o land or sea, whether riches or glory, He hath
bequeathed unto the Kings and rulers of the earth"' and "It beseemeth all
men, in this Day, to take firm hold on the Most Great Name, and to
establish the unity of all mankind. There is no place to flee to, no
refuge that any one can seek, except Him."--Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha'u'llah, pp. 206, 203.

The apparent incompatibility of these two views is removed when we observe
the distinction which Baha'u'llah makes between the "Lesser Peace" and the
"Most Great Peace." In His tablets to the Kings Baha'u'llah called upon
them to assemble and take measures for the maintenance of political peace,
the reduction of armaments and the removal of the burdens and insecurity
of the poor. But His words make it perfectly clear that their failure to
respond to the needs of the time would result in wars and revolutions
leading to the overthrow of the old order. Therefore, on the one hand He
said: "What mankind needeth in this day is obedience unto them that are in
authority," and on the other, "Those men who, having amassed the vanities
and ornaments of the earth, have turned away disdainfully from God--these
have lost both this world and the world to come. Ere long, will God, with
the Hand of Power, strip them of their possessions, and divest them of the
robe of His bounty." "We have a fixed time for you, O peoples. If ye fail,
at the appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent
hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every
direction." "The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be
discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably
defective." "We have pledged Ourselves to secure Thy triumph upon earth
and to exalt Our Cause above all men, though no king be found who would
turn his face towards Thee." Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah,
pp. 207, 209, 214, 216, 248-249.

The Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace
and tranquillity of the world and the advancement of its peoples,
hath written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for
the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be
universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs
attend it, and participating in its deliberations, must consider
such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world's
Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace