2012 and Messianic Expectation

As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen, the Autobiography of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

2011-02-26T15:31:00.000-08:00

As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen is the autobiography of Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church. It was published in 2009 in both Korean and English, by Gimm-Young Publishers of Soeul, South Korea. The book was released in South Korea on March 9, 2009 and debuted at #3 on the Business bestseller's list. It has ranked on various bestseller lists since then and was ranked 15th on the General bestseller's list as of October 14, 2009.

The book includes an account of Rev. Moon's life from his youth to his emergence on the world stage as a spiritual leader, and continue to the present; he is now 91 years old and still very active. The book is also a plea for peace. Rev. Moon has been working as a peace builder on the global level, according to Alexander Haig, former US Secretary of State and Supreme Commander of NATO.

An article in the Washington Times, which was founded by Moon in 1982 and owned by News World Communications, about the book's release was criticized by investigative reporter Robert Parry for omissions that Parry disagreed with. Parry also criticized former president George H. W. Bush, his son Neil Bush, and Senator Joe Lieberman for their participation in the event held announcing the book's release. The event featured a speech by Washington Times editor John Solomon.

Christine R. Okano in her book review at Amazon Books, wrote her impression of the Rev. Moon's book. "This is a must-read for anyone genuinely interested in peace-making. It is both practical and spiritual. I have read and re-read this book and will surely read it again. Each time I read it I find more jewels of wisdom and love from the life of Rev. Sun Myung Moon from his childhood to the present. He shares wonderful stories of experiencing God while being carried as a little boy on the back of his father, his passionate desire to feed the hungry (with substantial and innovative ways to do this) and loving as brothers the very people who tried to destroy him. The book is packed with real-life stories of principles of peace-making in action. Rev. Moon also tells about his experiences with Jesus that led him to live a life of sacrifice and devotion to God and to dedicate himself to building a world of peace. The book gives insight into the true heart of a man who has been hailed by many as controversial. It is touching and inspirational and once you start reading it, you may laugh and you may cry and you probably won't want to put the book down until you've finished it."

Man of Peace called by Jesus

Inter Press Service reported: "The Rev. Sun Myung Moon went to Washington to introduce 'As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen', his autobiography that, according to the Washington Times, recounts the joys and challenges, the teachable moments and the monumental experiences of his life - much of it spent as a spiritual leader.'

What Role Does Rev. Moon Play in Korea's Reunification?

2011-02-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

Seeds of change planted by Rev. Sun Myung Moon decades ago are coming to fruition on the Korean peninsula despite occasional setbacks. South Korea recently accepted North Korea’s suggestion for new negotiations on humanitarian issues. Tensions on the peninsula are easing after the North aggressively bombed an island in the South and destroyed a Southern warship with a missile, both in 2010.

Although Rev. Moon was a strong anti-communist, he moved the North to consider anew many things which it previously rejected. Seeds of this 1991 visit still reverberate across the peninsula and around the world. Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig, before his death in 2010, said Rev. Moon has emerged as a great peacemaker and unifier on the world stage.

Kim Jong Il Announces Plan to Invite Rev. Moon to Return

Visiting North Korea in 1991, Rev. Moon boldly declared the North should allow families divided between North and South to be reunited, that tourism should be welcomed in the North, and industrial development be allowed there. President Kim Il Sung, in a face-to-face dialogue, agreed to all three of these proposals, as well as the denuclearization of the peninsula.

Former President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, inspired by Rev. Moon’s comments on his role in the peaceful transition from communism, promised in 1994 that he would devote the rest of his life to projects that are for the sake of peace.

North Korea, grateful for the role Rev. Moon is playing, sent him 3 dozen roses on his recent 91 birthday, wishing him a healthy life for 120 years.

Currently observers note that the new North South negotiation topics will center on reunification of families divided between North and South and joint industrial and tourism projects. The International Committee of the Red Cross will be relied upon to broker efforts to reunite the divided families. It will also oversee tourism at Mount Kumgang and an industrial project in Kaesong. Although the sites are in North Korea, management will be by the South, while staffed by the North. All these ideas were introduced by talks between Kim Il Sung and Rev. Moon several decades ago.

Marcus Noland, co-author of the new book "Witness to Transformation" now believes dissent is increasing in North Korea. The population is skeptical of their leaders as access to vital information improves due to marketplace reforms and foreign media broadening their worldview. North Koreans defectors were surveyed in the South and it was found that virtually none believed that Kim Jong-Il's regime was improving, while a vast majority backed Korea's reunification on the terms of the US-allied South.

