Prince of Peace

 Prince of Peace - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,The everlasting Father, The prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6. Are you tired of the turmoil in this life? There’s so much violence and hatred, wars and rumors of war. I’m tired of it all. Unfortunately, things aren’t going to get betterfor a while. How do I know? Jesus said so. We like to think that once we become a Christian life is a bed of roses. Well, that would be nice. The truth is, that’s when conflict really begins. Why is that? A spiritual war has raged since the beginning of time.God is love, but Satan is hate. God loves His creation, but Satan only seeks to cause turmoil and destroy. When you give your life to Christ, you become an enemy of Satan, and he will do all he can to make your life miserable. It’s up to us to keep our mindsand hearts on Jesus. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are inthe world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9. It isn’t easy to avoid a roaring lion that’s out to get you, but his power fades at the name of Jesus. James gives us good advice as to how to avoid that evil, roaring lion. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil,and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. Submit. Humble yourself. Bow your heart to Jesus. When we come to Jesus for salvation, we make a choice. If everyone you know rejects Christ, stand firm on Jesus and you may be the one to lead friends and relatives to salvationthrough Jesus. Unfortunately, there may be much conflict and turmoil involved. Jesus said, “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three againsttwo, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law and the daughter in law against hermother in law.”. Luke 12:51-53. This doesn’t condone dysfunctional families. This means that if you choose to follow Jesus, you risk making family angry with you. In many cultures, accepting Christ means you will be shunned and rejected by your parents, grandparents,brothers, and sisters. In some cases, you run the risk of being killed because of your choice. Since God is love, and wrote the command “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12.We know that God cannot contradict Himself, so can Jesus really mean to draw battle lines in your family? You can honor and serve Jesus without dishonoring your parents. Just keep Christ first, and your family may see the joy and peace within you, and wantthe same peace you have. One day, there will be peace on this earth. When? That will only happen when Jesus reigns. There will be peace on earth, but that time is still in the future. Until thenthere will continue to be war and conflict. The Prince of Peace said so. In speaking of the end times, Jesus said “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Fornation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:6-8. People will continue to live in opposition to God, whichwill continue to bring conflict. We see this conflict all around us. The news is filled with stories of wickedness and hate. If things are getting worse, when will they get better? That time is coming. For Christians, the perfect peace of God will come whenGod takes us Home in the Rapture. Revelation chapter 4 describes the glories we will see when we are all taken to Heaven. The Apostle John was given a preview of what we will see there. The description is mind-boggling. John had to use human words to describewhat he saw, but I’m sure that he was trying to describe the indescribable. He saw a throne, and the One who sat on the throne gave the impression of precious stones (jasper and sardine stones), and there was an emerald rainbow around the throne. I try tovisualize this, and my mind just cannot grasp the wonders. Not only were the sights amazing to behold, but the sounds were also amazing. “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning beforethe throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Revelation 4:5. John must have been overwhelmed by all he saw and heard. In front of the throne was a sea of glass, and around the throne were four very strange looking beasts. These beasts were full of eyes and had six wings, and they continuallysaid “…Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8b. I read these words and get chills thinking about the beautiful worship in Heaven, and knowing I will see and hear it one day soon. What a marvel that will be.Then I think that Jesus chose to leave this glory, to enter His creation, in order to bring the only way of salvation for this fallen world. He left the worship of Heaven knowing full well that He would be mocked, beaten, and crucified. It was His love foryou and me that prompted Him to come to earth. He was born in a manger, and the angels told of His birth to shepherds. Those shepherds left their flocks in order to find their Messiah. The human child born in a manger in Bethlehem, was the Son God gave toredeem the world from sin and death. Praise Him now. As you rush around spending too much money on gifts, and encouraging your children to believe in Santa Clause, take time to remember the Prince of Peace, who left His homein glory, to be born in a manger. His birth brought hope into the world, and His death brought salvation for everyyone who believes in Him. Jesus is the Prince of Peace...Lord of lords and King of kings. Worship Him today and always. God bless you all, Nathele Graham VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM