When and How Will There Be Peace in the Middle East?
Religion, politics, commerce and history intersect in the Middle East in an intricate web of common and conflicting interests among many nations.
Three religious groups, Jews, Christians and Muslims, all share religious claims on Jerusalem, one of the most important religious sites in the Middle East and the world. Throughout its history, violence has mingled with religion.
40 Centuries of Strife
Oil is a major ingredient of modern Western interest in the Middle East. But the record of strife in the area spans almost 40 centuries, going back to the days of Abraham and his two sons Ishmael and Isaac. These two sons are the fathers of two great ethnic groups, the Arabs and the Jews, that have been fighting each other since the time of Abraham. Many world governments, including U.S. presidents, have tried to solve these age-old ethnic and religious conflicts, only to walk away shaking their heads. Any nation that wades into Middle Eastern conflicts is entering a whirlpool that may draw them downward into irreversible difficulties.
Every day, news reports on the Middle East present scenes of unresolved tension and conflict. Add to this picture of strife the many nations in other parts of the world that are embroiled in revolts, civil unrest, border clashes and diplomatic conflicts that defy resolution, and one is left wondering, ”“When and how will peace come?"
Is There an Answer?
The answer to this question can be found in God's word, specifically in the book of Isaiah, a prophet honored alike by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Isaiah lived 2,700 years ago, but his divinely inspired visions promise a golden age of peace that will follow this era of endless turmoil.
God promised, through the Messiah, who is the Prince of Peace, that His government of peace will be universally established. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6, 7).
True Peace Found in God
Let’s take a look at some of Isaiah’s many promises of peace.
All who reverently direct their affections and thoughts to God will have His peace. “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).
Those who choose the God of the Bible will have peace established deep within their lives. “Lord, you will establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us. O Lord our God, other masters besides You have had dominion over us; but by You only we make mention of Your name” (Isaiah 26:12, 13.)
Submission to God's strength brings peace into our lives. “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me, and he shall make peace with Me” (Isaiah 27:5).
God's righteousness received within produces peace and freedom from anxiety. “The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Isaiah 32:17).
True peace cannot be experienced apart from harmony with God's law. “O that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18).
The True Messiah has secured the opportunity for us to have peace by His suffering sacrifice on our behalf. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
God Ultimately Prevails
God's word and ways shall ultimately prevail, and when they do, His peace shall shine forth forever. “My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts… My word… shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace” (Isaiah 55:9, 11, 12).
God is the Author of peace, but the evil and rebellious have no peace, unless they repent and turn to God. “I create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to him who is far off and him who is near,' ‘says the Lord, ‘and I will heal him.' But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. ‘There is no peace,' says my God, ‘for the wicked.'” (Isaiah 57:19-21).
To all who accept God's covenant of truth and grace, He promises: “I will extend peace to her like a river…” (Isaiah 66:12, see also verses 1-3, 5; 56:1-8).
Conclusion
We see, then, that peace is not a fruit of political negotiation and mere human ideology, but it is an essential attribute of God. There is no certain solution for peace in the Middle East. Some earthly powers may be able to broker temporary peace deals, but the Bible assures us that lasting peace will only occur with the Second Coming of Jesus and the government of peace which He will establish. At that time His eternal Kingdom of peace will bring an end to the cruelty and injustice that crush the lives of so many in our world today. But even now, in this world, when we are in harmony with God and His ways, we can experience peace which the world can neither give nor take away. The Messiah says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).
