Moses David's Legacy
As with all Christians, David realized that this Earth was not his final home, but rather he was, as Saint Paul said, a "pilgrim and a stranger." So while he enjoyed life, he also looked forward to the time that his earthly course would be finished, and he would be called home to his Heavenly reward. He often discussed what death meant, both for Christians as a whole and for himself personally.
"If you have changed one life, you have changed a part of the world, and you have proven that there is hope that it can all be changed!"
For us who love the Lord, death is our relief, release,
freedom, promotion, graduation, and passing on to a better realm, the next step, the
next grade! Our spirits are immediately freed to go to be with the Lord, so it's not
really death for us in the same way it is for those who aren't saved. We don't die in
the sense that they die.
That's why I don't even like to call it “dying” or “death!” I prefer to call it graduation, passing on, or promotion. It's our graduation!—And just like [people] celebrate when someone graduates from school or college, so we should rejoice when someone we love graduates from this old life. They've finished their schooling in this earthly grade and are passing on to the next grade!—The Heavenly grade!
I think for a Christian, the time of death should be a happy time. You should have rejoicing, sing happy songs, be happy, amen? Please, talk about the good things, and praise and thank God that I once lived, and that I still live! [1]
David knew that many religious movements lose momentum or go astray when their founder dies. He spent much time preparing the Family for the time when he would no longer be with them in this life. He taught his followers that as Christians, they had a direct, personal link with Jesus via prayer and the Bible. He continually reminded them to pray, read God’s Word and "follow God!" He knew that this would be the key to their success, both for that time and after he was gone. In 1973 he wrote:
That's the whole idea of the [Family]: It's supposed to
break you away from such a man-made attachment and man-made dependence where everything
has to depend on one preacher, one denomination or one pope or whatever! Each one is
supposed to find God for himself and be filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the
Spirit of God individually, so that they find the answers for themselves, their own
individual cases! [2]
David was convinced that the Family was a genuine and unique move of God. He knew that it had a role to play in God's overall plan for Christianity, and therefore it would continue to prosper and thrive long after he was gone.
Of course, David made pragmatic preparations as well. He encouraged Family communities to be indigenous. He also spent many years training his wife, Maria, and other Family members in all the different aspects of the administration of the Family. He foresaw that Maria would inherit the oversight of the Family and that the movement would flourish as never before.
David Berg has departed from this life, yet in many ways he lives on, not only in his writings, but also in the lives of Family members and the millions to whom they have ministered. He was a man who had a deep abiding faith in Jesus, and love for God and his fellow man. Coupled with this was a profound desire to share that love with others in every possible way. He was uncompromising in his devotion to God and his denunciation of evil, yet he was an intensely warm, loving man.
He left a bold, unconventional concept of Christianity that brought new hope and life to millions and continues to inspire the Family International to reach the world with the Gospel.