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Moreover, to the presence in this age of this divine institution, a further significance should be attached, one which witnesses to the exalted mission of Him Who has brought it into being. It is not merely a wondrous sign of the age in which we live, not merely an exigency for our survival, not merely a beacon of hope for humanity. It is primarily the means by which the Lord of History has, in this day, taken firmly into His grasp the reins of history (167:1) The Universal House of Justice, " the recipient of the bounties of God and His inspiration" has been invested with the authority and responsibility to promulgate the Will of God, as revealed by Baha'u'llah, for this day,. It must enact such laws and make such pronouncements as will fulfil the guidance that He has revealed. It is therefore a tool to direct the affairs of humanity (167:2) As the peoples of the world come to realize the precious gift that this supreme institution is, its influence will grow. Its laws, those "living waters of everlasting life" that will "stream forth from that fountain-head of God's World Order upon all the warring nations and peoples of the world, to wash away the evils and iniquities of the realm of dust", and "heal man's age-old ills and ailments" will be welcomed and cherished (167:3) At that time humanity will realize that the kings' rejection of the Prisoner of Akka inflicted a terrible toll on the generations that were left to wander, shepherdless, through time (167:4) Now that ye have refused the Most Great Peace, hold ye fast unto this, the Lesser Peace, that haply ye may in some degree better your own condition and that of your dependents Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 254 (167:5) In His messages to the chief potentates of the earth, Baha'u'llah offered the opportunity to establish the long awaited reign of world peace, which He described as the "Most Great Peace" - a lasting Peace expressive of all the divine spiritual qualities which God desires for His children. This opportunity they rejected. Incalculable as this loss was, however, it did not thwart the plan of God. The Most Great Peace will, nevertheless, come, but because of man's waywardness, it will come not as an act of intelligent will, but as an outcome of calamity and suffering (167:6) There will appear what Baha'u'llah described as the "Lesser Peace". This will come about as a result of humanity's response to the horrors that war and disunity will inflict upon humanity. It will be a political union among the nations of the world and will signal the end of war. The initial act of the establishment of the Lesser Peace will occur within the twentieth century, a century described in the Baha'i writings as the "century of light"
(167:7)
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