Building a following After arriving in Pyongyang on June 6, 1946, True Father took a room in Gyeongchang-ri and began his church work with prayer and devotion. At the time in Pyongyang, there were still many Christian churches and devout Christian believers. Though many of them looked at True Father with unfriendly glares, he still sought new followers with the conviction that he would convey the Word to save even one life. Many were the times that he looked out of the door with anticipation as he waited for these new church members to come.
Some people found their own way to where True Father was, and later they brought other Christian believers to him. True Father held church services for those people. In particular, after True Father's arrival, some people began receiving revelations about him. These devout believers found him through the guidance of those in the spirit world. Many of those who came had been long prepared for the coming of True Father, and among them were people who had been prepared to receive True Father from even before he was born.
The spirit world transcends time and space, and the connections of the world of the heart are linked in mysterious and profound ways. The people who had thus become connected to True Father were so overwhelmed by true love that when they so much as touched the hem of his clothes, they felt as if they were floating on air and could dance for sheer joy. True Father stayed up nights talking to whomever came to see him, whether old or young. 6 The three years following Korea's liberation were a period of chaos. There was chaos within Christianity, the political world, and in every other area of Korean society. Everything was in flux. Within Christianity there was no thought about whether the Messiah would return and no understanding of God's Will. At that time many new churches arose, including the Jaegeon Christian group and the Koryupa Church. All were competing with each other over who had the truth. I had to step forward and build relationships with these churches, but their belief that the Lord would return riding on the clouds was an obstacle.
No one believed that the Lord would return as a human being except a few groups, such as those led by Rev. Heo Ho-bin, Rev. Kim Seong-do and Rev. Baek Nam-ju, who already knew that he would come in the flesh. These were the groups that were prepared for the Completed Testament. They knew the Lord would come as a human being, but they had not had the opportunity to meet him in person. Even if they had met the Lord, he would not have looked like the Messiah to them. That was a challenge to them, and I could not tell them who I was directly. They had to be pushed into a corner and figure it out for themselves.
In fact, both spiritual and non-spiritual people have to do that. Spiritual people do not move an inch without instructions from the spirit world. On the other hand, people who are not spiritual can move forward by understanding the Word. It was a confusing situation. Mainstream Christians were saying that the Lord would come on the clouds. The ones who said that he would come in the flesh were being put down as members of sects. The non-spiritual people could not easily believe either. This became a problem.
I gathered the smartest people from 40 Christian churches in Pyongyang. In those days, I had to teach them with the words of the Bible; no other materials would do. The spirit world worked to connect people to me. God prepared these spiritual people in advance and sent them to me. (223-215, 1991/11/10) 7 Satan's efforts bore down on me constantly when I was in Pyongyang. But even in the midst of this, I always prayed for the members. I would offer a prayer for someone in the morning, and then wait to see whether they would come or not. As expected, they came without fail. When you pray during such Holy Spirit experiences, you will learn how valuable and effective prayer is. Then your work becomes fun, and you gain the conviction that God is always with you. (042-161, 1971/03/04) 8 No one can rival me when it comes to the Bible. I was 26 years old when I went to North Korea. I was an enthusiastic young man. At the time, there were big churches in Pyongyang, which was known as the Jerusalem of the East. All the intelligent members of those churches were enthralled by me. When I taught the Bible, such as Paul's Letter to the Romans or the Book of Revelation, they were astonished at my explanations. If they were still alive today, they would say to me, "You understand the thousands of years of history in the Bible. How could you know it so accurately?" (227-245, 1992/02/14) 9 When I was in Pyongyang, North Korea, I met a woman who was more than 30 years older than I was. She said to me, "I am here with you today because of the guidance of the spirit world," and then she said, "It is strange." I asked her, "What is so strange?" She said, "This is impossible. This is so strange," and she shook her head. I asked her again, "What is so strange?" She answered, "This is so puzzling for me. You gave me guidance when I was 24 years old." In other words, she said that she had received guidance from me even before I was born.
You cannot understand such a phenomenon by just looking from a physical perspective. But looking at it from the spiritual dimension, because God is the vertical Parent, anyone who seeks the heart of the True Father will be with God always. Therefore, although I appear with a shape and body now, in terms of the world of heart, it is the same in the past or in the present. Because God reigns over the world of heart, that woman had met me, even though it would be many years before I would come. Thus we say that the spirit world transcends time. It is possible because of the connections that are made within the realm of heart.
