Special Presentation by Dr. Song, FFWPU International President to Members of Heavenly Europe and Middle East Region at the Worship Concert held on May 18, 2024, in Munich Germany
Dear brothers and sisters, members of Heavenly Europe and the Middle East, I salute you! How are you doing? I am Song Yong-cheon, International President of the Family Federation.
I am so delighted to meet you. I still remember the innocent and bright faces of the young European members from our meeting in Cheongpyeong last summer. Today, my heart beats with excitement as I recall how you used every moment possible to offer your devotions and tearful prayers to God from the early morning to the late-night prayer vigil. I believe that the result of the sincere prayers and devotions you offered day and night despite the very hot weather is True Mother’s current visit to Heavenly Europe. Also, I cannot help but feel so grateful and happy that the powerful energy you are emitting seems to be dispelling negative energy and announcing a new beginning for Heavenly Europe and the Middle East.
At this precious time, True Parents have bestowed infinite grace and blessings upon us. With thunderous cheers and applause that reverberate through Heaven, let us express our gratitude to True Parents!
Let me begin by reading True Mother’s words, given at the “Special Convention of Young People of Heavenly Europe and the Middle East Hosted by the True Parents of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind” on September 1st last year.
I have so much wanted to see you. What is the most loved, appreciated, and precious word in human history, by men and women, young and old alike? ‘True Parents’ is a term that has appeared in providential history, yet more generally it would be “Mother” or “Mum.” Throughout our history, the most precious being, the mother, has been hidden out of sight.
According to the Principle of Creation, God created man and woman in the divine image. There can be no failure for our omnipotent Creator. Once he starts, he must see it to fruition. That is why, in order to establish people of the original standard, Heaven had no choice but to begin the work of the providence of salvation, restoration through indemnity.
Let me read one more passage. Mother gave these words in Las Vegas, USA, on October 8, 2023.
“Heavenly Parent’s starting point and ending point are one and the same. God is all-knowing and almighty. For these reasons, God embarked on the arduous and difficult historical journey to find the True Parents who, upholding God’s principles of creation, could become the ancestors of humankind.
God selected the nation of Israel as the chosen people and the history of the providence of salvation was set in motion. The providential history of salvation was first to restore the lineage lost through the Fall, and after 4,000 years, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son, whom God could call “My Son,” was born. This is something you need to know.
God created humankind in the divine image, male and female. Though God found Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son, the only begotten Daughter could not appear. For the completion of the providence, the only begotten Daughter must appear, but the only begotten Daughter could not be born through the people of Israel who had been unable to fulfill their responsibility.”
So, in search of a new people, a chosen people, Heaven brought the only begotten Daughter to be born on the Korean Peninsula in 1943. Aju.
Today, I would like to share a talk with you, centered on True Mother’s words, under the title “Heavenly Parent’s Starting and Ending Points Are the Same.”
It was shortly after I was assigned as International president. It was dawn on a summer day, when the heat was at its peak. True Mother called me quietly. On that day, True Mother was looking out of the window, greeting the dawn in Cheongpyeong. In a firm yet gentle voice, True Mother said the following:
I feel the urgency of every hour. Christianity must awaken from its slumber. It is time for Christianity to make a new beginning. Study the words appropriate for the Cheon Il Guk era and teach them to all of humankind and the blessed families around the world. Study the essence of Heavenly Parent that has not been revealed in history, the essence of the True Parents that has not been known until now, and the truth of the 2,000 years of Christian providential history.
I was surprised by these words and at the same time very fearful; but gathering my courage, I worked with professors from both Sun Moon University and Sun Hak UP Graduate University of Theology. We focused on developing teaching materials that could convey the essence of True Parents. After six months of sleepless nights and sacrificing weekends, the professors finally completed the teaching materials.
I can’t tell you how happy True Mother was when she received their report. Right then and there, True Mother blessed it with the title, “The Stature and Value of True Parents from the Viewpoint of Heaven’s Providence.” She also gave us an important instruction: “Quickly make it into a textbook and teach it.” I know well that all blessed members around the world completed their training in the content of this textbook during the second 40-day period of special devotions last April.
