am going to concentrate on the divine revelation concerning the coming of the Lord of the Second Advent -- the vital issue of the Second Advent -- the most important question of our time. And in order to understand this more clearly, we must first know the circumstances of the coming of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago.

Jesus Did Not Come to Die

There is one historical puzzle that not been solved.

For 4,000 years before the coming of Jesus Christ, God had prepared the people for the Messiah, as I explained earlier. Through His prophets, God had forewarned the people to be ready for the Messiah. God was working to build up expectation, and there was indeed great messianic fervor in Israel. And at the appointed hour, God fulfilled His promise. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to his own people on time.

Then what happened? History is the witness We did not know him. We rejected him, rebelled against him, and finally crucified him on the cross. Why?

The Christian churches say, "Well, the answer to that question is, simply, God sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross. The crucifixion was the predestined will of God from the beginning."

Then let me ask those Christians, "What will you do when Jesus Christ returns to you today?" All Christians undoubtedly will answer, "We will receive him! Welcome him! Unite with him! Follow him!" Let me further ask, "Will you crucify Christ when he appears?" Your answer must be, "No!"

If that is so, then what about the people of 2,000 years ago? If they had accepted Jesus -- as you would today -- would they still have had to crucify him? No! It was a mistake! It was in ignorance that we crucified Jesus Christ.

It was God's will that His people accept the Messiah. But we crucified him instead. And then Christians "passed the buck" by saying that was the will of God. Ridiculous! This is not acceptable to our logic. Something must have gone terribly wrong. What was it?

Ignorance Killed Jesus

The people did not know who Jesus of Nazareth was. They did not know him as the Son of God. If they had clearly known Jesus was the Messiah the Son of God, they would not have crucified him.

He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. (John 1:11) None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (I Cor. 2:8)

If they had only known who he was, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. It was a mistake. It was ignorance and blindness that killed Jesus Christ!

Christians of the world have not realized the truth about what actually happened in Jesus' time. If God's only purpose in sending His Son was to have him nailed on the cross, then why would God spend the time to prepare the people in the first place? It would have been much easier for God to send His son among the disbelievers, or even among savages. They would have killed him more quickly, and salvation would have come faster.

Slaves to the Letter of the Old Testament

Then the question is, why did the people not know who Jesus was? Believe it or not, the first reason why God's people did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah was because of the Old Testament. This may be surprising to you. But the people interpreted the Old Testament literally. They did not realize that the Bible was in code. They did not look for a code book. Instead, they took the Bible literally, word for word, letter for letter. In other words, they became slaves to the letter of the Old Testament.

Let me give you the evidence. The book of Malachi in the Old Testament has a parallel purpose to that of the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. It clearly shows the timetable and the last minute description of how the Messiah would come. In Malachi, you will find these words:

'I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers' (Mal. 4:5-6)

Who was Elijah? He was a great prophet of Israel who had lived approximately 900 years before Jesus Christ, and who had ascended into heaven in a chariot of fire in a whirlwind, according to the Old Testament. So people believed that Elijah would literally return from the blue sky in a chariot of fire and announce the Son of God: This is what people expected.

But did Elijah come? The problem was, Elijah did not return in the manner people expected. The people never heard anything about his returning miraculously. However, one day they did hear an extraordinary declaration. A young man from Nazareth, whose name was Jesus, was being proclaimed by his followers as the Messiah, the Son of God. That was indeed an incredible announcement.

And what was the people's immediate reaction? "Impossible!" they said. "How could Jesus of Nazareth be the Son of God? We have not heard anything about Elijah." No Elijah, no Messiah.

In order to accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, they would have had to disregard their 4,000 year old tradition and throw their Bible away. But no one was willing to do that.

People at that time truly misunderstood Jesus, the Son of God. They said to him,

'It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God' (John 10:33)

And they picked up stones, ready to stone Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Furthermore, when Jesus performed many mighty works and miracles, people did not honor Jesus. They said instead,

'It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.' (Matt. 12:24)

What a tragedy! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the prince of peace, was belittled and relegated to the prince of demons!

Pontius Pilate, the governor from Rome, did not want to crucify Jesus, because he could not find any fault in him. However, Jesus' own people were the ones who were shouting, "Let him be crucified! Let him be crucified!"

People whom God had prepared to receive him wanted Jesus to be killed, and to have the criminal Barabbas released instead of him. Was that the will of God? No! Jesus Christ was the victim of the ignorance and blindness of his own people. And they misread the prophecy -- they misread the Old Testament.

Imagine that Elijah had come in a supernatural manner, in a chariot of fire from the sky, as people expected. It would have created a great sensation. And imagine Elijah appearing in front of the multitudes and proclaiming, "This man, Jesus of Nazareth, is indeed the Son of God." Then I am sure everyone would have knelt down and worshipped him right there. Then who would have dared to crucify Jesus Christ?

However, that sort of miracle was not the meaning of the prophecy.

Malachi's prophecy of the coming of Elijah was indeed an obstacle to Jesus' successful ministry. When Jesus' disciples went out all over Israel teaching the gospel and proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God, the people repudiated their words, saying, "If your master is the Son of God, where is Elijah? The book says Elijah must come first."

John the Baptist Was Elijah

Jesus' disciples were not well prepared to answer this question. As a matter of fact, they were not learned in the Old Testament. After all, they were lowly fishermen of Galilee and tax collectors. So the embarrassed disciples one day decided to go to Jesus to ask for his help in this matter. An account appears in Matthew:

And the disciples asked him, Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?' He replied, 'Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come.'...Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Matt. 17:10-13)

This was a real shock to the disciples. And then they understood, according to the Bible, that Jesus was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Was John the Baptist Elijah? Yes, Jesus said so. But the people were never convinced. They said, "Outrageous!"

Let us imagine we can transpose these events to our time. John the Baptist of 2,000 years ago was a person of tremendous influence, enjoying great prestige all over Israel as a great man of God -- just like Billy Graham of today, a great Christian leader.

Let us say some unknown young man suddenly appeared and began proclaiming himself to the world as the Son of God. As a student of the scriptures, you would ask him, "If you are the Son of God, where is the promised Elijah?" If this man said, "Do you not know that Billy Graham is Elijah?" what would be your reaction? You would undoubtedly say, "Impossible! How could Billy Graham be Elijah? He did not come out of the blue sky. We all know he came from North Carolina!"

You could not accept that, could you? Precisely this same kind of unbelief confronted our Lord Jesus Christ. People could not accept John the Baptist as Elijah, simply because he did not come from the sky. The people of 2,000 years ago were stubborn in their belief that the prophecy of Elijah's return must be fulfilled literally, that he must come from the sky. They were the victims of the letter of the Old Testament.

John the Baptist, Man of Failure

Yet Jesus Christ continued to preach with power and authority in spite of scornful public opinion. The people could not dismiss such a man lightly. They wanted to be sure of themselves. So they decided to go to ask John the Baptist himself and settle their questions once and for all. They asked John,

Who are you?' He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ' And they asked him, 'What then, are you Elijah?' He said, 'I am not.' 'Are you the prophet?' And he answered, 'No.' (John 1:19-21)

John the Baptist denied everything. He said, "I am not Elijah." He even denied the title of prophet. Everyone knew and recognized him as a prophet of God, but he said, "I'm no prophet." Why? He evaluated the situation and knew that Jesus Christ was treated by his own society as an outcast. Jesus seemed to be a loser, and John decided not to side with Jesus. He thought it would be much better to deny everything.

By doing so, John the Baptist pushed Jesus into a corner, making him seem a great impostor without defense. After John's denial, Jesus had no further recourse on this point.

Then why was Jesus crucified? First, he became the victim of literal interpretation of the Old Testament. Second, Jesus was rejected and finally crucified because of the failure of the mission of John the Baptist. We can read in Matthew that John the Baptist, waiting in prison to be beheaded, sent two of his own disciples to Jesus to ask the following question:

'Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?' (Matt. 11:3)

Is this the question of a man who has faith in Jesus as the Son of God? John the Baptist had earlier testified to Jesus at the Jordan River:

'I have seen and have born witness that this is the Son of God' (John 1:34)

Yet this very same person, with the very same tongue, was now confronting Jesus by asking, "Are you really the Messiah, or shall we go and look for somebody else?" How disheartening that question must have been to Jesus! What a man of little faith John was!

The mission of John the Baptist was very important to the fulfillment of the mission of the Messiah. God sent John specifically, ... to make ready for the Lord a people prepared. (Luke 1:17)

That was John's responsibility as the forerunner of Christ.

Jesus relied very much upon the success of the mission of John the Baptist. When this very John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him, "Are you really the Messiah?" it was more painful for Jesus than if he had stabbed him with a knife. Anger overwhelmed him. Jesus refused to answer yes or no to that impossible question. Instead Jesus said,

'Blessed is he who takes no offense at me.' (Matt. 11:6)

This was Jesus' consolation to John when he saw that John was failing. Jesus was really saying, "Poor John, man of failure. You no longer have faith in me. You are taking offense at the Son of God. I am sorry for you, John."

And then Jesus spoke to the crowd about John in indignation, saying,

'What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? Why then did you go out? To see a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who wear soft raiment are in kings' houses. Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet' (Matt. 11:7-9)

John was more than a prophet, because he came to bear witness directly to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He was born for this extraordinary mission. God entrusted that glorious responsibility to John. What an honor for a man to be called "more than a prophet" by Jesus! Yet John failed to live up to this honor. Therefore, Jesus said in Matthew,

'Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.' (Matt. 11:11)

John had fallen to the point where even the least in the Kingdom of Heaven was greater than he. The meaning of Jesus' statement has remained mysterious. Christians have not understood its true significance because they have not realized that John the Baptist was a man who failed his mission. Tonight we know the true meaning.

John the Baptist was the greatest among those born of women because of his mission, which was to testify to the Son of God. All the prophets in the past had the same mission. But the prophets who came before John had borne witness to the Messiah with a distance of time between them and the Lord.

John was born as a contemporary of Jesus Christ, so he had the privilege to bear witness to the living Christ when he appeared in person. So far as his mission was concerned, John the Baptist had the greatest, most glorious mission of all. Thus Jesus said he was the greatest among those born of women.

However, in carrying out his mission, John was the very least; he was the most miserable failure of all. All the prophets who had lived before him were watching from the spirit world. They knew who Jesus Christ was. But John did not. He doubted. He became skeptical and finally blind to Jesus' identity. In the end, he failed to maintain his own testimony to the Son of God. He became a man of failure and therefore the least of all in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I will give you another indisputable proof of the failure of the mission of John the Baptist. The people said to John,

'Rabbi, he... [Jesus] who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, here he is, baptizing, and all are going to him.' (John 3:26)

Then John answered,

'He must increase but I must decrease' (John 3:30)

Christians have interpreted this to mean that John was truly a humble man and a great prophet. They believe that he felt in all humility that Jesus must increase, while he himself had to decrease.

