Prayer for World Peace

Now many lives are being sacrificed in wars and terrorist attacks on one side of the earth, and on the other side of the earth various infectious diseases are emerging and spreading throughout the world. However, even though disasters are so rampant in these days, God protects and comforts us, His children, just as Jesus said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed” (Mt 24:6). We give thanks to God for His grace.

Now, the gospel is being preached to the whole world. Even though a disaster occurs in a remote country, we cannot remain indifferent to it anymore.

Mother told us to pray for world peace, caring not only for our Church members but also for many people who are suffering from disasters. Keeping in mind that God considers life to be precious, let us pray for people in every country who are suffering from wars and for all the souls throughout the world who are suffering from disasters, as well as for our brothers and sisters in Zion.

Judgment by fire

The Bible prophesies of the last plagues—great and dreadful disasters. Let’s look into the prophecies and see how we can pray more effectively and powerfully for world peace.

… By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men… . But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.2 Pe 3:3-13

The great day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD’s wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth.Zep 1:14-18

In the days of Noah, God punished all the wicked by waters. In the last days, God will punish all evildoers by fire. Until the prophet Zephaniah and the Apostle Peter wrote the above prophecies, there had been no fire by which the whole world could be completely destroyed. But now we live in a time of the fulfillment of all those prophecies. According to a report by experts, there are already enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world many times over, and the other weapons are also destructive and powerful enough to annihilate the earth.

The Bible also prophesies that the earth is reserved for fire. This shows that the earth will surely be destroyed by fire some day. In the days of Noah, God destroyed the world by waters. And in these last days, God says that He will judge the world by fire. We must not disregard the words of God.

An age of disasters prophesied

Recently it was reported that the Iraqi people greatly envied those who had gas masks, for fear that chemical weapons could be used during the war. Chemical weapons are odorless, so if they are used, people come to die without being aware of any abnormal symptoms until they find themselves in a fatally dangerous situation. Nowadays, various chemical weapons are being developed. Some of them are capable of causing the flesh to rot; they dissolve proteins and melt them down into liquid. Amazingly, the Bible already prophesied that.

A day of the LORD is coming … This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other.Zec 14:1, 12-13

In the Old Testament written long before the coming of Jesus, it has already been prophesied that people’s flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. What matters is that deadly destructive weapons capable of causing such terrible things already exist on earth. The Bible also prophesies that plagues will sweep the world in the last days.

Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”Lk 21:10-11

Pestilences mentioned above are also referred to as “epidemic infectious diseases.” AIDS, SARS and AI [Avian Influenza], which are now hitting the whole world, are all pestilences.

See what is taking place today in the light of prophecies. Isn’t it dreadful? So, we have to think about how to be saved from such disasters.

There is no escape by man’s methods

If man is the “lord of all creation,” he must now seek the way of salvation. The Bible teaches us that there is no way man can save himself by his own wisdom.

“… those who are left I will kill with the sword. Not one will get away, none will escape. Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down. Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them. Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.”Am 9:1-4

The prophet Amos delivered this prophecy about 2,700 years ago. In those ancient times, when science was not developed, he prophesied that people would dig down to the depths of the grave, hide themselves at the bottom of the sea and climb up to the heavens. These things are taking place in this present time. Today, people are looking for shelters under the ground, at the bottom of the sea and in the outer space.

Until quite recently, underground cities were regarded as safe strongholds; some countries constructed various underground facilities for protection against nuclear war. But lately a missile, which can penetrate tens of meters into the ground, has been developed. Though men dig deep into the ground to hide themselves, they are not safe there anymore.

The Bible already prophesied about this. Even though men hide at the bottom of the sea, they cannot be safe, and even though they flee to outer space, they cannot escape the judgment of God.

There is no prophecy in the Bible that says that men can escape the Last Judgment by their own methods. We should seek and follow the way of God, rather than the methods of men.

The way of salvation God provides

God has planned to judge the wicked but to save the righteous; and He has prepared the way of salvation for the righteous.

You will not fear the terror of night, … nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.Ps 91:5-10

When we proclaim the way of salvation to all people in the world, it goes to prove that our prayer for world peace is true and sincere. God wants all human beings to be saved, instead of being destroyed by disasters. We should quickly proclaim the will of God to all the people of the earth (1 Ti 2:4; 2 Pe 3:9).

God said, “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it [disaster] will not come near you.” Let’s see what promise or covenant God has given us, so that we can be protected from such disasters.

“… This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover. On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance.”Ex 12:10-14

Passover is the feast of redemption, which implies “plagues pass over.” When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, which represents this sinful world, they could escape the plagues through the blood of the Passover lamb. This historical event was a shadow; it shows that we can escape disasters through the blood of Christ, the Passover lamb (1 Co 5:7). This is why God has given us the Passover.

God is putting a mark on the people of Zion, so that no disaster will come near them, even though a thousand may fall at their side. In the Old Testament times, God placed the blood of the lamb on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses. In the New Testament times, however, God puts a mark on the forehead of each person. Let us engrave deep in our hearts the precious covenant which God established through His blood, by taking a look at the following verses in Ezekiel which say that God will put a mark on the foreheads of His people.

… Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark… .”Eze 9:3-6

The above verses show that God protects those who have the mark on their foreheads—those who celebrate the Passover, so that no disaster will come near them. In Revelation, too, which Apostle John wrote when he saw what would take place in the last days, it is prophesied that God will put a seal on the foreheads of His servants so that they can escape disasters (Rev 7:1-4).

Preaching is the best way to world peace

When we see all the things happening in the world these days, we can see that all prophecies in the Bible are being fulfilled one after another. Now, many prophesied disasters such as wars and epidemics are being poured out. We should pray to God for the peace of all people in the world. The Bible also says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (Jas 5:16).

Then, what should be the content of our prayer for world peace? We should not only pray for people who are suffering from disasters that are occurring now, but we should also tell them why God brings such disasters upon the earth today. In addition, we have to preach the good news of peace to them, so that they may quickly come into the truth of the new covenant to receive salvation. This is the best prayer that can bring peace to mankind.

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’ ”­­Eze 33:1-6

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”Isa 52:7

God has made us spiritual watchmen. For the peace of the world, we must blow loud the trumpet of warning and of salvation as well.

“Please come to Zion quickly and receive the seal of salvation through the truth of God” Preaching this good news of salvation to people is truly required of all those who pray for world peace. The greatest help for the souls who are suffering is leading them to salvation through preaching. With sincere prayers, we should preach God’s word to them and lead them to the right path. This is the most urgent thing we have to do, as an expression of our sincere prayer for the peace of the world.

We have to blow the trumpet of salvation loud to the whole world, so that God’s grace and blessings will come upon all people on the earth and they will receive the seal of God through the Passover, the absolute only way to become God’s people. Earnestly hoping that the hearts of those who hear will be opened wide through our sincere prayers and they will all return to God, let us pray for the people of the world who are suffering without knowing God and the truth.

All our brothers and sisters in Zion! Let us pray eagerly that we can lead all people around the world to the eternal kingdom of heaven where there is no war or pain—to the kingdom of peace! Would Elohim not listen to the prayer that we, Their children, offer to Them? I would like to ask you to earnestly pray for world peace and preach the truth of the new covenant to all people throughout the world, so that God’s grace may dwell in their hearts.