Ep 846 - The Blessing And Eternal Life Part 1
The Blessing and Eternal Life - February 18, 2023
PDF Printable Text and Images + Testimony Dr. Jennifer Tolberg & Kimbebi Koko
Key Points
Families can avoid breaking apart and committing sin if family members share true love and know for sure from early childhood that God and the spiritual world exist, and that their life is eternal.
Young people today do not know these things.
True Parents have endured countless hardships and sufferings because they know more clearly about the existence of God and the spirit world than anyone else.
All eight billion of us on earth must take collective responsibility for the cross that Jesus bore and still bears for the total salvation of humankind.
We can end the duration of this task when all of us truly live for the sake of others and devote ourselves to the salvation of the whole world.
God’s dream is total salvation: nobody left behind.
The more we sacrifice for the sake of the whole, the more we can fulfill our collective responsibility and avoid God and our descendants having to bear our historical cross.
True Mother is determined to complete everything within her lifetime because she knows God’s suffering and that of all of humanity.
While True Parents have resolved God’s han, we blessed families as God’s children who know True Parents’ han, need to bear fruit as families of filial piety and liberate True Parents’ han.
The hyojeong lives of blessed families should reveal the value of True Parents and transform the world.
Our family is our final destination through which we can completely liberate God and True Parents and fulfill their wish.
The way we can begin to repay True Parents for their countless conditions to give humanity the Blessing is to raise our blessed children to value the Blessing and become filial children.
Only blessed families can eradicate the satanic lineage and completely liberate True Parents.
Transcripts from November 3, 2021 to the present, personal notes from November 11, 2020 until November 2, 2021 and slides from August 29, 2021 to the present are available at MD.Hoondok.com as PDF files.♦
I am so happy to hear that our Naokimi, the national president, (has a) birthday. Please congratulate him; he is really working very hard.
Today I’d like to talk about “The Blessing and Eternal Life” from True Mother’s Anthology, Book 2.
<This speech was given by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon between February 23 and April 16 at True Family Values Movement hoondok rallies for the study of True Parents' words in Japan and the United States.>
Humanity is now facing the challenge of the Last Days. In this era, the families all over the world are breaking down. Husbands and wives, parents and children are becoming enemies to one another. What is the cause of this tragedy? The cause is a lack of true love. We are ignorant of the most important issue of eternal life. We are ignorant of the spirit world. If we truly understand that we live eternally, we cannot commit a sin against another person, even when temptation presents itself. We cannot live selfishly, even if permitted to do so. On the other hand, if we do not understand the spirit world, we cannot enter the kingdom of God, no matter what our religion. We cannot go to God's ideal world, the place where one invests in a life of true love.
On the larger scale, without knowing the meaning of eternal life, we cannot create a true social revolution. If it is not connected to eternal life, a social revolution may make things worse. No one desires that. If it impacts the issue of immortality or eternal life, we can overcome any kind of challenge in our environment. This is what is so great about religion. It is connected to the question of eternal life. If the concept of eternal life is well laid out and if we come to believe that it is true, we can lead our sons and daughters and our families.
To this day, religions have neither embraced nor encompassed the secular world. As a result, secularism now has a controlling influence on culture. Secularism has overpowered the influence of religion. This happened because religions have been unable to establish a clear concept of eternal life. This is the challenge faced by Christianity. Although people have practiced Christianity faithfully for many centuries, many churches today are confused. In the Last Days, the more the world changes, the more religious people are caught up in the changes. Even Christianity does not have a clear and logical understanding of eternal life. In short, no one has complete confidence concerning eternal life. In fact, people do not even know with certainty whether or not God exists. When faced with the obstacles and temptations of this world, most people waver. They fall away from their faith, and follow the secular way.
Why do families in the world break apart and parents and children become enemies? First, it is because there is no true love in that family. Second, it is because we are ignorant of the most important issue, (that) of eternal life. If we truly understand that we live eternally, we cannot commit a sin against another person, even when temptation presents itself.
Therefore, we must first teach about and have our children experience God's existence from an early age. Second, we must teach them about the existence and reality of the spirit world.
There are two reasons why today's religion has gradually lost its original mission and declined. First, it is because it cannot teach us with certainty about the existence of God. The second reason is that it does not clearly teach us about the issues and reality of the spirit world. This is because the concept of eternal life has not been firmly established.
If we cannot connect with this issue of eternal life, family revolution and social revolution are impossible. Religion must do this mission. If the concept of eternal life is established, no one commits a sin and (everyone) tries to gain eternal life.
Today's religion is not confident in teaching modern people the issue of eternal life. So these days young people don't know if God exists or not. They do not know whether the spirit world exists or not.
