I have included a special message at the end of this article for those who have reached the point where the burden of evidence that the world is spinning out of control is overwhelming. I hope you will read and take to heart what God requires in order to give His free gift of eternal life, as He has declared is His will for all who trust in Him.

Jesus made the following statement in His Olivet Discourse:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

As with any verbalization made by the Lord, Righteousness, Truth and Integrity are at its core.

In this case, these characteristics must be presumed to be imparted to those He is describing in His use of the term “peacemakers,” as no unrepentant person will ever be called a “son of God” or see the Kingdom of God.

We are currently witness to a frenzied effort on the part of the world’s “leaders” to forge (force?) a “solution” in Gaza to the aftermath of the destruction resulting from Israel’s justified response to the murderous assault by Hamas (and associates) on 7 October 2023. As of this writing, Hamas and their comrades continue to attack and terrorize. As would any nation under similar circumstances, Israel strikes back!

The cycle of violence continues unabated.

Under the leadership of U.S. President Trump, a multi-nation “Board of Peace” is attempting to be established, which is to be tasked with bringing “peace and safety” to the Gaza Strip and, as has been implied, to the rest of the world.

I believe it is indicative of either a massive display of ignorance of the declared Word of God or a wanton defiance of God’s Sovereign Will. It is uncanny how the world uses the terminology found in God’s Word to describe their rebellion and arrogance.

Before world governments can claim that they have attained “peace and safety” apart from God, they will have to declare allegiance to the Man of Perdition / the Antichrist. The Lord has indicated that this will indeed happen, and, at that time, He will act.

“For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). Emphasis added.

And His reminder of Who is Sovereign still applies:

“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose                                                                                        will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

I believe there is an unspoken (publicly) goal by some of the members of this organization that this “Board of Peace” will ultimately provide them with the means to impose their will on Israel in order to bring about their true desire: The destruction of Israel and annihilation of the Jews. (see Psalm 83:2-4.) Although the names of these nations have been changed, their unreasoning hatred toward Israel has not.

The final make-up of this board will belie any possibility of achieving its implied goal, but instead may be a significant part of the catalyst that will result in fulfillment of the below prophecy found in (Isaiah 28:14-15), resulting in the fulfillment of (Isaiah 28:18).

Gaza may be the implied purpose, but Israel and Jerusalem are the ultimate objectives of many of its members, as the Lord has foretold.

We can rest assured that God knows the motives of each one.

“Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man within him: ‘Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. Judah will be besieged, as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will be severely injured’” (Zechariah 12:1-3).

I believe it is fair to say that President Trump’s motives may be earnest, at least in his own mind, but they display either a profound ignorance of God’s clear warning in Joel Chapter 3:1-2 (which is no surprise given his poor choice of a “spiritual advisor”), or perhaps he is afraid to do anything that could, in human terms, reflect negatively on his legacy or his desire to bring about the impossible goal of world peace by human agency. We can’t truly know these things but God does know them (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Either way, this Board of Peace is in opposition to God, and there will be a reckoning.

As to the leaders of Israel, they will eventually be worn down by never-ending pressure and threats, and perhaps by a shift to weak and more secular leadership. Despite the proof of history and their own Scriptures, they will eventually place their trust in the world (and Antichrist), thus condemning themselves to the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).

“Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves’” (Isaiah 28:14-15).

God further goes on to explain that, as ever, it is His Will that will prevail:

“Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it” (Isaiah 28:18). Emphasis added.

God further declares His decree for all nations that defy His Will.

“For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land” (Joel 3:1-2). Emphasis added.

Either way, it is God’s Will that will prevail against nations or individuals, and even among his own people, who attempt to defy His promise to Abraham. They will all be held accountable. It is never good to ignore His use of the term “Woe.”

“’Woe to the obstinate children,’ declares the LORD, ‘to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin’” (Isaiah 30:1). Emphasis added.

He further points out the intentional disregard for His people by this political chicanery.

“They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14), (Jeremiah 8:11 same context).

Any effort, whether out of ignorance or willful defiance of God, will result in the execution of the judgments prophesied in Revelation 4:1-19:21.

As Jesus clearly pointed out, “(the Scripture cannot be broken)” (John 10:35b).

The special message I promised you:

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no real hope or peace in your life.

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms and that you do so in your living years.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

• Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
• Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
• That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
• To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
• Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross and rose from the grave three days later, conquering death, just as He promised.
• To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

• No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
• No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
• Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans                      

To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com

There’s an interesting line in the movie The Magic of Belle Isle that provokes thought. It’s a story about a novelist, played by Morgan Freeman, who has lost his passion for writing and, frankly, his will to live. But he befriends a young girl on the Isle who admires his talent for storytelling and wishes to also write stories.

The author’s advice to her is, “Never stop looking for what’s not there.” This seems to be the crux of how good imagination works. Look at your surroundings in their ordinary habitat and stretch your mind to see something unusual, unexpected, or exciting that’s not currently there. To dream of characters that you could never be or that you and others would gravitate toward or flee from. The definition of imagination is “the ability to form mental images of things that are not present to the senses or not considered to be real.”

