Sermons of Rev Moon - February 13, 1972 - The Ideal World For God And Man

[대태양/김현수]

The Words of True Parents from 1972

The Ideal World For God And Man

Reverend Sun Myung Moon
February 13, 1972
Probable Location: San Francisco, California
 

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I am very happy to have you here again this afternoon and I thank you very much for coming despite the bad weather. This afternoon I am going to speak on the topic, "Ideal World for God and Man" or "United World for God and Man."

In my previous talk I discussed the existence of God and the relationship of God and man. Looking around us we can all see that an ideal world or united world cannot emerge from what is now existing, from things as they are. All people are longing for the ideal world, a world of peace and unity. However, if we stand still and, stay where we are such a world will not come about. It is not just people of our day who dream of the ideal world. In the past, our ancestors too dreamed of it but were unable to realize that world. I believe this ideal world must come, to mankind.. We must make it come to mankind.

If God exists He wouldn't permit such a world of chaos to continue eternally. He has to work to realize His ideal on earth. Here we find the meeting point of God and man. Man wants to realize the ideal world and God wants to bring the ideal world to man.

As we can see there are many nations in the world today; many tribes, many families, many individuals. Among these there should be one nation which dedicates itself to working for this ideal -- a world of unity and peace. But there is no such nation in the world. We see today a divided world: the democratic world and the Communist world.

Can we bring in the ideal world from either of these worlds? Or from both? From our experience and understanding so far we have to come to the conclusion that it is not possible to bring in the ideal world from either of these worlds. Up to this point the USA has been the leading nation of the free world. Now it is withdrawing from the scene. Even the Communist world is divided into Soviet Russia and Red China, who are fighting each other -- not working together to establish an ideal world. An ideology must exist to usher in a world of unity. Lacking this, the ideal cannot be realized.

But where to find such an ideology? We do not have a central ideology or central point from which we can initiate the ideal world on earth. Nor is there, any one nation -- not a single nation -- which is perfectly united and which is a small, ideal world of peace and unity. Not only is a nation lacking but also we can point to no race of people who are prepared to establish such unity. Can we then find at least a family -- a single family which truly represents the ideal family of unity, love, and peace. We cannot find such a family. An individual then -- can we find an individual who could truly set a pattern for all people to follow to create the ideal family and world.

We know God as the almighty God, the Omnipotent God. If He is to set up His ideal world He must have a model or pattern for His ideal world, ideal nation, ideal family, or ideal individual. But we know of no place on earth where such a model family or model man exists. Apart from God we see that man himself lacks any particular, plan to create or make man into an ideal being, or to establish an ideal family. We cannot find such a plan for man. Until we locate the patterned course or model man or model family which God is planning to create in order to establish the ideal world and until we become one with that model or pattern or follow that course we will be unable to initiate the ideal world. Where then does God start to fulfill His ideal.

He must begin this gigantic work with one individual, through man. Man must be the starting point to establish His ideal. We know that man was created by God. Since God is Absolute, creation -- man -- must also be absolute. But we find in man two conflicting natures battling one another. Yet, among all these people God must find one man whom He can lead to realize the ideal family, ideal nation, and idea world. In such a situation that man's purpose in life, his central aim should be set upon family. Family's central point should be set upon tribe. Tribe must work to establish nation. And nation must emphasize the building of a higher world, a better world. The ideal world is for everybody. But to bring this, upon the earth God began to work from the individual level -- with man.

Man has mind and body or spirit and physical body. Which is the central part of man? Man's mind is the subject, the central point. To bring about the ideal man of unity God has been working to subjugate, to control the physical body with man's mind. In reality we find our mind and body are in conflict with one another. The mind wishes to go the way of goodness while the body tends to evil; our mind wishes to sacrifice ourselves for others while our physical body tends to make others sacrifice for us. Their ways are different -- opposite. God knows this present state of man. How then can He mold a man of complete unity? God has been using two methods to subjugate the physical body. The first has been to put the body under great strain and difficulties by prompting man to pray or to fast for this. In this manner God intended to decrease the force or power of the physical body so that it could be subjugated by the mind. All religions which lead to goodness taught of this subjugation . However, our physical body does not desire to be "lower" in position or subjugated. This is why Christianity taught us to sacrifice so that the body would have to accept that position.

