Like the Jews of Jesus’ time, many people think in earthly and political terms. They look for Jesus to rule with force, making lions literally eat straw and imposing peace on people worldwide. Thinking that way, they are disillusioned. They still see wars and conflicts, pain and suffering and death—and lions eating meat. Even within Christendom, they see strife and division. So, they conclude that Jesus never delivered His promised unit; therefore, He is not reigning. They think that His kingdom will begin later, only after all enemies are gone, leaving the world in peace. Their view is the opposite of the biblical picture. Look more carefully at Old Testament prophecies. They show that the Messiah reigns while opponents surround Him. Notice terms like “enemies” and “until” and “midst” in Psalm 110.
The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The LORD sends forth from Zion Your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! (Psalm 110:1-2).
“Rule in the midst of Your enemies!”
No, Psalm 110 was not about worldwide peace during the Messiah’s reign. Psalm 110 was fulfilled by Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to God’s right hand (Acts 2:30-36). His people are in His kingdom right now (Colossians 1:13; Revelation 1:5-6). He reigns now “in the midst” of His enemies, that is, while His enemies continue to resist. Notice, in 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, terms like “after” and “until.”
Then [at the final resurrection] comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
The final resurrection and judgement destroy death (Revelation 20:14). So then, the peace and unity predicted by the prophecies is not about the absence of enemies. The King is enthroned despite raging enemies (Psalm 2). He reigns while surrounded by enemies (Psalm 110). Thus, His peace is not with the world at large. Rather, peace and unity are blessings for His own subjects within His kingdom.
“They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain.”
- According to prophecy, where would swords be beaten into plowshares? At “the mountain of the house of the Lord” to which people from all nations would flow. It is at this Zion that God would ban war among nations (Isaiah 2:1-4).
- In the prophecy about wolves and lambs, children and cobras, where would such peace and safety take place? “They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain” (Isaiah 11:9; 65:25).
- With whom would God make His “covenant of peace”? With those, God predicted, who “shall walk in My rules and be careful to obey My statutes” (Ezekiel 37:24-26).
While knowledge of God would be everywhere (Isaiah 11:9), peace would be given to those who would respond— those coming to God’s holy mountain, those walking in His rules. Hebrews shows this to be the spiritual Mount Zion, the church, those born into God’s family and enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12:18-24). The New Testament proves that these Old Testament prophecies came true. The predicted unity is not a forced conformity imposed on earth’s population. Rather, one Lord gives unity to those within His kingdom. And that unity is enjoyed right now.
God rules through His Son over His united spiritual family. Because Jesus is our “one Lord” this unity is not just any unity of our making, some sort of treaty on which we come to agreement. It is not our place to convene a council to define the terms of unity. Notice the wording of Ephesians 4:3, “[Be] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” What the Scripture does not say is significant. It does not give the initiative to us, saying to us, “Create unity” or “Negotiate unity” or “Work out a formula for unity.” Our part is not to bring unity into existence. For the unity already exists, as given by One God through one Lord and one Spirit. Our part is to “maintain” what the Spirit already has established. As Ephesians 4 goes on to show, we nurture that God-given unity by healthy attitudes and cooperation as we “grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).