On the contrary, this is proof of the arrogance of John the Baptist. If John had taken Jesus Christ seriously as the Son of God, he would have no choice but to become one with Jesus and follow him wholeheartedly, rain or shine. He would have risen or fallen together with Jesus, bound by the same destiny. This passage shows that John did not in fact follow Jesus. He took an independent course and deserted Jesus. He did not, indeed, take Jesus seriously.

John the Baptist was finally beheaded. He could have been a glorious martyr had he been beheaded for performing his ordained mission: witnessing and proclaiming to the world that Jesus Christ was the Son of God! But he was beheaded merely for becoming involved in the love scandal of King Herod's family. That affair was none of John's business. Attending the Son of God was his sole responsibility. But John deserted this divine mission and suffered a meaningless, even shameful death. This truth must be told, however painful.

Therefore, Jesus said of John,

'From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force.' (Matt. 11:12)

This means that because of the failure of the mission of John the Baptist, the kingdom heralded by Jesus Christ suffered and was left open for competition. When a champion of God fails in his mission, someone else must take up that mission and put forth great effort to accomplish it. Thus, men of violent faith -- like Peter -- took John's position by force of their own merit.

However, had John the Baptist been a man of great faith, what would have resulted? He would have indeed become the chief disciple of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. If Jesus had been king, John the Baptist would have been prime minister. That was the position that God ordained for John.

In that case, then, the 12 apostles, the 70 disciples, and the 120 people chosen by Jesus all would have come from the ranks of John's own followers. John would have served as a mediator to bring unity and harmony between the chosen people of Israel and the Son of God. Who would have dared to crucify Jesus under those circumstances? No one! The crucifixion would never have occurred.

I am sure that many people who read the Bible must have wondered about John, "If he was such a great men, why did he not become the chief disciple of the Son of God?" Jesus himself indicated the mission that John the Baptist came to fulfill:

'For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come' (Matt. 11:13)

John the Baptist represented the consummation of the Old Testament, the law and the prophets. He was the prince of the old age. Jesus Christ came as the prince of the new age. Had he been supported by John the Baptist, he could have stood upon the firm foundation of the Old Testament Age. Then the new age could have blossomed in the fertile soil of the accomplishments of the old age. The Son of God could have established his glorious kingdom at once. And John the Baptist would have been the cornerstone of that kingdom.

Had John the Baptist followed Jesus, the distinguished leaders of that society would have been the first to accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Then who would have crucified the Lord of glory?

When God sent His only Son to this world to establish His kingdom on earth, don't you think He wanted to be followed by the most able people of his age? Do you think that God wanted only the outcasts of society to follow Jesus? Not at all! The simple failure of John the Baptist broke the link between the Son of God and the people. And as a result, only fishermen, tax collectors, harlots and lepers followed Jesus Christ. This brought great grief to the heart of God.

If the Lord is returning to the world today, is it not most logical that all the leadership of Christianity -- the bishops, the cardinals, the pope, and all the evangelists and great ministers of the world -- should become the first group to welcome the Christ? If they followed the Lord and became his first disciples, the establishment of his kingdom would be infinitely easier.

You may say, "Reverend Moon, by what authority are you speaking? What makes you so sure?" I do have the authority to say these things. God showed me the truth. I met Jesus. Jesus himself showed me these truths. And I met John the Baptist, too, in the spirit world. He himself bore witness to the truth of this testimony. After these extraordinary spiritual experiences, when I returned to the reality of this world, the same Bible I had been reading took on a whole new meaning.

Even if you cannot accept these things as the truth now, you must at least suspend judgment. One day we will all know the truth. Eventually we are all going to die. Every one of us will end up in the spiritual world, where truth is like the sunlight. No one can escape it there. On that day we shall all see the whole truth.

However, blessed is he who can be humble enough to accept the truth while he has the opportunity here on earth. Your knowledge of the truth and of God here on earth will determine your eternal life.

Jesus Expected On the Clouds of Heaven

There a third vital reason why Jesus was not accepted as the Messiah. Two thousand years ago the people expected the Son of God to come on the clouds of heaven, according to the prophecy of Daniel:

'I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man' (Dan. 7:13)

But Jesus Christ did not appear miraculously on the clouds of heaven. He was born of a woman Mary, the wife of Joseph. The people said, "Well, how could this Jesus be the Son of God? He is a mere man, Just like you and me." This was another overwhelming reason why the people rejected Jesus.

Some might object that Daniel's prophecy was not intended for the first coming of Jesus Christ, but rather for the coming of the Lord of the Second Advent. But I say this is not the case, because Jesus testified that all the prophecies and the law given prior to John the Baptist were intended to be fulfilled in the time of Jesus Christ (Matt. 11:13).

So the prophecy of the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven was intended for the coming of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. In those days there was no New Testament, and the thought of the Second Coming of the Lord was not even in the mind of God.

This prophecy of Daniel posed much difficulty for the ministry of Jesus. For instance, we can see the apostle John warns in the New Testament,

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of the Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. (II John 7)

This is what John was saying 2,000 years ago about those who disbelieved in Jesus Christ, rejecting him simply because he was a man in the flesh. They did not accept Jesus, but continued waiting for a supernatural appearance on the clouds. John condemned these people in the worst terms, saying, " such a one is the antichrist."

These historical truths have remained hidden from the Christian world. Today, for the first time, all these circumstances of Jesus' ministry are being brought to light.

Yes, our Lord Jesus Christ came to fulfill the mission of bringing God's kingdom to earth. But we did not understand him. We committed the great tragedy. Then later we claimed that was the will of God. How ironic!

The conviction that Jesus came to die on the cross has become the very foundation of Christianity. But this mistaken belief has been piercing the heart of God again and again for the last 2,000 years. God's heart was broken when Adam rebelled against Him, and again when His Son was nailed to the cross on the Mount of Calvary. We have sadly misunderstood both God and Christ.

Why, then, has this truth been revealed at this particular time? Because the time of the Second Coming of Christ is near. And God does not want Christians to commit the same mistake made at Jesus' time.

Only with the revelation of the clear truth from the Heavenly Father can all the Christian churches become one. Yes, truth makes us one. If we know the truth, that truth will liberate us from our mistaken beliefs and disunity. And the plain truth of God has now been revealed.

Crucifixion -- Secondary Mission of Jesus The crucifixion was not at all the original mission of the Son of God, but represented an alteration of his intended course. It was a secondary mission. It was decided on the Mount of Transfiguration. An account of this appears in Luke.

And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure [his crucifixion], which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:30-31)

When Peter, Jesus' chief disciple, was informed by Jesus that he would suffer. in Jerusalem and was to be crucified, Peter violently protested, as we read in Matthew:

'God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you' (Matt. 16:22)

Then Jesus lashed out at him saying,

'Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.' (Matt. 16:23)

Christians often quote this particular passage as proof that Jesus came to die on the cross. Many explain, "Look what Jesus said. He said he came to die. So that is why he rebuked Peter and called him Satan, because Peter opposed Jesus' going to the cross."

But that interpretation misses one vital point. Jesus rebuked Peter after he knew that God had changed His plan and altered Jesus' mission. Since the people rejected Jesus, God knew that Jesus could not carry out his primary mission, the establishment of the kingdom on earth, which required the cooperation of the people.

At that late point in his ministry, God then asked Jesus to fulfill only the limited goal of spiritual salvation. Jesus therefore began preparing for this secondary goal. And poor Peter knew nothing about this change in the mission of Jesus Christ.

Jesus called Peter "Satan" because Peter's seemingly comforting words had no relevance to the will of God at that point. Peter spoke from ignorance and blindness. But Jesus could not risk losing this secondary mission -- for then his coming would have been completely in vain.

Accepting Jesus Would Have Brought God's Kingdom

Let us consider what actually would have happened had Jesus been accepted by the people of Israel. Indeed, he would have become the king of Israel; he would have united his disciples with all of the descendants of Abraham, 12 tribes of Jacob, and all the Arab tribes as well. All of them would have become one family of the Son of God.

Jesus Christ would have set up a heavenly sovereignty centered upon the nation of Israel. The constitution of the Kingdom of God would have been promulgated in his time. An invincible nation would have been established, with the sovereignty of God spearheaded by the last Adam -- Jesus Christ -- as king. Even the Roman Empire would have been humbled before God's kingdom. This is the prediction of Isaiah:

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Is. 9:7)

After Jesus' death, his disciples marched toward Rome barehanded, suffering and shedding their blood. And within 400 years, the Roman Empire collapsed before this weaponless army. Had Jesus Christ not been crucified, but personally commanded this holy army, the entire Roman Empire would have come under the sovereignty of God during Jesus' own lifetime.

In those days, the great Roman Empire was the hub of the world. God's plan of salvation was to restore the whole world. Thus, God prepared Rome in a central role so that once the kingdom came to Rome, it could be spread easily to the whole world. Had Jesus been able to establish his kingdom in the Roman Empire, then through Rome's power and influence, people in every corner of the globe would have heard his gospel while he lived on earth.

Thus, in his lifetime Jesus would have established the Kingdom of Heaven on earth as a reality. The nation of Israel would have been the glorious center of his kingdom. Then there would be no divided Christianity as we have today -- no Roman Catholicism, no Presbyterianism, no Methodism, no Church of Christ. None of these would be necessary. You no longer need a vehicle when you have reached your destination.

You and I would already be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. There would have been no bloody history of Christianity -- no martyrs. And there would be no reason for the Second Coming. A doctor is unnecessary if there are no patients to cure.

The sad reality, however, is that Jesus Christ was met with rebellion. Without the obedience of Adam and Eve, God could not fulfill his ideal in the Garden of Eden. And without people's cooperation, Jesus Christ could not establish his kingdom on earth.

Crucifixion Brought Only Spiritual Salvation

So Jesus focused on his secondary mission, spiritual salvation. Due to the sin and blindness of the people, God permitted His son to be a sacrifice. That was the significance of the crucifixion. God allowed Jesus to die on the cross as a ransom paid to Satan. In exchange, upon Jesus' resurrection, God could claim the people's souls, though redemption of the body was not possible.

Therefore God's victory was not in the cross but in the resurrection. The resurrection brought the salvation Christianity offers.

At Jesus' crucifixion, Christianity was crucified as well. At the hour of the Lord's tribulation, no one remained faithful. Everyone betrayed Jesus. Even Peter denied Christ.

But with the resurrection, Christianity revived as well. Then for 40 days, Jesus rejoined and cemented the shattered fragments of Christianity. That was the beginning of the Christianity of today.

Yes, our salvation does come from Jesus' victorious resurrection. This is the victory of Christ, and Satan's power can never influence it. But the body of Jesus Christ was given up as a sacrifice and a ransom. In giving up his body, Jesus also gave up the body of mankind. Our salvation is limited to spiritual redemption, because the redemption of the body remained unfulfilled 2,000 years ago. And our world still suffers under Satan's power. Sin rages and dominates this world through our bodies.

Therefore, Paul shouted out in anguish,

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Rom. 7:24-25)

Paul was living in the grace of the Lord. Still he confessed that he could serve God only with his mind, and his flesh served the law of sin. His body yearned to be redeemed; he still anguished over sin.

