"Swords into Plowshares" - a Message and Prayer for Peace

"Swords into Plowshares" - a Message and Prayer for Peace


"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the
LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and
shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and
they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more." -   the Prophet Isaiah Ch2


Our world is threatened with  terrorism, racial violence, and war. What
has happened in Israel, and else where in the world is perhaps a
barometer for the times we live in. Is there a solution for lasting
Peace? With man perhaps it is impossible. God's Peace is available for
individuals and like salt and light can spread with God's help in our
society and beyond. When the Prince of Peace comes the prophets say
there will be permanent peace...however before that Day comes can we be
Peacemakers in a world being torn apart by hatred? Yes, we can ...God
who created the human race and has acted into human history has not
left us in the dark as to the nature of Peace.


Sometimes humans get use to imperfection

In a perfect world with perfect people there would be no
war, thief, terrorism, racism, human inflicted misery etc. All would
obey God's commandments to love our neighbors and obey the Golden rule.
Our nations would have  no need for weapons of war. We would need no
police, armies, priest, gurus or locks on our door . There would be no
poverty, cruelty, or murder. Mankind would experience unity and peace.
All would worship and serve the one true God as there would be no
idolatry, false prophets or antichrists. This doesn't sound like our
world presently does it?

All this should tell us there is something terribly wrong with the human
race. St. Paul in the book of Romans Ch1 wrote:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God
hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God,
neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made
like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and
creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of
their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served
the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that
which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their
error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit,
malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of
evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things
are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them
that do them.

If you read the rest of Romans to the end of book of Revelations you
will begin to see God's solution for all this.  

For a brief summary of the solution:

The following quotes, comments, and relevant scriptures will hopefully
shed some understanding and light on that that humanly difficult thing
to achieve...which is Peace.

War is easily spread by the flames of hate, racism, demonization and 
desire for revenge. When people or nations are not just in their
treatment of others ..the seeds of war are planted. 

Racism as defined by the dictionary is "an irrational belief or
advocacy of the superiority of a given group, people or nation." Racism
is not just a matter of differences in the colour of one's skin and
culture..it goes much deeper into issues...such as cultural pride ,
nationalism, non-scientific or untruthful  definintions of race, 
prejudice, etc.


Racism is widespread in our world and has led to lynchings, mob
violence, genocide and war and has resulted in the death of untold
millions on this planet. Racism and hate if unchecked have the
potential to destroy all life on this planet. Is this what people want
...If we come to our senses I think not! 

What are the roots of racism and hate... The following quotes by
various prophets and sages will shed some light on the roots of racism
and hate and offer  some alternative solutions:


A person who is treated poorly by a person of another race or color can
respond with hate or heed the words "You have heard that it has been
said, You should love your neighbour, and hate your enemy, But I say
unto you, Love your enemies....bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you.."

The latter is difficult but can defuse a potentially reactionary
situation.

The person who said these words also said: 

"So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; this is
the meaning of the Law and the Prophets." * 

A person who loves will honestly recognize one's own faults and will
hold
his breath rather than condem others.

"He who has no sin cast the first stone"  -this was said by Jesus of
Nazereth to an angry
judgemental crowd who was ready to cast stones at a women caught in the
act of adultery. 

No racial group or individual can claim it, or  he or she is without
sin...unfortunately we are
often too quick in condeming others while failing to see one's own
shortcomings.

Jesus had the following  wise words to say  about blindly condeming
others:

"Condem not, that you be not condemed.
For with what judgment you condem, you shall be condem: and with what
measure you out, it shall be measured to you again. And why do you
notice the speck that is in your brother's eye, but not see the beam
that is in your own eye? Or why do you say to thy brother, Let me pull
out the speck out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then
you will see clearly to cast out the speck out of thy brother's eye.".*

St. Paul writes:

 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone
     else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are
     condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same
     things. {Rom 2:1 NIV}


Love is willing to forgive and with time and God's help forget. 

It is difficult to love our enemies without God's help. He is the Vine
..we can bear the fruit of love, forgiveness and peace if we abide in
in God .... "a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself"* 


"But if you are led of the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell
you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there
is no law." Paul to the Galatians.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:" -John the
Baptist

How do we receive the Spirit of PEACE and LOVE? 

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a
father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a
fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a
scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to them that ask him?*

- *  quotes from  Jesus of Nazereth


Faith is gift of God and comes from hearing His Word and His Gospel of
Peace. This gospel will shed light on who is Jesus of Nazereth. 


