The world is not going to be brought to peace by the preaching of the Gospel of the Grace of God. It will rather be brought about by the judgment of God upon it. Isaiah 26:9 and 32:17 declare: "When Thy judgments are in the earth, then shall the inhabitants thereof learn righteousness. . . . The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever."

The world has already been tried and found guilty of sinning against God and rejecting His Son who came into the world to save sinners. Judgment has already been pronounced upon it. Jesus aid, as He anticipated the cross, "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out." Judgment upon it, however has not yet been executed, for God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish. But the day of judgment is approaching: "He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance to all men, in that He raised Him (Jesus) from the dead" (Acts 17:31).

When will that day be? We do not know. The day of grace continues because of the longsuffering of our blessed Lord. He is still calling out a people for His Name to be His eternal companion. However, when the last stone has been added to the Church which He has been building since Pentecost, "He that shall come, will come and will not tarry" (Heb. 10:37). He will come to the air and call His own out of the world to meet Him in the air to be forever with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:15-17).

It will be then that the Lord will begin His work of judgment upon earth during a period of seven years tribulation to bring in everlasting righteousness according to Daniel 9:24-27. Revelation chapters 6-19 give a detailed prophecy of these judgments, at the close of which the Lord Himself will appear on Mount Zion to purge the earth of rebellion and unbelief, and bring in the thousand year reign of righteousness and peace.

Then will the prophecy of Joel 3:9-21 be fulfilled. "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the Hope of His people and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more" (verses 16,17).

Micah also speaks of judgment bringing in peace to the nations in chapter 4, verse 3: "And He shall judge among many people and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

Truly, only when the judgments of the Lord are in the earth will the nations of the world learn righteousness and enjoy peace. The Lord will purge all things out of His kingdom that offend. The millennium will be a thousand year period when righteousness shall reign and peace shall result.

—D.T.J.