Rev. Moon's Newest 'Mega-Marriage'

It has been almost 50 years since the Rev. Sun Myung Moon performed his first mass wedding. And now at age 89 he is at it again. This time the uniting and reaffirming ceremony will include some 40,000 people. Some of the couples to be forever linked have never laid eyes on each other. Half of the group will gather on location at Moon’s university south of Seoul Korea while others will be in various locations like the New Yorker Hotel that is now owned by the church.

Moon, a self-proclaimed Messiah, claims that at age 15 Jesus Christ called upon him to complete His ‘unfinished’ work.

The Unification church leader believes his unusual monstrrous ceremonies to be part of that work. He stated, "My wish is to completely tear down barriers and to create a world in which everyone becomes one, There is no other faster way than a cross-cultural wedding to reach the ideal of a peaceful world. We must marry people from countries we consider enemies to achieve our goal of a peaceful world as quickly as possible."

Rev. Moon’s words and views are bizarre, not to mention just plain wrong. First, there is no record in the book that Jesus Himself authored about turning his ‘unfinished’ work over to the leadership or control of one man. Actually, the concept itself is quite interesting considering Jesus’ last words from the cross were, “It is finished” in John 19:30. He indicated there His own view on the effectiveness whereby He carried out His main ministry and mission.

Then His primary command after His physical departure is recorded in Mark 16:15. He told His followers there, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Part of the pattern is also given for the ‘continuation’ of his work in Ephesians 4:11-13. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

These two passages confirm that all believers are to be involved in Christ’s work in one way or another. His work was never ‘unfinished’. It was rather meant to be continued on through those who know Him and have been uniquely gifted by Him for the task at hand. That task was the building and refining of His precious church.

Rev. Moon’s concept of breaking down barriers and building a peaceful world is a nice thought, but little more than wishful thinking. Others have tried the same and failed miserably. One major reason is their failure to fully comprehend the existence and devastating effects of human sin. As with many others like him, Moon’s methods and motives are faulty because his theology is futile.

Ironically, real and lasting peace on the personal or global scale actually does require the presence and power of just one man. But not just any man. It requires the man Christ Jesus who is both fully man and fully God at the same time. (Philippians 2:5-11, 1 Timothy 2:5)

As the Creator-God He alone has the ability to achieve His unique peace as the apostle wrote of in John 14:27. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The world has long sought peace on the individual and corporate levels. In some ways it is the single greatest asset and blessing anyone can possess! But peace with a holy God, the peace given through a loving God, starts and ends with the Prince of Peace. Was His work somehow ‘incomplete’? Peter seems to think so. You be the judge.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:2-4)

It appears to me, too, that the Savior's work was ‘finished’. But mine continues in Him, through Him, and for Him!

Bill Breckenridge