Beloved members of Heavenly Europe and the Middle East!
While carrying out the mission Heaven had assigned me, I experienced a precious time of grace when I came to know and deeply realize True Mother’s deep heart, which I had not known before. I would like to tell you that this realization is still very much alive in my heart, and I would like to share it with you. So, this precious occasion is not just time for you to enjoy. I hope it will be a time for you to contemplate your responsibility and mission as Heavenly Europe and Middle East members who live in the era of Cheon Il Guk. I sincerely hope this will be a day when your souls awaken, your breath revives, and your lives are resurrected by the new understanding that Mother has given us, and I hope that we can convey Heaven’s blessing to the world.
Firstly, we must know the essence of the Heavenly Parent, which has been hidden throughout history.
Until now, we have known God only as God the Father. However, God exists not only as our Father but also as our Mother. What do you get when you combine God the Father and God the Mother? You get Parents. God is our Heavenly Parent. This is the original essence of God. But until now, we have addressed God without knowing God the Mother. True Mother has taught us this.
Yet even though we had ears, we did not hear. Even though we had eyes, we did not see. How frustrated True Mother must have felt that she expressed the following in her memoir:
“God’s wish was to become the True Parent of humankind and realize the ideal of ‘one family of humankind under God.’ God became not only ‘God the Father’ but also ‘God the Mother’—in other words, the ‘Heavenly Parent—turning individuals, tribes, peoples, nations and the world into heavenly individuals, heavenly tribes, heavenly peoples, heavenly nations and a heavenly world with God as their Parent.
However, with the fall of our first ancestors, the realization of the ideal of Heavenly Parent’s creation was delayed. A male-centered history developed, centered not on the status of Heavenly Parent but on the status of the Heavenly Father, the masculine aspect of God. The status of God’s feminine aspect, Heavenly Mother, was hidden, and God could not become our Heavenly Parent.” [From the Preface]
This is how earnest True Mother is. Now, more than ever, the time for God’s providence has come.
During the past 10 years, True Mother has been traveling the world, investing everything she has into revealing the truth and essence of Heaven’s providence. She has been working to reveal the position of the Heavenly Mother’s, which has been hidden until now. Even while suffering from swollen lips and swollen legs—even when she could barely stand—True Mother could not rest. I believe that we, the members of Heavenly Europe and the Middle East, should know this as her children.
Take a look at the world today. Society is filled with so many cruel realities that it is unsettling to watch the news: it has become a terrible world, characterized by violence, war, and inequality. For personal gain, people slander, criticize, and tear down others. The world is gradually becoming a more miserable place. Over time, the world of freedom, peace, and happiness that embodies Heavenly Parent’s hope and desire is becoming increasingly distant. Why has the world become so full of sorrow and pain? Why is the world becoming a place of suffering and despair, far from the ideal of creation?
True Mother has already provided us with the answer. She explains that this is because the status and essence of Heavenly Mother have not been revealed. She explains it in terms of a fight between siblings who have lost their True Parents. Mother also said, “This situation came about because the existence of the Mother was buried. When we come to know the existence of the Mother, everything will be resolved.” I would like to say that these words are the truth about Heaven’s providence.
We have been living in complete ignorance of the essence of the Heavenly Mother until now. It is now time for us to know the truth of Heaven’s providence, become enlightened, and change the paradigm of our thinking.
Second, we must understand the essence of Christianity’s 2,000-year history in search of the heavenly lineage.
What is the essence of Christianity’s 2,000-year history? I would like to emphasize that it is to welcome the returning Messiah who will take over Jesus’ mission, and welcome God’s only begotten Daughter. This is the truth of Heavenly Parent’s providence and the essence of Christianity’s 2,000-year history. True Mother has already enlightened us on this.
Despite so much persecution that followed in the wake of Jesus’ crucifixion, Christians gained freedom to practice their faith after some 300 years, with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. In 380 AD, Christianity was adopted as the state religion of Rome. Over time, Christianity spread from Rome to every nation in Europe and into the New World, gradually becoming a global mainstream religion beyond Europe and the Near East.
