The Peace and Righteousness Of God’s Reign

In this time of senseless wars and untold deaths from one conflict after another, the world longs for peace and righteous leadership. In Isaiah 2:2–4, the prophet Isaiah foretells a time when all the nations will be at peace because they will seek to know God and walk in His ways. In the last days, He will settle all disputes between the nations. And in Acts 17:26–28, the apostle Paul said that God is revealed in His creation so that people can seek and find Him. I pray that we all would seek God and come to Him in acknowledgment of His righteousness and His power and authority over His creation. Amen

In the last days

the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established

as the highest of the mountains;

it will be exalted above the hills,

and all nations will stream to it.

Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the temple of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,

the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

He will judge between the nations

and will settle disputes for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah 2:2-4)

Isaiah prophesied that in the last days, God will usher in a time of peace, where the nations of the earth will come to His holy mountain and into the temple to learn God’s ways. At that time, all disputes will be settled by the Lord, so there will no longer be any need for war. The nations will be transformed and will transform their weapons of war into tools of productivity. Instead of fashioning implements of war which kill, they will use these resources to sustain lives. Furthermore, they will cease to even train for war.

From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ (Acts 17:26-28)

Isaiah’s prophecy was given to Israel. Paul preached to a different audience, gentiles who didn’t know God. He began by stating that all nations came forth from Adam, and are thus connected as God’s creation. In His omnipotence, God set the boundaries and determined the history of all nations. He also revealed Himself through His creation so that the nations would seek Him. And because God is near and not distant from us (unlike the Greek gods that they worshipped), any who seek Him can find Him.

Conclusion

The true order of this world is only found in God’s righteous and sovereign leadership. All of the conflict and misery in the world emanate from man’s attempts to replace God. Isaiah said that in the last days, the nations will stream to Mount Zion (in a great flow of people) and come to God’s Holy temple to find Him and learn to walk in His ways. He will righteously and justly settle all disputes between the nations, and men will study war no more. Paul said that because God revealed Himself in His creation, and because He is not distant from us, He can be found by those who seek Him.

As a world, we are starved for peace, justice and righteousness. The good news is that God has promised all of that. But only to those who seek Him and come to Him, learn His ways and walk in them. They will experience the abundant and peace filled life that He intended and has promised for His creation.

Blessings, Rev. Glenn