Peace on Earth

[Once4all]

I'm making some slides for church and searching for scriptures to put on them (photos with scriptures). I was testing some new camera equipment, so I took a photo of a metal sign I have in my house that reads "Peace On Earth." It's one I hang up at Christmastime, but this past Christmas I just left it up permanently. So, anyway, I searched in e-Sword for "peace" and "earth."

Here are all the New Testament results:

(Matthew 10:34 NASB) "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

(Luke 2:14 NASB) "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

(Luke 12:51 NASB) "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;

(Colossians 1:20 NASB) and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

(Revelation 6:4 NASB) And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

Nowhere is "peace on earth"—in a global sense—spoken of as a future hope. In fact, Jesus proclaimed just the opposite. The verse that is the basis for my "Peace On Earth" sign is Luke 2:14, which provides for peace on earth only among those with whom God is pleased.

Those with whom God is pleased are those who comprise the kingdom of God. (As preterists, we know that the kingdom of God is present now.)

Those with whom God is not pleased—those who follow their flesh rather than walk in the Spirit—will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NASB (9) Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, (10) nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21 NASB Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, (20) idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, (21) envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is defined in Romans as "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." This is how we can be in the kingdom of God now, in this life, on this earth, even before going to eternal glory.

Romans 14:17-19 NASB
(17) for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
(18) For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
(19) So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

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As an aside, notice how Matthew 10:34/Luke 12:51 match up with Revelation 6:4.

[MoGrace2U]

Hi Bev,
As always a timely post! I had always looked at Luke 2:14 as meaning that it is with God men have peace on earth, as His favor is shown towards them with whom He is well pleased. It does not seem to be an announcement from the angel that men will now have peace with one another.

Psa 5:12 - For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psa 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

My dictionary has a commentary for this word 2107 which root is 2106. The gist of which is that this favor from God, His blessing; produces this in the man who walks in the good ways of the Lord. Just as good works are the product of faith, so is this joy, peace and righteous the result of God blessing the man found pleasing to the Lord.

And it is the same word used here when speaking of Christ:

Mat 12:18 - Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles.

Mat 12:19 - He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

Mat 12:20 - A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

Mat 12:21 - And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Interesting that trust is the outcome...

[Once4all]

Thanks, Robin. Good post! And you quoted my favorite verse: Psalms 19:14.

[Morris]

Good posts, ladies!

Sept 5, 2011 9:05:44 GMT -5 MoGrace2U said:

I had always looked at Luke 2:14 as meaning that it is with God men have peace on earth, as His favor is shown towards them with whom He is well pleased. It does not seem to be an announcement from the angel that men will now have peace with one another.

I agree with both of you and would like to add some more comments to this "peace on earth" as it relates to man and God. That being, God's mercy toward our condition.

Let's first look at Romans 3:19-20, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

Law brings guilt (knowledge of being in the wrong). Obeying or Observing the Law cannot bring justification (declaration of innocence, being in the right). It doesn't show us that we are good or right, but rather quite the opposite, possessing iniquity.

[I'm actually going to exercise some discipline here and avoid getting side-trekked! Yep, I'm just as surprised. ]

Here's my point with this, there is enmity between God and man. Naturally, we all knew this, but I wanted to use this specific passage for a reason; immediately before this Paul quotes several old testament passages and strings them all together.

Romans 3:10-18,
"As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”[from the start of Psalms 14 & 53 and also Ecclesiastes 7:20]
“Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;[Psalm 5:9]
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;[Psalm 140:3]
“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”[Psalm 10:7]
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.”[Isaiah 59:7, 8]
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[Psalm 36:1]

What is this "way of peace" as it relates to God? Paul says next (as I shared above) that the Law was not the way of peace; it was the "way of the knowledge of the offense".

Finishing off the passage in Romans 3 we have verses 21-26,
"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

The "way of peace" involves faith in what God does and in His mercy (His "forbearance", that is, "self-restraint"). He had the 'right' to judge immediately upon the offense. Yet He did not so, that He might "demonstrate His righteousness". God's mercy brings us peace. God provides the mercy, we accept or reject. We do not earn it or deserve it.

It was Romans 3:17 that mentions this "way of peace". However, it comes from Isaiah 59, and that is an interesting chapter. In the interest of keeping this from getting even longer, I'll snip to the point; God became the intercessor, His arm brought salvation, it's His righteousness that is put on as a breastplate, His salvation put on as a helmet on the head.

It was He who put on garments of vengeance for clothing instead of us. God's vengeance should have been toward us, yet Christ wore that wrath of God.

God has indeed brought peace to the earth, peace between Him and us, by placing His wrath on His own Son, and the way of peace is through faith in what God has done.