Isaiah 11:1-8 says:
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD — and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
I’ve been thinking recently about some things I’ve read online, about the whole pacifism, anti-war and non-violence movements. Something didnt sit right internally and I was trying to fathom what it was that didnt fit.
I dont see violence as the answer. Proverbs 15:1 clearly says
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Which in practice is an incredibly useful thing to remember. However, a time comes when all the peaceful, quiet methods fail and a line must be drawn. This is especially true in the realm of nations and governments.
Radical peace and the cessation of all violence will eventually come, of that I am sure. However, I dont think that it is even possible until the time after Jesus returns to the Earth. Until that time there will be violence and wars. “Perfect Peace” to me is an eschatological concept, in much the same way as the establishment of the Kingdom of God on the Earth; as much as the Religious Right are making a mistake by trying to take a future tense spiritual concept and enact it through human means, to being about the “Kingdom Now” (aka “Dominion Theology”), I think that there’s a mistake to be made in going the extreme route of pacificsm also.