I think we can all agree that the world is not as it should be. Just the fact that we are observing Remembrance Day this week is strong evidence for it. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need Remembrance Day for in a perfect world, there would be no wars. In a perfect world, World War I would have never happened. Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand would not have been assassinated and the web of alliances that drew Serbia, Russia, Germany, France, Belgium, Britain, Canada and the United States into that war wouldn’t have even been necessary. In a perfect world Germany would have rejected the rule of an autocratic, racist, war-monger and we would never have heard the names of Adolf Hitler, Herman Goering and Heinrich Himmler. To us Canadians names like Hong Kong, Dieppe, Caen, Falaise, the Scheldt, and Nijmengen would remain simple place names, rather than as names of bloody battles. In a perfect world, when someone heard the name of Kapyong, they would be safe in thinking that it was a kind of Chinese food dish, not the site of a battle in Korea. In a perfect world, most of us would never have heard of Bosnia or Afghanistan. However, the world is not as it should be and pictures of suffering and death like what you see up on the screen are real – not the constructs of Hollywood.
But every so often, we do get a glimpse of what the world would be like if things were perfect. Even here on earth we get glimpses of paradise. We see it in many ways. We see it in the love a mother has for her baby. We see it in the beauty of flowers. We see it in the fellowship of two good friends over a good cup of coffee. We see it in the beauty of a young woman or the health and strength of a young man. We see it in artistic expression and even in some technological innovation. In these things we see glimpses of what things might be like in a perfect world. However, there are two places where we glimpse paradise that teach and even assure that, although this world isn’t what it should be, it WILL become that way eventually. There are two places where God Himself whispers in our ears that the present world with its blemishes and suffering and evildoing and darkness is not the forever world. These two places are where God encourages us to have HOPE.
Remembrance Day is a day when we need to hear a message of hope. In Remembrance Day we look back at the terrible tragedy of war. In Remembrance Day those who are old enough remember friends and family members who died in a conflict hoping to stop a terrible evil. And once again we are reminded of the broken dreams and the shattered lives that were and continue to be the aftermath of war.
And so today, we need a glimpse of paradise. Today, I want to highlight two places where we can find a little taste of Heaven – and it has nothing to do with spreadable cream cheese. These two places are the Bible and the Church.
I. The prophets of the Bible were given messages and visions by God as to what the world will be like at the end of time as we know it.
The Bible doesn’t teach that this world will go on forever with its death and mourning and crying and pain. The prophets of the Bible give us a different vision. It is a vision of universal peace.
Isaiah the prophet is known for many of his prophesies. For example, it was he who prophesied that Jesus would be born of a virgin.
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
It was he who prophesied that famous prophesy of Jesus that we see in Isaiah 9 and often read at Christmas:
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
It was Isaiah who prophesied the redemptive death of Jesus by being pierced and taking the punishment for our sins:
4 ¶ Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53)
In the second chapter of his book, Isaiah gives us another wonderful prophesy – this time not about the birth, ministry and death of Jesus, but of his coming reign over the entire world. This is what Isaiah says:
1 ¶ This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 5 Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. (Isaiah 2)
This is a vision of what will happen under the universal rule of Jesus Christ. Notice that Isaiah says that all nations will STREAM to the mountain of the Lord. I don’t know if you have ever been to Disney World on a busy day but when I have been there, I have seen people STREAMING to the most popular rides. People stream to places that they really want to be. At the end times, when the world is as it should be, people will be STREAMING to God’s dwelling place. They will want to be where God is.
Isaiah also says that people will encourage one another to go there.
3 Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob.
People encourage others to go to places where they themselves want to be. Whenever a good movie comes out people encourage others to go see it. When Titanic came out 13 years ago I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it but people would come up to me and say, “Steve, have you seen Titanic? You’ve got to see it.” I have had people encourage me to go to a certain restaurant. They might say, “Have you eaten at Such and such a restaurant. You have GOT to try their liver and onions!” People encourage others to go to places where they themselves want to be. At the end times, they are going to want to be on the mountain of the Lord. They are going to want to be in the dwelling place of God. You might find that hard to believe. Right now we don’t see people streaming to church on Sunday. We don’t see them waiting at the door for someone to unlock the church so that they can get into a place where they can worship God. As I said, the world is not as it should be. But in the last days, people are going to be eager to meet with God. At that time, people will have come to the realization that God is so wonderful that they will say along with the author of Psalm 84:
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
And when they go to the house of God, they will be eager to learn his ways.
