Peace
Peace Requires Law and Order
Peace requires laws based on love.
Harm and violence destroy physical and emotional peace.
Peace requires laws that are freely obeyed.
Tyranny and martial law destroy peace of mind.
Peace requires an order based on truth.
Falsehood and propaganda destroy peace of conscience.
Peace = Love + Freedom + Truth
God's Government Provides Perfect Law and Order
God's law (the Ten Commandments) is based on love. (Dt 6:4,5, Lev 19:18, Mt 7:12, Mt 22:35-40, Mk 12:28-31, Jn 13:34, Ro 13:8-10, 1Jn 4:8, 1Jn 5:2, 2Jn 1:5,6
God's law invites free obedience. (Ps 119:47,48,97,113,127,163,165,167, Jer 31:33, Mt 6:10, Jn 14:15,21,23, Gal 5:6, Heb 8:10, Heb 10:15,16, 1Jn 2:1-5, 1Jn 5:1-3, Rev 12:17, Rev 14:12, Rev 22:12-14)
God's kingdom uplifts genuine truth. (Isa 5:20, Jn 17:17, Jn 4:23, Jn 16:13, Jn 15:26, Jn 14:6, Heb 6:17,18, 1Jn 4:6)
God's Kingdom = Love + Freedom + Truth
Jesus the Creator, Saviour, and Lord is the Rightful King of the Universe
Jesus the Creator, Saviour, and Lord is the rightful King of the universe. (Eph 3:9, Col 1:13-16, Heb 1:1,2, Lk 2:11, 2Pe 1:11, 1Jn 4:14, Jn 13:13, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:11-16, Rev 11:15)
War in Heaven
Satan and his demonic legions tried to usurp the throne of Christ. (Rev 12:7,8, Isa 14:12-14, Eze 28:13-17)
Peace on Earth
In the beginning, God created our world in perfect harmony and peace. (Ge 1:30,31)
War on Earth
Sin propelled a cursed tidal wave of conflict and death. (Ge 3:13-18, Ro 8:22)
After the fall, continued human rebellion against God dragged humanity into a state of hopeless violence. (Ge 6:11-13)
The prince of darkness seeks to remove all peace from the earth. (Mt 13:24-30,37-39, Rev 6:3,4)
Notes on Rev 6:4:
The rider on the red horse - Satan and his bloodshed. (Jn 8:44, Rev 12:3,9,12)
Power was given to him - God allows the rebel angels to continue their descent into deeper realms of darkness.
Take peace from the earth - Satan and his demonic confederation attack the Prince of Peace through a flood of persecution and violence, targeted primarily against God's remnant people. (Mt 24:6,9,21, Rev 12:13-17)
Sword - A symbol of war (here in its most wicked and ignoble form) (compare 2Sa 12:9,10)
Satan instigated the murder of the Son of God. (Jn 13:21-30)
Satan and his demonic confederation attempt to change God's law. (Da 7:25,26, Rev 13:4-6 (compare Rev 15:5, Ex 25:21, Ex 31:7,18, Ex 32:15, Nu 7:89))
The earth is now engulfed in willful, sinful indulgence. (2Ti 3:1-4, Jn 3:17-20)
Jesus is the Prince and King of Peace
Jesus is the Prince and King of peace. (Isa 9:6, Lk 2:11-14, Heb 7:1-3)
A prince is the son of a king.
Jesus is both the Son and the Father. (compare Jn 10:30 and Jn 14:7-9)
Those who Follow Jesus are to be Harmless as Doves.
Those who follow Jesus are to be harmless as doves. (Mt 10:16, Php 2:15, Heb 7:26)
The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. (Mt 3:16)
God's Law Gives us Specific Instructions for being Harmless.
God's law gives us specific instructions for being harmless. (Ex 20:3-17)
Those who Follow Jesus are to be Peacemakers.
Those who follow Jesus are to be peacemakers. (Mt 5:9, Ps 34:14, Mt 5:39,44, Ro 12:18, Gal 5:22, Eph 6:11,15, Col 3:15, Jas 3:17)
In the New Earth, Peace will be Eternally Restored.
In the new earth, peace will be eternally restored. (Isa 11:9, Isa 65:25, Mt 13:38-43, Rev 21:10,27, Rev 22:14,15, Rev 22:1-5)
We are Warned to Beware of a Deceptive Peace before the Storm.
We are warned to beware of a deceptive peace before the storm. (1Th 5:3, Mk 13:22,23, 2Co 11:13-15, 2Th 2:8-12)
Today, the predicted time of unprecedented conflict strains to be unleased. (Da 12:1, Mt 24:21, Rev 7:1-3)
We Must be Careful that our Peaceful Character does not Result in Deadly Compromise
We must be careful that our peaceful character does not result in deadly compromise. (Am 3:3, Mt 10:34-38, Lk 6:26, Ro 16:20, 2Co 6:14-17, Rev 13:3-8)
Prepare now, and understand that the way of true peace is a path of suffering. (Mt 16:24,25, Jn 15:20, Php 1:29, 2Ti 3:12, Rev 12:10-12,17)
No Matter the Circumstance, to have Jesus is to have True Peace.
No matter the circumstance, to have Jesus is to have true peace. (Jn 14:27, Php 4:7, 2Pe 1:2, 2Jn 1:3)
Peace = Jesus