we live in a world consumed by conflict and uncertainty the headlines tell a bleak story the Russia Ukraine war rages on bringing with it immeasurable suffering displacement and geopolitical instability families are torn apart cities reduced to rubble and the loss of life is staggering nations that once pledged unity are now drawn into competing alliances and fears of a broader regional war loom like a shadow over the globe the ripple effects have reached far beyond Eastern Europe influencing global food supplies energy markets and the fragile balance of international diplomacy in the Middle East the Israel Palestine
conflict shows no signs of resolution tensions rise as rockets fly in the Holy Land despite numerous peace talks and international mediation efforts the cycle of violence continues with devastating regularity meanwhile relations between the United States and China continue to deteriorate a fierce trade war escalates with the US imposing tariffs up to 145% on Chinese goods prompting retaliatory tariffs from China as high as 125% the economic fallout is felt globally with inflation and supply chain disruptions affecting millions of lives consumer goods become more expensive businesses face uncertainty and fragile economies suffer in parallel military posturing intensifies
near Taiwan raising fears of an imminent conflict every naval exercise every air patrol near disputed regions further ignites tensions that threaten to spark war between the world's two most powerful nations and let us not forget Iran and Israel who teeter on the edge of open conflict all it would take is one spark to set off a global firestorm in this dangerous dance of power a miscalculation or provocation could lead to irreversible consequences the threat is not hypothetical it is imminent everywhere we look Europe Asia the Middle East and even within national borders we see a
world groaning under the weight of sin brokenness and rebellion civil unrest nation rising against nation kingdom rising against kingdom and political corruption add layers of chaos to already fragile societies it seems that global peace is slipping further out of reach some blame figures like Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong-un for the broken state of our world but wars conflicts and corruption have existed long before these men were even born the truth is it's a reflection of our fallen world wars existed long before these individuals were born since the dawn of history human beings have fought one
another from empires to tribes from kings to commoners war has defined the human story cain killed Abel and humanity has continued the tragic pattern ever since greed power jealousy and pride fuel the endless cycle of violence we are not merely witnessing political battles we are watching the consequences of sin played out on a global scale our fallen nature ensures that no matter how many peace treaties are signed there will always be conflict until the true prince of peace comes despite noble intentions and institutions like the United Nations whose founding charter in Article One promises to
maintain international peace and security we are still as far from global peace as ever the United Nations was established after the devastation of World War II with the hope of preventing such global conflict from happening again yet here we are nearly a century later and peace is still a dream rather than a reality political resolutions ceasefires and international sanctions have their place but they're only bandages on a much deeper wound interestingly just outside the UN headquarters in New York City engraved on a wall in Ralph Bunchie Park is a verse from the Bible it reads
"They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore." This is a beautiful sentiment but it is not describing the present age when read in full context Isaiah 2:es 2:4 it becomes clear that this prophecy is pointing to a future age 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 pruning hooks nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore
this prophecy refers not to any human institution or government but to a future period known as the millennial reign of Christ a thousand-year period when Jesus Christ will physically reign over the earth from Jerusalem following his second coming it is important to recognize that only the Prince of Peace can bring such a time of peace justice and righteousness no president no king no treaty can achieve what Christ alone is destined to accomplish how tragic it is that many people continue to look to human systems for salvation isn't it sad that there are people who genuinely
believe that peace will come through political alliances economic sanctions or democratic elections people are desperately searching for hope in presidents and prime ministers kings and counselors and the United Nations but what can broken men offer a broken world as scripture says Psalm 146:3 "Put not your trust in princes nor in the Son of Man in whom there is no help to expect world peace to come through the efforts of fallen mankind is the height of misplaced trust human institutions no matter how well-intentioned are made up of guilty sinners just like the rest of us there
is only one who can bring true and lasting peace and his name is Jesus Christ when Jesus returns it will not be as the suffering servant who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey he will come as the conquering king the Bible speaks of the battle of Armageddon but in truth it is not a battle at all revelation chap 19 verse 15 describes Jesus returning and striking down the nations with a sharp sword that comes out of his mouth just as he cursed a fig tree and it withered so too will he speak a word and
the armies of the Antichrist will be destroyed this army will be made up of people who chose to follow the antichrist and the false prophet those who willfully rejected Christ and aligned themselves with the enemy of God they will come to wage war against the lamb but they will be defeated instantly the antichrist and the false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire and Satan will be bound for a thousand years revelation 20:1-3 and I saw an angel coming down out of heaven having the key to the abyss and holding in his hand
a great chain he seized the dragon that ancient serpent who is the devil or Satan and bound him for a thousand years he threw him into the abyss and locked and sealed it over him to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended after that he must be set free for a short time imagine that the very source of deception and chaos will be removed from the world for an entire millennium and then begins the millennium revelation 20 mentions this thousand-year reign of Christ six times making it unmistakably clear during