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Why will they be so eager to learn His ways? Why will they be so eager to walk in his paths? I mean, I don’t see this in the world as often as I would like. I don’t see people clamouring to get into church to learn the ways of God. So often, people are indifferent to God and His ways. We even live in outright rebellion against God.
According to Isaiah’s prophecy, why will there be a change? Why will people WANT to learn God’s laws? At the end times, one of the reasons people will want to learn God’s ways is that they lead to peace.
4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
As I said, the world is not as it should be. The trouble is, because of sin and selfishness; we cannot make it that way. And we cannot make it that way even when we have good intentions – even if we try to be good.
Neville Chamberlain served as Britain’s Prime Minister in the late 1930’s. He is best known for something he did that had good intentions, but failed miserably. He had hoped to avert a war through diplomacy, but it was all for naught.
You see, in 1938, in a portent of things to come, Adolf Hitler demanded that Germany be allowed to annex areas of Czechoslovakia that contained substantial German minorities. The Czechoslovak government was naturally upset at this and prepared to fight but realized that it would be futile to fight unaided by France and Britain. France and Britain hoped to avoid a war. They had just fought a terrible one with Germany not 20 years before and were not prepared to fight another one. Neville Chamberlain and other diplomats tried to avoid war by appeasing Hitler and letting him annex the areas he wanted if he promised not to make any more territorial claims. Hitler agreed, but he must have had his fingers crossed behind his back. Hitler never did take his promises seriously. In fact, later on, before he invaded Poland, Hitler said:
"The enemy did not expect my great determination. Our enemies are little worms, I saw them at Munich. [...] Now Poland is in the position I wanted. [...] I am only afraid that some (one) will present me with a mediation plan at the last moment."
Chamberlain, upon returning to England, proclaimed in a speech that he was able to secure “peace in our time” with Munich Pact. Only a year later, however, England and Germany were at war. Quite frankly, sin and selfishness overruled any good intentions Chamberlain had.
Thus it was, thus it will always be. Diplomacy sometimes works, but sin and selfishness keep us from producing the kind of world we long for. There are still wars, and terrorism and suffering.
Some of you Lord of the Rings movie fans might remember the one scene from The Two Towers when Saraman’s Orcs are besieging the fortress of the Hornburg at Helm’s Deep. Theoden, King of Rohan, trapped in the fortress and waiting for the Orcs to break through the door says, in despair, “So much death - What can men do against such reckless hate.” He is expressing what is true not only in Middle Earth, but in the real earth. Indeed, what can be done? As long as there is greed, lust, selfishness and reckless hatred in the world, we, on our own, will never be able to create the kind of world our hearts long for.
We cannot create such a world but God can. And through this Scripture we see that He will!
4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
That He will be Jesus Christ himself, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The hope of our faith is that Jesus – the Lamb that was slain, will rule and there will be universal peace. When there are problems, he will be able to resolve them, much as wise parents resolve the disputes of little children. There will be no more need for weapons. The materials used to make them will be put to useful purposes. Swords made to cut furrows into human flesh will be remade into ploughshares to cut furrows into the soil. Spears made to cut into bodies will be made into hooks to cut grape-vines. The nations will get along and all army training camps will be shut down because nobody will think of training for war anymore.
When God gave the prophets of the Bible a glimpse of the future world, they saw a time of peace ruled by the Prince of Peace. The great part of this is, even though this is all in the future, we can experience some of that peace right now. The Bible says that if we place our faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, we have PEACE WITH GOD.
1 ¶ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5)
And when we have peace with God, we have a basis for peace with one another. And that leads to my second point.
II. We can get a glimpse of paradise in the church.
The church is a place of reconciliation. The church is a place where people get reconciled to God and to each other.
1. 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5)
And people who are reconciled to God, are called to be reconciled to each other. In other place, Paul tells us to
Col 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.