If we experience that God exists and that the spirit world exists, we can give up our life and go beyond any environment. The reason why True Parents have endured countless hardships and sufferings is because they knew more clearly about the existence of God and the spirit world than anyone else.
We really need to focus on these two things: the existence of God and the reality of the spiritual world. Whenever we do any kind of workshop, these two things are very important. Of course, we need to teach very clearly the identity of Satan.
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The Human Fall 23:Collective and Individual Sin
Recently I have emphasized so much collective sin and our collective responsibility.
• Third is collective sin. This is sin for which a person is responsible as a member of a group. For example, as a consequence of sending Jesus to the cross, the Jewish people were cast into the position to undergo grievous suffering.
• Fourth is individual sin, which an individual himself commits.
Let’s study Father’s word.
The Cross of Jesus and the Collective Responsibility
<15-303> The cross that Jesus had born did not end as the cross for thirty-three years of His whole life. The cross is related with the cross of two thousand years. The cross that Jesus had born did not end during His life time, but we can know that it is related with an individual, family, tribe, race, nation and world. That is why, when we go this path, we have to bear the cross. Then, are the cross or the path that we have to go the responsibility limited to only us, unificationists? No, it is not. Three billion people have to be true brothers and sisters, true children, and a true family centering on God. Even if it takes ten years or hundred years to accomplish it, we shouldn’t prolong the collective responsibility that each one of us has to take any more. We must end it during our life time. As we join our efforts and reduce the time to do it more, we can remove the historical cross.
Jesus bore all the crosses in place of Adam and Eve's mistakes 4,000-year before him. And the cross that Jesus carried spanned 2,000 years and connected to us today.
The cross that Jesus bore did not end during His life time, but we can know that it is related with an individual, family, tribe, race, nation and world. And this cross is not a responsibility limited to us Unification Church members, but a collective responsibility for all 8 billion people (on earth).
Therefore, it is not a problem that can be solved by only me being perfected and saved. This is because the concept of God's salvation is salvation for all humankind, that is, total salvation, in which no one is left out.
Unless there is total salvation, not one of humankind can escape from the collective responsibility. Until this world is completely restored, we must know that each individual has the collective responsibility to bear the cross, even if it takes ten or a hundred or one thousand years.
Therefore, our task is to end this collective responsibility in our time. This cannot be done alone. It can be shortened when everyone joins forces and goes out with a collective responsibility. Those who truly live for the sake of others are conscious of this collective responsibility and always worry about and devote themselves to the salvation of the whole world.
(If) each human (being takes) collective responsibility and (has the) collective mindset without exception that everybody (must be) saved, then we can fulfill our collective responsibility. No one (should be) left (behind). Everybody (must be) saved. Until everybody is saved, we have collective responsibility. We cannot (overlook) any human being, no matter whether that person is a sinner or my enemy (or not). It does not matter. Until the entire world, including the spiritual world, is restored, we have collective responsibility. He is our brother. She is our sister. God is the same parent of all humankind. We (all) need to be the same blood lineage under God. That is why we have collective responsibility.
We cannot only think about America. America is connected to the 200 nations in the world. We need to think that we cannot (overlook) any human being because they are so precious. We are connected collectively; that is why we need to have collective responsibility.
If we have collective responsibility, we can love anyone, and we can be responsible for everyone. “Your sin is my sin. The nation’s sin is my sin. The sin of the world is my own sin. God’s problem is my problem. I am the one who (must) liberate God and True Parents.”
This kind of collective responsibility comes from the spirit of living for the sake of others, from a filial heart. God has nothing to do with human sin. Why does he suffer? He cannot run away because he is the God of all humankind. He has collective responsibility for every human being. If God had not created Adam and Eve, (the fall) would never have happened. He is responsible as the creator. “If I had not made Adam and Eve, it would never have happened like that.” As the creator even though human beings made a mistake, he has to be responsible.
Then who is responsible for God? Who liberates God? Who is responsible?
That is why the Divine Principle teaching is really incredible. I love the concept of total salvation: nobody left behind. We are all children of God. It does not matter what kind of religion or color we have.
This concept comes from the messiah, True Parents. No religion emphasizes this matter so much. That is why our movement needs to lead the world.
