A shocking headline on CNN's Web site on June 4 proclaimed: "Doomsday Clock Advances 5 Minutes." The accompanying article stated that "doomsday drew closer Thursday and is now just nine minutes away, according to the keepers of the symbolic Doomsday Clock. [Because of] recent nuclear test explosions in India and Pakistan, the minute hand of the clock—a measure of how close humankind is to destroying itself—was advanced to 11:51 p.m., with midnight representing a worldwide nuclear holocaust."

How close the world came to nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan we may never know. Nor, for that matter, is that particular danger past; it could easily heat up again and perhaps pass the point of no return.

The "wars and rumors of wars" that Jesus Christ foretold (Matthew 24:6) are here. But the peace He promised beyond them seems as elusive as ever.

Mankind has never known lasting world peace, yet peace for mankind is both planned for and guaranteed. But could the horrifying terrorist acts of Sept. 11, the senseless nail-studded suicide bombs that kill grandmothers and grandchildren alike, and the threat of nuclear war between Pakistan and India help signal the coming of a true worldwide peace?

It sounds like an obvious contradiction, but it isn't. Ironically, the worse it gets on the world scene, the closer we are to lasting world peace (Luke 21:29-31). The signs of the times laid out in Jesus' Olivet prophecy (recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21) suggest we're dangerously close to a holocaust. But what does that have to do with lasting peace?

Who defines peace?

What is peace? Obviously human beings don't have that good a grasp on what peace is. Otherwise our history wouldn't be such an unbroken string of wars punctuated occasionally by a short-lived peace.

The Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-77) attempted to define peace. He came close when he wrote: "Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice" (Theological-Political Treatise, 1670).

The truth is that there is more, much more, to the vitally important subject of peace.

Benjamin Franklin, in a letter dated Sept. 11, 1783, wrote: "There never was a good war or a bad peace." Rational human beings know that no war is good, especially if they've lived through one.

The constitution of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) says of peace: "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed" (Dictionary of Quotations, 2000, p. 601). Although this reasoning makes sense, how can human minds predisposed to settling their differences by war for millennia forsake it and find a permanent peace?

In 1951 Gen. Douglas MacArthur delivered a historic address to a joint session of Congress. In his speech he focused on the solution to war: "I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. Men, since the beginning of time, have sought peace. Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh."

His words are true and sobering.

History: a chronicle of wars

A survey of world history shows it is in essence a chronicle of wars. As George Childs Kohn put it: "War has a long and intriguing history and has been a prominent feature of human existence ever since the day when men—or women—decided to settle their differences by use of force. In many instances, the history of a people is the history of its wars" (Dictionary of Wars, 1999, p.vii, emphasis added). Thomas Hardy, British novelist and poet, quipped that "war makes rattling good history; but peace is poor reading" (Robert Fitzhenry, The Harper Book of Quotations, 1993, p. 205).

The sheer number of wars down through history suggests there have been precious few years of peace. In a 1935 speech Gen. MacArthur stated: "In the last 3,400 years only 268—less than 1 in 13—have been free from wars. No wonder that Plato, the wisest of all men, once exclaimed, 'Only the dead have seen the end of war'! Where are Babylon, Persia, Carthage, Rome, and Byzantium? They all fell, never to rise again, annihilated at the hands of a more warlike and aggressive people: their cultures memories, their cities ruins."

The first root cause of war

Why can't human beings bring about any kind of lasting peace? To understand that, we must understand the ultimate cause of war.

The original cause of war and its perpetuation is an actual personage, a fallen angel Scripture describes as "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4). This chief demon, the devil, is also called Satan, a name that means "adversary." Indeed, the Bible directly calls him our enemy (1 Peter 5:8, New International Version).

Only when people grasp the crucial truth about this root cause of war will peace become possible.

