Three Stages of Judgment

The wheels of the car must be round; if they are bent, driving will be dangerous. If the four wheels have a will of their own. and some won't turn as they should, what will happen? The air pumped into all of those four wheels must be the same amount or they will not move together properly. If you want to go at full speed, it means the wheels will have to make many revolutions.

I know that you may dislike repeating things, the same old things. But when you want to keep a diamond glittering, you have to polish it. If you want to keep this room clean, won't you clean it once, twice or more each day?

The same applies to learning the Principle. You must learn the truth well, in every particular. Have you ever stopped to think how many times in your life you will be talking with people about the truth? When you eat food, it becomes more delicious as you chew it fully. If you just chew once or twice and swallow it, do you know the real taste of t he food? With a thing of value, you must repeatedly practice with it and try to know the taste of it, and it will give you more and more. So repetition does not fatigue you.

You must know the truth well. The first standard of judgment is that of words . If you do not pass the standard, you cannot be released from bondage.

The second is the judgment of personality. However hard you may struggle to walk fast on a certain road, if you are going the wrong way, you have to come back.

Where does Satan lie in ambush? He is always close to the main road, the true way. Because he wants to snap you up and stop you from going along the right road, he comes to attack you without warning. So, you must prevent him from stopping you from going on the way. However well-practiced, however well-equipped you may be, if you are attacked by Satan on the way, that is the end of it.

You must have a technique to prevent Satan from stopping you. You must have the personality to win over Satanic temptation. You must be more able, stronger than Satan in every way.

You must be alert to see where Satan lies in ambush. Have you ever stopped to think of that? Satan is everywhere - and you are vulnerable to his attack. You must know how to locate him and find him out. When you are strong enough not to be tempted or fall into the hands of Satan, you can win over him; but you must know Satan waits for the time when you are about to fall into the pit, when you are in the most difficult situation. That's the moment Satan comes to press on your throat. When you fight on the battlefield, the enemy lies in ambush. Most likely, he comes to attack you during the night - when you don't expect him. Spies will come, but if you have wide-open eyes, they will run away.

When you are in slumber or relaxation, or when you are in distress or despair, that's the time of Satanic attack. For instance, you are frustrated and say to yourself, "Oh, I have worked one year on the mobile team, can I go on like this?" That's the very moment Satan will attack you. Satan would say, "You are my prey at this very time." All you have accomplished before will be gone. It would not take one of the strong Satans [evil spirits] to attack, but the smallest and weakest one can press on your throat and you will be spiritually killed. Isn't that true? When you are in distress, frustrated, you must remind yourself of the fact that this is the very moment when the weakest of Satans can attack you.

When you are not witnessing, not doing church work - when you are thinking only of good food, fine clothing - when you are in that kind of mood, that's the very moment you are liable to Satanic invasion. When you miss your sweetheart, that's the very moment Satan attacks you. Those are the hooks on which Satan can drag you back. When you doze off, that means you are in a lax mood. That's the very moment Satan will come and snatch you away.

When you cannot help being tired and frustrated, try to go somewhere away from the observation of others. Meditate, pray there for three days, an d after doing that you will look at your brothers and sisters working so hard and think, "What am I?"

In distress you will think, "Can I be loved by God? I must work." Your conscience will tell you. You will be aroused to new vitality. You pray in repentance, and feel again like going out to work. That's better.

Many times when I was in prison [in North Korea] I would appear in handcuffs before the judge; and on my way from prison to the court, on the street I would sometimes meet members from my church. I would wave my hands at them in hilarious joy. And when I waved my hands, the handcuffs jangled - the noise of it still resounds in my ears.

I swore then I would never die before realizing my mission. I would demonstrate my determination, and I would never stop before that day came. I would be strong enough to endure all difficulties. And when I was released, I would work again with more zeal.

I thought even prison was my training course, and that afterward I would be a stronger worker for God. When you picture the prison life, don't ever imagine the prisons in this country. That prison was far below your level - untold misery - almost like animal life. If I were to describe it, you wouldn't understand. We had a handful of rice, almost rotten, each day. We missed good rice and food, and yet we had to work on, mining and loading heavy bags of chemicals. And after we were exhausted and were to receive our handful of rice, on the way to eat some of us would die. Others were so anxious to get rice that they would even take it out of dead men's mouths to feed themselves. At those times I would say to myself, "Even if hardships are doubled and tripled, I will never fail."

Even in the Communist prison, I worked so hard that they had to give me a prize for achievement.

I am sympathetic with you. You are in the prime of your life. You want to dance with your sweethearts; you want to enjoy your life in the worldly sense. There are many good things teeming in this world for you. But you have been awakened to the fact that someone must do this job, not just myself. This heavy world is falling to destruction. Some power must stop it.

The whole earth is covered with war and misery, and you are living on that earth. Along with it, you know you are going to come to destruction. The merry-makers - those without the knowledge of what is happening - may look happy.

But those who know that the world is collapsing cannot help but want to stop it. Some people are indifferent. But would you just stand by and watch the world end? Wouldn't you want to do something about it, even if you had to die or be killed to do so? There may be many casualties, by tens and hundreds of thousands, but if you are not prepared to die for the cause, you cannot live to save the world. If you are ready to die ahead of others, all of you; if you have that attitude, you will not die and you can save the world.

