Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: Episode 130
Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: A Selection of True Parents’ Speeches
Book 3: The Mission of Religion in Achieving God’s Ideal
Speech 11: Islam and the Establishment of World Peace, pg 451-454
The Middle East is the battleground between God and Satan
Why are the greatest tensions on the planet centered on the Middle East? Is it because a single military aggressor happens to come from a Middle Eastern nation, or because the area is rich in oil? No! Anyone offering analysis strictly at that level, no matter how much of a genius or how profound their historical and political knowledge, lacks the necessary starting point to explain the deeper reality. The reason is that this is the arena of activity for God and Satan. All the prophets of the three great covenants received their revelations in this region. Is this because God’s message was destined only for the people of the Middle East? Of course not! God’s Word is destined to be the guiding force for all human life everywhere on this planet. Similarly, the present tensions and conflicts here are not a matter of concern for people only from this region. The fate of the whole world depends on developments in the Middle East. Just as the great prophets had to fight the forces of darkness to make the vision of God available for the whole world, your peacemaking mission is to deny the forces of evil that delight in racial and religious war, and reveal the divine Will for peace to the whole world.
I know that human history has been marked by the constant struggle between good and evil. This is natural in the process of restoring human life and society to oneness with God’s love and heart. If we study this process closely, we can see the principle by which the great saints and prophets conquered the forces of evil. Satan always establishes his evil regime first, ahead of God. Then with this mighty power, Satan attacks God’s side attempting to destroy the tender shoot of God’s Word and crush the lives of His gentle champions. Satan is always first. He is first to establish power, and first to attack. In fact, aggression is the trademark of Satan. Being attacked first is the trademark of God’s side. Yet God’s side prospers according to this principle.
By being attacked first, God’s side builds up great wealth through suffering and sacrifice. Through paying this price and bearing injustice, God’s side ultimately gains the victory. Perhaps you are most familiar with the mighty yet corrupt powers that ruled out of Mecca during the life of the blessed Prophet. When Muhammad brought his sweeping message of peace and brotherhood among all tribes and peoples, these mighty governments of evil power mobilized themselves to take the life of God’s Messenger and his followers. The followers of Islam endured this aggression and injustice and thus, by conforming to God’s principle of indemnity, Muhammad and his followers were able to bring even these mighty powers into complete surrender. In the end Muhammad walked unimpeded as the glorious victor to the Kaaba, dedicating it to the one true God.
Yet his is not the only story that reveals this principle of God. The same is true for Jesus, the family of Abraham, and others. In fact, if you look at any mighty religion on the earth today, you will see clearly that it prospered by means of living out this very principle of indemnity and self-sacrifice. How foolish we would be if we dared to think that the perfect and true God changes His ways as we do. These truths never change: one, aggression belongs to Satan; and two, God’s side achieves victory by being attacked, enduring, paying indemnity and sacrificing. These are true and lasting principles—principles that mock the size of armies, the wisdom of political science, the geology and economics of oil, and so on. Only one truth prevails and that is the truth of God and His laws of restoration.
Besides the principle of restoration and victory through indemnity, the second unchanging historical principle is that God always supports those serving the larger purpose. For example, if one person lived only for a self-purpose and a second lived for the family, God would support the second one, the one who lived for the benefit of the family. The former actually sacrifices others for personal benefit. The latter sacrifices the self for others.
On the other hand, between one who lived for the family and one who sacrificed the beloved family for the benefit of the community, God would support the one living for the community. This too is an unchanging principle of God. Once again, we can use the Prophet as a supreme example of knowing and living according to this divine principle. Did the Prophet live only for his own clan or tribe or even only for the Arab people? No, he always lived for the higher purpose, not limiting his message for only one group or race. The message of the Prophet was for every precious one into whom God breathes His spirit.
Thus, the greatest among us is the one who ultimately lives for a purpose even higher than the world. The highest purpose is to live for God. The way to check one’s closeness to God is to see if one’s message and life are devoted to the greatest purpose. All action must be for the greatest good of all humankind, never for the sake of only one group, nation, religion or race. The one who is closest to God is the one who lives for the sake of the whole.
Therefore, even though the contemporary situation in the Middle East is complex, we must resist the temptation to rely on all sorts of analyses and sophisticated interpretations. Our primary responsibility is never to forget God’s unchanging, revealed principles: Aggression is of Satan, and blessedness is to sacrifice the individual purpose for the sake of the greater purpose.
The way to resolve conflicts between religions
Only religious leaders know these truths and these ways of peace. So we have no other choice than to be the bold pioneers revealing God’s Will and God’s principles. Peace depends on us.
As we deal with the present situation, and speak to our followers, including the political and military leaders who depend on our wisdom, do not think about which nation might benefit most; instead, think about what is best for the whole world. We must be the untiring voice calling for true love, the base for living for the sake of others. The greatest imaginable tragedy would be for war to erupt between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East. The whole world—the United States, European nations, Middle East nations and so on—needs to realize this. That is why I am sending this message to leaders of all nations. Everyone must live for one goal: to protect and safeguard this situation against the possibility of a religious war. As religious leaders, ours is the greatest responsibility. We must do everything in our power to guide all players into a peaceful solution for this Middle East situation.
With my deepest heart, I pray day and night for the peace I have just described. All religious leaders must do the same.
Once again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your holy and noble love of God and God’s peace. May God bless you and your families, and bring lasting peace to our world, our home.
FFWPU, USA