A life of faith was meant to keep our body subdued by mind which was led to goodness. But men live and go in either direction, sometimes good, sometimes evil. However, when the force of the physical body is inferior to or less than the force of the mind it will be very easy to control the physical body. But now, in man, both forces are equal), almost level. Therefore God intended to use another method to strengthen the power of man's mind. By so doing He wanted to the physical body with mind. If the power of the mind is superior to that of the physical body then this superior mind can lead the body to the way of goodness. But man must open the way so that God can work through man. To open that way God asked man to pray hard and to dedicate himself to the way of goodness.

When you dedicate yourself with all your heart, all your sincerity, then God can dwell in you. For instance when we send electricity through a frog it cannot control its body. The same is true in our case. When we receive greater power from God our body can be controlled by our mind. For this reason all sacred men and saints of the past lived such dedicated lives and lives of such sincerity and devotion. Jesus also taught us to pray without ceasing. He wanted people to detach themselves from the worldly life. He taught the reverse of what seemed to be true: those who want to lose their life will gain it. Jesus told those living happily with their families, love the Lord more than your family -- more than your father, your mother, your sons and daughters. Also, love God with all your hearts, all your minds, all your souls.

God always puts greater emphasis on internal matters and wanted to teach us to sacrifice external things. In other words, centering on man's mind, He wanted to join with man and take him along His course. There was a reason for God to do this: without having the individual head for the ideal family, the ideal family head for the ideal tribe, the ideal tribe for the ideal nation, and the ideal nation for the ideal world God cannot establish the ideal world. This is why He always stressed the importance of centering the focus point of our life, at a higher level , beyond and above ourselves. This is the reverse of the way of evil. In the story of the Garden of Eden Satan seduced Eve and induced her to leave the, central point. When Eve seduced Adam she did the same with him. Due to this man left God who should have been the central point of his life. So, man was swept, far from the center. Thus evil decided to have himself (Satan) as central point and sacrifice others to his own ends. This is the battlefield of God and Satan, who are fighting in man. God is working through man's mind and Satan through his body. This is why our mind. and body, are in conflict with each other.

Many think the relationship of good and evil is as subject and object. This isn't true. The mind was made as subject but evil too fights to be subject. The result is head-on conflict between two subjects both of which want the same position. Plus and plus repulse each other. To bring peace we must smash the one subject. (evil) and transform it into object. God has been working to accomplish this by trying to subjugate the physical body and make it object to the mind. Consequently our mind is the base for the kingdom of heaven and our body is the base for hell.

Whenever you take the side of mind or conscience goodness results. But when you take the side of your physical body you will be led to evil. So there must emerge such a man who has completely subjugated his body and has the ability to control it. He should have become one with God by accomplishing that. Such a man must have emerged in the past -- a man who won this victory over the physical body. Because of shortage of time I cannot go into a detailed explanation of this but Jacob was the first man who could control the angel before he crossed the Jordan. He then received the name Israel. This means that man must be victorious over the angel. Jacob's elder brother Esau tried to kill him subsequently but because he gifted his material property to his brother Esau welcomed his younger brother Jacob. Jacob then began to build up his family from this victorious base and his tribes multiplied. God worked to, establish one central nation through his descendants. They were given Judaism so that centering on this God aimed to make them one.

On that foundation God wanted to send the Messiah. A model nation was to emerge from the union of the people of that nation and the Messiah. He did this because Satan controlled the world by his sovereignty nation and until God could have such sovereignty nation Satan would stay, undefeated. It meant that God had to have a subject to bring in a world of unity and that could come about only when God's sovereignty nation became superior to Satan's sovereignty nation. God had worked for two thousand years to prepare and train the people of Israel to build a nation so that He could send, the Messiah to them. By choosing such people and working through them was God's way to establish a world of unity.

