Swords and Plowshares

Post-Edenic Paradise (Isaiah 2:1-5)

The devil appeared to three monks and said to them, “If I give you the power to change something from the past, what would you change?”

The first of them replied with great fervor, “I would prevent you from making Adam and Eve fall in sin so that humanity could not turn away from God.”

The second man full of mercy, said to him, “I would prevent you from disobeying God and condemning yourself eternally.”

The third of them was the simplest and, instead of responding to the tempter, he got on his knees, made the sign of the cross, and prayed, saying, “Lord, free me from the temptation of ‘What could have and was not.”

The devil let out a loud cry and vanished.

The other two, surprised, said to him, “Brother, why have you responded like this?”

He replied, “First, we must never dialogue with the devil. Second, nobody in the world has the power to change the past. Third, Satan’ interest was not to prove our virtue, but to rap us in the past, so that we neglect the present, which is the only time God gives us his grace and the only time we can cooperate with him to fulfill his will.”

The wise monk concluded by saying, “Of all the demons, the one that catches the most people, and prevents them from not being happy, is that ‘What could have been and was not.”

The past is left to the mercy of God and the future to his Providence. Only the present is in our hand.

Now, imagining yourself in their shoes, out of the three monks which one do you identified yourself to be most like in their situation?

Personally, I would have fallen into the first temptation and charged the gates of Eden with a zealous ambition to convince our original parents from ever talking to snakes. Maybe then, sin and death would have never invaded our world and everything would be peaceful again.

Yet, we all have to accept the reality, none of us can change our past, or most importantly, the first terrible decision that came into human history. We must move on ahead looking forward to what can be rather than ‘What could have been and was not.’

The prophet Isaiah spoke from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit about the coming day in which there will be a Post-Edenic Paradise. A final and complete restoration of the broken world. Where all people groups will gather together in harmony and no longer encounter sin, death, and the devil. He describes this day as this in Isaiah chapter 2.

Isaiah 2:2–4 ESV

2 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, 3 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. 4 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.

Notice in this Post-Edenic Paradise in Isaiah’s prophecy, everyone is going up to God and they collectively desire to live according to his God’s rules and statutes.

In the world to come, the only words that will be spoken are words of absolute truth.

Then everyone will forged their weapons that were once were used for creating violence and beat them into instrument of peace. A sword will transform into a plowshare. A spear into a pruning hook, and, lastly, the greatest news is there will be never another nation that will learn war anymore.

Our hearts long for the Post-Edenic Paradise. Humanity was created to know God, learn from him and never experience violence.

The problem originates from our godless society where tragedies appear at every corner. Such a world that witnesses senseless violence such as last Sunday’s SUV attack in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where six innocent people died. Where government entities work beside greedy corporations to better themselves rather than the people they serve.

Its easy to know we are still anticipating for fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision because we understand this world is to far gone for fixings. There is no human repair that can solve our crisis. We will need someone from above to heal what has been scarred.

Bondage to the Enemy (John 8:34)

Which brings us back to the book of Joel, where the people of Judah were beginning to witness God’s blessings once again. Formerly, the Lord was judging them because an undisclosed sin.

Eventually, with a little bit of encouragement and fear Judah called out to the Lord to forgive them. The Lord decided to relent from disaster and renews their land with vegetation and makes a promise to send the Holy Spirit in the future. However there is just one thing the people needed - deliverance from bondage of their enemies.

Which similarly, we too, are entangled by enemies, perhaps none of made up of the flesh. But we are held in bondage to another type of enemy - mainly called sin. Jesus tells us that all humanity is under the rule of this enemy in John 8:34

John 8:34 ESV

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

We share the same predicament with Judah, both common people like you and me are held under the captivity of an enemy who wishes to destroy and harm us.

Thankfully, for us and Judah, God is not absent in our captivity and makes a vow to save us. Which leads us to Joel chapter three, where God promises to his people a day will come when the every enemy who wielded the sword against his people will taste justice.

Nations' attack in the Valley of Jehosaphat (Joel 3:2,12,14)

Reading of Joel 3:1-17 concerning the Lord’s divine judgement against the foreign enemies. Yawheh calls out the sins of the nations - divided his land, cast lots for his people, traded a boy for a prostitute, and sole a girl for wine, taken the Lord’s treasures, and sold his people to other nations.

The Lord will repays them according to what they have done to his own people. Before this he orders them to battle him the Valley of Jehoshaphat - which means Yahweh judges.

He calls them to war and gives time for them to create their best armor and weapons and yet, he wins and there chance for the enemies to succeed against the Lord. The Lord will suppress any nation who believes its superior in power. The prophetic vision is consistent in asserting that the nations will submit to YHWH, but the manner in which they do may be willing or unwilling.

For the rest of the people who were smart enough to submit and give up war, there lives are spared and can take refuge in the peace of God. Joel 3:18-21. Where rest and bliss remain - its the Post Edenic Paradise.

Eternal Reign from Zion (Joel 3:21; Philippians 2:6-11)

In the end, the Lord reigns from Zion and overcomes every enemy. He conquers his opponents by not wielding the sword, but carrying a wooden cross to Calvary's hill.

Philippians 2:6–11 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It’s this victorious king, through humility defeats all earthy kingdom and establishes peace for all those who trust in him. His people are safe through the power of the resurrection. No sword can cut him down.

We rely on his power to judge the nations and refrain from taking the sword into our own hands. We are to live as the Post-Edenic Paradise exist here in the now, rather than only in the future.

Let’s live in light of the fact that Jesus has already won the battle. The battle in the Valley of Jehoshaphat is settled, the king is crowned, for the rest of world. Let them submit the king and lay down their weapons.