Great fiction stories make great use of the imagination.  We all have favorite writers and love the stories they tell. They make use of their personal experiences and inspiration that compels them to write. For example, Anne Frank wrote short stories, essays, fairy tales, and the beginning of a novel before her life was tragically cut short. How did a teenage girl hiding in an annex for over 2 years become so accomplished? She was a voracious reader with many friends until she was abruptly hidden away from the world. I would argue that her imagination gave her hope amid oppressive boredom and fear. Scripture and our life experience can fuel our imagination.

As we believers in Christ get closer to Jesus’ return, we can use our imagination of what our lives will be like with Him in his eternal Kingdom by looking for what’s not there. To be certain, we are never to add nor take away from scripture (Rev 22: 18-19). We simply use scripture to inspire us and provide hope for what awaits.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve lived in harmony with all the animals. And all was good. Certainly, all will be good one day, again. We are promised a place that Jesus has made for us in his Father’s house (John 14:2). Can we even begin to imagine that?! Our place must be within the walls of the New Jerusalem as described in Revelation 21. Jesus provides much detail for us there, such as the entire city appearing clear as crystal. It is laid out like a square with its walls 1,400 miles in length and height. It has beautifully adorned foundations with every kind of jewel, 12 gates made of pearl, and the main street made of gold.

Try to picture the vast courtyards, plants, trees, hills, parks, streams, and animals running within this city. Try to contemplate what our homes will be like, built by the Lord himself. He knows all our tastes and desires.

Look at your home now, and look for what’s not there. I don’t know anything about architecture, but I know I like Frank Llyod Wright designed homes and buildings. I can envision an open floor plan with horizontal and geometric shapes of the house with numerous large windows and sharp angles. My home will blend in with the surroundings. I will have an add-on stable for my white horse that will be given by Jesus, and plenty of room inside for my many basset hounds to romp and frolic.

I know that some have concerns about the size of the city. Is 1,400 x 1,400 miles enough room for all of us in Christ? Is that the actual size of the New Jerusalem? I say yes and yes! When Jesus provides details, we can take him at his word. Fourteen-hundred x fourteen-hundred miles is roughly the size of the Western United States cut from the Mississippi River. Since it will be in Israel, the size of it will encompass most of the Saudi Arabian Peninsula and run through 2/3^rd of Iran. Plus, the city will be as high as it is long! How many people can live in this city?

Using Manhattan Island as a comparison, you may be surprised at your new accommodation one day. The size of Manhattan Island covers an area of about 23 square miles. One point six million people reside on the island, swelling to 4 million during the day. This calculates to 69,565 people, rounded up to 70,000 people per square mile.

That sounds like a tremendous amount of people in 1 square mile. But if you’ve been to Manhattan, you know it works. It’s vibrant, colorful, exciting, with beautiful historic homes and museums, restaurants, shops, and more. There are over 6,000 high-rise buildings in Manhattan, with 274 skyscrapers. And don’t forget Central Park! 843 acres of rolling hills, pedestrian bridges, trees, and ponds. It’s the most visited urban city park in the U.S.

Let’s compare Manhattan now to our New Jerusalem. Fourteen-hundred x fourteen-hundred miles is 1,960,000 square miles. How many will live in our city? In other words, how many Old and New Testament saints will there be? I will propose just 2 estimates for the imagination.

10 billion people = 5,102 ppl/ sq mile

50 billion people = 25,510 ppl/ sq mile (nearly 3 times less crowded than Manhattan!)

You get the picture quickly. Perhaps there are 2 billion Christians on earth today, and that is probably a stretch. There were only 8 people saved on Noah’s ark. There is going to be plenty of room for all to enjoy for eternity. Imagine all the people. And countries (Zechariah 14: 16-19).

And there’s more information to work with – Revelation 22. When we step out onto the veranda of our homes, we will view a river flowing right through the city from the thrones of God and Jesus. There will be the tree of life, yielding a different type of fruit each month. We will see our Father’s face and worship him. He will be our light, replacing the sun.

Verse 15 mentions that outside the gates of the city, there are some bad actors. We don’t really know why they are there, especially since we are told that all those not saved will end up in the Lake of Fire. Perhaps it’s just that a good story needs a good antagonist. They may be constant reminder of how good God is, and the adversaries will always be on the outside looking in. We’ll understand once we are there. To be sure, they will be no harm to us, and we will be enjoying new life that we can barely begin to imagine with our Lord. And I’ve only considered the city. For sure, we will get to venture all God’s creation to include the rest of the new earth and new heavens. I will leave that to you.

Remember, God has adopted us as his sons (and daughters) from the beginning through Jesus (Eph 1:5). And since we are his family, we will inherit all he has as he sees fit to give.

It may be difficult to see what’s not there for us at this time. But as we study God’s word and grow in our knowledge of Him, the better we can imagine the wonderful things that wait for us. And it will be great.