Elusive World Peace

With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the move toward world peace appeared to take a positive turn. Although there have been conflicts around the globe since then, the major world powers have been at relative peace with each other—at least until very recently. According to the head of NATO, “The world is more dangerous today than it has been in a generation” (The Guardian, September 8, 2017). While Russia prepares its war games, Sweden is also executing its largest military exercise in decades (Reuters, September 13, 2017). War games conducted by the USA and South Korea brought an angry response from North Korea (cbsnews.com, August 21, 2017).

Today, the world seems on edge, and war-time rhetoric is emanating from more than one world leader. While many hope and pray for peace, and diplomats shuttle between capitals attempting to negotiate peace agreements, the world seems more divided than ever—just as Jesus Christ predicted nearly two thousand years ago (Matthew 24:6-8). The sobering truth is that real peace will not come until Christ returns and shows the way to peace (Isaiah 59:8 and 2:2-4; Psalm 119:165). To understand why the quest for peace is so elusive, be sure to read “Is Man Capable of Self-Government?”