let us

 This advent season we begin worship this week with:

Isaiah 2:2-5

It shall come to pass in the latter days

    that the mountain of the house of the Lord

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

    and shall be lifted up above the hills;

and all the nations shall flow to it,

    and many peoples shall come, and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

    to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

    and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations,

    and shall decide disputes for many peoples;

and 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.

O house of Jacob,

    come, let us walk

    in the light of the Lord.

[For those with a sense of deja vu, Micah repeats this revelation (Micah 4:1-5).]

This passage is often used to advise pacifism.  But that omits the battle that must be won to create the peace.  Only then, a peace will reign that is so complete that the instruments of war are no longer needed and education in its tactics will simply cease. 

That battle will be the last battle, which occurs on the day that ends history, for "latter days" is literally describing the end (singular) of the “last” ('aḥărîṯ) days (plural).  See the battle in Revelation 18 and offer praise for its brevity (v. 8).

Yes, there will be disputes but at the center of this peace will be law.  During a business meeting of peers if a dispute occurs over policy or direction and voices are raised, one can settle the room, by simply escalating to leadership.  Imagine being able to escalate to the true source of justice.

Today we have a foreshadowing of this peace within the church, where its members are fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God and under His law.  Yes, disputes will occur but we have a common remedy Matthew 18:15-18) to which we have all taken vows.  

So, let's keep plowing instead.