"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made
by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him
was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in
darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent
from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was
not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was
the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He
was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him
not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word
was made flesh, and dwelt among us,(and we beheld his glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

- excerpt from the Gospel of John




We cannot justify ourselves before a Holy God if we have broken His
Laws. Our conscience and God's written Law condems us when we break the
moral Law. Depending on personal righteousness when we have broken
God's Moral Laws leads only to self-righteousness, pride and often
hypocrisy. Self-righteousness feeds pride and hate and is used as a
justification for war and revolutions. ...human history has too many
examples of this.


Lust for power as well as a greed also feed the roots of war and
destruction.

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence,
even of your lusts that war in your members? You lust, and have not:
you kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: you fight and war, yet
you have not, because you ask not. You ask, and receive not, because
you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts." - letter of
James


"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the
temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The
Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I
am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the
publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto
heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that
humbleth himself shall be exalted."* -the Gospel of Luke 


Understanding we are only acceptible to God on the basis of mercy and
grace destroys any pride and self-righteousness. In the eyes of God we
are all poor in sufficent righteousness and if we are honest need to
afirm the words of the publican, God be merciful to me a sinner. 


"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."  

 -from Paul's letter to the Ephesians...please also read Paul's letter
to the Galatians and Romans to help clarifiy the issues such as the
purpose of the Moral Law, Justification by faith and Peace.


How can we be justified and make peace with God? When we make peace
with God then He helps us make peace with men. 

God has provided a way of Peace
by means of atonement..the Passover and Day of Atonement foreshadows
God's atonement when a lamb is slain in substitution. 


Isaiah in 700 BC predicted this means of atonement and it can be read
on the copper scroll of Isaiah in the "Tomb of the Scroll" in
Jerusalem, which is part of the Dead Sea Scrolls...
or in the Old Testament.


Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD
revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out
of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see
him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and
rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we
hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him
not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his
own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers
is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and
from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off
out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was
he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich
in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit
in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his
seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall
prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by
his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall
bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53)

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."..
.these are the words of the prophet John speaking of the person who was
called Yeshua or Jesus.

The Lamb of God has power to take away our sins and give us power to
live in peace because of who He is.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there
shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to
order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth even for ever." (Isaiah 9)

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is
to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting. " (Micah 5:2)

" I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
(Revelations 1:8)

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from
the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his
dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of
sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every
creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by
him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things
consist. 

 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness
dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to
reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be
things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he
reconciled"

-Paul to the Colossians Ch. 1

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ:   St. Paul to the Romans Ch 5:1


The story of Noah's Ark is a symbol of our oneness in the family of
Man...we are all the children of Adam ..we are all God's children as He
is our Creator. The dove of Noah carrying the olive leaf is a symbol of
Peace if we follow His ways. The Rainbow is a symbol of God's Promise
when we have faith and obey. ALL men are created in the image of God. 

"God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them." -Genesis 

We are ALL His offspring by creation.

"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord
of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither
is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing
he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one
blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and
hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation;
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and
find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we
live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets
have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as WE are the
offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto
gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all
men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the
which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath
ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath
raised him from the dead."

- Paul's speech to the Athenians (Acts 17) 

Evolutionary theories on the other hand tends to support unscientific
theories of racial superority...Hitler borrowed ideas from Darwin to
justify German racisim claims and genoicide. 


War and conflict are due to mankind failing to obey God's command to
love ones neighbour and one's enemies.



The following commandment of God if obeyed with God's help will bring
peace to Jew, Gentile and Arab alike who accept and act on it...



You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,
and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you;
That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he
maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on
the just and on the unjust.
For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? do not even
the publicans the same?
And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? do
not even the publicans so?
Be therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect.* -Jesus of Nazareth

15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no
murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3


."..So let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that
loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son
to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we
ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If
we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in
us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath
given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be
the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth
in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is
love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day
of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no
fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath
torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him,
because he first loved us.

 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his
brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath
seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this
commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother
also." (1 John 4)


Please spread this gospel of peace and love before it is too late!
Christ said his gospel would not bring peace to individuls who reject
it or choose not to walk in the Spirit of Peace...however He promises a
Peace that the world cannot receive or understand to those who seek it.
that the world cannot receive or understand to those who seek it.

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send
in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it
be afraid."  Jesus -Gospel of John 
 

Please pray for the families that loss loved ones in the 911 attack
on America. Pray for a peaceful end to conflict in Afganistan and
elsewhere.

Pray for your own Peace with God and others and you are at Peace 
pass this message and prayer to others.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God."   

Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.