Cheon Seong Gyeong Ⅱ - 438. Reconciliation of Christianity and Islam
13 As a result of Jesus' death, the left wing, the right wing, and the realms of Barabbas and Jesus manifested as four opposing entities. The world, divided in this way, must come into unity at the time of the Second Advent. Hence the left wing and the right wing need to unite. Also, Barabbas’ realm and Jesus’ realm need to unite; in other words, Islam and Christianity must unite as one, in peace and unity. We need to return to the path of peace and unity by recovering them all. What is on the right will go to the left, and what is on the left will go to the right. If Christianity opposes this ideal, it will lose to communism or Islam. The Bible verse, “The last will be first, and the first will be last,” (Matt. 16:20) refers to what occurs in the Last Days. Therefore we have to bring them together. No matter how much the Communist Party, Christianity and Islam oppose us, we have to bring them together in peace and unity. If we do this, we will pave the way to the throne of God. (249-097, 1993.10.08)
14 As a result of Jesus' death, Satan took over the world. At the time of the Second Coming, that history will be repeated. That is, in the Last Days, the left wing and the right wing will emerge and fight against each other. They are the communist world and the democratic world, the conflict between the left wing and the right wing emerged and spread across the world due to Jesus’ death. The right wing is centered on the United States and the left wing is centered on the communist world. The situation is exactly the same as at the time of Jesus, except that from the two thieves, it has expanded to the worldwide level. At the time of the Second Coming the democratic world, the communist world, and even the Islamic world will have to be brought into oneness. That is the mission to be fulfilled at the time of the Second Coming. (219-259, 1991.09.08)
15 The Lord of the Second Advent needs to work with the democratic world, the communist world and the Islamic realm. At present the realm of Barabbas has taken possession of Jesus’ body. That is, as a result of Jesus’ death, Islam came to take over the land where the twelve tribes of Israel had resided. Barabbas’ life was spared in the place of Jesus. Hence the Arab realm, the Islamic world that represents Barabbas who survived, could take over that land. In doing so, it developed uneasy relations with Christianity and Judaism. By taking possession of Jesus’ body, it came to inherit everything. My perspective is that, by bringing unity between the Muslim realm, the Christian realm and the Jewish realm, and bringing them together in the Last Days, we can go to the one, peaceful world of the kingdom of heaven. (229-339, 1992.04.13)
16 My mission is to unite the two worlds that became divided just after the Second World War. At that time, everything was divided. Korea was divided between democracy and communism. Although the people of Israel returned to their homeland, that land also has become divided between the Jews and the Palestinians. Even the United States was divided into religious people centered on Christianity and humanists who don’t believe in God. If I can unite Christianity, as the Second Israel, and Korea, as the Third Israel, then a unified worldwide realm can arise based on the United States. Then the issue of Israel and that of North and South Korea can be resolved. At present, North and South Korea, as the third Adam nation, and Israel, as the first Adam nation, are posing problems globally. Once they are united, a world of peace can come. It remains for me, and for the Unification Chinch, to fulfill this responsibility. (243-297, 1993.01.28)
17 If Islam and Christianity are left to battle on their own, humanity is bound to perish. We are living in a world where atomic bombs and even biological and chemical weapons could cause far more serious destruction than even the World Wars. One individual can bring ruin not just to a whole village, but even to the whole planet. We can no longer depend on external forces for protection. No matter how much we fight we will never see the end of strife. That is why for decades now I have been conducting activities to unite the religious world. I am working to unite them through the God Conferences, which teach that the God of Israel and the God of Islam are not different. The God of Christianity and God as known in other religions are one and the same. In this way, I am continually carrying out interreligious activities worldwide. In addition, I continue to lead an interracial movement among all peoples. (366-263, 2002.01.16)
18 The Islamic realm opposes Israel, which has returned to its homeland claiming the right of the eldest son. Yet without unity between Israel and Islam there cannot be peace in this world. Such is the history behind the division into two nations. The world now faces a problem in Israel and the Middle East based on religion, and a problem between North and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula based on the struggle between two ideologies, democracy and communism. If a third world war were to break out due to a collision between these two camps, with their backgrounds in religion and ideology, humankind would be completely annihilated. We are in the midst of such danger. Who will bring peace to this world? I am the one that can deal with this issue. (229-126, 1992.04.11)