What then was the mission of the Israeli people? They had to be more faithful, more loyal to God than any other people, They had to follow precisely the directions of God. By, so doing they could have established a God centered nation on earth. When they accepted the Messiah that nation would have become the model nation for the world. They would also have established the model tribe, the model family, and the model individual. If the Hebrew nation had accepted the Messiah and become one with him they would have become the leading nation and would have founded the ideal world on earth. Ironically the Christians believing in the dead Jesus (after his crucifixion) could bring about such a tremendous free world . How much greater and freer would the world have been had the Hebrews become one with the living Jesus! They could have brought about that world in a far shorter period of time than it took the Christians. At the time of Jesus the power of the Roman empire was declining. Had the Messiah Jesus and the Hebrew people been united into one they could have joined with the Arab nations of that age and together could have established one united nation of the twelve tribes of Abraham. At that time this united nation (Israelis and Arabs) could have joined forces and confronted the Roman Empire because they were the enemy during Jesus time. Had this happened there would have been no war between the Israeli people and the Arab nations as is happening now.

There are among you some that are Jewish, I think. But I must say this because it is a fact. Why did the chosen nation, the chosen people of Israel have to go through so much suffering in the, past? It was only in 1948 that, they, could restore their independence as a nation but even today they have so many difficulties to overcome. Two thousand years ago they could have united with the Messiah but they didn't. Consequently they lost the foundation. And today there is no foundation, no national foundation for the Messiah who is to come again.

For God to realize His ideal world He must have His nation here on earth which He can control. God's method to bring in the united world is not one of violence. He always has sacrificed those whom He loved most for others -- to save others.

So to establish a higher level He wanted to sacrifice the individual for the family, His family for tribe, His tribe for nation. If the Hebrew people had united with the Messiah to form a nation God would have sacrificed that nation for the whole world in order to establish the ideal world of unity and love. In our, case, if we desire to have for ourselves the ideal world we must locate and found a similar nation on earth.

Evil (Satan) has always struck others to enslave or sacrifice them. There have been many wars in the past -- wars on the family level, tribal level, as well as national level. Those wars came about because of self-centered benefits which were at stake. That is the direction of evil.

God therefore must walk in the opposite direction. So goodness has always sacrificed to save others, to serve others. That was the method, the strategy of God. Therefore we must sacrifice our physical body to serve family; sacrifice our family to serve tribe; sacrifice our tribe to serve the nation and to establish it. This is God's way. Then, to successfully bring about the free world one nation which is willing to sacrifice itself for the free world should emerge. But can we find such a nation in the free world? If that nation is concerned with serving itself it will not last long.

Up to now America has been playing the role of leading nation. If the two hundred million people of America unite into one and are ready to serve the free. world -- if they are willing to help others then this America will control the whole world. God does not wish to have two worlds such as the free world and the Communist world, He wants one world. If God has set up this nation to establish His, ideal world of love and unity He should be disappointed with American policy. For instance, President Nixon is withdrawing from his Asian role. America is putting most emphasis on itself rather than on the world's problems. Americans believe no nation has prospered by aiding foreign nations. With this is mind. they are withdrawing from the world. If America continues this policy God's way and America's way will part and separate. I understand God blessed this nation to become the world's leading nation. But that was not for the happiness of Americans alone. It was to save the whole world -- to bring God's ideal upon the earth. That was the purpose of God's blessing to this nation. This nation was founded by Puritans who fled from England to enjoy freedom of faith. God's blessing then was so abundant that this nation became the most prosperous nation on earth in the last two hundred years! Can there be any other nation which God can trust or rely on to fulfill His ideal?

If God loses a gigantic nation such as America and finds instead a smaller one to use as His base upon which to found the world of unity this America will lose God's blessing. She will follow an entirely different direction. I hear that if a man speaks of God or the will of God many Americans turn their faces away from that man. If this is really true where will the American people go? Some may think I say such things because I am an oriental from Korea and Korea's foreign aid is being cut back by America. But that is not true. I do not speak these things, from that point of view.

