Father once said, “Armies move at the sound of the trumpet, and God’s children move at the sound of prophecy.” Today, the world is sending countless warnings through the media and through experts who speak of environmental crises. At such a time, we must listen carefully to God’s prophecies, which foretold that these things would happen, and consider what we ought to do.
The Bible tells us that nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and that there will be earthquakes and various disasters (Mt 24:7–8). As we witness these prophecies being fulfilled, we realize that our remaining task is to diligently seek out the remaining members of the heavenly family and lead them to repentance. Through the prophet Isaiah, God declared: “See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants” (Isa 24:1). The reason these calamities come upon the earth is because they have broken the everlasting covenant (Isa 24: 1–5). The only way to save these souls is through the everlasting covenant—the new covenant. We must not leave them where they are. Now is the time to help them flee to Zion without delay (Jer 4:5–6).
If a watchman sees a thief coming and does not blow the trumpet, what will happen? When disaster is approaching, we are the watchmen who must sound the alarm. We must tell our neighbors to come to Zion, the place of safety. We were once sinners dying in our sins, yet God saved us through His own flesh and blood. He endured the agony of the cross and sacrificed Himself to give us life. Following the example of God, who is love, we too must help souls flee to Zion and lead them to repentance. Let us urgently proclaim, “Come quickly to Zion, the place of safety.” Even if we have told them before, people forget after hearing something only once. We must tell them again and again, earnestly and wholeheartedly. Those who persist in sharing the message with sincere love will bear good fruit.
We can share the message only if we have love. Without love, we will not speak. The Good Samaritan saved a dying man he encountered on the road because he had compassion on him. The priest and the Levite saw the man but passed by on the other side, revealing their lack of love. But when the Samaritan saw the man, beaten and bleeding, he was moved with pity. A truly good person regards another’s pain as his own. He lifted the wounded man onto his own animal, brought him to an inn, treated his wounds, and cared for him until he recovered (Lk 10:25–37). Let us all become merciful people like the Good Samaritan.
Since we are told to keep watch (Mk 13:33–37), we who are workers of the new covenant must devote ourselves even more to preaching the gospel. Rather than saying, “I will do it tomorrow,” let us act diligently today (Pr 27:1). In this age of disasters, the Passover is the remedy. Father has also told us, “When disasters increase, teach the Passover even more.” The only way to drive away disasters is through God’s flesh and blood. By helping people keep the Passover—through which we receive God’s flesh and blood—let us save many lives. It is written that those who lead many to God will shine like the stars in the kingdom of heaven (Da 12:3).
We must not place ourselves in situations that shake our faith or hinder us from believing in God and preaching the gospel. God commanded Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet when curiosity led him closer, he eventually ate from it. If we go near, we will see; and if we see, we may be tempted. Therefore, it is important not to go even once and not to look even once. To those who keep God’s word, prepare themselves, and give food at the proper time, God will entrust the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven (Mt 24:37–47). Diligently sharing the Passover—the way to escape disaster—and helping others keep it is part of that preparation.
We are not merely searching for people; we are searching for our heavenly family. When a parent loses a child, they search desperately, calling out the child’s name without even noticing hunger or exhaustion. No one searches halfheartedly. And when they finally find the lost child, their joy is beyond words. We must have this same heart for the gospel. Before disasters come, let us lead even one more soul to salvation. Let us bring many to repentance, and hand in hand, let us all enter the kingdom of heaven together.