But if you are like the disciples of Jesus who denied him upon his death, you will fall away and the whole world will be left unsaved. Would you become like Jesus' disciples? Jesus' disciples were in fear of Satan and they were overwhelmed by Satanic power. Satan took them away - all twelve disciples, who in Jesus' lifetime had served him. Then, what happened to Jesus? Satanic hands were on him, but he died a physical death, not a spiritual death.

If your spirit is not dead, if you have the same zeal and ardor upon your death, there is a way to be saved and resurrected again. If you have to die, and if you die a courageous death - without leaving shame to your descendants - then you have the chance to be resurrected and work through your descendants.

Jesus was attacked by Satanic hands, but he was not defeated by Satan. God, who is more awesome than Satan, was on his side, fighting for him. You must know that. God is on the side of righteousness.

Have you ever stopped to think, How long can I work? Will there be a time when I will be utterly frustrated? " To be shot to death is a simple thing, but to be tortured spiritually, to have Satan cut off every limb arms and legs - would you bear that torture? If you are resolved to live for the cause and die for the cause, you are already being resurrected. You are transcending life and death. In that case you are on God's side and God is on your side, because God is also the being transcendent of life and d eath. God is our Friend and our Co-worker. Those who have God as their Co-worker must be courageous. God is not only your friend, but your Father. You are going to be the incarnation of God.

God belongs to the whole universe, to all humanity. He sen t many saints and prophets to work for the great cause and they were killed and martyred. That means God's hands and arms and all limbs were cut off. He has been enduring pain all the way. But He is still intact from Satanic invasion; He is sane and whole and all-powerful and almighty. He is living in me and I am the incarnation of Him. Would you not be proud and stand as firmly as He is standing?

Then, with that quality, will you say you are tired after a year, after five years, ten years, twenty years? Will you be tired of doing this job? When will you be exhausted? Never?

In a word, you must think you are born for this life and this is your destiny. You cannot but go this way. Then, your attitude must be different. You must be accustomed to eating humble food, being clad in poor clothing, being sheltered in tents and outdoors - you must know the taste of enjoying your life in this way.

I began my work while you were not yet born. At your age I had accomplished much. But I thought there was a tremendous amount of work that I must accomplish during my lifetime. I knew that. I was never proud of my having done as much as I had. I was always anxious to accomplish more and more. I was in haste every moment. Do I look frustrated? Do I look tired? I am not tired. The farther I advance forward, the more strength is accumulated.

People think, "If I live this way or that, I will be happy." We think we are happy because we are living a certain kind of life. Then, who set up the standard? The definition of happiness - can it be right? You must say, "I did not set up the standard of happiness like that, so it has nothing to do with me. I have to create a new standard or definition of happiness."

If you define happiness to be eating humble food, being clad in rags, being sheltered in a humble place, that is your standard of happiness for the time being. The people whose definition of happiness is like this will never fail in life - and in the end they can enjoy the utmost happiness.

Longer life on earth does not promise you happiness. Even though your life may be a brief one, if you have worked hard and have been recognized by God, upon entering the other world you will be welcomed and you will enjoy the flourishing and glorious life there. So, in this life, the question is how hard you work and how much wholesome fruit you produce.

So, you must work at the risk of your life and at the cost of your life. If you go on like that you are sure to achieve victory. If you die without succeeding in your mission, God will be sorry, because He knows that you have been doing that at the risk of your life.

Wouldn't God, in the position of Father, if He knows His son is going to die soon, want to give him something to help in any way possible? If you have that attitude, God is anxious and ready to help you. If you are confident enough to carry out 100 things, but you are qualified to carry out only 30, God is anxious to fill in the other 70. If you are doing this for your Father, wouldn't your Father be ready to help you? Our Father, with love, is, in a way, weak before His children. With love, He is ready to do anything you ask.

Then, what is the judgment of personality? If you are well-equipped, and you are the incarnation of God's Word, then you will be intact from Satanic invasion. Satan would attack you on the individual, family, national and worldwide levels. If you are attacked on the individual, family or national levels and you do not fall, you can advance more rapidly.

If you are always on your toes, going forward all the time, when he beats upon you, the moment his hand is gone you will dash ahead with even more speed. So Satan will have to give up. Then he has to retreat and leave you.

He will say, "However hard I try I cannot defeat this person." Are you like that? Would you want to be like that at least? If you want to be like that, can you accomplish it standing still? You must try hard.

Satan will use on you the same cunning methods he has been using on our forefathers, past saints and martyrs. Now he is attacking you with that same power, but you must be more powerful and wiser. Then he will give up and leave you.

After going through all these difficulties, when you attain the goal, God will find you there and will tell you, "Now I have found one who resembles me. You have gone through all trials and are here intact from Satan. As the victor, you resemble me, and you are my son." In that way you will pass the judgment of personality. That's the standard. God made everything a success, from the very beginning up to the present moment. If you resemble God, you will continue successes, and you must attain the goal and render glory to God.

You must have such a personality with which you can never fall prey to Satanic temptation.

Before death, in the face of death, Jesus extended his arms and said, "Kill me," and at that instant he was not killed, and spiritually he was resurrected. If you are determined to lose your life for God, no Satan can kill you. You have eternal life there. Are you like that? If you are not like that, God cannot bless you. If He does, the blessing will be snatched away by Satan. But if you are so determined to face death without fear, then God will bless you and it cannot be taken by Satan.

That is how to win in the judgment of personality. Win over all the temptations coming from Satan, and go to the standard where God can bless you. That's how it was with Jesus.

The third judgment is that of heart or love. Have you ever loved a person in the true sense?