1. THE MESSIAH COMES AS A FATHER

1) The Necessity of the Second Coming

It is said that "The Messiah comes! The Lord comes!" What is the Lord going to do when he comes? He is to rule the nation and the world. The Lord will go around the world with his people according to his will and govern the world. The world that the Messiah wants to create is the world that God loves to be in. It is also the world that our conscience, which is created by God, longs to see. Racial differences, national boundaries, historical background or traditional thought would not be subjects for conflict in this world. There would be complete agreement about what goodness is and the contents would make a reciprocal base with God's view. The very day on which we can march forward to such a world is coming, and it is the day of God's advent on earth. It is the day of the Second Coming of the Messiah, according to the Christian concept. (1969.6.15. former headquarters Church)

In the original ideal of God's creation, the way of restoration is not necessary. There is no need of the providence for salvation. We would not need a mediator, such as a Savior, the Lord or a Messiah. We would not need religion, Christ or the belief in the Second Coming. Because of the Fall, these become needed in order to complete the providence for restoration. (1987.5.3. Headquarters Church)

2) Jesus as the Messiah

Jesus came to earth and said, "I am the Messiah, the Savior." His words were most meaningful to those who were suffering to survive. He said, "Those who bear a heavy burden! Come to me. I will make you rest comfortably." How wonderful these sentences are! Leaving such words is much better than wanting to become a great man of these days. What a wonderful man he is to have such content! It was a historical proclamation.

When he said he was the Messiah, that was like saying, "I am the only one in all humankind." He was saying that he is the only one, even though there are so many people living on the earth. When you are asked, "What kind of person are you?" you should be able to say, "I am the essence of the hope of humankind, the essence of life of humankind and the origin of the salvation of humankind." Otherwise, you are not needed in this world. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to Heavenly Father without going through me."

I think that such a proclamation alone can make Jesus qualified as the Messiah. We do not need miracles. When a person is truly connected to the origin, the root, he is the Messiah. Jesus bravely shouted out to humankind with a magnanimous scheme to accomplish salvation. That was enough for him to be qualified as the Messiah. (1962.10.28. former headquarters Church)

3) The Messiah is a Father

History repeats itself and progresses toward the destination-the harvesting point of the original purpose or intention. The destination is stationary; it does not move, but history develops in moving toward this objective. History is destined to reach the originally intended standard. What is that standard? Who should be the owner to control the standard? If there is Heaven, Heaven should be the owner. If there is God, He should be the owner. The original standard never changes and there should be a specific time and environment prepared to fulfill this purpose. God promised that when the time and environment are ready, He will send a leader.

Therefore, in the religious world there is the promise that God will send a leader to rule in the prepared time and environment in the Last Days." This is the belief in the Second Coming or the "belief in the Messiah" in Christianity.

What kind of a person is the Messiah? The Messiah is not a person who loves himself more than he loves the world. First, he loves God more than himself. The Messiah is the one who is responsible for humankind, knowing that he was recommended and elected by humankind. He is to acquire the victorious results centering upon one common purpose with them and, finally, he is to share the glorious position with them. Such a person is the Messiah, and only such a person is loved by all humankind.

What kind of ideology appears in the Last Days? Godism does. This is our ideology. Godism is the ism of God and of me. Myriads of people in this contemporary time do not know whether God exists or not. They do not know how to deal with the environment of the Last Days. They are also very ignorant of the time of the Last Days. Therefore, when the time and the environment are dreary, Heaven sends somebody who can take care of humanity in the Last Days. Such a person is the Messiah.

The Messiah that our Unification Church is talking about is not one of the great masters of history. The Messiah is a father. What kind of father is he? God is the internal father and the coming Messiah is the external father. (1963.10.18. Kwangju Church)