Chapter Eight - The Resurrection
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."
John 11:25
Appearance To Mary Magdalene
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him. Now I have told you."
Matthew 28:1-7
Jesus was a true man because he perfectly lived the life of God. He was a walking God. There was no separation between God and Jesus, and because no one can destroy God no one can destroy Jesus Christ. The crucifixion was not his destruction; God manifested the power of resurrection so that the world could see that Jesus was never destroyed.
God's Will and Christmas
December 25, 1976
When Jesus was resurrected, there was not even one disciple who stood guard next to his tomb. Only enemies, the Roman soldiers, were guarding the place. How could this be! Today there are many instances wherein Christianity is not guarding the tomb of Jesus. Enemies, like the Roman soldiers, are guarding it. Is there no group on earth who can encircle the Roman soldiers and long to attend the tomb of Jesus? Even though there were no such people then, among us, the believers, there should emerge many such people.
Who are the ones who could meet the resurrected Jesus? Those who let Jesus die, those who abandoned Jesus and scattered everywhere to wander according to their will could not meet Jesus. After his death, who was the person who went in search for Jesus without eating for three days? Who was groping in darkness not knowing where his body was? The disciples of Jesus should have become this kind of people more than anyone else. However, the three disciples that Jesus loved the most, Peter, James, and John, all returned home. The ones who met Jesus first were the women who searched for Jesus' tomb before dawn. They were Mary Magdalene; Mary the mother of James; and Salome.
They were longing for Jesus, who had been executed as a traitor. Shedding tears for three days and unable to bear it any longer, they came searching for him. They were the first ones to meet the resurrected Jesus. This shows in what direction and how the believers of the last days should act.
We should understand that now is the last days when we should go in desperate search for the tomb of Jesus. The women who were desperately searching for the tomb met the resurrected Lord in place of the Israelite people, who should have met the resurrected Lord first. Today when the resurrected Lord comes on the world level, the ones who can meet the Lord first are those who do not sleep and rest in spite of their desire, which shed tears for heaven while wandering through the mountains and hills with an unsettled heart that cannot be expressed.
If you transcend your life and live a life of anxiety, unrest, and lack of sleep for the sake of the lives of your people and humanity, then the Lord of glory who is coming to this world again will surely come after you. You will be entitled to the glory of receiving the Lord when you are not even aware of it. You have to understand that such a time is approaching.
Let Us Become People Who Participate in the Glory of the Lord
June 16, 1957
Mary Cries Out To Jesus
"They have taken my Lord away;" she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." Jesus said to her; "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father: Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father; to my God and our God."
John 20:12-17
When Mary Magdalene went to look for Jesus right after his resurrection, Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father." (John 20:17) Nevertheless, Jesus appeared before Mary Magdalene because she had the heart that could console him. Similarly, only when you comprehend the ideal and will of heavenly principle transcending yourselves will Jesus manifest himself to your comprehending heart. If you listen to the words of God and can convey them on his behalf, the Lord will come toward you even if you do not ask him. You should understand that the Lord is motioning with his arms spread out for you to come. God also is doing that.
Let Us Be the Ones Jesus Wants
February 17, 1957
Now we are facing Jesus with the cross standing in between. Someone should resolve the grief and suffering caused by the cross; it is we of today who should do it. Without resolving it, we cannot graft onto Jesus and call him our Bridegroom. This is the reason when Mary Magdalene called out, "Oh Lord!" right after the resurrection, Jesus stopped her. For the simple reason, although Mary wanted to begin life in the kingdom of heaven from the day she met the Lord, life in the kingdom was prohibited for 2,000 years. We should understand this grief from the background of the cross, and we who have faith should bring the solution.
Jesus Is Searching for Us in This Way
May 20, 1956
Jesus Appears To The Disciples
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they' saw him, and worshiped him; but some doubted.
Matthew 28:16-17
Even after his death, Jesus was concerned about the disciples who had scattered, and even during the three days in the tomb he was determined to protect them for eternity. Consequently he went to the shores of Galilee after his resurrection and searched for them.