Suppose that within God's heart, He has an idea that such and such a man will be born at a certain time in the future. Then, through that heart God can teach someone about that man and create a connection between them. This is possible because we relate through the world of heart. (063-306, 1972/10/15) 10 How much do you think God had to prepare before I went to evangelize in Pyongyang? There was another woman I met there whom God had told 20 years earlier that she would meet me at someone's house and hear God's Word from me. I was 26 years old when I went to North Korea. God told her this when I was only seven years old. I certainly did not know that woman, or that she had received such a message. How on earth could people believe such a story?
While I was in Pyongyang, quite a few people shared that sort of testimony. They had the mission to testify to me from the position of the archangel. From the perspective of the Principle, before I came to earth, there had to be people who were even more prepared than I was. Even several centuries before my coming, the spirits who would attend me in the future had to cooperate with people on earth in order to establish the foundation for me to deal with Satan's world. (025-343, 1969/10/12) 11 Grandfathers and grandmothers are fond of me. There were 80-year old grandmothers who, guided by the spirit world, came to see me when I was in Pyongyang. Why would they come to see me, walking with their canes? Those grandmothers who came to me under the guidance of the spirit world were so happy even to touch the hem of my garment. When they went back home they spontaneously danced with joy. After touching the hem of my garment, they felt like they were soaring through the sky. They were so overjoyed, dancing all day long, that they even forgot to eat. How could that be? I did not use any magic.
When we taste the atmosphere of true love, we become this way. We become happy without apparent reason. We are happy to give and keep giving. We are joyful even when people curse at us. We are happy, no matter how hard we have to work. (121-208, 1982/10/27) 12 Nobody witnessed to Grandmother Ok Sae-hyeon. When she asked in prayer how the Messiah would come, God told her that he would come in the flesh, not on the clouds. That is what God told her. She absolutely believed this no matter who opposed her. In her prayers, she asked, "When will the Messiah come?" and, "Where will he come?" Then God said, "He is in Pyongyang now. He is hiding in a room in Gyeongchang-ri." Since I was hidden away there, and no rumors had yet circulated about where I was, she could not find me. This was during the time that I was pioneering in Gyeongchang-ri. (141-048, 1986/02/16) 13 When I was in Pyongyang, an elderly lady came to visit me. I was 26 and she was over 70. She had received God's grace while worshipping at the churches of Rev. Gil Seon-ju and Rev. Yi Yong-do, and she performed great spiritual works the likes of which no one else could do. She used to offer prayers at Moranbong in Pyongyang. She received the revelation that in the future Japan would try to eliminate Christianity in Korea and that she should prepare herself for that time. She used to pray there at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. Although her husband opposed her, she fended off all opposition and continued her prayers for many years. She knew that Korea would become the chosen nation. She taught the women of Pyongyang about the new world that awaited them in the future and that a joyous and prosperous era would begin soon in Korea.
It is because of the existence of people such as her who prayed in this manner that God’s work for the Will could be maintained. The Lord must not be alone when he comes, only to be chased and cornered and die with no one at his side. Because there were such women on earth who offered their lives, praying to God and relating to His Will, the foundation of God's providence of restoration could be sustained on earth. (023-271, 1969/06/08) 14 l went to Pyongyang at the age of 26 and caused quite a commotion. When I was in Seoul, the same thing happened. When I would go to a village, the people in the village were willing to stay up all night at my home, talking. So I became the object of much debate.
Even the village children would come and pee in the toilet that belonged to the house where I was staying. Why? I told them interesting stories and folktales. My stories were so entertaining that the children would forget about eating. We had fun playing games together, and I invented dozens of games every day. While playing with them, I asked them, "Where are your mom and dad?" After finding out about their parents' situation, I would keep playing with them. After playing at my house until late, the children would become tired and fall asleep. Then I would visit their homes and witness to their parents.
What a wonderful way to witness! Since the children had fallen asleep after playing until late, I would carry them on my back to their mom and dad. What parent isn't grateful to someone who has just brought their child home on his back? They would invite me in for a cup of tea. That is how I witnessed. (095-234, 1977/12/04) 15 When I was living in a boarding house in Pyongyang, I offered bows to a three-year old boy. I attended him like I attend heaven. It says in the Bible that unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. I honored him above myself to such a degree that he asked me in tears to stop. I recited poems, sang songs and praised him as God's son, even using honorific language. Having done that, I was recognized by God and the child praised me.
Since the Human Fall reversed the original order of above and below in heaven and on earth, I had to set the order straight through such actions, which is the path of restoration. After I established such a reciprocal base by which others could receive me with a joyful heart, only then could I stand in the position of their teacher. |