I was persecuted by the Korean government, Korean people, and Korean Christians. I speak the truth.

We must, realize God's strategy is entirely different than Satan's. God's strategy is to sacrifice his most loved ones to save others and not the other way around. It is not the way of God to sacrifice others to make His loved ones prosper. He has always wanted to sacrifice His own people to save others. That was God's method to save the whole world. When God sent Jesus to the Israeli people He wanted to make that nation sacrifice for the rest of the world. But the Israeli people thought differently. Thus division took place.

Christianity emerged from the foundation of Judaism. It had to have the spirit of self-sacrifice to save others. For Christianity to appear on the world level many had to make great sacrifices. All Christians of the world should have united into one to save others. If it had come to that stage if it came to that stage now it could never perish. Christianity always prospered and grew whenever there was a foundation of bloodshed. If leaders in influential positions hunger after power or self-benefit Christianity will decline. If this religion set up a new movement to initiate unification of all, from the leader to the bottom, then the religion will flourish eternally. To bring Christianity to date God has sacrificed His servants, adopted children, and even His beloved son. It was this spirit of sacrifice which caused Satan to surrender. Satan cannot follow this sacrificial path -- his way is to make others his sacrifice. As I said before, God has been working on man's mind and Satan on his physical body. Consequently in the last days the fruits of these efforts will be reaped on a world-wide scale. There was much good and evil in the individual and since man shall reap as he sows good and evil sown in the past will bear fruit in these days.

Today there are two worlds, namely, the free world which admits the existence of God, and the Communist world which denies God and centers itself on the material. Because I speak of world problems some may say I am politically, motivated. But that is untrue. I am simply explaining the true facts.

Those who emphasize the physical body over the mind deny the existence of God. And since mind and body have been struggling and battling each other the physical body side denies God. Therefore God's side must deny the material world, the world of external things. That was to have been the mission of religion because a religious life offered the opportunity to do just that. But today many ministers are mixed up and confused. They think even the atheistic, Communist world is good too. However, the Communist people do not admit the existence of God and their desire is to take over the whole world. They say religion is as opium. In the Bible there is a passage which states that in the last days people will be divided into two -- sheep and goats. Sheep have their lord, but the goats do not. Could you say then that God stands in the position of Lord to the free world -- the sheep? I have seen statistics: many ministers and padres do not believe in the existence of God -- almost 40% of them. This should give you an idea of how serious the problem is.

Why then even in the atheistic Communist world are Soviet Russia and Red China fighting? Their aims are the same i.e. to conquer the world, but Soviet Russia wants hegemony in the Slav nations whereas Red China wants Red Chinese hegemony. This is the reason they fight now. If they put greater stress on realizing one common world they wouldn't fight. But because of this -- hegemony -- they fight. This means ideology which cannot go beyond nationalism or national consciousness cannot usher in a true world of unity and peace.

What in that case is the final barrier to bring in the ideal world? It is nation, nationalism, and national consciousness -- that is the final barrier. Neither America nor the Communist world have been able to go beyond this barrier of national consciousness, national benefit. Therefore a new movement which is willing to sacrifice its members beyond all nationalism to save the whole world should emerge. Its ideology must spread. Evil or Satan's thinking goes : mine is mine and yours is mine. Your nation is my nation. This is the way of Communism.

Heavenly thinking is different: mine is yours; yours is nation's; nation's belongs to the world; what belongs to the world is God's. Then what is God's becomes mine. In this manner everything can be linked together. Without this there can be no unity, no oneness.

I shall give you an example to show that history will be reaped as it is sown. Today we the democratic world and the Communist world as well as Christendom and the Islamic world among the four major spheres. Why have these circumstances cropped up in the last days? The result has been produced according to its cause. The most important fight between God and Satan took place at the time of Jesus, the time of his crucifixion. That was the beginning point of the cause where the seed was planted. The last days are the days when these seeds will have borne fruit and are harvested.