As we More and More Sacrifice, we can Remove the Collective Cross
<15-303> As we sacrifice more and more, we can remove the cross of the national level and the universal level. However, when we cannot reduce the time to do it, this historical cross will remain not only as the practical cross, but also as the future cross. We have to know it clearly. When you witness in the countryside, you are not witnessing alone. As a representative of the entire Kingdom of Heaven, you are fighting for all families, all brothers and sisters, and all our members. When you make a mistake, the cross that God has to bear will remain until you and whole your family, your tribe, your race are restored. God has connected everything centering on an individual. Therefore, when each one of you cannot accomplish the responsibility during your life time, it will remain as a problem of the historical cross. You have to know it.
The more we sacrifice for the sake of the whole, the more we can get rid of the ethnic(?), national cross and the global cross. In other words, the more we sacrifice, the more we can fulfill our collective responsibility.
So, when we fail to shorten this collective cross, it will be left to the future descendants. When we witness in the countryside, we are not witnessing alone.
We take collective responsibility and go out to fight on behalf of the entire Kingdom of Heaven, we are fighting for all families, all brothers and sisters, and all our members.
However, if we fail to bear the collective cross, the cross that God must carry becomes more severe, more serious. And that cross becomes added on and it must be paid by the descendants.
Therefore, when each one of us cannot accomplish the responsibility during our lifetime, it will remain as a problem of the historical cross and will remain as a cross that weighs on God.
That is why Mother said, “I want to finish everything within my generation during my lifetime.” How strong her determination is! “I want to complete everything within my generation while I am living on the earth.” She has such determination because she is the one who knows God’s suffering and how much all of humankind is suffering because of that. She really wants to be responsible to save all humankind as the messiah.
TODAY’S YOUTH MINISTRY: Blessed Families Who Must Relieve True Parents’ Han
1. True Parents came to this earth as the parents of all people and walked a path of sorrow that no one could ever fathom. However, we blessed families who claim to follow the will of True Parents still cannot bear the han of True Parents. We still do not know the heart of True Parents so we must reflect on whether we are standing in the same position of spectators who only have the concept and notion of the word while only listening to True Parent's word.
Although we have received the precious Blessing from True Parents, we come to realize that we are the object of True Parents' concern. True Parents do not hold their han against the secular people who do not know their will, but rather they hold great han over us who have received the Blessing and still did not grow. In fact, aren't blessed families supposed to be responsible for resolving True Parents' han as they grow up? How happy would God be if we, as His children, were able to bear fruit as families of filial piety and liberate True Parents?
True Parents came to this earth and lived a miserable life only to fulfill God's wishes and release him from His han. If True Parents have resolved God's han, then who can resolve the han of True Parents? Can the secular people who do not even know God nor the word resolve True Parent's han?
Who among the people of the secular world know of True Parents' sorrow and han? If only our blessed families knew this, how many of those blessed families would have filial sons and filial daughters who would know the han and sorrow of True Parents and seek to resolve them?
Although we have received the precious blessings from True Parents, we should reflect on whether or not we are the object of True Parents' concern. Even if we listen to True Parents' words, aren't we just staying with that concept? Aren't we still standing in the same position as spectators?
True Parents do not hold their han against the secular people who do not know their will, but won't they hold great han over us who have received the Blessing and still did not grow?
In fact, aren't blessed families are supposed to be responsible for resolving True Parents' han as they grow up? How happy would God be if we, as His children, were able to bear fruit as families of filial piety and liberate True Parents?
Become a Family of Filial Piety that Testifies about True Parents
2.How proud would God be if we became a family of filial piety that all of the people envied, and if we became a family that testifies about True Parents to those people? Rather than having all of the people read True Parents' autobiography and realize that True Parents are great people, if the greatness of True Parents is revealed through the lives of our blessed families, what can we be more proud of?
We blessed families today should not mistakenly believe that we know True Parents just because we knew God's will and accepted True Parents first. Although we came along thanks to the gift of heavenly fortune, we still do not know how sad and unspeakable the course of suffering True Parents went through (was). Although we received the Blessing and formed a family, we did not know that the family is our final destination, and that through our family, we completely liberate the wish of God and True Parents. We did not know that the will of God and True Parents depends on the success or failure of our family.
In fact, the value of True Parents must be revealed through the lives of our blessed families. If we look at the lives of our blessed families and praise the greatness of True Parents, only then will True Parents' han and sorrow be completely liberated. God has been waiting for 6,000 years to see such a family.
Rather than having all of the people read True Parents' autobiography and realize that True Parents are great people, if the greatness of True Parents is revealed through the lives of our blessed families, what can we be more proud of?
If someone admires (tp after) reading True Parents’ autobiography, or (if) someone admires (True Parents) after seeing the blessed families, “How did they become such wonderful and ideal families?” which way is better?
Ultimately, we must know that the world is changed through the lives of Hyojeong of our blessed families. We have followed the path of the will with the help of the gift of heavenly fortune, but we still do not know how sad and unspeakable the course of suffering True Parents went through (is).