We need to understand that Satan is real, not some mythological creation or symbol. As the enemy of mankind, his avowed purpose is to thwart God's plan for mankind—which is to expand His family through changed human beings made immortal in divine glory (1 Corinthians 15:50-54).

Satan vainly hopes to disrupt God's plan through any means possible, including extinction of the human race. Satan knows God's design is for human beings to become a part of His family (Hebrews 2:11-13), as God's own children (John 1:12; Romans 8:14, 19; 1 John 3:1-2).

Since God won't allow Satan to directly destroy mankind (as in the example of Job—see Job 1:12), the devil hopes to accomplish his aim by influencing human beings to destroy themselves and each other. One of the most effective ways he spurs us to do that is through wars.

It is through Satan's murderous philosophy, influencing mankind's selfish, carnal nature (James 4:1-3), that all wars are fought. Massive wars erupting during a time of "great tribulation" (Matthew 24:21) will devastate the earth and threaten mankind with extinction (verse 22). Initiated by Satan through gullible and evil men, these wars will kill literally billions of people (Revelation 9:15-18).

In spite of such unparalleled horror, destruction and suffering, Satan will fail in his attempt to exterminate humanity. This is where the good news comes in—how and why God guarantees mankind lasting peace.

The second root cause

Human peace has always been short-lived—which of itself shows the great need for a different kind of peace. Human peace is short-lived because it comes from fallible human beings. The day that human beings figure this out is the day God reveals it to us. That's an important key to remember. Only God can reveal true peace—His peace—and the way we selfish, stumbling human beings can attain it (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). God's peace surpasses all human understanding (Philippians 4:7). Mankind will never understand, much less accomplish, godly peace on its own because only God has the key to everlasting peace—and only He can give it to human beings.

We like to view ourselves as reasonable, thinking beings. To a certain extent we may be. But we fail to grasp that our natural way of thinking and behaving leads not to an ever more peaceful, fair and productive world but to death. As Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 tell us, "there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (NIV).

Romans 3:10-18, quoting other passages, bluntly sums up the human condition:

"'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.'

"'Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.' 'The poison of vipers is on their lips.' 'Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.' 'Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.' 'There is no fear of God before their eyes'" (NIV).

Simply put, human beings are motivated primarily by selfishness—our vanity, jealousy, lust and greed. The apostle James understood and revealed the cause of fighting and war: "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?" (James 4:1). Never forget what is behind human fighting: our innate selfishness and greed, spurred by Satan and his demons, who work day and night to influence human beings to destroy themselves and thwart God's plan for them.

Human nature and Satan's unseen influence go hand in glove in encouraging man to disobey the biblical laws that would bring us peace—if we would only adhere to them. The two together constitute an explosive combination that sets itself against God's way of life. This helps us understand why war has been so pervasive throughout history. So how can the situation be changed?

Replacing human peace

Paul pointed out the great gulf between what we human beings can understand on our own and the understanding that comes through God's Spirit. Without God's
Spirit the things of God are "foolishness" to the average person because the human mind is hostile toward God and His ways (1 Corinthians 2:11-14; Romans 8:7).

Without God's Spirit we know only the way of the world, the human way of doing things that is heavily influenced by Satan's way (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9). Most of our ways of doing things come not from God but from Satan the devil, "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2).

Upon repentance of sin, and the exercising of faith, God gives us His Spirit—which is the only way to bring about a much-needed change in our nature. Without this change, man remains set in his wrong ways. Paul addressed the ordinary, natural human condition when he contrasted the way the members of the Ephesian church behaved after conversion with their earlier lives when they did what came naturally to them:

"You went along with the crowd and were just like all the others, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air, who is at work right now in the hearts of those who are against the Lord. All of us used to be just as they are, our lives expressing the evil within us, doing every wicked thing that our passions or our evil thoughts might lead us into" (Ephesians 2:2-3, The Living Bible).

