Can Humans End War?
Have you ever watched two ice skaters or trapeze artists perform together? Every movement is carefully timed and coordinated. Their performance is beautiful because each person works in harmony with the other. How wonderful life would be if people today lived with that same mindset, without constant conflict and disagreement. Well, the Bible foretold,
“1 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.“
– 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Recognise that? Yes, it is today’s world, yet even in these difficult conditions, millions of sincere people are learning to live peacefully and harmoniously with one another. How are they doing this? They accept the warm invitation found at Isaiah 48, verses 17 and 18. Jehovah says
“17 This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: “I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself, the One guiding you in the way you should walk. 18 If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river. And your righteousness is like the waves of the sea.“
– Isaiah 48:17, 18
When we respond to that invitation, Jehovah becomes our Teacher and Benefactor. He shows us how to walk in the way that leads to genuine peace and harmony. By contrast, relying on the theories and philosophies of imperfect humans has repeatedly brought disappointment. Human history confirms the truth recorded in Jeremiah 10, verse 23.
“23 I well know, O Jehovah, that man’s way does not belong to him. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.”
– Jeremiah 10:23
In simple terms, humans don’t have the ability to govern themselves successfully or create a moral code that everyone can accept. The right to direct mankind belongs to God –
“21 But there the Majestic One, Jehovah, will be for us a region of rivers, of wide canals, where no galley fleet will go and no majestic ships will pass by. 22 For Jehovah is our Judge, Jehovah is our Lawgiver, and Jehovah is our King; He is the One who will save us.”
– Isaiah 33:21, 22
Genuine Peace and Harmony
God will soon bring lasting harmony to the earth.
“9. They will not cause any harm or any ruin in all my holy mountain, because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea.”
– Isaiah 11:9
At last, permanent peace will prevail. Life on earth will also enjoy a new kind of harmony. God will teach his loyal human subjects how to care properly for their home. He will even make what the Bible calls a covenant with the wild animals, bringing an end to the danger they pose and causing them to live peacefully alongside humans.
“6 The wolf will reside for a while with the lamb, And with the young goat the leopard will lie down. And the calf and the lion and the fattened animal will all be together; and a little boy will lead them. 7 The cow and the bear will feed together. And their young will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the bull. 8 The nursing child will play over the lair of a cobra, and a weaned child will put his hand over the den of a poisonous snake.”
– Isaiah 11:6-8
This hope isn’t based on wishful thinking. Jesus referred to it twice in his Sermon on the Mount. First, he said
“5 Happy are the mild-tempered, since they will inherit the earth.”
– Matthew 5:5
Later, when teaching his disciples how to pray, Jesus said:
“9 You must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. 10 Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth.”
– Matthew 6:9, 10
Most of you will recognise this as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ — you know, the one your parents told you to kneel by your bed, hands together, and recite?!
What will God’s will mean for humans? Near the end of his life, Jesus summed it up in one beautiful word: “paradise”. Because of Jesus’ shed blood, everlasting life in an earthly paradise is a sure hope.
“16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
