The intense desire for peace on earth and good will toward men, which

is one of the deepest yearnings of the individual, but which is so regularly

frustrated by the clash of national interests, leads the mind of the believer

to dwell on such a passage as Isaiah 2:4 with great joy, but seems to have

made many turn a blind eye to such a passage as Joel 3:9,10.  Let us place

them together and consider their import:

'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' (Isa. 2:4).

'Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty

men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your

plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears' (Joel

The passage from Isaiah speaks of the Millennial day, when the mountain

of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, but the

passage in Joel deals with days that precede 'the great and terrible day of

the Lord' (Joel 2:31).  In both Joel 2:30,31 and 3:15 the sun shall be turned

into darkness, showing that both chapters deal with the same period, namely

the very eve of the Millennium.  The special feature that calls for fuller

consideration is this.  The call to beat plowshares into swords, suggests

that before this there had been a mock millennium, where the nations of the

earth either by intimidation or deception, or both, had beaten their swords

into plowshares, and concluded that war had ceased in the earth for ever.

Many of those who read these lines have lived through the periods of war that

were to 'end wars'.  They have heard of conferences for disarmament and hoped

that they would succeed.  Such yearnings are natural and right, but they may

be ill -timed and, if so, doomed to failure.

Two words sum up the conditions aimed at, 'Peace and Safety'.  Yet we

read that at the very time that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the

night, sudden destruction overtakes those whose slogan will be these very

words, 'Peace and Safety', and they shall not escape (1 Thess. 5:2,3).  This

'Peace and Safety' is therefore spurious, it is not of God, therefore it must

be the false travesty of the Devil, there is no alternative.  A false peace

can destroy.  (See Daniel 8:25).  At the rise of the world's last dictator

(Rev. 13) war will temporarily cease, not because of the conversion of all

mankind by grace, but the paralysis of all nations by fear:

'Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?' (Rev.

The figure 'beating swords into plowshares' indicates a turn over to

the more peaceful employment of labour and resources, which, for a time at

least, will bring prosperity, 'Peace and Safety'.  It should be remembered

that the chief aim of Satan is to dethrone the Son of God.  He, Satan, must

deplore that crime and degradation ever follow his efforts to rule this

world.  If he could have a Millennium without Christ it would suit his aim

completely.  After six thousand years of blood and misery, Satan will appear

to have attained his goal, but the record reveals its utter failure, it lasts

'one hour' (Rev. 17:12; 18:10,17,19).  Some light upon the extraordinary