And so it is for us. By accepting Christ, we receive spiritual salvation. But our bodies serve the law of sin under Satan's domain -- until Christ returns and liberates us from the bondage of sin. The Lord of the Second Advent alone can give total salvation: spiritual salvation and redemption of our bodies as well.

Christianity's power is limited to spiritual salvation. Unlike the nation of Israel, Christianity has no physical base, so God's dominion in Christianity is over only a spiritual kingdom.

Therefore, our great hope is the Second Coming of the Messiah. This is the hope of America, the hope of the world. America -- this unique Christian nation -- must awaken now and ready herself for the day of his coming.

American Christianity stands in the spiritual position of Israel 2,000 years ago. America is destined to serve as the Messiah's landing site for the 20th century. God wants to reach out to all people, and has chosen to reach out first to America and through her to the world.

America's role parallels that of the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago. As Rome was the hub of the world then, America is the hub of the world in modern times. Jesus set his eyes on Rome. And when Christ returns, he will set his eyes on America.

Prayer In the Garden of Gethsemane

In our ignorance, we Christians have missed the true spirit of Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he told his disciples:

'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch with me' And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt.' (Matt. 26:28-39)

He prayed this way not once, but three times. He was sorrowful even to death. Many in the Christian world suppose Jesus prayed this way out of human weakness, shrinking from his mission of dying on the cross. Nothing can be further from the truth!

Under Roman tyrants hundreds of thousands of Christians were martyred. They never said, "Please let this cup pass from me."

Simon Peter, when he himself was about to be crucified, told his persecutors, "I am not worthy to die in the same manner as my Lord. Do me a favor! Crucify me upside down." Even he did not say, "Please let this cup pass from me."

When Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was being stoned to death, he did not say, "Let this cup pass from me." Rather, he died peacefully, praying for his tormentors.

Such bravery is not limited to the Bible, Nathan Hale, a young officer captured in the American Revolutionary War, said as he was about to be hanged, "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." He did not say, "Please let this cup pass from me."

Do you suppose that the Messiah, the Son of God, was weaker than all these people -- especially if you think he came for the sole purpose of dying on the cross for world salvation? No! Were that the case, he would be unqualified as a Messiah. We have not understood the Lord Jesus.

The prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was not uttered out of any selfish concern or fear of death. Jesus Christ, our Lord, was ready to die a thousand times over if that were the only way to bring about the salvation of humanity.

Jesus' concern was for his mission. He grieved at the suffering of his Heavenly Father He was in turmoil because he could foresee the terrible consequences of his crucifixion. Jesus knew well that his crucifixion was not God's ultimate will. He knew his death would postpone the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven another 2,000 years, and that in the meantime humanity would suffer terribly.

He knew that millions of future followers would have to suffer, shedding their blood and being martyred as he had been. He knew Israel would be forsaken and desolate. And most of all, he had longed to bring victory and glorious fulfillment to his Father's throne in heaven, not to return alone through the crucifixion. He had hoped for a triumphant homecoming.

So in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus made his final desperate plea to God: "Even at this late hour, is there any possible way that I can remain on earth to fulfill my mission?" If we are to become true followers of Christ, we must fathom the grief and anguish that Jesus Christ suffered.

Furthermore, had the crucifixion been the full will of God, then Judas -- Jesus' betrayer -- should be regarded as a hero and awarded a heavenly medal, because somebody had to hand the Son of God to the enemy to be crucified. Yet, Jesus said of Judas,

'Woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.' (Matt. 26:24)

And why should Jesus shout on the cross,

'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' (Matt. 27:46)

If his crucifixion had been the will of God, Jesus should have been overjoyed. He would have shouted, "God, I am honored! Rejoice, Father, I am victorious!"

Christianity today has maintained the traditional view that Jesus came simply to die on the cross. This is how Christians have rationalized the murder of the Son of God!

How the Second Coming Will Be Fulfilled

Today, people cannot believe anything unless it is logical. God is truth, and truth is logical. There can be no perfection in ignorance.

Christian prayer alone could not lift Neil Armstrong to the moon. Scientific truth was necessary. I myself was once a student of science, and I know that God is also the God of science. God's message has to be scientific, logical, and convincing to men of the 20th century.

Let me come now to the apex of this evening's talk by discussing how the Second Coming of Christ will be fulfilled.

We read in the Gospels,

'They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.' (Matt. 24:30)

And in Revelation we read:

Behold, he is coming with the clouds. (Rev. 1:7)

But on the other hand, Paul wrote,

"The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." (I Thess. 5:2)

One prophecy envisions the Lord appearing with the clouds of heaven, and the other sneaking in like a thief in the night. These two prophecies are somewhat in conflict. If he comes as a thief, he cannot at the same time appear in the clouds. Shall we just choose one prophecy and throw the other out?

The people of 2,000 years ago did not know the message of God was in symbols. In interpreting it literally, they made a grave mistake. And when we Christians read the New Testament, we must not make the same mistake. We must read the Bible in the spirit of God, and discover the true meaning of its symbols and parables.

Two thousand years ago everyone expected Elijah to appear from the blue sky, but he did not come that way. Likewise, they expected the Messiah to come with the clouds of heaven, but he did not come that way either. Today, Christians await the Lord of the Second Advent's arrival on the clouds. But do you have any guarantee that such expectations will not be disappointed this time?

Let us be humble and open minded enough to accept both possibilities -- his coming on the clouds of heaven, and his coming as a thief at night. If you fix your mind only on the Lord's coming on the clouds, and it turns out that he comes as the Son of Man in the flesh, you will most likely commit the same crime as the people 2,000 years ago.

However, if you are humble and capable of accepting the Lord as the Son of Man in the flesh -- which is the only way he could come as a thief -- you win either way. You will be assured of meeting the Lord whichever way he comes.

If you could miss the Lord at all, it would be only if he came as a thief. If he comes on the clouds, you have no worry. Every eye would see him then. The television networks would make sure of that!

But I must advise you that God will not send His Son literally with the clouds of heaven. If you are gazing up in the sky and waiting for the Second Coming of the Lord, you will be disappointed. He will come, once again, as a man in the flesh.

This is God's revelation. Let me testify to it by reading the significant prophecies of the Bible. In Luke we read,

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he [Jesus] answered them, 'The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed.' (Luke 17:20)

Everyone would see the clouds of heaven. But Jesus said we would not observe the kingdom's coming. Did the people see the coming of the Messiah 2,000 years ago? No, they did not, because he came as the Son of Man in the flesh. Next let us examine a most extraordinary statement of Jesus Christ.

Most people ask, "Does the Bible really say that?" Look in Luke, where Jesus said,

'But first he [the Lord of the Second Advent] must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.' (Luke 17:25)

If the Lord is coming with the clouds of heaven, in power and great glory, with the trumpets of angels, who could dare reject him or cause him suffering? Would you? These are Jesus' words: He will suffer and be rejected, because he is coming as the Son of Man in the flesh. At first, people will have a difficult time recognizing him as the Christ.

Christian churches and devout Christians are expecting the coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven. They are all looking up, waiting for his appearance. But if that expectation does not come true, and the Lord appears unexpectedly as the Son of man in the flesh -- as Jesus came to this world the first time -- then what will happen?

At first people will reject him and cause him suffering. There will be no faith on earth. There will be no initial acceptance of Christ. Many Christians will pick up stones to throw at him. Many Christians will call him a blasphemer, a heretic, a man possessed by demons. Those were the very charges brought against Jesus 2,000 years ago.

In Luke we read,

As it was in the time of Noah, so will it be in the days of the days of the Son of man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26-27)

This is the description of the days of the Son of Man. And this will happen when the Lord comes as the Son of Man in the flesh.

The coming of Jesus as a man will herald the Kingdom of Heaven. But nobody will heed him. In fact, people will laugh at him, ridicule him, and persecute him, and do all kinds of evil against him.

And in the meantime, the world will continue in its usual way, in carnal business -- eating, drinking, marrying -- until the day the Lord is lifted up to the throne of judgment. When the world recognizes him as the Lord of Judgment, it will be too late! The ark will be closed. The judgment will already be at hand.

Now, I want you to consider another passage:

'I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?' (Luke 18:8)

Jesus questioned whether there would be faith on earth when Christ returned. Why?

History may repeat itself. Two thousand years ago tremendous faith existed. People prayed in the synagogues morning, noon, and night. They constantly read the Scriptures, writing them on their lapels, reciting them every day. They kept the Ten Commandments and all the laws. They brought their tithes to the temple. They fasted and fasted.

However, when the Son of God appeared, they failed to recognize him, and condemned him to the cross. Did Jesus find any faith? In the sight of Jesus Christ, there was absolutely no faith on earth.

So when he returns as the Son of Man in the flesh, there also may be no faith on earth. Millions of Christians and thousands of churches may never see the Son of Man coming, because it will be in the flesh.

Now, finally, let us read Matthew,

'On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast our demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers."' (Matt. 7:22)

What does this mean? Why should these devout Christians, who are calling on the name of the Lord, be condemned as evildoers? What wrong will they have done?

Throughout history many crimes and sins have been committed in the name of the Lord, in the name of God.

There is no better example of this than what happened in Jesus' time. The people who plotted to kill Jesus Christ -- and finally succeeded in crucifying him on the cross -- were the very people who had faithfully followed the word of God day and night. But when the Son of God came to them, they committed the worst crime in history. They killed God's only Son, and they did it in the name of the Lord!

By the same token, when Christ comes to us once again as a man in the flesh, how can we be sure that the Christians of today will not be the first ones to cast stones at the returned Christ? Today we have the same responsibility as the people of 2,000 yours ago. No matter how great our works or our prayers, when God sends His Son, if we do not recognize him and unite with him, he will say to us, "Depart from me, you evildoers."

If it is ever true that history repeats itself, then the Christians of today could become the worst enemies of the returned Christ. They may attempt to crucify him once again in the name of the Lord.

However, even though the initial rejection and persecution may be very severe, Christ is not returning to be crucified again. The Lord of the Second Advent will be victorious, and will finally be elevated to the throne of judgment, and shall judge the world as the Lord of Judgment.

When he is lifted up to the throne, then every eye shall see him. It will be unmistakably clear to everyone who he is. And those who have previously accused and rejected him will wail and mourn because of the evil they have done to him. But it will be too late. The Lord will say to them, "I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers."

The Lord is coming. And he is coming as a man. Yet, he is also coming with the power and glory of God. And he will judge the world. Only the meek will be blessed. The arrogant will see the unquenchable fire.

Meaning of the Clouds of Heaven

Then what is the true meaning of the "clouds of heaven"? Let us note once again that the Bible is written in symbols. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches." This is, of course, a symbolic expression.

By the same token, the "clouds of heaven" has a spiritual meaning, not a physical one. For instance, we read in Revelation,

The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. (Rev. 17:15)

The Bible indicates that water is a symbol for the multitudes of fallen mankind.

What are clouds? They are vaporized water. Water is often impure, dirty, with many foreign elements in it, but when such water is evaporated into clouds, it leaves its impurities behind. Thus, those people who are vaporized and purified from among the waters of mankind are symbolically in the position of the clouds of heaven.

