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When people discuss wishes, many suggest a good option would be to wish for world peace. Around Christmas time there is talk of peace on earth, world peace. Whenever there is unrest in the world or wars being fought, our thoughts turn to peace, hoping that someday we can all just get along. In some sci-fi movies and TV shows speculating about the future, it is almost treated as a given that at some point we’ve all just started getting along and now work together as humans of Earth, instead of separate human groups on different land areas.

World peace is really a natural thing to long for. God has world peace in the plan for history. But in our corrupted state as sinful humans, we try to bring peace about ourselves and it never goes well. It sometimes goes well at first, or at least appears so, but it always ends badly. There are several examples in history, but I’ll pick out the Pax Romana, the Roman Peace. In short, Rome imposed itself on everyone it could and held them in an iron grip, ensuring “peace” and prosperity. Yes it was a time of relative peace and safety, and yes there was prosperity, but that peace and safety were made and kept by oppressive control over the masses. Any insurrection, resistance, or rebellion to the power of Rome and the emperor was squashed and destroyed as quickly, and often gruesomely, as possible. But many of the citizens enjoyed this peace and were glad to have it. It’s nice to not have to work to maintain peace and just have some big, strong government to do it for you. Sure the methods are questionable, but we’re living large and don’t even have to worry about safety! But eventually, Rome fell under its own proud, oppressive weight, collapsing from within.

Humans like peace and safety, with many a good reason! But we can’t get it or make it ourselves, we’re too prone to corruption and greed. We will always ruin what we attempt to build without God. When God brings world peace, only those who want to be there will be there, while we humans often try to impose our own peace on others. How else do we get peace but by controlling the thoughts and wills of others? If they don’t want to be there or participate, then we make them act like they do or we get rid of them.

But even our best, most wholesome ideas of peace are not like God’s peace. When God brings world peace at the end, only those who desired His peace will enjoy it with Him. There will be no forcing of His will on anyone. The point of God’s world peace is to have people there who love Him and are peaceful by choice. And because He is God, there will be no undoing or disturbing that peace. God’s peace is the only peace that will last, because it is not like our peace. Even the way God brings about His peace is different.

God wants you to be included in His world peace because it’s so good, but God won’t make you be at peace. If you don’t want God’s peace, then you don’t have to have it.

On how to be included in this peace:
“Come As You Are”
Saved from What?
Law and Grace
I Can’t Live the Christian Life
You Can Know for Sure

Some related reading:
When God Cannot Give to You
Love and Volition