A great example of this, coming out of World War II, is Mitsua Fuchida. Fuchida was the bomber pilot who led the infamous raid on Pearl Harbour that began the Japanese and American involvement in the Second World War. Fuchida had continued to serve the Japanese Military machine until the end of the war. After the war, Fuchida was called on to testify at the trials of some of the Japanese military for war crimes. This made him angry because he was convinced that the Americans had treated the Japanese the same way that the Japanese had treated the Americans. To try and prove this, Fuchida went to meet a group of returning Japanese prisoners of war in 1947. He was surprised to find his former flight engineer, Kazuo Kanegasaki, whom he had given up for dead. When questioned, Kanegasaki told Fuchida that they were not tortured or abused. He then went on to tell him of a young lady who served them with the deepest love and respect, but whose parents, missionaries, had been killed by Japanese soldiers in the Philippines. For Fuchida, this was inexplicable, as in Japanese warrior tradition revenge was not just permitted, it was a responsibility. The murderer of one's parents would be a sworn enemy for life. He became almost obsessed trying to understand why anyone would treat their enemies with love and forgiveness.
In the fall of 1948, Fuchida was handed a pamphlet about the life of Jacob DeShazer, a member of the Doolittle Raid who was captured by the Japanese. In the pamphlet "I Was a Prisoner of Japan" DeShazer told his story of his imprisonment, torture and an awakening to God. Fuchida became more curious about Christianity. After reading The New Testament, he understood for the first time why the young lady had forgiven her enemies and took his first steps in becoming a Christian. In May 1950, he and Jacob DeShazer met for the first time, as friends.
In 1952, Fuchida toured the United States as a member of the Worldwide Christian Missionary Army of Sky Pilots. Fuchida spent the rest of his life telling others what God had done for him around the world and even eventually became an American Citizen – fully reconciled not only with God, but his former enemies.
You see, the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of peace. It brings us peace with God and it leads to peace with each other – even peace between bitter enemies. Mitsua Fuchida and Jacob DeShazer are only two people who found this to be true. I have been privileged to see former Canadian Soldiers and former German Soldiers worshiping together in churches that I have pastored. It inspired me every time I thought about it and it reminded me that the church is a little glimpse of Heaven for in Christ, we see former enemies reconciled. The peace that they found in Jesus Christ and in the church is only a taste of the peace that God will one day bring at the end of time – the peace that Isaiah prophesied about.
And I think that Remembrance Day is a very appropriate time to talk about peace. As I said when the Legion was last here, I am convinced that one of the reasons World War III has not broken out in our time –apart from the grace of God - is that too many Veterans in Canada, the United States, Europe, Japan and Russia remembered the horror and the madness of war and knew the benefits of peace. During the first Gulf War I witnessed a noisy peace demonstration in Winnipeg but that demonstration didn’t touch my heart nearly as much as seeing elderly, blue coated men and women standing quietly at attention in front of the Cenotaph as the last post is played on Remembrance Day. You see, every time a wreath is laid, every time “In Flanders’s Fields” is recited, every time a veteran recites the poem “For the Fallen” at a funeral, and indeed every time we see a poppy in someone’s lapel, we are hearing a still, small but deafening cry for peace.
And it is a good cry. The world is NOT as it should be. In a perfect world, peace would be universal and last forever. Unfortunately, that is not so. Yet we can have hope. The Bible teaches that the world will not always be like this. The Bible teaches that someone paid a terrible price for peace. That person is Jesus Christ. Isaiah prophesied this about Jesus:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Jesus died that we might have peace – peace with God through forgiveness of sin and Peace with each other through the ministry of reconciliation. One of these days we will have world peace and it will be under the reign of the Prince of Peace. Friends, it may not be in our lifetime, but it will be in our eternal life time and although we may not experience it fully right now we can catch glimpses of it and we can catch those glimpses of it in the Bible and the church.
And so, as the church, we believe in peace even though we hear only rumours of wars. And since we are people of expectation, we are so convinced that another world is coming that we start living as through it were already here. And so, may we both believe the promises of the Bible and may we begin living to show the world a glimpse of the great peace that is to come under the Prince of Peace when everyone will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
As I close, may I ask you a question? “Do you personally know this peace of Christ?” Have you placed your faith in the Prince of Peace? Have you asked Christ to forgiven your sins and give you peace with God and to help you live at peace with others? I hope that you have. For if you have, you can know a little taste of Heaven and even give others of taste of it even on this very Remembrance Day.
This world is not what it should be, but the Bible promises that it one day will, the church illustrates the world to come as it and looks forward in expectation for the Rule and Reign of Christ when his will is done on earth as it is in Heaven.
I will end my time with a blessing for all of you from Paul found in the book of Philippians 4:7:
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
C. 2010 by Rev. Steven Brown. You are free to use portions of this message but please do not pass this off as your own.