Jesus is coming among those prepared people, God's people. He is coming among the consecrated, reborn Christians -- those who are purified, elevated, cleansed from sin. They will form the foundation of the Kingdom of God when Jesus returns to earth. This is the true meaning of the clouds of heaven.

God's Purpose Fulfilled

First Adam and Eve: God actually intended His Kingdom on earth to begin with the first Adam and Eve. If they had been truly obedient to God and achieved perfection, God would have united them in heavenly matrimony and established the first family on earth according to His will. This family would have become the cornerstone of the Kingdom of God on earth, with Adam and Eve as the True Father and True Mother of all people. The Garden of Eden is the symbolic expression for that kingdom. And this world would have been the world of joy for God.

Second Adam and Eve: Although the first Adam and Eve failed, God's ideal remained the same. God determined to realize that original kingdom and fulfill the world of joy. And 4,000 years later in biblical history, God intended to restore that Kingdom of God on earth through another perfected Adam. Jesus Christ was that perfected Adam.

Paul called Jesus the "last Adam," or the second Adam (I Col 15:45). He came as the perfected Adam 2,000 years ago in place of the first Adam, who had failed.

The restoration of Adam alone could not bring a kingdom. There had to be a bride, a mother -- another Eve. So God intended for this perfected Adam -- Jesus Christ -- to restore his bride, the perfected Eve. This would have been the restoration of the first family, lost since the Garden of Eden.

Third Adam and Eve: Because of the rebellion of the chosen people of Israel, however, this never happened. Nevertheless, God is determined to fulfill His will. Thus, He has promised the return of Christ.

Approximately 2,000 years have passed since Jesus Christ's death. And now, God is once again ready to send His son -- in the capacity of the Third Adam. Throughout history, God has always fulfilled His goal at His third attempt. It is true that the number three is the number of perfection. This time, God will definitely fulfill His age old ideal by blessing the perfected Adam and Eve in heavenly matrimony, thus laying the foundation of the Kingdom of God on earth.

This ultimate condition is prophesied in the Book of Revelation as the marriage supper of the Lamb. And the Lord of the Second Advent is that Lamb, that perfect Adam. The Lord is coming as perfected Adam, and he will restore perfected Eve. Then they will be lifted up as the first True Parents of mankind. At last, God's joy will be complete.

Shortly before his crucifixion, Jesus said to Peter,

'I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' (Matt. 16:19).

The error was made here on earth. Sin was committed here on earth. So the error must be remedied and sin eradicated here on earth. Jesus asked us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'' Earth is the problem. That is why Christ must come back to this earth.

Many Christians believe that at the end of the world, God will destroy everything. The sun will be darkened, the stars will fall, and the earth will be burned up. A mere handful of Christians will be lifted up in the air, to spend the millennium with Christ.

If God did that, then He would become a God of failure, His original will forever unfulfilled. He would be relinquishing this earth to Satan. Then Satan would actually become the victor, and God the loser. This will never happen! God is almighty. He will not give up on this earth. It was meant to be, and it shall be, His kingdom. This New York shall be His kingdom, too.

You can be the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven if you meet the coming Messiah. He is your hope, my hope, and the only hope of America and this world.

If we fail to see him, however, then Christianity will have no hope. Christianity will decline. Its spiritual fire will be extinguished. The churches will become the tombs of the old legacy. Our world then will be doomed.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have come here to Madison Square Garden tonight in obedience to God's command. The Bible says,

And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that T will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.' (Acts 2:17)

We are living in such an extraordinary time, at the birth of a new age! Heaven is quite near. And if you earnestly call upon God, He will answer you.

You must urgently ask Him, "How can I know if Reverend Moon is telling the truth?" Do not let me or anyone else answer that question for you. Let God answer you directly.

So go in peace, and please ask God earnestly, sincerely. Confront God in prayer. God will reveal the answer to you.

The new hope for mankind is the Messiah. And that "great and terrible day of the Lord" is at hand. It is up to you whether that day will be great or terrible. If you meet the Messiah, for you that day will be great. But if you fail to meet him, then for you that day will indeed be terrible.

God bless you. Thank you for your attentive listening.

Kamsa hamnida! Thank you, and good evening.

Day of Hope Banquet

Sun Myung Moon
September 17, 1974
The Waldorf-Astoria

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to be here tonight. Thank you very much for coming.

First of all, I owe you an apology. As you were coming in to this banquet tonight, Mrs. Moon and I wanted to greet you and shake hands with each one of you to express our heartfelt welcome. But my staff advised against having a receiving line, for if we were to shake hands with all of the more than 1,700 guests, no time would be left for the banquet. I regret not being able to meet each one of you personally. So to compensate for that, may I now shake hands with one gentleman and one lady among you as representatives of all guests tonight? Secondly, I owe you another apology. During the last several weeks, hundreds of energetic young people from all over the world have been working in your city of New York. And this already noisy city of New York was made even noisier-all in the name of God, of course.

I am the one responsible for that. Furthermore, there have been many posters, and newspaper, TV, and radio ads announcing my meeting at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night. So I am sure that in this city by now almost everyone must be asking, "By the way, who is that Rev. Moon? Is he running for Senator, or something?" That question is well answered to night: Here I am, Rev. Moon. But I am not running for Senator.

New York is indeed a city of wonder. Amazement and astonishment never cease in this city. When I first came to New York and mingled with the rush hour crowd on Fifth Avenue, 1 discovered a strange fact. I saw that all the people were walking with their heads down. So I thought that New Yorkers must be very humble, meek, and saintly, showing their inner respect to Al mighty God by keeping their heads bowed even during the busy rush hour.

Months later, however, I found a more practical reason why New Yorkers walk with their heads down. As you know, New York is a city of skyscrapers. Millions of tourists come here to see them every day of the year. Those tourists walk around with their heads up, looking in awe at the Empire State Building and other great skyscrapers. Unless you watch out, your toes will be stepped on by those fascinated tourists, and your fashionable Madison Avenue shoes will look miserable by the end of the day. So New Yorkers, who are well accustomed to those majestic buildings, must look down and watch out to keep from getting stepped on.

But then I thought that the first and second reasons why New Yorkers have their heads down should be equally true. What the city of New York needs most today is God. And in order to have God, people must have humble and meek minds. Only when we have a reverent attitude can God come into our hearts and into the city of New York. Let us make God real in the heart of New York, so that even during the rush hour on Fifth Avenue His presence will be so real that we cannot but bow our heads in thanksgiving and gratitude.

I love each one of you deeply and dearly, because I know God loves America and the American people-and I love God. Long before the birth of this nation, God was already preparing the North American continent, quietly setting it aside for His special dispensation.

In His divine will, at His appointed hour, God has raised up one great nation upon this blessed land-the United States of America. In such a short time, within only 200 years, God and the American people together have brought forth one of the most miraculous achievements in history. This miracle is great evidence that God's abundant love has been poured out upon this great land of America. And God, who loves America dearly and deeply, must especially love this city of New York, because New York is the greatest city in America, distinguished citizens of this great city of New York. Therefore, God-who loves America and loves your city of New York must love each one of you deeply and dearly. So I think God must be present with us here tonight.

I am really overwhelmed to be welcomed by this great and distinguished gathering in New York, in this beautiful set ting. I am deeply honored to meet you here. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to you, and I am truly thankful that you all came. What makes our meeting here unique is not that we are meeting in the grand setting of the Waldorf-Astoria, but because we are here in the name of God. In a very real sense, God is our host tonight.

If I were to end my greeting to you at this point, then actually you still would not know very much about Rev. Moon. I am sure that you have come here to see me and hear me. And I would also like to leave you with a clear impression.

Therefore, if you would permit me, in the next few minutes I would like to leave you with a few grains of thought as a memory of my visit to your great city. Would you permit me to do so?

What is the most precious thing in your life? No doubt, the most precious things for you are happiness, joy, freedom, peace, and your ideals. This is common to all human beings. Therefore, throughout history, all people, regardless of their race or time, have sought true happiness, joy, freedom, peace, and certain ideals. Also, all of us have an innate desire to have these precious things last for eternity, be unchanging and absolute. Because man has set his goals and ideals so high, he seldom attains them easily in the reality of life here on earth. Our world is always changing, and each man's stay here on earth is brief. Many have sought happiness, joy, freedom, peace, and their ideals, but very few have found them.

Having searched for eternal happiness in vain, we have to arrive at the conclusion that to find what is eternal, unchanging, and absolute, we must seek those things from an eternal and unchanging and absolute source. How can we find such a source? Is there such a source? Yes! It can only be Almighty God.

God is the Source of life. Not only that, God is also the Source of happiness and joy, the Source of freedom and peace, and in deed the Source of love and all ideals. It may surprise you, however, to hear that to have these precious things is God's desire, too. God is seeking happiness, joy, love, and His ideal to be fulfilled for Himself also. However, as long as God is alone, He cannot experience them. They remain dormant within Him. The fulfillment of these goals can only be realized when a subject finds an object, and they unite in a reciprocal relationship of give and take, stimulating and complementing each other. Under that condition alone can these noble goals be attained.

The words "love" and "ideal" are without meaning when one is alone. Love demands someone to love and someone to be loved by. Hope or any ideal needs to be shared with someone. Love and ideals have meaning only when a reciprocal and complementary relationship of give and take has been established.

You may try to be happy by yourself, try to be joyful, try to be loving. But you can never attain these things when you are alone.

This is a universal truth. It even applies to Almighty God. As long as God remains alone, even He cannot fulfill these goals by Himself. Even Almighty God Himself needs someone to be in the position of an object to Him, someone to love and to be loved by. For that reason, God created man as an object to God. God wanted to establish the reciprocal relationship of give and take with man so that He could be constantly stimulated in love and joy by that relationship. Have you ever thought that even God is helpless without you? Have you ever thought you are that precious and important in the sight of God?

Tonight I have had the pleasure of meeting many distinguished couples, husbands and wives. Let me ask you a question. Some years ago, when you were looking for your ideal mate, what was your standard? Did you want to have somebody who was better or superior to yourself, or somebody who was inferior to yourself?

You don't have to answer. The answer is obvious! Everyone is seeking someone better than himself or herself, because we all want to be associated with someone most ideal, someone perfect. We all know we may have some failings, some imperfections. But human desire always reaches for the highest. We all seek to have our dreams realized in our life partners.

Furthermore, as parents, do you want your children to be inferior to yourself, or would you want them to be superior to you? A father or mother would want unconditionally for their children to be better than themselves.

The other day, I saw a newborn baby. The parents of the baby are a very good looking couple, yet the baby was not too handsome. She almost looked like an Idaho potato. But I said to that young couple, "Well, your baby is more beautiful and more handsome than her mommy and daddy!" Do you think that mommy and daddy were mad at me? No! On the contrary, they said, "Thank and they beamed from ear to ear.

Why do we have traits and desires that work like this? All of our human characteristics come from one origin. We are the reflection of God. We act like we do because God acts that way. Our minds work the way they do because God's mind works that way.

