The Kingdom of Heaven
The millennial Kingdom is an ideal world without evil or sin, a world in which God’s sovereignty is fully manifest. Hope for its advent can be found to some degree in every world religion, but it is most strongly expressed in the scriptures of Judaism and Christianity, as a firm promise of God.
Sometimes the term Kingdom of Heaven denotes a spiritual ideal, a state of bliss in the afterlife (See Chapter 5: Heaven), but that sense of the term does not do justice to the most thoroughgoing eschatological visions. In this respect, Father Moon gives numerous clear teachings about the Kingdom to be established on earth. He has dedicated his life to fulfill God’s calling to build that kingdom—not as a future vision but as a realistic program of human renewal.
These passages survey the Kingdom of Heaven from several perspectives. First, it is a world of God’s absolute sovereignty. We note that this need not imply anything about the political system of such a world. No regime in history, even if it claimed to be instituting God’s theocratic rule, has come anywhere close to the Kingdom in the true sense. God’s dominion is by love, not political power. It is where goodness is vested with authority for its own sake, and God can rule through the hearts of good people.
Second, the Kingdom is a transfigured world—a new heaven and new earth—where all people live as one great human family. Giving and sharing is the norm; selfishness is unheard of. People know intimately the heart and will of God, rejoice in living by heaven’s norms, and have no inward impediments to doing good. It is a world of peace, where nations no longer make war and people enjoy a life free from crime or oppression.
Third, the Kingdom requires a transformation of the self. Even if the world were at peace, if we still felt conflicted and disturbed, we would not feel comfortable and might continue to dwell in a private hell. Likewise, even though we might live in the most delightful environment, we could not enjoy it if our family were full of conflict and strife. Father Moon teaches that the family is a fundamental unit of the Kingdom.
Fourth, the Kingdom is a very natural place, free of artificiality or the constraint of external laws, because the spontaneous promptings of the heart would all be good. It is a place of dazzling beauty, where people’s minds are like crystal, emanating divine light. Creation rejoices, as citizens of the Kingdom care for the environment with love and sensitivity to nature’s ways.
Finally, the Kingdom transcends death. When the earthly world and the spirit world are united, the barrier of death will come down, allowing people to freely communicate with their loved ones on the other side.