We might wonder from a humanistic perspective today how he could treat them like that when they had no sense of responsibility Although they had betrayed him when they faced difficulty right after the resurrection, he went to Galilee and started to fulfill his responsibility The character of Jesus, who raised them up to be unchanging disciples even when he was going over the hill of death, is an admirable character we should learn from today.
That is not all. We should understand that in addition to his disciples at that time, he was taking responsibility for the countless saints who came after him, and for us, 2,000 years later. The history of restoration is the history of the whole. Because God's will is saving the whole, Jesus has taken responsibility for the whole of humanity.
Jesus Christ, the Pride of God
May 16, 1956
What is the resurrection of Jesus? It is not merely the issue of whether his body rose out of the tomb. That is but a small part. The most significant aspect is the resurrection of Jesus' heavenly principle and his God-centered love.
God and the Building of the Kingdom of God
April 17, 1977
Jesus' resurrection was the first representation of the glory of heaven and the glory of victory won in the fight with Satan in the 4,000-year history Because Jesus had demonstrated the standard of victory on the spiritual and substantial level, God raised the deceased Jesus to unfold another dispensation. Through the crucifixion, Jesus took on the responsibility for the 4,000-year history of the dispensation and the responsibility of the ancestors. Representing the glory of heaven, he ascended to heaven. This is what the resurrection and ascension are about. Similarly, Jesus came with the purpose to show substantially the internal glory of God on the earth. In other words, he came to demonstrate fully the glory of God. The complete glory combines the internal and external glory. This is the mission that Jesus came to fulfill.
Like Jesus, Let Us Return the Glory of Resurrection to God
May 27, 1956
Satan exercised his maximum power to crucify Jesus, there-by attaining the goal he had sought throughout the 4,000-year course of history On the other hand, by delivering Jesus to Satan, God set up as compensation the condition to save sinful humanity. How did God achieve this? Because Satan had already exercised his maximum power in killing Jesus, according to the principle of restoration through indemnity, God was entitled to exercise his maximum power. While Satan uses his power to kill, God uses his power to bring the dead to life. As compensation for Satan's exercise of his maximum power in killing Jesus, God exercised his maximum power and resurrected Jesus. God thus opened the way for all humanity to be engrafted with the resurrected Jesus and thereby receive salvation and rebirth.
Exposition of the Divine Principle
Moses and Jesus 3.3.1.1
Resurrection, .Ascension And Pentecost
After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 1:3-5
Jesus resurrected after he passed away on the cross. After his resurrection, he worked on the earth for forty days before he went back to the spirit world. Similarly, the fact that Jesus passed away and then resurrected, and after that ascended again, symbolically demonstrates God's work of creation.
Jesus Christ Will Come and Go for the Sake of Heaven and Earth
May 26, 1956
John the Baptist, who was in the position of Cain, should have cooperated with Jesus, who was in the position of Abel. Cooperating together, they should have located the Mother, the bride of Jesus. Then Jesus would have been the Father and his bride the Mother. When these two wedded in divine love, they could have given birth to children who would have been Jesus' sons.
Even though Jesus lost his body on the physical level, he could resurrect on the spiritual level to save mankind. Even on the spiritual level, he had to go through a certain course of indemnity in order to save mankind. After the resurrection, Jesus was placed in the position of father and in the position of Abel. There was no one in the position of Cain and that's why he looked for Peter, James, and John. By their becoming entirely one with Jesus, at the cost of their lives and at the cost of everything else, the road could be paved on the spiritual level -- the road of salvation. From then on they would sacrifice themselves, their lives, for the cause of Jesus. With that foundation established, they could meet their mother, the Holy Spirit. This is what happened at the Pentecost.