That's the way God is! That's the way we are. We are like God, and God is like us. When Almighty God created man as His object, He wanted to have the very best. Just like any parent, God wants the very best for His children. He wants His children to be even better than Himself. The Heavenly Father wants His sons and daughters to be even better than Himself.

Yet man has not really known this most simple but profound truth. We did not realize that God is our Father, and that He truly has parental love for us. He wants His children to be even better than Himself. We are that important, that precious in the sight of God. This is the ultimate value of man s life-that we are God's sons and daughters. And we have never understood that!

Since God is the eternal God, unchanging and absolute, when He created man He wanted man, His object, to be eternal, like Himself. He wanted man, His object, to be unchanging, like Himself. He wanted man, as His object, to be as unique and absolute as Himself.

So when we come to the realization that God is of this nature, then we realize that there can be no question about eternal life. The eternal life of man is more than real. Since God is eternal, He intends for His object to have eternal life, also. That is the logical conclusion.

By now, we know why God created man. We know that God is the Subject and we are His objects. Whenever there is a subject and object, there is the possibility of two different kinds of relationships between the two. One is a selfish relationship, where one dominates the other for the benefit of himself. The other is an unselfish relationship, where one gives himself wholeheartedly for the benefit of the other. So when we think of these two kinds of relationships, which one would be God's choice? God knows that a selfish relationship is self-destructive. Nothing can flourish based on selfishness. Selfishness eventually leads to self-extinction. God knows that an eternal and prospering relationship can never come about through selfish taking. So God's choice was to have an unselfish relationship. He built the universe upon the base of unselfishness.

I see here in this audience many very prosperous and distinguished-looking gentlemen. We all generally have some pride and some ego. And I'm sure that every one of you has a certain pride in your own accomplishments. However, I want all you men to know that God, when He created man, did not create him to live for man's own sake or for man's selfish purpose. Man was created for somebody else-for woman. Yes, God made man for woman. Are you disappointed, men? Well, you should not be. Without woman, man leads himself into self-destruction.

Many of the ladies are smiling! But don't worry, men. We won't lose anything, because God created woman not for s sake, but to serve man!

Women throughout the world have one thing in common. They always try to make themselves beautiful, putting on expensive makeup, arranging their hair, wearing beautiful dresses, and even doing beauty exercises! And for what? For themselves? No, for the delight of men!

Let's say a lady gets all dressed up and goes out to some social event. If only other women comment on her beautiful dress, she will soon be disturbed and think that something is wrong with her. What she is looking for is a compliment from a man. And if all the men there were just crazy about her dress, her hair, or her beauty, she would indeed feel that she was in heaven, on "cloud."

God gave us five senses and sense organs-eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and so on. And the purpose of all this is so that we can relate to an object, or someone else. Actually, these organs are not working for you, but for your object.

We have not realized this fundamental truth, that God created everything in this universe to be complementary. All things are made for other things.

Then what is the ideal couple, the ideal husband and wife? Well, after the wedding, the newlywed bride and bridegroom go on their honeymoon. At first everything is usually most romantic. They confess their love to each other, saying, "I love you so much." They say, "I love you so very much."

You are more than my life. I was born solely for you. Even unto my death, I love. These are all most unselfish sentiments. But the problem comes when those pledges don't last more than three days!

However, if any married couple ever carried out those promises, and truly loved each other unselfishly, then that would indeed be the ideal couple-the ideal husband and wife in the sight of God. You know we are to live for each other. We are to ex change our lives. We are to fulfill each other's lives. This is the beauty and happiness of life. You by yourself can never fulfill your own life. The universe is not made that way.

What is the definition of a patriot? I know Americans respect and admire Abraham Lincoln. Why? He is respected because he is a patriot. A patriot is one who gives himself unselfishly for the benefit and well-being of the nation, and for the welfare of his own countrymen. That is the true patriot. And Abraham Lincoln surely was such a man. He gave himself even to death for his country.

According to this same principle, who could we say is the greatest man in all history? Who is the Saint of all saints? There is one who surpasses all others: Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus Christ was indeed the Saint of all saints, because he set the supreme example of a giving, loving, and unselfish way of life. And he is the one who said, "Love your enemies."

He really lived that principle. He even gave his life for his enemies. The Bible teaches this one principle from cover to cover, this selfless way of life of God. Jesus said there is no greater love than being able to lay down your life for your friend-or for your enemy. From the very beginning, God has been constantly working to bring humanity into the knowledge of this selfless way of life. One day God will bring the perfection of that kind of life on this earth. That will be the day of the Kingdom of God. To this end, throughout history God has been using all good religions of the world as His tools, His instruments to teach mankind the knowledge of God's selfless way of life. It is for this reason that all good religions have one teaching in common: selfless love, the selfless way of life. The essence of the teachings of good religions is love and sacrifice.

Then what is evil? What is unhappiness? What is sorrow? What is despair?

Nobody wants these things. These are the products of the exact opposite of the way of God. In selfishness there is no peace. In hatred and selfishness there is no joy. In selfish greed there is neither harmony nor unity.

In the beginning, God created a world of goodness in which only His unselfish way of life would prevail. That was His ideal. However, the master of evil came into being and twisted the way of life around, from unselfish giving to selfish taking.

The first woman, Eve, was subjugated by the selfish love of Lucifer, the fallen angel. And Eve subjugated the first man, Adam, with a selfish motive, plunging all humanity into the darkness of selfishness and greed. This reversal of God's principle was the beginning of evil.

All evil came from selfishness. A world of greed and self-destruction was the result, and history has often been a nightmare. That characterizes the world in which we live today.

You might be thinking, "Rev. Moon, your ideas sound good, but I'm afraid you are too idealistic. How could a totally unselfish world be possible?"

Let's look at the practical side of it. Let me ask you another question. Suppose there is someone who truly loves you, one hundred percent unselfishly. Oh, you are a happy person! You are bubbling with joy because of the knowledge that someone loves you so much. You want to give something back to that person to show that you love him, too. Isn't that right?

Would you be stingy about returning that love, so that you discounted 40 or 50 percent of the amount of love you receive and kept that in your pocket, only returning 50 percent to him? Or would you like to out-love that person and try to give more love than he gives you? What is your reaction?

I know your answer. You want to give more. You want to out-love that person. It is human nature never to be stingy about love. So when there is someone who truly loves you, you always want to do more for that person. You want to make him happier. Do you agree with me? An unselfish deed always brings an unselfish reward. Isn't that so?

Your deeds of love will, never be lost. When I love Mr. Pak with 100 percent unselfish love, then that love will not only reach its destination, but it will also bring back 100 percent love, plus interest. Love forms a circular motion of give and take, and each time it brings back more love. It goes round and round, each time increasing the amount of love returned, creating endless motion. Circular motion alone can go on for eternity. Circular motion alone can bring prosperity. In His wisdom, God set the principle of eternity in circular motion. Therefore, all of God's creation sustains its life in circular motion. When there is interaction of give and take of love in oneness, there is harmony and stimulation. The result will be joy, freedom, and prosperity. Each action of give and take returns the original investment plus interest coming with it. This is the way to become prosperous.

We commonly hear parents say to their children, "Be good. Be nice to others. Be a good man, and you will be blessed." This is very abstract advice. What does it mean?

What is the definition of a good man? Essentially, he is a selfless person, a God like person. And one who lives in God's selfless way will never diminish himself, but become prosperous in the sight of God. The more you practice the way of life of God, the more you resemble God, the more you become God-like. When you practice God's way of life, you will emerge as a leader in your own world. You will become the central figure, just as God is the central figure of the entire universe.

Let's say that in a household there are 10 members-two parents and eight children. Let's say the youngest son serves each of the other nine members of his family in the most loving, selfless way. Even though he is the youngest son, he will gain a central position in the family. He is earning more respect than anyone else, including the mother and father.

Why? Because that young son is truly practicing God's way of life. He is most nearly in God's position in his family, so he becomes the central figure.

So when you occupy the central position by love, by serving others, then in your own universe everyone seeks your influence. They will voluntarily come under your dominion. Actually, this is God's principle. It is only by serving, by unselfish giving, that one can truly dominate-not by power, not by force.

People do not like to be dominated. But this is because they usually try to dominate for selfish purposes. Everyone actually wants to belong to somebody who loves him. Everybody seeks to belong to the source of love. This is human nature.

There is another most important reason why we have to serve. What are the most precious things in your life? I said love and your ideal. Again, life is fulfilled when we find love and our ideal. But we cannot generate that love by ourselves. We cannot fulfill that ideal alone. We cannot have these by ourselves.

The essential value of love and the ideal which fulfills our lives comes from others, comes from the objects. We are in a position of receiving. Therefore, we should be humble and meek, because we are in the receiving position. Our duty is to give our love unselfishly for sake, to fulfill their lives. We must then wait to receive their love to fulfill our own lives. This is the very core of the truth, the fundamental truth of God's way of life. Once we know this, it becomes our yardstick, the criterion by which we can judge and evaluate this world. With this principle we can tell where a person stands. Besides this world of ours, there is another world we are to live in-the spirit world-which the Bible calls heaven. When we arrive there, we will all see that heaven operates according to God's principle. We will see there the perfection of God's way of life.

Actually, this physical world is just our temporary home. We are visitors here on earth. Our eternal and true home is the spirit world. Therefore, while we are here on earth, we must recognize that this is our unique opportunity to prepare ourselves to be worthy of that heaven. We cannot be any better in heaven than what we have been on earth. How much we live God's way of life here on earth determines our place in the eternal heaven.

So once you begin to live according to God's way here on earth, you are already living in heaven. There are no boundaries between the life you live here on earth and the afterlife. This is why Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is "in the midst of You can live in the Kingdom of Heaven right now, right here!

Life for God is living for others, making one great circle of service. For example, I serve my family, my family serves the purpose of the society, and society is the servant to the nation. The nation is a servant to the world. The world, in turn, is to serve God. And God lives solely for you and me, for His children.

He is our Father, our True Parent. His sole concern is love. We must wake ourselves up and realize that God is our Father, and that His sole concern is to love us-to love me.

No one minds domination by unselfish love. No, we are all seeking to be dominated by love.

If America could make herself that kind of place, where God's heavenly way of life could prevail, then America would truly dominate the earth in love. And the rest of the world would be only too happy to seek America's influence. We must create heaven right here in America, and give that heaven to the rest of the world.

When we mention the Unification Church, with that big word, "unification," many people start lo shake their heads. They say, "Unification? Well, so many people have tried. So many saints have tried. So many philosophers have tried. So many scientists have tried. So many military leaders have tried. But nobody has succeeded in bringing about oneness in the world, or establishing unity and harmony. Rev. Moon has a great idea, but it will not work. I feel sorry for him, because I know he will be disappointed.

To those people my answer is very simple. I tell them that I am not the one who will bring about unification. God is going to do that Himself! God created this world as one of unity and harmony. All we have to do is to restore it. Let's make God real in our hearts and start to live His way of life! Let God do His job of unifying the world. All you have to do is to let God come into your heart and use you as His instrument.