At the crucifixion of Jesus there were four people around him -- four kinds of people: there was Jesus; the thief on the right side; the thief on the left side; and Barabbas. At the time of the crucifixion these four were connected with one another. Barabbas was spared -- he lived in the flesh. Jesus was resurrected in the spirit body. When Jesus was put on the cross the thieves on the right and left fought one another. The left side thief despised Jesus: "You are the son of God?" he mocked. He ignored the existence of God. But the right side thief defended Jesus saying, "We are 'worthy of death but this man has nothing to do with it." The two fought each other. Barabbas was spared because of Jesus. Originally he was to be put to death but was released. Since he was saved by Jesus he should have worked for Jesus and served him but instead he objected to him and persecuted him.

In those circumstances Jesus passed away. He said he would come again. Therefore in the last days similar circumstances will appear. Communists are also referred to as leftists -- the word leftist grew from that scene of the crucifixion, representing the left side thief. As that thief denied God so also the Communists are denying Him. The right side thief who defended Jesus is represented by the rightists. We must know this What about Barabbas? He is represented in Islam. When they witness to their religion they use violence. That is not God's method. When the right-thief and left-thief represented a respectively in the "rightists" and Communists become one this world will have come to its end. And when the Islamic world and Communist world are on the threshold of being united with one another Christianity and the free world must join forces. But such is not the case with Christianity and the free world because they are not united and consequently not superior to the other side.

To make Jesus' ideal into reality will take the work of a core-nation of Christians who should successfully unite the democratic world. But such a nation or people do not exist. In 1965 when I visited America I met your late ex-President Eisenhower and told him even if the democratic world surpassed the strength of the Communists the time would come when the Communists and Muslims would unite and attack the free world. Soviet Russia's policy to befriend a Muslim nation Egypt along with their uncontested presence in the Indian Ocean while America withdraws from Asia is no doubt raising the Communists' hopes to communize the world. Evil is working to conquer but the free world is doing nothing.

When you understand these things perhaps you will realize how great America's responsibility is. This huge nation sent her troops to Vietnam, a small nation of 70 million. For years she fought in that country without success. Now she is with drawing from that nation. How do you think this affects God? How do you think He feels about America? Just think. You have a son. You send him to your servant with materials and equipment. But your son was defeated and he came aback and told you, "I couldn't fulfill my responsibility," how would you feel towards that son? When I say such things many may think I am for war. I don't want war, but I do know the strategy of evil. Wherever evil or Communists find they are superior to their opponents they will attack and strike you.

In Korea in 1953 we had an armistice agreement with North Korea. Today the North Koreans are fully prepared to attack South Korea. For them there is no peace, no such thing exists. The snake has a forked tongue. So also the Communists say one thing and do another -- their words and actions do not correspond.

God has wanted to use this nation as the defender of freedom. God has wanted to use this nation as His instrument to bring world peace and the ideal world of unity on this earth. But now God is losing this world. I am Korean but I have never spoken to the people of Korea on these matters. This is the first time I speak such things to the public. Why should I come to your nation and say these things? I know that 1977 and 1978 will be critical years for America. That year is the 60th year since the establishment of a Communist nation. This year is the most critical and dangerous year for Korea as a nation. The Communist world and the democratic world are confronting each other in Korea. The premier of North Korea Kim Il Sung turns 60 on April 15 this year. In any case the course of evil -- Satan -- will be most active and dangerous during the years 1977 and 1978.

For this I want to start a movement to awaken all Christians of America. To do this I am going to mobilize many mobile teams in the US. I expect many American Christians to resist our movement. Besides this many authorities may be quite critical of our movement. But this reawakening movement is so urgently necessary for America we have to do it. Our teaching raises and builds individuals who can serve the whole world going beyond their individual interests, family interests, and even their national consciousness. We do not want to do this to increase our membership. Our spirit is to work for America and for the world. I think this is the only way that America can survive.

To bring about the ideal world for God and man we must build such people who can sacrifice themselves for the cause of the world. Through these people the ideal world can become a reality.

I thank you very much for coming this evening.