Table of Contents
Christ is willing to give us peace
Jesus Christ brings peace to all who desire to accept him. Regarding this, he declared to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” John 14:27.
And once he cried out: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden… and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matt. 11:28-29.
The Sacred Scriptures are full of such instructions for the peace of the individual who repents. It also contains numerous promises about the coming kingdom of heaven. For these, the believer must be born again and adopted into the family of God to become his child. The promises of God are Yea and Amen, and all that he has declared, he will surely fulfill. He has promised peace on earth – eternal peace.
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” Isaiah 65:17-18.
“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river…” Isaiah 66:12.
The vision of John
Jesus gave the very same view to his beloved disciple John on the isle of Patmos. John writes:
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
To clarify that the prophesy that is quoted above does not refer to the old Jerusalem, nor to the present one, John continues:
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Rev. 21:1-4.
Most people don’t know anything about these wonderful and precious promises. Even most Christians have a false and undefined notion of the eternal bliss. In most cases, they imagine it as quite boring. But here we find definite and clear expressions about a new heaven and a new earth. When these are created, the old heaven and the old earth must have passed. On this, we read the Epistle of Peter to all believers:
“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:7, 10, 13.
The testimony of the Old Testament prophets
And the prophet Isaiah declares: “The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.” Isaiah 24:19.
Many other prophecies of Isaiah, Zephaniah, and others affirm the same. And Isaiah closes one of the last chapters of his book with this promise of God: “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” Isaiah 66:17.
Christ himself closed his teaching to the disciples on the Mount of Olives with these words: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matt. 24:35. And John gives the warning: “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:17.
True vs counterfeit peace
For thousands of years, men have been putting every effort to achieve a false peace through false paths. While this present earth, corrupted through sin, still exists, there will be no real and eternal peace. Few are those who receive the peace of Christ.
But when they receive it, through the forgiveness of sins and obedience, and they want to keep them, they notice that it is then that the real struggle begins. This is what the words of Jesus refer to: “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.” Luke 12:51, 52.
Why? Through sin, men lost their initial dominion and moral strength. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Rom. 6:16.
For this, Satan exults. He gives power to his followers, to the disobedient and unbelievers which are numerous on this earth. As it is written of him, he “now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2).
The gospel is to be preached to all nations
Is it strange then that those believers who have been liberated through belief in Christ from the power of the devil, feel like “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13)? And according to Jesus’ prediction, they will meet enmity, hatred, and persecutions?
“And ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” Matt. 24:9. If God would not put an end to all this, the children of God would have only suffering. But the Scriptures say: “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Ps. 37:11.
For this reason, the gospel, the good news of the liberation of man from Satan and the power of sin, will be preached to all nations, and then the end will come. See Matt. 24:14.
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matt. 24:30.
The first and second resurrection
When the gospel is proclaimed to the whole earth, Christ will come again, for the joy of the righteous. After the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the living righteous, the Lord will take his own people to him, while all the wicked will be destroyed, as in the time of the flood.
“And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matt. 24:39. “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” Rev. 20:5. And the righteous, at this time “lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Rev. 20:4.
After the 1,000 years, when the judgment on the wicked is finished, and they rise again to receive their sentences and be destroyed through fire, together with Satan who has tempted them in their lives, this will be the “second death” (Rev. 20:14).
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power.” Rev. 20:6. “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev. 20:15. This is the end of Satan, of all the wicked, hypocrites, and cowards. See Rev. 20:10; 21:8.
A new heaven and a new earth
After the defiled heaven and earth had not been able to stand before the presence of God (verse 11), John “saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Rev. 21:1).
Then those saints who are transported with Christ to heaven will come down as the bride of the Lamb on the new earth (verses 9-10), and “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.” Dan. 7:27.
Then God will give his Son the throne of his father David, and he will be a king over the house of Jacob forever and ever, and his kingdom shall have no end so that he would “establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.” Isaiah 9:7.
Men cannot change this earth. Parties and religious systems cannot achieve any peace. But the Almighty God will create something completely new: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22:14.