Although we received the Blessing and formed a family, we did not know that the family is our final destination, and that through our family, we completely liberate God and True Parents (and fulfill their) wish.
There is No Way to Completely Liberate True Parent's Han Unless it is by a Blessed Family
3. When we see the 2nd and 3rd generations of blessed families wandering in darkness today, it is because we, as blessed families, have not been able to educate our children due to the fact that we do not realize how precious our families are. Starting now, we blessed families must realize this and resolve to take responsibility for our own families, and to raise our children into filial sons and daughters. We must know that this is the path to the liberation and complete freedom of God and True Parents. If we do not do this in our families while we are on earth in our physical bodies, who in the world will do it? We need to know that there is no family anywhere in the world that will liberate and completely free True Parents except for blessed families.
From now on, we, blessed families, must become families of filial piety who can sympathize with all these things and resolve to relieve True Parents' han from our own families. God's han was formed in the family. True Parents taught us early on that our blessed family was the only way to eradicate and liquidate the wrong lineage of Satan due to the Fall, but we never fully realized it. Even now, we should become blessed families who fulfill their responsibilities on this earth while we are alive.
True Parents came to this earth, worked hard for humanity and paid (a high price with) countless indemnity conditions in order to give the Blessing to our blessed families. We cannot help but feel sorry for not repaying them properly.
The way for us to be indebted to True Parents and to repay the grace is to raise our children wonderfully and present them to Heaven. But what is the reality of our blessed children today? We cannot raise our heads in front of True Parents because we cause them more concerns than good results.
How regrettable must God and True Parents feel when they see the second and third generations of precious blessed families wandering without knowing the value of the Blessing?
Starting now, we blessed families must realize this and resolve to take responsibility for our own families and to raise our children into filial sons and filial daughters.
If some are disconnected and far from True Parents and Heavenly Father, do not give up. Actually they are so precious. There is only one way. Just love them, encourage them. Rather than blame and judge (them), we need to repent – including me. I did not raise my children properly. They are still far away according to True Parents’ standard of filial piety.
We really need to repent. We could not raise our children beautifully. We could not offer our children to God and True Parents even though we received incredible... blessing from our True Parents.
I am really concerned about how we can revive our second generation and third generation. Even though they don’t come to church, I feel that they are still children of God. They are so precious. My resolve is for them to come back. That is why I invest so much of my heart and jeongseong every day especially in our younger generation.
If we do not do this in our families while we are on earth in our physical bodies, who in the world will do it? We need to know that there is no family anywhere in the world that will liberate and completely free True Parents except for blessed families.
God's han was formed in the family. True Parents taught us early on that our blessed family was the only way to eradicate and liquidate the wrong lineage of Satan due to the Fall, but we never fully realized it.
We have to be more serious. I can feel that through Morning Devotion we are creating unity and a beautiful heart. We are coming and joining everywhere.
I can go anywhere. Our brothers and sisters are working so hard! Your age does not matter, whether you are a senior or a junior. Everybody is focused on witnessing. I am so grateful. Everybody is trying to read the Divine Principle 100 times and 30 times. At the Clifton Church (New Jersey Church) everybody without exception is so focused on reading the Divine Principle and witnessing everywhere! If we create that kind of environment continuously, we can change America and the world! Then definitely our second generation and third generation will come back.
(Testimony Dr. Jennifer Tolberg, introduced by Kimbebi Koko, Interim Pastor Georgia Church)♦
NOTE: This text and the PowerPoint slides from this speech are available as a link at the top of this text. Transcripts from November 3, 2021 to the present, personal notes from November 11, 2020 until November 2, 2021 and slides from August 29, 2021 to the present are available at MD.Hoondok.com as PDF files. Books of the transcripts and notes are available as PDFs at MDBooks.Hoondok.com.
This lightly edited transcript may contain errors and omissions. Indecipherable, inaudible or uncertain words and guesses are tagged with a “(?)” and indecipherable phrases, with an ellipsis “...”. First, second and third person pronouns have been left as spoken if the meaning is clear, and other apparently Korean English expressions have been preserved if understandable. Some repeated phrases have been eliminated.
Audio only is available at anchor.morndev.com, spotify.morndev.com & audio.morndev.com. Notes or transcripts of Dr. Yong’s Morning Devotion speeches from November 11, 2020 through March 29, 2022 are available as six paperback books at cost at Lulu.com/Shop -- search for Dr. Chung Sik Yong -- and as PDF downloads free of charge at MDBooks.Hoondok.com.♦