First and foremost—ascend to heaven

Meishu-sama
The salvation of the religions until today was this: founders themselves descended to hell, and while suffering, they pushed people upward so as to save them. My way is the opposite. I first ascend to heaven and then, from there, pull the miserable up to heaven to bring them salvation. My followers do the same. For our religion is a heavenly religion, and this kind of groundbreaking religion came into being for the first time in human history. For this, we were misunderstood by many in the past, but today, society seems to understand our true nature, which gives me satisfaction.

“My writings and other matters,” Glory, no. 238, December 9, 1953

Kyoshu-sama

We have traveled on the path of life that God prepared for us, were sent from heaven to earth and were given life in this world.

And now, in the name of Messiah, traveling on that very same path, we are able to return back to heaven.

We were not born to be the children of human beings. We were born to become the children of God.

If that is so, together with all things and in the name of Messiah, as ones who are forgiven and saved, we can return to heaven, the origin of everything and everyone. I believe that, in this way, we can serve in God’s work of making all humanity His own children.

This is what Meishu-sama has pointed out to us as the “construction of Paradise on Earth” and “salvation of humanity.”

Grand Ancestor Service
July 8, 2018

Masaaki-sama

We assumed that “a world absolutely free from disease, poverty and conflict” could not exist anywhere else but on this earth, and we did our best toward that goal. But whether that world exists within us or not makes a big difference. It may seem small, but there is a very, very big difference. This world is not only within Meishu-sama, but it exists within each one of us too. Meishu-sama had firm conviction of this.

That is why in the Sacred Word “The uniqueness of the salvation of our church,” Meishu-sama was able to say to all his followers that you must climb to heaven first if you want to serve in the work of salvation. And he taught that heaven is within us, and to be united to that heaven is salvation. He said, “This point is different from all other religions . . . rather, opposite of other religions.”

What is the way of salvation for all other religions? It is to build a heaven on this earth only by human power, isn’t it? To construct a world free from disease, poverty and conflict only by human power is the usual way for other religions, isn’t it? But Meishu-sama is saying that the uniqueness of our salvation is climbing to heaven before anything else, climbing to the world free from disease, poverty and conflict. And he is saying that if that power is reflected onto this earth, then that kind of world will certainly come about.

So does heaven exist within each one of us or not? This difference seems small, but it is immense. We have “The uniqueness of the salvation of our church” and a hymn that reads, “Before anything else, / I am trying to be a resident of heaven. / For into heaven I wish to save the people of the world.” If you are to save the people of the world into heaven, then you must live there first. And that heaven is a place without disease, poverty and conflict. If you are able to come in contact with the joy of that world, as a result, based on the law of the spiritual preceding the physical, the physical earth will reflect the joy of the spiritual world and that world absolutely free from disease, poverty and conflict cannot help but be created.

Meeting with Executive Directors, Regional Directors and Other Ministers
October 7, 2018

Published in Glory, no. 8, September 1, 2020