“He (the Messiah—Jesus) shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Isa 2:4
Lord Jesus, it seems like month, week, day… make that minute, our craving for your return gets ramped up, intensified, and supersized. With a holy hate, we hate war, whether it’s in Ukraine, Israel, or Somalia, or in churches and marriages, between friends or in our own hearts. No one paid a greater price to bring final and full peace—to the entire cosmos and our forever calendar. Thank you, and soon, please.
You are the Prince of Peace because you were the Lamb of God. You defeated evil on the cross, and it will be eradicated at your return. Because of your finished work, we live in anticipation of the Day when all swords and spears will become garden tools. Nations won’t fight each other, but will dance with each other and serve one another.
Our “forever-curriculum” won’t be learning to war, but loving to love. All malevolence, meanness, and madness will be gone. The consummate peace of your Kingdom will replace every expression of sin, death, and evil. Harming, hating, and being hated will never happen again.
This is what you promised, and will provide, Lord Jesus: “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa.11:9) Hasten that Day. Until then, may we live as active peacemakers, not passive conflict-avoiders. So very Amen we pray, in your triumphant and exalted name.