In the Middle Ages, a movement emerged that criticized corruption in the Catholic Church at that time and sought to restore the essence of Jesus’ words and faith. Luther and Calvin’s Reformation led to the establishment of several Protestant denominations. It was Calvin, in particular, who established today’s Protestant theology. This was in the year 1543.
As a result of the Reformation, the Puritans emerged. The Puritans rejected Catholic institutions and rituals, escaping religious oppression in Europe, and migrating to the New World in search of religious freedom. These were the Pilgrim Fathers, who built the foundation for the United States as it is today. The first thing the Pilgrim Fathers did when they arrived in America in 1620 was to build a church where they could worship our Heavenly Parent. By building a holy chapel, the Pilgrim Fathers determined to establish the New World as a true land where Heavenly Parent would be fully attended.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many North American pastors and missionaries from the US and Canada went out across the world. Around this time, missionaries such as William James Hall, Matty Wilcox Noble, and William Baird also came to Korea. As a result of these missionaries, Pyongyang, Korea, became a city filled with the Holy Spirit.
It was then that the term “Jerusalem of the East” emerged. Have you ever heard the term “Jerusalem of the East”? Jerusalem is Jerusalem, but where is the Jerusalem of the East? Pyongyang is called the Jerusalem of the East.
Pyongyang experienced a Great Revival at that time. There was an overflowing of the Holy Spirit throughout the entire city, so much so that it was referred to as the Korean Pentecost. Every day, tens of thousands of people sang and prayed. It was a very intense atmosphere. Throughout the city, songs of praise were constantly heard. It was during this period that the “Movement to Save a Million” was conducted, to lead one million people to Christ. Robert Harkness’ hymn “A Million Souls For Jesus” captures the spirit of the time.
In relation to this, True Mother declared the following to Christian clergy around the world:
“During that time, the Presbyterian Church in Pyongyang, Korea, saw explosive growth under God’s providence. It was then that Christianity stood in the position to see God’s promised fulfillment of the providence. Jesus Christ, for whom all humanity was waiting, had said he would come again and conduct the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. This was therefore the point where the holy partner of the returning Lord must be born.
400 years after Calvin’s exhortation for reformation in 1543, God’s only begotten Daughter was born in 1943. God’s providence is mysterious.”
(December 6, 2020; speech to commemorate WCLC’s first anniversary)
In Pyongyang, the environment was created in which the covenant of “I will return and conduct the Wedding Feast of the Lamb” was brought to fruition.
A short while ago I mentioned the year 1543. This was the year in which Protestant theology was established, when Calvin wrote The Necessity of Reforming the Church. When is 400 years from that point? It is 1943. This is the year when True Mother was born. These two events that took place 400 years apart are both to do with the only begotten Daughter. In the eyes of the providence, the Reformation was not just a simple occurrence. It was an event that cleaned up the corrupted energy of Catholicism at that time and created an environment, through Protestantism, to welcome a clean and pure new era. The creation of such an environment established the conditions for the birth of the only begotten Daughter 400 years later.
In this way, over 400 years, the providence that had begun with the Puritans in Europe crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, and then, through the American missionaries, crossed the Pacific Ocean to Pyongyang on the Korean Peninsula. I would like to say that “Heavenly Parent’s mysterious providence” and “the birth of the Only Begotten Daughter” were quietly hidden away in that time and space as the providence passed through Europe, the United States and Korea. Christianity was completely unaware of this. I believe that because the time has now come, True Parents have, through their words, awakened us to this truth.
So in conclusion, the 2,000-year history of Christianity is the providence to find the only begotten Daughter who will celebrate the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The providence to find the only begotten Daughter! Let us all shout together: “The providence to find the only begotten Daughter!” (“The providence to find the only begotten Daughter!”) I ask you to please remember this.
Third, we must properly understand the essence, status, and value of True Mother, the first only begotten Daughter, whom we have not known until now.
There were two major providential foundations that needed to be established in order for Heaven to send Mother to this earth.