19 It is a historical fact that I have transformed the relationship between the left wing and the right wing. It is undeniable. Moreover, the biggest problem in the world is the struggle between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Who can reconcile them? No one has succeeded in this task, but through me they are now coming together. You need to understand that this is the fundamental solution to the problem of world peace. We are now standing in such a time of historical transition. (225-014, 1992.01.01)
20 When Jesus was on the cross, the thief on his left and the thief on his right represented the left wing and the right wing. One represented the position that denies God, and the other, the position that recognizes God. Now the left wing has crumbled, the right wing is beginning to decline, and the realm of Barabbas remains. The returning Lord needs to engage with Islam as a religion on Heavens side, even as he needs to engage with the communist nations and bring them to Heaven’s side. That is why I created the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace (IRFWP). I have already taken steps toward peace in nations in the Islamic sphere such as Syria. (213-186, 1991.01.20)
21 If Christianity and Islam were ever to fight, that war would make the conflict between the democratic and communist worlds pale in comparison. Conflicts between religions are fearful things. At present, the devil is trying to cause a religious war. By doing so, he is trying to drag the entire spiritual foundation based on the Christian cultural sphere to himself. Before that can take place, I am contacting them behind the scenes in order to prevent such a tragedy. (214-304, 1991.02.03)
22 Islam is the realm of Barabbas. It occupied the area where the twelve tribes of the Jewish nation used to live. Since this situation originated at the time of Jesus’ death, when Jesus comes again he needs to win over the right wing and win over Islam and guide them toward the world of peace. He must do so, because only then can Jesus’ teaching of unity and peace, which he demonstrated through his resurrection, be established on this earth. Eventually the Christian and Islamic realms should unite, but how can that be? It will be through head-wing thought. The only thing that can digest both the left wing and the right wing is true love. Then what should we do going forward? We ' need to give both worlds the family ed- tication that God has wanted to teach— to the children, siblings, husbands and | wives, and mothers and fathers, j Through this education, all people from l both worlds need to form families that can receive the blessings of the heavenly . nation of peace. (221-218, 1991.10.24)
23 Currently there is fighting between two nations of the Islamic world, Iraq and Kuwait. But what would happen if the Christian world were to explode with widespread outrage and the Islamic region united against it? A religious war would break out, and that i would be a serious problem. An Arab Muslim leader, the Grand Mufti of Syria, and I proposed the Middle East talks that are being held at this time. The two of us took the initiative. This fact has now become known throughout the world, particularly in the Islamic world. The conclusion is simple. Religious people need to step forward and build a world of peace. This is my conclusion regarding the conflict between the free world and the religious world. (210-130, 1990.12.17)
24 In the Arab world, religion stands above the nation. If the Arab nations were to rally together against a Christian nation that struck any one of them, war could break out between the entire Christian and Islamic worlds. Then, because the thief on the right side, on God’s side, would be standing in the position of having struck first, the gates of world peace would break down. That is why I issued strict orders never to fight. I sponsored an emergency meeting with the Grand Mufti of Syria, who is a major Muslim leader in the Arab world, and the religious leaders from Syria and Yemen, among others. Islam and Christianity must not fight each other. The top leaders of Islam should maintain this rule as a foundation for peace. This is the only way those leaders can defend against those who cry out for war against Christianity. Therefore I am supporting them in this work. (206-275, 1990.10.14)
25 At this time, as war in the Persian Gulf looms, I am trying to call for restraint. A war there could be an enormous tragedy for humankind, and greatly impede progress toward world peace. Even if the Americans were to win by destroying everything until all the land lay in ruins, what good would it do them? It would not profit them in any way; it would only become a stain on history that would inflame tensions. This could rupture the peace between the Christian and Muslim cultural spheres. In the work to actualize world peace, I am standing at the forefront. This is why I cannot help but think about this matter. (212-326, 1991.01.11) |