Is It War or Peace? by T.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · May 8, 1907

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 19.

Is It War or Peace?

By T.

The Teaching of the Scriptures.

A GREAT conference has just been held in which men have extolled the glories and the blessings of peace, and told of the necessity of bringing the world to the place where international courts shall decide disputed questions, and the sword be placed in the scabbard to consume with rust.

The sentiment that favors peace is born of Heaven. In His great inaugural address on the mountain, the Master said, "Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called sons of God." Matt. 5:9. And in the prophecy of Isaiah that foretold the character of the Messiah and His kingdom, we have the following additional words on this important subject: "For all the armor of the armed man in the tumult, and the garments rolled in blood, shall be for burning, for fuel of fire. 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, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this." Isa. 9:5-7.

The "peacemaker" is to be called the son of God. And the Lord Jesus Christ is the "Prince of Peace." And there is to be no end to the increase of His government, "and of peace."

Upheld by Justice and Righteousness.

But do not neglect to observe that the foregoing text from Isaiah states that His government is upheld with justice and righteousness. Or as expressed in the inspired poetry of the psalm, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne: loving-kindness and truth go before Thy face." Ps. 89:14.

Then in God's government there is the beautiful blending of "loving-kindness," "truth," and "righteousness and justice." And upon the throne of these much-to-be-desired attributes presides the great Prince of Peace.

And besides all this, one of the precious fruits of the Spirit of God is "peace." Then it is clear that all Christians will stand for peace. They will favor the efforts of those who are working for peace. They will rejoice at every omen that betokens the ushering in of the reign of peace.

But since Christ is the Author of peace, and since He alone is the Prince of Peace, we must look to the revelations of His word to find out when and how the time of universal and eternal peace will be reached. We speak this advisedly. There is a time of universal peace just before the world, and when that peace is reached it will be eternal. And, furthermore, it will not be an armed neutrality, masquerading in the garments of peace, and marching and maneuvering in the fields that are heavily strewn with the combustible materials of war; no, indeed! It will not be a peace that is assured by having the best equipped army and a navy of the fleetest cruisers and the most powerful battle-ships that can be made to float. No! no! He who is worthy of the title of Prince of Peace builds His throne on the enduring pillars of "righteousness and justice," and "loving-kindness and truth."

"For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of His coming." 2 Thess. 2:7, 8. The mystery of lawlessness is working in the world, and every one knows that it is so. The crimes of such hideous character that are seen all about us all the time are the sure evidence of this. "Only there is one that restraineth now." Crime is kept under by the restraint of law. And thus is revealed the conflict that is being waged. "The lawless one" in his hideous workings is being revealed more and more, and the restraint of the power of righteousness is being exercised to meet it. And thus the conflict goes on deeper and stronger, until the only thing that can meet and overthrow it is the "manifestation of His coming."

The text just quoted from Thessalonians shows that the "lawless one" is to be destroyed by the "manifestation of His coming." The statement of a divine truth could not have been made clearer than what is presented in the foregoing language from the Book of inspiration. The time, then, to which we are to look for a universal and lasting peace, is when the Son of Man shall come in the clouds of heaven to put an end to strife by the manifestation of His own presence.

"Another parable set He before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it tares? And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn." Matt. 13:24-30.

"Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house; and His disciples came unto Him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. And He answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy that sowed them is the devil; and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels. As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear." Matt. 13:36-43.

The foregoing parable, with the Master's explanation needs no word of comment. The teaching is most obviously plain. The righteous and the wicked are both to inhabit this earth until the harvest time, which is the "end of the world." The apostle Paul knew this teaching of the Master and was writing under the same Spirit of inspiration when he told the church of the Thessalonians that the "lawless one" should be slain with the breath of the Lord at the second coming of Christ. The Lord knows the facts, and He has revealed these facts to the children of men. And if we look where He is pointing we will see the dawning of the real day of universal peace. If we look any place else we will not find it.

Both the wheat and the tares, both the righteous and the wicked, are to grow together until the harvest, which is the end of the world. And at the harvest time the judgment is to sit and the reward of both classes will be given. Such is the teaching of the parable, and the parable was spoken by One who knows all about the facts, and who can not make a mistake. In the Revelation of Jesus Christ we are given a description of the scenes as they actually exist at this judgment time. The scripture reads:

"We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because Thou hast taken Thy great power, and didst reign. And the nations were wroth, and Thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear Thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth." Rev. 11:17, 18.

The wrath of earthly nations is manifest at the time for the giving of the reward of the righteous, and when the dead are to be judged. The appalling preparations for war in this time show the real condition of the world. This war spirit will grow worse and worse till the great and final battle-field of Armageddon is reached. And the thing that will be the eternal death-blow to all war is the second coming of the Man of Calvary.

So, then, if any one who is working for the peace of the world becomes discouraged at the outlook, let him study the evidence that shows that the coming of the Lord is very near. Thus will his heart be cheered by the bright prospect. The fury of the battle-field will soon be blanched into silence by the glory of the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Focus your telescope on the right place and you will see the universal peace, not of this world merely, but of the whole universe. And you will also see that this peace will be everlasting. But looking any place else you may discover only a flitting phantom that will soon vanish to leave you in the cold doom of indescribable disappointment; for wars and rumors of wars will increase more and more until the end is finally reached, and the Lord of glory shall come. T.