The question is not whether unity is possible. The question is whether we have God in our lives or not. I am overwhelmed to see this wonderful, distinguished gathering here tonight. There are 1, 700 honored guests. I asked my New York commander, "How did you accomplish this?"

I know what they have done! These young people went out to meet you with unselfish motivation. I feel sure that you came here as a result of the sincerity and earnestness of these young people-and above all, because of their selfless attitude.

"Oh, I give up! These young people are impossible." By this time you began to see something in their faces-something earnest, something not quite of this world. Your heart was telling you, "I must respond to these young people." You would almost feel guilty not to respond to something so genuine, someone so unselfish.

I am sure that many of you came for that reason. Our Unification Church is here to proclaim God's love and His way of life. We do not want to become just an organization. We do not want to become an institution. We want to be a movement that will live God's way-not with our lips, but with our hearts and in our deeds.

In this day and age, God is looking for people who will live the truth. God is searching for serious-mindedness. God has been mistreated and abused throughout history. His name is spoken everywhere, but in vain. God is looking for single-minded fools people He can trust, people who can do crazy things for Him.

The Unification Church was born for that purpose. I tell you that our young people are serious about God. We want to be fools for God. And we are such fools that we are willing to give up everything for Him. Let me say one more thing in conclusion. You all have a Western cultural background. I have an Asian background. I have already become something of a controversial figure in Asia, and I am becoming controversial here in America.

There are people saying unkind things about me, things that are twisted and untrue. But one thing is certain. At least everybody is paying attention to what we are doing.

Now, the reason I come here is to serve-simply to serve. If I preach this way, and if I speak this way to the young people, and if we do not live these principles, then I am no good. Our movement is then no good at all.

But no matter how unkind people are to me, as long as we truly practice the way of life of God, then no other power can touch me or this movement and affect us even one iota. This is not any one man s movement, but God's movement.

I came here to love America. Is it a crime to love America? Of course not. Love does no harm. America belongs to those who love it most. So, in a way, I am in a competition of love. I want to love America more than any American does. That is my dream, my challenge.

Why? I love America because the Father in heaven loves America and the American people, and I love God as my Father. I love America as my own country. In Him we are one. In Him we are truly brothers and sisters.

I hope you now understand why I said at the beginning of my talk, "To love each one of you deeply and dearly." I said it, and I meant it-that in Him we are truly one people.

Yes, God created East and West as twins. Somebody has said, "Never the twain shall meet." But God created these twins of East and West to meet, to stimulate each other with different flavors, different characteristics, different cultures, so that we could have more joy and further enrich our lives. This is our purpose of meeting, and we must begin to fulfill it.

I believe that nothing happens by accident. It is no accident that we have come here tonight. We have a job to do according to the will of God.

Yes, this world has many problems. People are needed who can help solve those problems instead of being part of the problems. We are to be such people, working as the champions of God. We can attack the problems of this world only with God, by practicing His way of life. Then we can truly bring the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Since Jesus Christ shed his own blood for humanity, mam great martyrs and saints have served humanity unselfishly, giving themselves totally. But today is an extraordinary time in God's schedule. Now God needs a committed champion of His own, more than at any other time in history. We are here tonight to renew our determination to respond to the call of God, to pledge our lives and our resources, and to pledge to have America realize God's ideal here on earth. Let us commit our own skills, talents, and our very lives to this great purpose of God.

We are celebrating tonight, marking a new beginning for the challenge ahead of us-that is, to bring the Kingdom of God into our midst. Our challenge is to all become true citizens of the Kingdom of God. Our challenge is to make this New York, our beloved city, heaven. America herself can be heaven.

And when our life on this earth is completed, the record of how we lived will become the measure for how much heaven we deserve. This will be the standard:

The love you unselfishly bestowed upon your fellow man:

The service you willingly rendered for the benefit of others;

The sacrifice you courageously offered for humanity and for God.

The sum total of these deeds will be come your treasure for eternity.

These are the thoughts that I wanted to share with you tonight. May God bless each one of you, your homes, your work, and your great city of New York. And above all, may God bless America!

Thank you. 

A New Breed Of People

Reverend Sun Myung Moon
Tarrytown, New York
September 15,1974
Master Speaks
Translated by Col. Bo Hi Pak

Since I met with you last, there are newcomers among you from all parts of the world and from all parts of America. Those who have not seen me before would you please raise your hands? Thank you. From early in the morning you have been sitting on a cold stone floor for which I'm sorry. This is a strange type of sitting position in the Western world. We are in America, in the Western world, but the way of life we are following is not exactly the Western way of life. I'm sure you have already gotten rid of the concept that one should not sit on a floor. About five or six years ago, one American family member visited Korea. Of course, he did not know much about Korean customs. He was trying to do exactly the same as he did here in America. He gave me a very cordial greeting, and paid his respects, and then he wanted to sit down. He looked around the room but there was no chair to sit on. He could not sit up in the air without some support, so then he didn't know what to do. So, he just sat on the floor in a very awkward and clumsy way. He tried to be comfortable, but after a few moments, he could not sit in that position, and in a few moments he stretched out two legs in front of him. In a few moments, even in that stretched-out leg position, which is supposed to be very comfortable, he still felt uncomfortable. Then he began to lie down. In a few moments he was fully lying down facing toward me. According to our custom we usually sit down on the floor with the knees down and normally we never stretch our legs to the front; normally we never, never under any circumstances lie down on the floor. When I saw all this, I was surprised even though that person was not aware of the different custom in Korea. But I did feel that there was a great distance and a gap between the way of life of Heaven and Earth. That does not mean that I came here to spread only the Oriental way of life. What I'm interested in is the Heavenly way of life. Even though I didn't say precisely what to do, you learn quickly to show respect in the proper manner. You all come from the Western cultural background, but we are here together not only as the Western culture and the Western people, but we are here together as a new brand, a new breed of people that is following, the one brand-new way of life. We have come from all different parts of the world, but you do not belong to one particular part of the world. We are creating a new brand of culture which is blending the Western and Oriental culture together. Furthermore, we are creating a new culture of the Heavenly way of life.

I'm very grateful to see that all the Unification Church members here are young people. Young people have new and different ideas, and they can more easily adjust to a new way of life much more quickly. But I do know, sitting on a floor like this is not necessarily the very best way of sitting. I know you are determined to stay in that position for the entire length of my talk. But after ten minutes, after twenty minutes, you become numb in your legs, and you get tired in your back, and you think, "Well, I hope Father's message is quickly over, because my legs can't stand it! " Later you might have some complaint and in your heart start "booing." So this morning, let's vote: would you like me to talk very briefly, or medium or long. (Long!) While you were saying "long," at the same time your long legs began to stretch out!

We have created a unique way of life-in other words, a super way of life. You Oriental people who are here, you must go beyond your Oriental concept of a way of life. Western people here you must learn how to go beyond the Western way of life. Thus we meet in one pioneering super way of life. I can see what is happening, some are anxious and desires are brewing among our members. A curious thing too, some Western young people are thinking, "Well, eventually I'd like to have an Oriental mate as my wife or husband." And Oriental people might think that, "Well, it might be a good idea to have my mate from the Western culture." Young people seek excitement, something new. Let's say all the women have yellow shirts. You don't wear that yellow shirt all the time! Women have a desire to look fresh and different-you want to change your dress. All of you here must have gotten accustomed to listening to Western ministers and missionaries and evangelists in the past. And also many teachers. They didn't impress you much. Well, can you tell me? Am I from the Orient or the Western world? I'm sure I'm generating a great deal of curiosity in your hearts. We see that Western culture and civilization has come to a dead end. We need a break-through, a new threshold. The Western mind and Western eye is focused upon the Orient-to see something new in that mysterious world. It is true, externally. But is it more true in internal culture, or the spiritual culture? The mind of the Western world is focusing on the Orient, something new seeking something mysterious, something really breathtaking. I do believe that the Unification Church and the Unification Movement are surely the forerunners and the pioneers providing direction for Western culture. We are here providing direction for the Western culture. You are here discovering the Oriental culture. On the other hand, in the view of Oriental people, there has been no culture from the Orient that can really unite with the Western culture, except the Unification Church. This ideology, this way of life, can make sense to everyone on the face of the Earth. In other words, we are now creating a universal way of life. So East and West met. We not only met, but we are blending into one homogeneous, harmonious culture. Eastern culture and Western culture are meeting. We're not only meeting and blending, but we are joining forces. In other words, what we're creating is a totally new culture. We are not just meeting. There must be some binding force or pushing power. (Father: "Is it true?") (Yes!) So, how do you like to be pushed? Slowly, or do you like to be pushed very intensively? (Intensively!) That is a good answer. That's because a new brand of people are assembled here in New York.

I heard so many reports that many American brothers and sisters came and are saying that they have been criticized. People are saying, "Why? Why do you follow that Reverend Moon? There are so many other leaders! Why choose him?" So, the many parents and the many critics are saying to you, probably, "There are thousands of churches in New York! Thousands of ministers, and many evangelists! Why are you like that ... you know, why to that very person? Coming from Korea and the Orient?" And some of the critics, particularly mass media, don't like me simply because I'm not American. So, there are many Americans, very narrow-minded ones, who think that a Korean man and an Oriental person is here to create a commotion and they do not like us to be too successful. So, they are trying to adversely affect our movement in such a way that we could not grow. Therefore, I anticipate these rejections and some adverse situations.

There is great pressure from the side of the left. But on the other hand, there's another formidable power, pushing us from the right. This is the power of God. He is pushing us up toward a definite goal. So, do you think the Heavenly forces will be defeated, or be victorious? (Victorious!) There's one positive force, one negative force-one Heavenly force, one satanic force. The man standing right here, Reverend Moon, is in the middle of the battle. I am the focal point of the action. I'm in the middle as an individual, my family as a family, my tribe and nation-are all occupying that position in the middle. So, in order to have a solution, what we are seeking is not confrontation. What we are seeking is blending. That will make us one. Who will make this confrontation into one harmonious unity? Satanic forces and Heavenly forces are making a confrontation, a showdown. Who will make the showdown in harmonious unity? That's your job and our job. The stronger the confronting forces, the easier, better, and quicker it'll be to make them gladdening and harmonious forces. All you have to do is push them in such a way that both forces will blend together. In other words, use momentum. Then we are not only making one blending force, we are making one half circle of harmony. Since formidable forces are in action, the little force will play a most important and vital role; to make the entire balance of power move in a positive direction. So that at a dramatic moment a showdown will determine the victorious moment. Is that good or bad? (Good!) Yes, that's good! We must take up the opportunity! We must not let it go! However, it is not easy. It is difficult.

We must commit ourselves totally. Single minded devotion and dedication alone will make the show-down successful for our side. That ultimate, critical moment is determined by one man. We are in that serious moment. If there is such a man who can make the showdown happen, that man has a grave responsibility. Because that man will determine the outcome of the entire battle. Therefore, that person will put heart and soul and life into it. Do you want us to go that direction for the ultimate victory? (Yes.) Then, let us go. Really go forward! And go forcefully! Commit ourselves forcefully! Let us commit ourselves in single-minded devotion and dedication!