One is the foundation of the providence of restoration that led to the Reformation in Europe and the spirit of Puritanism in America—which I referred to earlier. The other is the foundation of the providence of restoration centered on the churches guided by the Holy Spirit that arose in the “Jerusalem of the East.” Based on these two foundations, Jesus’ prophecy, “I will come again!” was made complete through the birth of the only begotten Daughter.
In the early 20th century, a “Christian community of faith led by the Holy Spirit” emerged centered on Pyongyang that received revelations from God. This Spirit-led faith community received the revelation that Jesus would not come on the clouds, but would return in the flesh. Despite no one instructing them, these people led a strictly ascetic religious life and a life of attending God based only on the Bible, in order to welcome the returning Lord and the only begotten Daughter.
In particular, True Mother’s maternal grandmother, Grandmother Jo Won-mo, and her mother, Hong Soon-ae Daemo-nim, established a relationship with this Spirit-led faith community and devoted themselves in their lives of faith. It was on the foundation of the conditions this Spirit-led faith community set that our True Mother, the only begotten Daughter, appeared in 1943.
This is what True Father said about True Mother’s birth:
“Not everyone could have become Mother. The entire providence unfolded centered on those destined figures connected with the providence for Eve. With all the internal and external elements in order, the Lord comes and, with the cooperation of three women, conducts a wedding ceremony; and at that time, the three women represent formation, growth and completion.
The fact that three generations—the grandmother, mother and daughter—were united means that the Old Testament, New Testament and Completed Testament eras were connected. Thus, we have entered the era when Parents can settle. Mother is the center of this.”
Father spoke firmly and solemnly, saying, “It is not everyone that can become the Mother… There must be three generations of only daughters who become one and have a foundation of merit for the sake of the Lord.”
In this way, through the Spirit-led community of faith, Heaven prepared a three-generational family of only daughters who set special conditions. We must know that Heavenly Parent works according to the heavenly principles that he has established.
True Mother, who knows all of Heaven’s circumstances and bitter sorrow better than anyone, stated:
“I made my own determination and participated in the Holy Wedding.”
Father, who also knew this better than anyone, had also said three times [when he first met True Mother], “Hak Ja Han was born in Korea!” And then he prayed, “God, You have sent such a wonderful woman named Hak Ja Han to Korea. Thank you.”
Dear brothers and sisters of Heavenly Europe and the Middle East!
Under the title “Heavenly Parent’s Starting and Ending Points Are the Same,” I have spoken on three topics—the essence of Heavenly Parent that was conveyed to True Parents, the truth about Heaven’s providence, and the status and value of our True Mother, the first only begotten Daughter. I would like to tell you that if we sympathize with True Parents’ profound circumstances and character and move forward in unity with True Mother’s words, we have nothing to fear. I believe that Heavenly Parent will open the way ahead of us.
Additionally, I believe that True Mother’s earnest wishes come from Heavenly Parent’s earnestness. Thus, I also believe that the greater the number of true children who resonate with Heaven’s earnest dreams and wishes, the sooner those dreams will be realized. Beloved members, will you become the Pure Water that quickly realizes that dream? If you can promise to do this, please give a loud shout! Aju! (Aju!)
You are precious heavenly treasures whom God has blessed. You are the precious Pure Water that Heaven remembers. Please absolutely never forget this clear fact. I express my sincere hope that, in unity with Heavenly Parent in each moment, you can show a good example with your life—and that your exemplary thoughts and actions will spread to those around you, becoming the light and salt that illuminates Heavenly Europe. The International Headquarters will also spare no effort in support of your amazing growth and development, and we will actively work with you to help make Heavenly Europe and the Middle East into a continent that is cleansed and purified, and shines brightly.
I ask you to please unite in your firm resolution and pledge to become the light and salt of Heavenly Europe and the Middle East, and become victorious members. Please give a loud shout of gratitude and applause to Heavenly Parent and the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind. [Applause]
Thank you! I pray that happiness will always dwell with you and your families under the protection of Heavenly Parent. Thank you again!