Cham Bumo Gyeong
Book 3. The Beginning of True Father's Public Course and the Founding of HSA-UWC, pg 213-215

Book 3   The Beginning of True Father’s Public Course and the Founding of HSA-UWC

With the liberation of Korea on August 15, 1945 True Father began his public course for the providence of restoration. It was the beginning of a long, drawn-out march toward the liberation of God, the salvation of humanity, and the realization of a peaceful world. Though he was ushering in the new age, long awaited and anticipated by humankind, inexpressible suffering still lay ahead on his providential path.

Initially True Father could not publish his new teaching, and when he met other pastors and church elders, it was almost impossible for them to recognize him as the new Lord of the providence. Therefore, he had no choice but to find and work with spiritual groups that communicated directly with God. One in particular was the Christian Israel Monastery led by Rev. Kim Baek-moon, whose spirit was at the highest level. True Father visited this group in October, 1945 and for six months he devoted all his energy as a volunteer to serve and work for them. In early March of the following year, Rev. Kim testified that True Father was “the man who comes with the glory of King Solomon.” But after that testimony, Rev. Kim did not serve or follow True Father. True Father came to feel that he could not fulfill the Will of God as long as he stayed there, so he left the monastery.

When it became impossible for True Father to lay a foundation for the providence in South Korea, he received a revelation to go to Pyongyang, and he immediately set out. He arrived there on June 6, 1946, and, with ardent prayer and devotion, set about building an altar. In Pyongyang, devout Christian believers guided by heaven came flocking to him. Because of their testimonies of what they experienced, the number of people attending his church services grew rapidly. However, other pastors and church elders thought True Father was stealing their followers and, due to their opposition and accusations, he was imprisoned at the Daedong Detention Center on August 11 of the same year.

True Father was actually hopeful when he was imprisoned. He knew that in the Daedong Detention Center he would meet the leader of a spiritual group. Rev. Heo Ho-bin, founder of the Inside the Womb Church, who had received revelations that the Lord would come again in the flesh, was also imprisoned at the detention center. True Father secretly passed a note to her that said, “Pray to find out who I am. Deny everything and be released.” But she disbelieved True Father, and the note was discovered by the jailers. As a result, True Father was tortured severely, and when he was released, he was at death’s door.

In the end, True Father was opposed by Christian leaders and spiritual groups in both South Korea and North Korea. Therefore, just as Jesus had to go through a 40-day fast and the three great temptations due to the opposition of the chosen people of Israel, Father too had to endure severe torture in the Daedong Detention Center and walk the course of three great trials.

The first of these trials was brought by Pak Eul-yong, the self-proclaimed “Wife of Jehovah.” True Father ultimately triumphed in the course of restoration through indemnity, advancing up through the eight stages of restoration from the position of a servant of servants to the position of God’s substantial object partner.

The second trial was the 43-day battle for truth in which he had to engage all the sages in the spirit world. This was a heated debate concerning three topics: first, change of lineage; second, change of the right of ownership; and third, change of the realm of heart. In the end, True Father received God’s Divine Seal and His official recognition, “What Sun Myung Moon says is right.” Thus, he prevailed over them.

The third trial was the course to restore through indemnity the sufferings Jesus had endured when he lost his 12 disciples and was nailed to the cross. Father had to go through this course in order to begin his work as the one who had been named the heir to Jesus’ mission. True Father triumphed by restoring more than 12 disciples in Hungnam Special Labor Camp, which was for him the same as being nailed to the cross. True Father underwent forced labor in the Hungnam labor camp for two years, four months and 25 days, beginning May 20, 1948.

Life in the Hungnam labor camp was itself a living hell, with poor rations, dreadful living conditions and severe hard labor. Every year 40 percent of the prisoners died. True Father had to find 12 devoted disciples in such a place while struggling to stay alive, and he could neither talk nor act as he liked. The only way for him to witness to others was to practice a life of devotion that moved heaven and the spirit world. Then ancestors in the spirit world would send revelations in dreams and visions to their descendants in the prison. In this way, many people came to serve and follow True Father.

When the Korean War broke out, UN troops arrived and engaged the North Korean forces. True Father was freed from Hungnam Prison the day before his scheduled execution. He walked for ten days to get to Pyongyang, where he searched for those who had followed him before he was sent to the prison camp. He first sought out Kim Won-pil, whom True Father had witnessed to before his imprisonment. Father asked him to visit the other members, but not one of them rejoined True Father. After staying 40 days in Pyongyang, True Father left the city on December 4, 1950, together with Kim Won-pil and Pak Jeong-hwa, who had been in prison with him. Mr. Pak could not walk due to a broken leg, so True Father put him on a bicycle, he had found and together they headed south.

On January 27, 1951, 55 days after departing for the south, True Father arrived at Choryang Station in Busan. Beginning on May 11, and over the course of that year, True Father wrote the Wolli Wonbon, the Original Text of the Divine Principle. On July 20, 1953, he sent Gang Hyeon-sil to Daegu as the first missionary. This was the first time the Divine Principle was taught publicly.

True Father founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC) in Bukhak-dong, Seoul on May 1, 1954. HSA-UWC was founded to establish the Abel church representing Christianity, based on the victorious foundation of Father’s indemnity course in North Korea. This meant that God’s providence of restoration had begun anew, centering on this new organization.