The positive and negative forces are making a confrontation. If any side relaxes too quickly, that side will begin to crumble. Are we relaxed? (No!) But, this may be the place-the very place you are sitting! Maybe if I give you a certain piece of paper, for example: maybe that's the moment you will determine the showdown in your life. You never know. But, I know. Some of you think, "Why should I wake up so early? Why should I come here? Why should I sit in such an uncomfortable way? At the very moment that you begin to reason that way you will find all kinds of reasons to justify why you shouldn't be here. But that may be the very moment that you are making our own showdown in your life. Maybe we set the schedule for ten o'clock, or nine o'clock. You try to be patient until that moment-then one second before the hour you crumble. That one second may be your vital second, your vital moment. You never know. To come to the point: we set a certain goal. There's one kind of person who will crumble before we reach the goal. There's another kind of person who is never relaxed in his mind, even after meeting that goal. We never know: this may be the place.

God intends us to bring both cultures-one from the Orient, one from the East and West to meet together to create a new step of His Kingdom. There should be no predominant culture. We should go toward a new culture. Not the West, not the East. Christianity is not yet the ultimate way of life. Reverend Moon brought you a new formula. If Reverend Moon failed to blend these two cultural forces, one from the Orient, one from the West, and to lead the Western civilization into a threshold of new hope, there would be no future ahead of us in Western culture. When I came to America, God ordered me to blend the world into one new way of life. You are summoned as a first pioneer in that movement. Then, what a historical and a dramatic place the movement must be.

We are meeting together for that one goal. We are in the campaign, we are in the battle, Madison Square Garden is the target. You'll see in the final part of our battle, that all of New York is divided into two parts. Do you feel that? (Yes!) You'll see. Whether there are more people who welcome you, or more people who laugh at you, that will be the problem. Would you like to have more on the negative side or more on the positive side? (Positive!) If there are many people participating in our cause, and we win the victory, then the reward of that victory should be divided equally among those participants. On the other hand, if everybody is nasty, and we are the only group, and still make the victory, then, that entire reward should go to the victor. So actually, there are many people who are running the same course. We do not call them champions. The champion is unexcelled by others. He is a singled-out person who gives his total effort to that one victorious task and wins. That's the champion. The greater the champion is, the more the champion is wishing that there would only be a single showdown, to determine the entire course of the battle. So, would you all like to be very lukewarm people, or would you like to be a champion? (Champion!) Are you already a champion, or on the way to become a champion? (Already!) (Father: "On the way. . . ") Now, we are waging the war, against New York. And a portion of New York is our opponent. Are you still confident to become a champion in that battle? (Yes!) And if all of New York is coming against us, then you as a champion must march toward New York, knocking down the port of New York every day, all the way to the goal. Do you want to become a champion? Then you must have that conviction, that even though all of New York comes against you as a rock, you would not move one step behind.

Any battle or war has two dimensions. You, the Unification Church members, are fighting the external battle. Then who is fighting the internal battle? That's Reverend Moon, that's Father, Heavenly Father. They're fighting the internal battle. There is a fierce battle being waged, invisible, yet a most fierce battle. Now we, as an expression of that inner battle, are the external forces, and we are marching toward that one glorious victorious day and glorious target, Madison Square Garden. Then, when you see the thousands and thousands coming, and pouring into the Madison Square Garden, and when you have a full house, then you will feel a certain deep satisfaction. Of course, after that, we have another battle to go. Then I shall bring the entire people to the side of God. When, you come to Madison Square Garden, knowing your external battle is well done, with a full house and many thousands of people overflowing, I'm sure your eyes will be shining and glowing. Would you like to have all the people who come to Madison Square Garden be moved by Reverend Moon's message or be hostile to Reverend Moon? (Moved!) From the beginning to the end? (Yes!) But actually, I do not want that. I'm praying for a different kind of victory. I want to have some of the audience initially be very hostile. Let them stand up and try to say, "Move off! Get out, Reverend Moon!" Then, I will begin to talk. I will move their hearts. At the very end of the meeting, everyone will have tears of joy and repentance running out of their eyes. That is the kind of victory I want. Do you think, that if the audience is hostile I will retreat? (No!) I already had such experiences a year ago. I spoke in Berkeley, California. There was an organized hostile audience. They planned what to do to "boo" me out. Yet, I knew that, and what I did was really the history of that day. Those hostile young people were booing here and there, but after ten minutes they were calmed down like sheep and they listened to every word I said. Do you believe I have the agility and a capability to do that? (Yes!) So, would you like to see that happen? (Yes!) That means, you want to have some anti-forces? (Yes!) I do not pray every day just to ask God to bring many people to Madison Square Garden and that they would just quietly listen. My topic of prayer has been to ask Father for His guidance and power to give me clear cut wisdom and courage and power. Then I can turn even a hostile audience into the Lamb of God. The battle that you are fighting is the external battle to bring many people. I am going to fight the internal battle and I want to win that battle dramatically for the glory of Heavenly Father.

When I see that very dramatic moment approaching, I can't see anything else. Even though I walk, even though I do something, I really do not see anything else. I only have my eyes focused upon that one moment of victory for God. The day and hour are getting closer to me now. My eyes are really sparkling and focusing upon that one target. Many of you know karate. There is a karate demonstration they do sometimes of breaking the board or sometimes a brick. The champion approaches that brick and is ready to strike down. Even though my brick is an invisible brick, my feeling is the same. Do you know how that champion can strike the brick and break it? If that person is aware of the brick he could never break the brick. He just strikes down as if through air, he does not see the brick! Just strikes down like air! Then the brick will break. By the same token, when the champion approaches that demonstration, he usually gives a very enthusiastic cry or shout. I'm asked how I could do this spiritually. I'm fully aware America is not an easy place to do anything. No, in order to become a champion, our strategy, our tactic must be very unusual and different from others.

As I already said, we have one hit record, putting up the posters in New York. This has never been duplicated in the history of New York, probably never in any other place in the world. One new tactic that other people would not do. Our members, are standing on every comer of Manhattan. At every road junction, every traffic light there are members. The people in New York cannot get by without passing one of you. But I know, in some cases, other people are very negative and unfriendly. They spit at you, they kick you, they push you down, and they slap you. I'm sure in some cases that happens. But you keep smiling. Are you confident you can still keep smiling? (Yes!) You began the battle with smiles. You must finish the battle with a smile. That's the champion. You begin your battle with some person and smile. Then that person becomes very nasty, very negative, and you also get negative, very nasty, and there is a fierce battle, both with ugly looking faces, and when that person turns around, you curse him and you boo him. No. That is not the champion. He was already defeated in his battle. He couldn't finish the battle well. That's the moment that your real ability and real faith must come forward. That's the moment you will prove how good you are, how strong you are, how confident you are. If you treated New Yorkers that way in the last several weeks, even though you got many many nasty or negative responses do you know what? You are the winner already. You have won New York. Because there's no other way New Yorkers can come against and defeat you who have such a confident and beautiful personality and smile. Suppose there's a minister who hates me, Reverend Moon, hates Unification Church doctrine, hates the Divine Principle and he happened to meet one young girl who is our member. And he tried to convince that young lady, saying, "How bad your movement is, how awful Reverend Moon is" and so forth. But that woman treated him in such a loving and smiling way, and overpowered him with love. That person may be frantic and mad, but when he turns around, his heart is shattered by your loving force. You are the winner. After the confrontation with our constant and loving, serving members, when he turned around on his way, he could not raise his head. You know what he was doing? He was self-educating. He was making a sermon to himself saying, "When did I serve God like that young lady I met on the comer of New York? How can I be unselfish like that? How can I be confident like that in God and Christ? Oh, I'm truly miserable!" And she knows he was truly the shameful person. And that coming Sunday that particular minister goes to his own congregation, and without preparation he might say, "Well, I don't know about Reverend Moon. I still have a big question mark. But I sure love his followers, young men and women. Oh, I envy them! They're truly angels of God!" He will say, to tens of thousands of his own congregation, "We mustn't be narrow minded . . . those people, who may not necessarily agree with us, or may not live our doctrine. But we must not be persecuting those people. "

If some other important or influential person from New York had seen the confrontation between one very beautiful young lady, with this minister, I'm sure the third person must be moved even more, and he will instantly be on your side. Therefore, your fine, unselfish deed, your beautiful action of love, not only puts your enemy in a miserable state, but also the witnesses come to be on our side. Your one deed is that important: your beautiful deed, your beautiful mind, which shows in your face, in your actions, in your daily life. And sooner or later the entire New York will give you great and heart-warming applause. (Father: Is it true?) (Yes!) Indeed, yes.

We are now approaching that ultimate and final moment of show-down, and the great victory. Shall we have full confidence, and be fully justified in the sight of God? Or shall we meet that day with some shameful, hidden agony in our heart? I know you want to be first. You want to be very confident and have no shame in the sight of God. You want to show yourself in front of Him with honor and great glory. So God is looking at you. What is your motive? What is your heart? Where are you? At the same time, what are you actually bringing for this great day? I know, you know yourself better than anybody else. I want you to be very righteous, and very open and shameless in the sight of God. In the meantime, I do not want you to curse anybody. I do not hate anyone. I don't want you to hate anyone because hatred will never win. Ask yourself if you feel "I'm not that type of righteous champion, my heart has not been right, my deed has not been right." Then today, with the few days of the battle ahead of us, we must clean up our hearts and make a new beginning. Actually, there are three more days to go. You have done the job well, and worked hard. But, do you know, the remaining three days will make up the final total record: whether you have been a plus to God's campaign or whether you have become a burden or minus. I hope, this particular moment shall be a new beginning to make the final three days truly a momentous victory for Father.

Before I came here, I held my pledge service, and I talked to my own children. I told them, I'm Korean, I love Korea. Those who cannot love their own country could not love God, I told them. I also told them that the situation in Korea is very critical, and that we are passing through the most dramatic and dangerous moment in history. What is done in the next few days among the policy makers of Korea, Japan, and U.S. will determine the outcome. Korea is in the position of the Adam country, and Japan is in the position of Eve, and America has been in the position of Archangel. I already knew and received this inspiration concerning the forthcoming summit conference between Japan and U.S. Prime Minister Tanaka is coming to America to meet with President Ford. The Korean problem will be discussed. Yesterday, therefore, knowing all these forthcoming events, I ordered my organization to do certain things. I told the leaders that, because of this particular action maybe the Unification Church movement will suffer a setback. But, even though we suffer a setback, we must mobilize our forces to unite behind Korea in the critical moment. We must support the position of Korea. Without your knowledge, important actions have been taken that will influence the Korea-Japan situation and Japan-U.S. situation. We are exerting pressure and influence to make this thing go in the line of God. Do you know something? Today Korea is watching what Reverend Moon is doing because what Reverend Moon does will tremendously affect the cause of that nation. Not only Korea, but Japan, also is watching my actions. The U.S., also, has been watching what Reverend Moon is doing. I don't have to reveal all that has been happening and will happen, but I want you to know and trust me. In an invisible, but very notable way, important influence has been given. In this critical moment of the international situation we are marching forward to Madison Square Garden September 18, doing our full responsibility for America. God worries most about America, because America is in a vital role in the modem-day Heavenly dispensation. What America does will affect God's plan. The solution must come to America. That solution will solve the problem of Asia, for even though the problem is flaming up in Asia, that problem cannot be solved in Asia. It has to be solved here in America. Therefore, I am pushing America as hard as I can and Madison Square Garden is very important to that entire dispensation. Therefore, this morning, I told my children, even though they're little, that the next few days will be most critical. Not only for the American dispensation, but the destiny of our country Korea, and the Asian situation. In the early morning, driving down to meet you, I deeply and constantly prayed in my heart, "My Father, I am doing my very best, to win your victory here in Madison Square Garden in New York. Father, you take care of Asia." Each moment is breathtaking, we are moving toward a serious, monumental moment.

