'We Will See God Manifesting His Glory' in N Korea: Why These Praying Christians Are Confident
SINGAPORE – At the end of the Singapore Summit, President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un signed a framework agreement for nuclear disarmament. Both leaders know many months of difficult negotiations and commitments lie ahead before peace can be realized on the Korean Peninsula.
The two men seemed to develop a good relationship and that may be the summit’s greatest achievement.
The people of Singapore are very happy and honored to have hosted such a historic event that promotes peace in the world. A lot of work was done, including the intervention of leaders from China, Japan, and South Korea to make the summit successful.
But Christians around the world are attributing the success to prayer and the many sacrifices of persecuted North Korean Christians.
Pastor Jerome Ocampo recounts the South Korea Uprising Prayer Conference in 2016 where young leaders of churches from different nations gathered near the border of North Korea. They cried out to God for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
Although, human rights and religious freedom were not the focus of the Singapore Summit, Pastor Jerome believes denuclearization can pave the way to a greater purpose. He said people should also pray for reunification, liberation, and freedom for North Korean believers to practice their faith.
Spiritual revival took place in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in 1907. Ironically today, North Korea is a place where Christians suffer the world’s worst persecution.
In the book by missionary Kwang Choi, It’s Fine Should I Die, North Koreans testify how they were brainwashed from childhood into believing that “Christianity is a tool of invasion of small and weak nations by the imperialist United States of America and its agent, South Korea’s puppet government," Choi wrote. "Christians in North Korea were already purged in prison camps even before the Korean War began in 1950."
This is one reason why some Christians believe a US president coming face-to-face with a North Korean leader was nothing short of miraculous.
Pastor Jerome shared a dream he had about Kim Jong Un just two weeks before the 2016 Uprising conference.
He said, “I dreamt of Kim Jong Un, he had a dream. And he was waking up in the morning. And there was this voice that goes like this, 'Will you be remembered as the Korean who destroys North Korea, or would you like to be remembered to be the Korean who unites North and South Korea?' He made a choice, 'I will be the Korean who will unite North and South Korea.'"
And this is why Pastor Jerome is rallying Christians to pray for Kim Jong Un.
He said that what God has shown through the events that transpired is that he has access to Kim Jong Un’s heart and therefore God can do more.
“We cannot erase what he has done in the past. The whole history of the regime will always be there. But as a millennial, he is the most flexible in all the regime to bring change," the pastor said.
"And we’re gonna pray for change. God can bring that change. We will see one day one Korea. We will see one day Pyongyang will welcome believers and we will see God manifesting His glory again probably in a new way of revival all over Korea," he said.
Meanwhile, prayers for North Korean peace are taking place all around the world. Johnnie Moore, the unofficial spokesman for President Trump's evangelical advisers, says he met with a North Korean leader to pray and believe for healing for Korea.
"Today, in Switzerland, I met & prayed together with the leader of North Korea's 'Korean Christian Federation' - from Pyongyang," Moore tweeted.
"I asked if he had a message for American Christians & he said: 'We are brothers & we are all children of God whom God has called to peace,'" Moore said.
Today, in Switzerland, I met & prayed together with the leader of North Korea’s “Korean Christian Federation” - from Pyongyang.
— Johnnie Moore ن (@JohnnieM) June 14, 2018
I asked if he had a message for American Christians & he said:
“We are brothers & we are all children of God whom God has called to peace.” pic.twitter.com/UptegHqSKz