1) The Holy Wedding Ceremony-The Peak of Hardship and Persecution

In the background of the Holy Wedding Ceremony of the True Parents in 1960 there was so much content to be resolved through conditions for indemnifying the 4,000-year history from Adam to Jesus and the 2,000-year history from Jesus to the present time. Even though the ceremony had worldwide and cosmic significance, only a few people actually participated in it. The preparation period for the ceremony, from 1953 to 1960, was a period of unimaginable persecution. During that period, more than 3.6 million people, more than three denominations, and the Korean government persecuted the Unification Church. In spite of such terrible circumstances, Father won the victory by establishing the necessary indemnity conditions and finally held the Holy Wedding Ceremony in 1960. That day determined the destiny of the Unification Church.

Father's Holy Wedding Ceremony is a gigantic worldwide and cosmic event to be eternally commemorated on earth. All the vertical indemnity conditions on the world level were resolved horizontally on that day, through the accomplishment of physical and spiritual victory.

Centering upon Father, the re-creation of history took place. The victorious family standard should begin from the individual Jacob's position. Therefore in 1960, 14 years after the Korean liberation from Japanese colonization, Father started his family. For restoration because Jesus failed to establish his family, 14 years--representing the time up to the completion of the growth period--are needed. The period from 1960 to 1974 was similar to the period of 14 of Jacob's restoring his family. In the historic year 1960, the separation of the family from Satan's side and transfer to God's side took place.

Because Father's original three-year course was a failure, 14 years were required for indemnification. In 1960, for the first time in human history a God-desired family was born. At that time, established Christianity and the Korean government together wanted to get rid of the Unification Church, just as Judaism and the Israelite government crucified Jesus 2,000 years ago. Even the day before the Holy Wedding Ceremony, Father had to go to the police department for investigation. The people in the 12 apostles' position in the Unification Church also opposed Father, as Jesus' 12 apostles had betrayed him. Just as the Jewish government, Judaism, and Judas in oneness wanted to kill Jesus, so Unificationists, established Christianity, and the government together opposed the Unification Church.

April 1960 was the peak of hardship and persecution. Father was standing on the borderline, trying to decide whether or not to go forward one more step. To accomplish this historically new work during such a terrible crisis is to return the utmost glory and joy to God. The historical day of marriage that Jesus mentioned was finally accomplished through the Holy Wedding Ceremony.

From this point, radical development centering upon God started taking place. Jesus died without establishing his bride, but Father genuinely restored the providence by welcoming his bride.

The Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church, centering upon Father's Holy Wedding Ceremony, became the target of persecution from the satanic world, through the conventional churches.

Jesus should have established the order of the Blessing in spite of being persecuted by the Jewish people and Judaism. But he couldn't establish the Blessing before his crucifixion. When Father started restoration for God's Will, by establishing the Blessing, Satan and his side were fully mobilized to oppose the Unification Church.

Prior to the Holy Wedding Ceremony, Satan tried to oppose Father through an anonymous accusation note sent to the police station. In the midst of the opposition from the governmental and national authorities centering upon the conventional churches, the Holy Wedding Ceremony commenced. It was not a celebration or a festival, but a battlefield between God and Satan. Because God's dominion and Satan's dominion would be determined depending on the success or failure of the Holy Wedding Ceremony, it was held in an extremely serious atmosphere. By holding the Holy Wedding Ceremony at the intersection of good and evil, Father was able to return glory to God.

The Messiah claimed the family of love and the world of love. By the way, it is an amazing fact that Father could launch the age of heartistic history.

The bride that the Messiah welcomes is an individual, but she represents the whole world and meets him at the central point. Therefore, Satan opposes the meeting by mobilizing all the power of the nation. Because the satanic Cain- world begins to break down when the Messiah and his bride meet and set up the center, the satanic world wants to destroy the Messiah's family by mobilizing all the authority and force of the world against them.

When a religion doesn't support the Messiah's family, it comes to belong to Satan; even when a religion doesn't take any stand, being neutral, it automatically belongs to Satan. This means that when the central religion, Christianity, doesn't accept the Messiah, all the religions and all the nations come to belong to Satan. That's why Satan does everything to keep Christianity from accepting the Messiah. Therefore, the Messiah and his bride meet in the midst of attack and opposition from all nations. The Holy Wedding Ceremony is not held in a well-prepared environment but on a battlefield. Father held the Holy Wedding Ceremony on such a battlefield in 1960.

By going through this complicated indemnity course, the legitimate couple was born for the first time in human history. Finally, after God's suffocating fight with Satan for thousands of years, and by overcoming spiritual death, the ideal couple which God originally desired has been established. The True Parents-the long-cherished desire of God-were finally established on earth. From that point, the substantial four-position foundation centering upon God's true love could ensue.