World Peace Will Come

Sermon by the Rev Jeffrey Khoo at True Life BPC on 12 December 2010

“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, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isa 9:6, 7).

The world wants peace but cannot find it. Why? It is because we live in a sin-cursed world. Man is born in sin and plagued by sin. That is why in the 6000 years of world history, there have been only 300 years of peace. Man is full of war and hatred, jealousy and greed. “As it is written, There is none  righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom 3:10-17).

Yes, there is a lot of talk about peace, but Psalm 120:7 says, “I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.” Peace might be in their lips, but there is war in their hearts. The nations of the world are preparing for war. That is why in Singapore we have National Service. Look at all the weapons we have—rifles, artillery, tanks, battleships, submarines, fighter jets. We spare no effort to equip our men for war.

World War I lasted for 4 years (1914-18) killing 11 million people, World War II lasted 6 years (1939- 45) and took 59 million lives. After World War I, it took only 21 years for World War II to erupt. It has been 65 years since World War II. When will World War III come?

False Peace

Some say that World War III has already started. It began on September 11, 2001. You have witnessed the terror on television. It was unprecedented. It was unreal. Some people thought it was a Hollywood movie. How could this have happened in real life? But it did. That is the kind of world we live in. Utterly wicked, evil, and cruel as God said.

Why terrorism? The terrorists say it is due to Israel. They deny that Israel has a right to the Promised Land. There is great hatred for Israel. Israel on the other hand is still unbelieving, having rejected their Messiah—the Lord Jesus Christ. On account of this, there is no peace in Jerusalem despite its namesake for Jerusalem means “the city of peace.” It has been one long war for Israel since its independence in 1948. Soldiers and weapons are everywhere. There is very tight security. When Israeli children go for a school outing or excursion, they are accompanied by soldiers, and their teachers carry a rifle. It is not a safe place. Each time we go for a pilgrimage, we pray for the Lord’s protection. Our tour guides do not carry a rifle. But we have the Lord, and He sends His angels to watch over us. By God’s grace, all 43 pilgrims have returned safe and sound, with much blessing from the Lord.

One day, peace will come, but before that comes, there will come a false peace. It is a false peace because it comes from man and as such the peace will only be temporary. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 tells us that one day, the inhabitants of the world will declare, “Peace and safety.” But when they say that, “then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

This false peace will be brought by one man called the Antichrist—a false prince of peace. He will make a peace treaty with Israel and others but will break that treaty and persecute Israel after 3½ years. We read of this in Daniel 9:27, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Then Christ will return to deliver Israel, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob” (Rom 11:26). There will be a final war called the war of Armageddon (Rev 16:16). It will be fought in Har Megiddo or the Plain of Jezreel, and the whole battlefield will be 200 miles long, from Har Megiddo in the north to the Gulf of Eilat in the south (Rev 14:16- 20). The battle will be between the armies of heaven and the armies of earth, between Christ and the Antichrist. Christ will defeat the Antichrist by divine fiat, by His powerful Word, the Sword that proceeds from His mouth (Rev 19:21).

True Peace

True peace comes after the Antichrist is defeated. Christ will then reign as King of kings and Lord of lords on earth for a millennium. We His saints will reign with Him for a thousand years (Rev 20:6). Israel will be the first nation of the world, and Jerusalem will be the world’s capital, and Jesus Christ will sit on the throne of His father David as prophesied (2 Sam 7:12-13). Then will the world experience peace like never before for the Prince of peace has come and He will rule this world most wonderfully with His power and wisdom.

That is why He is called, “Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” What do all His names mean? The Rev Dr Timothy Tow explained, “The people must worship Him who is arrayed with such Divine titles. He is wonderful because He is both God and Man. He is wonderful in His life, death and resurrection. Great was the mystery of godliness concerning Him. He is Counsellor because He is intimately acquainted with the counsels of God from eternity. He is God Almighty too because He is able to save to the uttermost. He is the Everlasting Father to the people He has saved, in tender care of all their needs. He is the Prince of Peace because He is the author of our reconciliation to God the Giver of peace, who commands His subjects to live in peace with each other and with all men. Under His rule, when His kingdom is fully established men shall learn war no more.” (The Gospel Prophets, p58).

Yes, “men shall learn war no more” for Isaiah 2:2-4 tells us, “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 pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

We long for this day. Global peace will come one day. Not the false peace of the Antichrist, but true peace from the Prince of peace Himself—the Lord Jesus Christ. But if we want to enjoy this peace in the world to come, we must first make peace with God. The only way to make peace with God is through the Lord Jesus Christ who is the only way. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 2:5). You must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for your sins on the cross, shedding His precious blood, who was buried but rose from the dead the third day according to the Scriptures. It is a matter of faith. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1).

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder” (Isa 9:6). That was why when this child was born 2000 years ago the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today. Make peace with God right now, and you will be sure to enjoy this peace that the world will one day experience when Jesus Christ returns to rule a thousand years.
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“Never Retire from Serving God”

Dear Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo
Many thanks for the Sabbatical Jubilee Magazine of True Life B-P Church. My wife and I feel so honoured that our photo appeared with Rev Dr Timothy Tow in the magazine (p56). I can never forget—from him we learn “Never retire from serving God.”

Kindly accept the enclosed cheque. We want too to have a share in the remembrance of your late father-in-law, Timothy Tow, a man of God.

Continue to fight the good fight of faith for the Lord!

Humbly in Christ,
Elder Y C Leong
11 November 2010