In Japan, our Unification Church members are holding a very important demonstration. The world is crumbling down in all different areas-not only Asia, but all different areas of the world. And this minority group, tired out, overworked, without sleep, without proper food, is the group God has His hand upon. In Japan, this minority group is trying to turn the entire, overwhelming forces upside down, by demonstrations. Externally, the world is in flames, and the world is on fire. Internally, that important critical moment of God's dispensation is being waged. That battle is being waged in New York. In this serious moment, we must awaken once again. We are climbing up the hill that will determine the outcome of the serious battle. Even if America, the long-time ally of Korea, deserts Korea, and if Japan, the nearest neighbor of Korea, deserts Korea, and if Korea becomes very mad and unfriendly to Japan and the U. S., still we would be the only force that can truly bring these nations together to avoid a disastrous outcome. The more hostile and unfriendly the outside world becomes to each other, we become even further united in love and harmony. There are Japanese and Americans and Koreans here. We have to transcend national prejudices. I'm sure that the Japanese members are humiliated when Japan makes a mistake. Also, Americans are ashamed if America somehow hurts Korea. But I'm going beyond that. I'll make one total unity to create an even greater victory for everyone. In Unification Church, there's no national boundary. We have to go beyond and supercede the nationality. This is the time we can truly show that because of the unifying love within our movement, where Japan, the U.S., and Korea are united together into oneness with God, even though governments of Korea and Japan and U.S. make a terrible mistake, because of our cohesive forces, God will forgive them, and God will restore the situation. If no other solution exists in this world, God still has one hope in us. Through this movement, God will have hope, not only to unite the U.S., not only to unite Japan, the U.S. and Korea, but to unite the entire world. We are the internal force and we have already set the example of unity in an internal way. The external world is only a reflection of the inner results. Therefore, since we have already that victorious stand, the rest of the world will fall into the right place.

So, this group, this important and critical group is now gathered together to make our final preparations for Madison Square Garden, only three days away. And, by our victory, we can truly show to Asia, the rest of the world, and particularly show America what we stand for and what we can produce. When the New York Times reporter came to Mr. Pak and interviewed Mr. Pak, the reporter's attitude was very cold. She said, "I predict that Madison Square Garden will be a failure. I don't think you'll have 25,000 people. I don't think even 20,000. 1 don't think even half full. " That was the prediction of the New York Times. Do you want to have that prediction be correct, or wrong? (Wrong!) Probably today or tomorrow the New York Times will have a special article on us. Do you know what they're thinking inside? "The New York Times is a formidable paper. When they print negative articles on the Unification Church, and Reverend Moon, New Yorkers will not come. They will all back down and Madison Square Garden will be empty." They think they can stop our movement! Now, we must prove how wrong the New York Times is and was!! I made a pledge to God over and over. Now I feel at this moment, like the entire world has come against me and is pushing me toward the execution stand. My conclusion is that this is the time I must prove myself. I believe in God more than any individual in human history. I trust in God more than any man has ever done in history. I will demonstrate His power more than any other individual has demonstrated it in history. During this battle, even if I falter and I die, God will not be a failure. God will keep that victory, that stand, that heart, that commitment, that tradition I set, and move forward to the ultimate, universal victory for mankind! It is indeed a serious moment for me. Jesus died on the cross. That looked like a defeat. But that particular scene and dramatic moment was remembered in the heart of God. God pledged to Jesus that He would make his deed a glorious victory for eternity, and God has done it. This seriousness must prevail for the next three days.

In the Divine Principle, there's a teaching concerning a 3-day period. The number three is a critical number. Today, as you know, is September 15, but on a Lunar Calendar today is the final day of July. Tomorrow will be August I on the Lunar Calendar, and, as you know according to Divine Principle, number seven is completion and perfection. Also, the first seven day period was when certain things were done wrong, such as the fall of man. Number eight is a new beginning. Tomorrow will be August I on the Lunar Calendar, and number 8, is a new beginning, and number one is truly a new beginning. We would like to have the three days be the three days after the victory, not before the victory. So actually, the remaining three days are not the problem. The problem is you. Where are you? That is the problem. I want you to become a representative of the heart of God. So let us love New York. Even though New York mistreated you, it is our duty, in the heart of the Father to love New York. The clothes that you wear this morning shall become historical items, because that particular dress and suit participated in an historical moment. Your shoes, how humble they are. They are the first shoes God saw, in a welcoming way, because your shoes are going for God. And if your clothes happen to be ragged, and very humble and very austere, that is even more precious. If your shoes happen to be all ripped and in terrible shape, that shall be even more glorious in the sight of God, because, you have that mission. The person who wears that suit, who wears those particular shoes, is the embodiment of the heart of God. Maybe your face is very pale. Maybe you are undernourished. Maybe you lost weight. That's the faith God has been looking for 6,000 years, this universe and this Earth has been waiting to see you, because that faith represents the son of God, and that faith truly shows God's own heart. Under the worst situations, the worst health, the worst shape, instead of complaining, you humbly give your heart to God in gratitude, just praying that "Thy will be done." Then Heavenly Father's heart will go out to you totally. God wants to show someone as an example of the loyalty to God. What kind of person will God pick? Not the person in a mansion, not the person in a limousine, but the person who is so humble, so naked and so undernourished, but is still giving his utmost loyalty and faith to God. That's truly the example God is seeking as His champion. God picks His champions under the worst conditions. God seeks His champions in those areas, not in glorious areas. And God will let that person represent the entire glory of God.

There is only one Unification Church in the entire world. Is that true? (Yes!) In what way is that true? A bad way? (No!) If that is the truth, it is my hope too. If that is not true, then I have no reason to be here. I'd pack up my things, and go back to Korea. There are so many churches in America. There are thousands of churches and millions of Christians. But the churches and Christianity and the nation of America, itself, will find a solution from Reverend Moon. You'll see! We are here in some people's fine church. There are many cathedrals much greater than this, all over in America. But those Christian churches do not have a solution for America, for young people, for moral decay, for the American family. No. They are just wondering and do not have any solution! They have to look for a solution somewhere else. And they must look for that in Reverend Moon.

I do not want to build a great church. I'm looking all over the country and world for one person who under the worst kinds of conditions, can still truly hold the heart of God, and truly give his entire self. That is the real church, not the building. Here in America, the only place we can worship God in this fashion is in the Unification Church. This is where God can come and dwell. The cause in which we are participating is the kind of cause to which we can give our lives and our entire selves, and still have no regrets, and still feel we are not doing enough. This is the kind of attitude the Unification Church must follow. Under any circumstances, we must give the heart of gratitude. We always offer thanksgiving to God, asking Father to be comforted, instead of asking of Him and giving Him all kinds of complaints. We are here creating a universal event that God has never seen before, humanity has never seen before. We are creating a universal event here in America. And, we are climbing up the most critical few steps before the final victory. Have you had this feeling? I do! God has been suffering so much. God has been giving up His own people for one day, on D-Day, one ultimate day of victory. Do you know that this ultimate day is just a few steps ahead of us? Jesus Christ who came as the Messiah two thousand years ago was so mistreated, so rejected by the people, that he went to the ultimate day, the Cross, with a grieving and agonizing heart. And who is going to liberate this heart, the stricken heart of God.

This is the morning. We are going toward that hill. We are to liberate the sorrowing and heartbroken heart of God and Jesus. Not only that, throughout history so many good people were sacrificed! They gave their blood and they suffered and were sacrificed simply because they were in the satanic world. They've been looking forward to one day of vindication. Do you know, this is the place that all those good spirits shall be vindicated in our deed? I'm sure you know, I'm giving my entire life, and heart and soul, to create that moment of vindication in which God's grieving heart can be liberated, Jesus' suffering heart can be liberated, and all the good people in history can be vindicated. Therefore, the Unification Church members did not come for comfort, did not come for the relaxation, did not come here for games. We are here to give ourselves, to be summoned for this cause of sacrifice, so that we shall be used on the altar of God, so that God might save this world. This is the place. God wants to have that one dramatic victory! Don't you think God wants to have one day in which his heart is really vindicated? Don't you think Jesus Christ was really looking forward to one day, that his heart was really comforted?

And good people, who innocently died and became a victim of evil, are looking forward to the one great day of vindication. Isn't that true? I gave my entire heart and soul, not for my own purpose, but for some important purpose. You know that purpose, the purpose of God. Don't you think I must have some dramatic day where my heart is truly comforted? Furthermore, all the Unification Church members all over the world, who truly have become that sacrificial force, totally giving yourselves up, and following the Master, don't you think you deserve one day of victory and vindication? If we can create that one day, in which all these things are comforted and satisfied, then that day indeed shall be a universal historical day. Therefore, God and Jesus, and all the saints, and all the members of the Unification Church and myself have been waiting for that one day. And that day is in the making, only a few days ahead of us, September 18. Madison Square Garden is that day. All historical suffering shall be satisfied, vindicated, and shall be comforted and liberated. Who is making that day? You. You are summoned to make that day victorious. The day of vindication is ahead of us, you have been making it, and you will finish it.

If you are victorious and truly create a successful event, then truly you are creating a new chapter of history. The most glorious chapter of the history of God will be written by you, your deed shall be recorded. When we express happiness or joy, we all raise our hand with our palms open. The Korean phonetic word "Madison" implies the fist, not an open palm. So it is not a sign of happiness. The open palm is a sign of joy. So a tight fist is a sign of grievances and sins and the fallen world. Furthermore, when you have some decision to make, you don't make a decision with an open palm. You make it with a fist. Because it's a sign of strength and power. Even God and Christ, and everyone -makes a determination with a closed fist. So, when we truly make a victorious one, in the future, history will see that we are the force that changed the name of Madison Square Garden. I believe in thinking that far. Everything is hinged upon that one day of Madison Square Garden, the entire weight of history, the heart of God, and the grieving heart of the people. My entire life, and your entire commitment are all hinged upon that one battle. Throughout history all the important people in the dispensation of God failed to cross over the hill. Adam and Eve failed to go over the hill. When they disobeyed God, they failed. Cain and Abel also failed to cross over the hill, when the elder killed the younger. Abraham also failed. So did Moses, and so did John the Baptist. All those people, called upon in one dramatic moment, failed that dramatic moment.