The True Path of Restoration
January 11, 1972
Upon Jesus' crucifixion, his eleven remaining disciples were demoralized and scattered. After his resurrection, however, Jesus gathered them in one place and commenced a new phase of the providence: the restoration of the spiritual Canaan. The disciples chose Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot and fill the vacancy among the twelve. By believing in Jesus and following him at the cost of their lives, they laid the spiritual foundation of substance and the spiritual foundation for the Messiah. Upon this foundation, Jesus ascended from the position of the spiritual mission-bearer for John the Baptist to the position of the spiritual Messiah and sent the Holy Spirit. Thereupon, Jesus and the Holy Spirit became the spiritual True Parents and began the work of giving rebirth. Ever since the descent of the Holy Spirit at the Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), the resurrected Jesus as the spiritual True Father and the Holy Spirit as the spiritual True Mother have worked in oneness to grant spiritual rebirth by spiritually engrafting believers with themselves. This is the work of spiritual salvation, which established the realm of resurrection inviolable by Satan...
The resurrected Jesus is the spiritual fulfillment of the Temple... The most holy place and the holy place, representing the spirit and flesh of Jesus, were fulfilled as spiritual realities through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The ideal of the mercy seat has been realized through the works of salvation given by Jesus and the Holy Spirit, enabling God to appear in their works and impart His word. On the mercy seat, where God's word is proclaimed, the cherubim that had blocked our path since the Fall were parted, opening our way to enter the Ark of the Covenant and receive Jesus, the Tree of Life. There we can partake of the manna provided by God and witness the greatness of God's power that once caused Aaron's staff to bud. (Hebrews 9:4-5)
Exposition of the Divine Principle
Moses and Jesus 3.3.1.3-4
The Great Commission
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you And surely I am with you always, to the very end
of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20
Even at the cost of sacrificing his Son, God wanted to save the world... And God lifted up Christianity for the same purpose -- to save the world. The Bible says in John 3:16, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Remember, the world is God's goal. And just as Jesus willingly gave his life so that the world might live, God wants all Christians to be willing to give themselves for the salvation of the world. However, today Christians of the world are not even close to realizing this heart of God.
God seeks to build one family of man. Therefore, the family, church, and nation that God desires transcend all barriers of race and nationality The people who are a unified blending of all colors of skin, and who transcend race and nationality are most beautiful in the sight of God and most pleasing to him.
God's Hope for America
June 1, 1976
Jesus walked a doleful, lonesome, and painful path for 33 years of his life on earth. After his ascension until today, for 2,000 years, he has also been walking a path of sorrow and loneliness. Yet Jesus has not walked this path for his own sake. He voluntarily walked the path of suffering for the sake of fallen humankind, to restore fallen human beings back to God...
Jesus voluntarily led the life of a wayfarer to find true sons and daughters of God and to establish true life and love among a people who did not welcome him. Ever since his resurrection and ascension, he has been seeking us with the same heart. To put it another way Jesus has not been living in glory or freedom width a joyful heart, but even at this moment he is in great anguish because he sympathizes with the pitiful people of this earth who are suffering hunger and thirst internally and externally. He worries about the believers who are groping to find the path of life. On behalf of the believers who are imprisoned, he is in prison. Please understand the situation of Jesus, who is not in the position to rejoice with God, even though he has left this earth and dwells in the heavenly kingdom.
The Lord Is My Good Shepherd
March 24, 1977
Father of love! I had thought that Jesus came to the earth for the sake of finding me alone, but that was not all; I had thought that he came for the sake of my family, but that was not all; I had thought that he came for the sake of the chosen people of Israel, but that was not all. Neither did he come for the sake of any one denomination. We now understand that at the same time that Jesus was the hope of the created world, he came representing its entire value.
Father, what are our minds like today compared to the mind of Jesus, who had the mission to restore everything? Let us not be people who say, "I will die clinging to my family." Let us not become people who say, "1 will die clinging to my people, my nation, and my world."
We earnestly desire, beloved Father, to become people who are able to live risking our lives for the problems of life and death throughout heaven and earth. That is to say, even if I live, I represent heaven and earth, and even if I die, I die representing heaven and earth.
Today, if there remain cries of lamentation among the things of creation, we earnestly pray, Father, that you let us be able to give Jesus and you rest by eliminating them. Work together with us, Father, and allow us to go forward together with you, in order to resolve all historical enmity and to receive the comfort of that resolution.
Earnestly hoping that you will grant us the power to become true filial sons and filial daughters who can praise heaven while digesting every difficulty, we pray all these things in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Prayer
March 23, 1958