Our first mother, Eve, was the first human being to be deceived by Satan, back in the Garden of Eden. After her deception she sinned and persuaded Adam to follow her in her transgression (Genesis 3:1-19; 2 Corinthians 11:3). Adam and Eve, however, were not the first to sin—Satan himself has that distinction (Ezekiel 28:12-19). Mankind thus followed after Satan and has followed him ever since. The prophet Jeremiah records that the human heart is deceitful, that only God can come to know the depths of one's heart through time and testing (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

Until we understand this innate evil side of human nature, how we think and act without the spiritual understanding and strength that come through God's Spirit, we are doomed to repeat our cycles of endless fighting and war. Only by facing the truth about our human nature can we do something positive about it. And we can, with God's help, find the way to lasting, godly peace.

The impossible dream becomes possible

What is godly peace, and how will it come? One key is found in Psalm 119:165: "Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble." The key to godly peace is obeying God's laws. Honor God's laws and you have peace. Ignore God's laws and you have the makings of war and other fighting.

Ultimately God will teach and lead all mankind to obey His laws. Such an incredible transformation may seem impossible. But with God the impossible becomes possible (see Matthew 19:26).

God's peace is guaranteed through the resurrected Jesus Christ. Jesus told His apostles it was "expedient" for Him to die, be resurrected and ascend to the Father,
else the Father would not send the Holy Spirit to mankind through Him (John 16:7). But, through the power of Christ's resurrected life, God supplies us with the Spirit (compare Philippians 3:10; 1:19). God's Spirit gives human beings the power to honor and obey His Ten Commandments (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Acts 5:32; John 14:16-21).

Jesus, just before His death, spoke of godly peace to His apostles, who would soon be terrified and fleeing for their lives: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you [peace]" (John 14:27). God's peace passes all human understanding (Philippians 4:7). Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), can and will individually grant us God's peace when we repent, when we turn from our own ways and wholeheartedly seek to obey God.

On the national and international level, the only way to permanent peace is through God's direct and powerful intervention in human affairs. This too is to be accomplished through the resurrected Christ, whom God raised from death to divine power and glory. God the Father promises to send His Son to earth again to put away all hatred, fighting and war (Matthew 24:36; Acts 3:18-20; Revelation 19:11-21).

The dream comes true

At His return, Christ will first put away human fighting and war (Revelation 19). But it will take more than that dramatic intervention to rid mankind of that scourge. Shortly thereafter Christ will put away the ultimate source of fighting and war, Satan and the demons (Revelation 20:1-3). The Bible is clear on this point: God's will for mankind is His peace. He will make the impossible dream possible.

Godly peace is guaranteed for mankind, and no human being or evil spirit can stop it. Today we feel the increased pressure of unrest, terrorism and potential nuclear war. God shows that conditions will get far worse as we get closer to the end (Matthew 24:6-8).

Ironically, before the Great Tribulation, a type of unprecedented human peace will take hold temporarily, brought about by a confederation of nations centered in Europe. Although that seemingly remarkable peace will not last long (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3), many will hail it as a fulfillment of God's will for peace on earth.

Many will buy into this counterfeit peace because we human beings so desperately want and need peace. Remarkably, even the powerful political, military and religious bodies will view themselves as doing a good thing (Isaiah 10:7). In reality, it apparently will serve as a ploy for the peacekeeping armies surrounding Jerusalem to situate themselves to conquer and divide the city (Luke 21:20-24; Zechariah 14:2; Daniel 11:16). Yet the end is not yet, as these things are a prelude to the Great Tribulation and Christ's return to earth.

When He does return soon afterward, Jesus will intervene to bring about the impossible dream: permanent peace on earth. "He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4).

Another prophecy adds that God's peace will extend throughout the earthly creation: "'The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,' says the Lord" (Isaiah 65:25).

Peace is not the impossible dream after all. Indeed, godly peace is guaranteed to cover the earth as the waters cover the oceans (Isaiah 11:9). What a glorious time that will be! GN