"Building a world of peace on the Korean peninsula is not as difficult as we may think. When South Korea lives fully for the sake of North Korea, North Korea will not try to fight the South, and peace will come naturally to the peninsula. The power that can move a rebellious child is not the fist or brute power. It is the power of love..." wrote Rev. Moon in his autobiography As A Peace Loving Global Citizen.

See Also:
In Memoriam: Gen. Alexander M. Haig., Jr., USA (1924-2010)

Longing for Jesus to Return

2011-01-23T20:36:00.000-08:00

Alaska is a wild place to live, but my search for gold was not "panning out" too well. Days and weeks working in the cold rivers left me tired. One day, on a hunting trip, I met two men who told me to prepare for the return of Jesus, who could be arriving any day. They read to me from their Bible as we sat on a hilltop overlooking the Yukon River valley, waiting for a moose to pass by, our rifles in our hands.

I was struck by their words and wondered what I should do, and asked them what they thought. They were not so helpful, simply telling me that for me to be accepted by God, it would have to be a very powerful work of the Lord. I guess that the impression I gave them was not too favorable, in terms of my faith, appearance, and potential.

But after parting company, I harbored a deep desire to continue in the new embryonic faith I had found, by finding for myself the path that I should take. Deciding I should leave Alaska, I traveled to my home state of Oregon to see family and friends and share my thoughts with them. Arriving in Eugene in January, I was on a street when I bumped into two strangers who would become my best friends.

They told me we were entering a Messianic Age, that the Messiah was with us, and that I was welcome to study the scriptures with them. I agreed with their offer and the studies were like the windows of Heaven were opened. I understood things from the Bible so clearly, like never before, and armed with the power of understanding the providence and work of God, I wanted to tell everyone about this age that we are living in right now, the time of the return of the Lord.

I got a Revelation: The Messiah is on the Earth!

That was when my life changed, turned around, and began to bring me so much happiness. I always thank God for that time that was so precious so many years ago. Today, I continue my journey of faith and feel that we are now so much closer to that world of peace than ever before. We are approaching the year 2012, a transitional time, when we will no longer have to wait for change; it will be upon us.

See Also:
A Clear Explanation of How the 2nd Coming Will Occur

Death Camp Laborer

2011-01-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

Author Michael Breen's book, Sun Myung Moon, The Early Years, 1920-53, describes what it was like living for nearly three years in a death camp, the crime being his speaking out for God in North Korea, an atheistic military state.

Rev. Moon was teaching his vision of the unfolding of the providence of the Second Coming of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. His work was very successful, and brought him to the attention of authorities who wanted him removed from the scene so that society could be more quickly controlled totally by a culture of communism. Ironically, it was faith leaders who complained to authorities that led to his trial and imprisonment.

The prisoners had extreme working conditions, very little food, and were not expected to live more than 6 months. The communist regime simple wanted them out of the way but did not want to turn public opinion against their regime by killing them outright. So the death camp was a solution preferred. It served to get rid of those branded as enemies of the state but squeezing all the work possible out of them before they died of exhaustion and hunger.

The fertilizer plant in Hungnam where Moon was a prison laborer from 1948 to 1950 is seen in the two photographs, taken in the 1930s when the factory was run by a Japanese company, the Nippon Nitrogen Fertilzer Co., Tokyo.

See Also
Michael Breen's account of Re. Moon's years in N Korean prison

2012 and Messianic Expectation

2011-01-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

As we approach the year 2012, we are seeing an explosion of new books and articles about what we might encounter at that time. Some say it will be the end of the world as we know it, while others say we are entering a transformational period leading to a time of peace.

This expectation is largely due to the 5000 year old Mayan calendar coming to an abrupt end. It seems the winter solstice of 2012 is the last event recorded on their "long count" calendar. This calendar, carved in stone, is one of the few communication left from their culture, as most was destroyed during their colonization by Europeans.

There are many ideas about what may happen in 2012, and to some Christian groups there is a related idea that this may be the time of the Messiah's return--there are Biblical prophecies that this time will have calamities and disasters of very large scale, like the end of the world.

Predictions of Nostradamus about 2012

One explanation which I have found to be extremely helpful comes from Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who feels that this time is a time of transition to a new world. The Messiah does return and will be able to teach us how to live lives filled with love and blessings. Mankind will become one family under God and the earth will be filled with peace and joy. It may not be as simple as it sounds, however, because just to teach his message he has encountered so much opposition that prisons were his home on many occasions. His autobiography, as a Peace Loving Global Citizen, describes some of these hardships and was published in 2010.