True or false? World peace is the goal of Jesus? From Luke it sounds much as it is!
Ask any beauty contestant in a pageant, "What is most the most important thing to you?" "World peace!" is not only the answer, but the expected answer. "Peace in our time" is a paraphrase used often by most leaders. It's a paraphrase of Neville Chamberlain's "Peace for our time" spoken when he signed the Munich Peace Agreement in 1938. He signed to appease Hitler! What happened shortly thereafter? Hitler and Mussolini wreaked havoc on the world and England foremost! Neville was a pawn in the chess game of evil. Those who think peace is possible don't know the human heart!
Some believe that everyone is born "good" and that everyone has "good" in them. Hence, mankind is good and can therefore reason can be used to resolve differences. That's what Chamberlain believed. Hitler believed that the horrible things he did were for the good of society.
Jean-Jacque Rousseau believed that man's first stage was innocence and that by the time of the third stage man had been influenced by society to the extent that evil is learned. Rousseau, being the pattern for the Jacobins who caused much agony, imprisonment, death and murder during the French Revolution meant "good", but caused great harm! What the murderous Jacobins did were for the "good of society" just as what Hitler did was for the same good.
Rousseau and the Jacobins preceded Karl Marx, but their actions were the impetus for the socialism which followed and the resultant communism which feeds off the force required to promote socialism. Rosseau, although considered to be a good man, was the person who put that evil ideology into the minds of otherwise sane people. Socialism will continue to influence mankind to do evil with "good" intentions! Buyer beware!
Did Jesus come to usher in a time of peace? No! Luke 2:15 is peace for individuals. He provides peace to our hearts. Those who follow Jesus are to love others. The "love of others" is what Jesus meant by peace, but he knew that most would reject him. A community of individuals who love could bring peace on earth. (Even Christians bicker. Due to pride we too are divided). Although Jesus is love and love brings peace, Jesus knew better. Peace was not at hand:
Luke 12:51 "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three."
Jesus came to divide? That's what he said and he said it again:
Matthew 10:33 "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law."
Wow! That's profound. Jesus came not to bring peace on earth, but dissension. With that comes war. He came not to put mankind at peace, but to war with one another. Jesus recognized that man is basically evil. He knew that few would accept him! How did he know that? He's God!
The title of this writing suggests "ideal conditions" for peace. What would be "ideal"? Man having no evil intent, man loving without reservation, and man who is humble. That man existed one time. That man was and is Jesus!
Matthew 27:4 "(Judas) Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that."
Judas, after betraying Jesus, referred to Jesus' innocence. The priests and elders, the so-called "good" people, said "What is that to us?" They did "evil" for the common good of their nation, just as many "good" leaders do! Jesus was killed so that the Jews could have order! That's "good" isn't it? Satan wanted them to believe that!
Before Jesus was crucified, given a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, they chose the murderer! Those "good" men chose evil, but in the name of "good". Just as Hitler and those after them, the church hierarchy did dastardly evil in the name of "goodness". Even with the best intentions all men are born with sin in their heart and will do evil unless they have a "special thing" happen to them! Jesus met the requisite for peace under ideal conditions. It didn't happen!
Obama, as a candidate, said he would sit down with the leaders of Iran and negotiate peace. He, being a disciple of Rosseau and Marx, doesn't understand the nature of man! Mankind is inclined toward evil and when given the opportunity, will do evil, unless checked. World peace is illusive. "Peace for our time." is a pipe-dream! We cannot ever have peace with Muslim nations for peace with evil is impossible. Jesus came to divide them from us. He came to divide the Marxists from us. ("Us" is in reference to Christians).
The division of which Jesus spoke is "belief in Him as Savior of mankind". He came to teach that he is the Way, knowing that some will accept Him, but most will reject. That's what he meant when he said he came not for peace, but to divide. For me and my house, we'll divide, but we'll go with Jesus. For those who divide in the direction of evil will suffer "the sword". No, Jesus isn't going to physically kill them, but Jesus who saves all those who will be, also destroys those who rebel:
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he (Jesus) say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels... 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
That's the "sword of Jesus". He is the "special thing" that makes men "good". The Spirit of God is what "checks" evil. The goodness bestowed on Christians by Jesus is called righteousness. We go from haters to people who love. We love Jesus for dying for us and he gives us a new countenance to love others. However, love doesn't mean peace. Most will reject and persecute Christians:
Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."
Does what Jesus said here sound like "peace"? On the contrary it's division. It's war! We must choose sides! We know that Christians will be in the minority, but just as Israel was when they were righteous, they overcame the majority and won the Promised Land, Canaan! If we're righteous and wearing the full armor of God, we have the same power to war against evil.
As long as evil exists, we shall never have "peace for out time." We know that there will be a war to end all wars; the Battle of Armageddon, where the forces of good battle evil and "good" wins out. Then and only then shall we "have peace for our time" and anything before that is a pipe-dream and naive of leaders who think that.
Near the end of times we'll hear:
Matthew 24:6 "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."
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