When will peace come?

When will peace come?

 

The prophet Zechariah provided a clue to better understand how peace will come. He foretold that the Israelites will eventually realize how wrong they have been for rejecting and killing their Messiah. “They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a first born son who has died.” (Zechariah 12:10)

Notice the contrast: On the one hand, Jesus said, “peace is hidden from their eyes.” On the other hand, Zechariah foretold, “they will look on me whom they have pierced.”

What do you think this prophecy means, “they will look on me whom they have pierced”? A careful reading of the context as seen in the preceding paragraphs reveals that the word 'me' refers to the LORD. In other words, the one whom they pierced is the LORD. The one who the Jews rejected for so long is, none other than their Messiah, the long awaited Rescuer and Redeemer!

Conclusion

The Bible clearly predicts that justice and peace will prevail on earth under the reign of God's Messiah. Although Muslim sources contain some remarkable similarities, we cannot overlook the startling differences. For example, the Hadiths state that the worldwide peaceful reign of Al Maseehu Isa (and Mahdi) will last for only 7 years whereas the Bible states Messiah's reign will last forever. The Hadith says that the Jews will be humiliated and annihilated by Muslim armies under the leadership of Al Maseeh. However, the Bible says the opposite: the Messiah will defend and save a remnant of truly repentant Israelites from the jaws of defeat. (Zechariah 12) Scripture says this dramatic rescue will happen in the last days when a massive alliance of nations attacks Israel. Instead of being defeated and humiliated, the Israelites will be honored and their capital city, Jerusalem will be exalted in the eyes of all nations. (Isaiah 2:1-4; Zechariah 14:12-16)

In conclusion let me point out another contradiction. Authoritative Muslim writings deny Christ's death on the cross whereas the Bible portrays the cross as the centre piece of God's peacemaking initiative – his plan to forgive sinners and reconcile the world to himself. We read in Ephesians 2:11-17 (cf. Colossians 1:20);

Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel and you did not know the covenant promises God has made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us... He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. (bold added for emphasis)

Warning and Invitation

Muslims believe Islam is a religion of peace. Imams have noted with concern, the awful divisions and conflicts within the Ummah. In fact, they are holding out hope of unity under the banner of a renewed Caliphate. They believe this will ultimately pave way for the coming of Mahdi and Isa who will bring worldwide peace. Thoughtful readers should beware of this bait, as it contradicts Scripture. Not only so, this supposedly peaceful vision overlooks the civil wars in the 1^st century of Islam – a bloody conflict that tore apart the veneer of unity in the early Ummah. This disunity in Islam has continued simmering and erupting in violence through the centuries until now. Look at current events and honestly ask yourself, “Does the Ummah show unity and peace?”

Have you read the Torah and the Zabur, the writings of the prophets? If not, I invite you to see for yourself how they foretold Messiah would bring peace. A good place to start would be to read a summary article by James Arlandson's, Jesus in Messianic Biblical Prophecies. PD Bramsen has also written a helpful booklet entitled, My Story. It unfolds the teachings of the prophets showing how they point to the Messia/.

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Footnotes

¹ Thoughtful, peace-loving Muslims have reason to fundamentally re-evaluate their views in light of the striking differences between the Islamic picture of end-times events and what was foretold by the prophets and Jesus Christ. For example, can anyone honestly deny that Muslims are the main persecutors of Christians today? Indeed, Muslims – more than any other group – are proving the truth of Christ's words, where he said, “the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. This is because they have never known the Father ...” (John 16:2-3)

² Recent events in a number of Arab nations where Muslims have been slaughtering one another have involved corrupt dictators. But even where there is no dictator, for example in Somalia which is 99,9% Muslim, there is civil war and Muslims are killing Muslims. In Darfur, Sudan, Arab Muslims are killing black Sudanese Muslims. In Pakistan we have recently seen Taliban-style Muslims planting bombs at Sufi-Muslim shrines and killing many Muslims of different traditions. The list could go on... The vast majority of all wars and civil wars currently going on in the world is found in Muslim areas. The point is: Muslims are killing non-Muslims, and they are killing other Muslims.