True Mother’s Message at 64th Anniversary of the Holy Wedding of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind held on April 24, 2024, at Cheongshim Peace World Center, Korea
I am very pleased to see all of you. As we mark the 64th anniversary of our Holy Wedding, I would like to note that the history of True Parents’ providence would have been very different if the Christian world in the 1960s had been aware of the wishes and dreams of Jesus Christ—who had said he would return. Why did Jesus die on the cross?
In creating all things in the divine image, the Creator also created all things in heaven and earth in pairs, from minerals to plants to animals, and finally, a man and a woman capable of becoming the first ancestors of humankind. God gave human beings a growth period and waited for them to grow and reach the stage of perfecting their character. As those who were to become our first ancestors, they were meant to grow up in a state of absolute unity with God. Yet they were unable to accomplish this. Instead, they became fallen people and were expelled from Eden. However, the Creator’s beginning point and ending point are the same. Having started this, our Creator has to see it through to the end. God cannot change the Principles of Creation once they are set in motion.
Being unable to simply abandon fallen humankind, Heaven carried out the work of the providence of salvation. God chose the people of Israel, whom we know about from the Bible, and over 4,000 years established them from individuals, families, and tribes, to a people and a nation. We know from the Bible that in the process of establishing central figures for each era, if that central figure failed or was unable to take responsibility, indemnity inevitably followed. A tremendous effort was undertaken, and after 4,000 years God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, a son whom God could call his own. Then why, after just 33 years, did Jesus have to go the way of the cross? It is important that we understand this.
Jesus’ mother, Mary, knew that he was born of the Holy Spirit. Yet Mary, Zacharias’ family and the Judaic leaders were unaware of Jesus’ true essence. The people of Israel, who had endured great hardships, waited for the Messiah, but when he came they did not know what they had to do. In the end, no one around Jesus cooperated with him. He appointed twelve disciples, but even they did not know the providence. Ultimately, forced to take the path of the cross, Jesus cried out “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Do you know what kind of indemnity offering the people of Israel made due to Heaven’s long-awaited central figure—he who was to become the True Father of humankind and enable the rebirth and resurrection of fallen humankind—being taken to the cross? Jesus spoke of his return. He said he would come again and hold the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Christianity began from the apostles after they were reborn through the Holy Spirit. However, they did not understand Jesus’ essence. As Jesus had promised to return, Christians waited to see if he would come. This was the starting point of Christianity. Following Rome’s recognition of Christianity, the continent of Europe and subsequently the entire world were evangelized. However, despite Jesus’ teaching to love one’s neighbor as oneself, people were not able to fully practice this.
The continent that suffered the most in the Christian world is Africa. How could missionaries carrying the Bible accept the capture and sale of Africans as slaves based on their skin color? What was done was unthinkable. Furthermore, it was from within the Christian realm that the communist ideology arose with its notion of “God is dead; there is no God.” Democracy and communism are still clashing in our world today. Considering that in the present time things are drifting away from the path to a unified world, Heaven allowed many religions to emerge for the salvation of fallen humanity.
According to each region, God permitted religions that could guide the people, most of which were led by men. However, if we look at the Principle of Creation, it is clear that a man cannot give birth to a life on his own. It is the same with religion. Now all religions have reached the final stop on the way. Where should they go from here? They must seek the True Parents who attend Heaven.
As International President Song stated earlier in his opening remarks, if the Wedding Feast of the Lamb had been held in the 1960s with the full support of the Christian foundation, we would now live in a peaceful world of one family of all humanity attending God as their Heavenly Parent on earth. As this did not come about, however, the True Parents had no option but to go through a wilderness course for 53 years. Considering True Parents’ responsibility, however, which is to actualize Heavenly Parent’s dream on earth, Heaven directed me to proclaim Foundation Day.
In other words, when we consider the Holy Wedding of Jesus or the completion of the providence, the first only begotten Son was born, but there was no only begotten Daughter. Heaven needed to choose a new people among whom to bring about the birth of the first only begotten Daughter. She had to be born in a Christian environment in 1943, and many Spirit-led pastors and others had to testify to her.
I was born during the Japanese occupation [of Korea] and my country was liberated in 1945. At the time, the Presbyterian Church of America was actively engaged in the works of the Holy Spirit in Pyongyang. Many memorable pastors therefore emerged during this period. At the end of the Second World War, however, due to the presence of Soviet forces in Korea, the country was divided by the Allied Forces into North and South. Five years later, the Korean War broke out.
You need to understand that, in accordance with the Principle of Creation, our Creator provided human beings with a period of growth. Heaven had to protect the Only Begotten Daughter, born after 6,000 years, until she could grow, make decisions, and commit to something on her own. God had to protect me until then. At that time, however, the Korean Peninsula was divided between North and South, between communism and democracy. During this period, the North was preparing to invade the South. Back then, there were various independent activists in the South, yet it was taking them some time to establish order. At the time when North Korea, under Kim Il Sung, was making preparations to invade the South, a six-year-old child cannot carry the providence of Heaven.
That is why Heaven sent me south. The South Korean government, however, was not fully prepared to stand up to the North when the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, and faced the possibility of South Korea’s communization. As a result, Heaven mobilized 16 UN member states during the Korean War, thus defending South Korea’s democracy. The soldiers from the 16 countries were in their twenties or younger. They were the most virtuous and pure people in the fallen world. They shed their blood here in this land to ensure that Heavenly Parent’s dream was fulfilled, and that God’s only begotten Daughter, the True Parent, who would complete God’s providence and realize Heavenly Parent’s dream, survived.
As someone who has been in communion with Heaven since my birth, I know that Heaven’s circumstances meant that God could not wait any longer. Thus, I endured, waited and proclaimed Foundation Day and Cheon Il Guk. But declarations alone are not enough. These things need to be shown. The dream of the Creator, our Heavenly Parent, is to live in the heavenly kingdom on earth with many children, through the True Parents; and when True Parents reach the end of their lives on earth, the dream is to be together forever in the heavenly world.
As we celebrate the 64th anniversary of the Holy Wedding and the 12th anniversary of Cheon Il Guk, I am working to create an environment on this earth to realize Heavenly Parent’s dream. I started with Africa, the poorest continent, and with the Islamic realm rather than the Christian realm. I declared that I am the only begotten Daughter and that I had come to save Africa. A religious leader in Senegal said that his religious order would welcome the only begotten Daughter. Thus, he became my son. The nation’s president also: I had explained to him about the heavenly providence, and said to him, “I am the only begotten Daughter, so let’s work together.” So he too became my son.
Everyone will probably come to the Entrance Ceremony next year. Haven’t we gathered presidents and ministers from the Islamic realm and blessed them in the name of the True Parents? We have done that. This is the unity of religions. When the True Parents are at the center, all religions become one. The same is true for nations.
Among the 200 or so nations, some are prosperous and others not, according to the grace of God. For all of these nations, the Creator, who is the original owner of the universe, is the Heavenly Parent. Through the True Parents, who are fulfilling Heavenly Parent’s dream on earth, Cheon Won Gung is being established. There will be the Entrance Ceremony next year, in attendance of our Heavenly Parent. Should we be the only ones to experience this tremendous, soul-stirring experience, this overwhelming gratitude and joy?
I sincerely hope that all of you will become blessed families who work tirelessly to bring about the day when all 8 billion people of the world will attend the Heavenly Parent on earth, and the day when all of humankind will become one in Heavenly Parent’s embrace. Through our combined devotion and efforts, I pray that you will all become blessed families who announce this day and bring it to pass even sooner.