You are a good John the Baptist… to prepare the world for the Messiah

Praise God everyone! Come on! Let’s praise God in the house today! Hallelujah! It’s good to be in the presence of God and the presence of God’s family. When I met Father Moon about twenty years ago, at East Garden, we were having dinner and Father Moon said, “Rev. Edwards, you are John the Baptist!” [Applause] I said, Father Moon, I don’t want to be John the Baptist. He had his head cut off! But Father Moon said, “No, no, no! You are a good John the Baptist… to prepare the world for the Messiah…to tell Christianity of the anointing of Jesus Christ upon True Parents.” There is a scripture passage in the Book of John Chapter 11 and it reads like this: Jesus’ dearly beloved friend, Lazarus, had died. He had been buried in a tomb for three days. Lazarus had been dead for three days. Jesus began to speak these words. He said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me and I know that you hear me, but because of the people who are standing by me now, that they may believe. Lazarus had died and had been buried in the grave for three days. After three days, his body began to decay. When Jesus heard of Lazarus’ death, Jesus went to Lazarus’ tomb and Jesus told them to remove the stone that covered the grave. But the people said to wait because his body stinks. But Jesus said to roll the stone away. They did and he called Lazarus by name. You see the stone represents the Principle that Father has brought to Korea, but Christianity has not understood the message that Father has brought here. Christians, if we do not agree with a philosophy, we say it stinks. But the people did not know what was behind the stone that was rolled away.

In just these last couple days of our conference here in Seoul, God has begun to roll the stone away from God’s principle, which has been hidden for so long. [Aju!] There’s a problem, though. The problem is that when God raised Lazarus from the dead and he stood up, the Bible says, he was wrapped in grave clothes. Lazarus, like the church, was wrapped too tight. And Jesus said these words, “Notice Lazarus was resurrected and alive, but he was bound by the grave clothes.” He could not walk.

He could only hop. He could not talk because the grave clothes had been wrapped around his mouth. And Jesus said these words, “Loose him! Loose him!” and they took the grave clothes from his mouth. Today, in year 2017, God is loosing the grave clothes from the church that has bound us for two thousand years. God said, Loose him, and let the Principles of God come forth! So, now the church can walk! So, now, the church can talk! But God needed some anointed, appointed, blessed central family Christian ministers like Archbishop Stallings and me to accept the call. Come up here, archbishop! Come up here with me. [Archbishop Stallings joins Rev. Edwards.

True Father called us “twin brothers.” [Laughter] I’m the better-looking one! He’s the smart one. I’m the good-looking one. But Father anointed the archbishop and anointed me to reach out to all Christianity…. Correct, Brother George? [Correct.] In the first page of the Principle we read, I bring to you a new truth. But you see the truth never changes. It’s the same always, but God opens our understanding. For twenty years I have been witnessing to Christianity across America. For twenty years I have been rejected. Do you know what that means? For twenty years, no one would talk to me. My family wouldn’t talk to me. My church wouldn’t talk to me. My organization asked me to resign and leave. But today, Lazarus is set free! The Principle is set free! [Applause] [Aju!] My organization is calling me now and saying, “What can we do to help Mother Moon? [Loud applause] With me at our conference was a friend of mine from my organization who was born in Seoul and has a church in Seoul. He has a seminary in Seoul. He also

has churches and seminaries in China.

He was at our conference for the last two days, in tears. He said, “Jesse, we have to bring all the Christian pastors in Seoul together to hear this message. We have to bring all Christianity together to hear Father’s message.” Our True Father is directing this from heaven. Because today is the time that Christianity comes forth and supports the anointed True Parents, Father and Mother Moon. Do you feel the anointing of God here today? God is here in this place.

I am coming back another time to Seoul with this pastor. I am bringing five American Christian pastors with me and with the Korean pastor, we are going to visit all the Christian churches in Seoul. Hallelujah! In all Korea! All Korea is about to have a revival! It’s all because of people like Archbishop Stallings and these Christian pastors that are with us. All Christian leaders and pastors, stand up! Singers that are here and other Christians from the United States, stand up.

There people are supporting True Parents. We ought to give them a great big applause. Thank you so much!

Now, I don’t mind being John the Baptist. Father and Mother have blessed my marriage. And now, today, my wife and I pastor a Unification Church.… I’m going to close right now. I’m going to try. Let’s unite with Christianity. The way we will move Christianity is not with our mind and intelligence but with our heart. Father said that we are one family under God. So, in New York City, we call our church congregation our New York family and everyone in New York is welcome to become our family. Let’s make all Christianity in Seoul our family of God. Aju! Aju! Aju! Gamsahamnida