this time Christ will rule the world with righteousness the saints those who are saved will reign with him this is not a symbolic reign in heaven but a literal reign on earth it is as though God will demonstrate what this world could have been like under his leadership and justice he will show humanity what life looks like under the perfect rule of a righteous king for the first time in history the world will experience true peace no more war no more crime no more injustice christ will judge with perfect equity isaiah 11:4 says "But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth." There will be no corruption in his government there will be no political maneuvering no backroom deals no lobbying justice will finally roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream the Bible gives us glimpses of what the world will look like during this millennial reign it tells us that health will improve isaiah 65:20 says that a person who dies at 100 will be considered a cursed a mere child longevity will be restored to near pre flood levels like in
the days of Methuselah who lived 969 years people will live longer healthier lives disease will not be rampant fear of early death will be a thing of the past the earth itself will be healed pollution will be gone the land will be fruitful and famine will vanish peace will also fill the land zechariah 8:es 4:5 paints a beautiful picture thus saith the Lord of hosts there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem and every man with his staff in his hand for very age and the streets of the city
shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof there will be safety cities will not be war zones streets will not be places of violence or danger instead they will be filled with life laughter and joy children will play without fear seniors will walk without anxiety it will be a world free from terror and crime even nature will be transformed isaiah 11:es 6-9 the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together and a little
child shall lead them and the cow and the bear shall feed their young ones shall lie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatric den they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea the animal kingdom will be at peace predators will become peaceful grazers it's a reversal of the curse there
will be no more fear between man and beast the harmony that once existed in Eden will be restored in the reign of Christ every part of creation that groans under the weight of sin will finally breathe in the air of redemption why will there be peace because there will be justice and justice is the foundation of peace in this world peace eludes us because injustice abounds corruption favoritism and selfishness pervert judgment but in the millennium Jesus will reign with a rod of iron meaning his justice will be swift fair and final no bribes no lobbying
no corruption just righteousness and truth economically this will lead to prosperity without wars to fund weapons to produce and destruction to repair the world will flourish there will be a fair distribution of resources and greed will no longer dictate markets the result will be abundance fairness and the eradication of poverty people will work not as slaves to systems but with joy and fulfillment under the benevolent reign of Christ business will not be driven by profit but by purpose trade will not be laced with manipulation but with honesty nations will prosper in peace and let us
not forget the spiritual aspect of this reign zechariah 14:9 says "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth in that day shall there be one Lord and his name one worship will be unified nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord people will learn the ways of God firsthand from the King himself can you imagine hearing the word of God directly from the mouth of Jesus what a glorious and beautiful time that will be every tongue will confess every knee will bow the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the
waters cover the sea this is the glorious millennial kingdom it is not a fantasy or allegory it is a promise a time when the prince of peace will rule when swords will be turned into plowshares and war will be forgotten this is what the world longs for even if they do not know it every protest against injustice every march for peace every outcry against corruption is in some way a cry for the kingdom of Christ so what should we do as believers today we must place our hope not in governments or world leaders but in
Christ we must live as ambassadors of the coming kingdom we must preach this hope to a world that is desperate for peace but looking in the wrong places we must not be silent we must be bold in proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ and the glorious future he has prepared for those who love him we must be the salt and light shining a beacon of hope into the darkness of confusion and chaos the millennial reign of Christ is a reminder that the story is not over history is not spiraling out of control it is moving
toward a divine conclusion jesus will return he will reign and for a thousand years the world will see what true righteousness peace and justice look like let us prepare ourselves to reign with him by living faithfully today let us share this hope with others let us not be distracted by the chaos around us but fix our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith let us be found faithful hopeful and watchful knowing that the king is coming soon we must not put our trust in institutions like the United Nations which promises global peace
but cannot deliver the peace that only Christ can bring the UN may speak of unity security and sustainability but its foundations are not built on the word of God its vision of a united world without Christ is an illusion it seeks to bring the nations together yet it ignores the Prince of Peace do not be deceived by their lofty goals and grand assemblies their solutions are earthly temporary and flawed the peace of this world is fragile and fleeting but the peace of Christ is everlasting we do not look to the UN for salvation for our
hope is not in resolutions treaties or man-made alliances our hope is in the one who will break the seals open the scroll and bring true justice upon the earth the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever
