For “Scripture Sunday”:
Neither Shall They Learn War Anymore
“This phrase reflects a universal longing. But our world is addicted to ever more deadly war. How will the promise of peace really be fulfilled?
[From the January/February 2014 issue of Discern.]
The irony was hard to miss, even for nonreligious people. Here was a militaristic, atheistic global power, bringing to the world a peace gift inspired by—of all things—the Bible.
It was 1959 when the Soviet Union presented to the United Nations a bronze statue of a brawny man wielding a hammer. With it, he was reshaping a weapon representing war and destruction, a sword, into a tool suggesting peace and goodness, a plow.
Coming from a regime that disdained the Bible, persecuted the religious and had recently slaughtered millions of its own citizens, Russia’s gesture rang hollow. But the words on this famous statue, “We Shall Beat Our Swords Into Plowshares,” strongly resonated in the hearts of people around the world, as they do to this day.
When accepting this gift, then Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld declared that “the ancient dream of mankind, reflected in the words of Isaiah,” was the same dream that had inspired the creation of the U.N.
The statue, regrettably, does not cite Isaiah’s exact words. But in a park across the street from the U.N. stands the “Isaiah Wall,” inscribed with more of the prophet’s quote: “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 any more.”
World statesmen often quote this verse in speeches. Musicians set it to songs ranging from the stirring finale in Les Miserables to Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World.” And anyone who reads it can identify with it: “That’s the world I want!” Isaiah’s words beautifully encapsulate a universal longing.” Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/kingdom-of-god/neither-shall-they-learn-war-anymore/
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God vs. Satan: The Battle of the Ages
“Across a span of time and on spiritual battlefields our human minds can only struggle to comprehend, an epic battle has been raging between God and a powerful, evil spirit—Satan the devil. This battle has impacted the course of history in powerful ways (and continues to do so)—but in order to fully understand the battle of God vs. Satan, we have to step back to the earliest pages of human history.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Although we are only given small glimpses of the world prior to man, the Scriptures tell us that during this time Lucifer, one of the high-ranking angels serving before God’s throne, convinced a third of the angels to follow him in rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:13-16; Revelation 12:7-9).
Apparently, because of this great battle, the beautiful earth God had created (Isaiah 45:18) became “without form, and void” (Genesis 1:2). Because of Lucifer’s rebellion, his name was changed to Satan, meaning “adversary.” His followers, fallen angels, became known as demons.
(To learn what the Bible reveals to us about these fallen angels, read our article “Are Demons Real?”)
After refashioning the earth so it could sustain human life, God created the first man, Adam. Eve, the first woman, was created a short time later. In addition to placing them in the Garden of Eden, where they could live and multiply, God gave them instruction in the way of life that would lead to happiness and eternal life.
But this couple was also given the choice of whether they would obey their Creator or choose their own path. God gave Adam and Eve the first opportunity to rule when He put all things under the feet of man, giving him dominion over the works of God’s hand (Psalm 8:4-8).
Satan the deceiver attacks mankind
Though largely banished to earth (Luke 10:18) with only a few exceptions when he could appear before God’s throne (Job 1:6), Satan and his demons were not ready to concede in their fight against God. Satan the devil soon brought the battle to the Garden of Eden.
Satan convinced the first man and his wife to disregard the instruction and commandments of God. They bought the lie that man can choose for himself what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. As a result of this tragic decision, sin entered the world and death entered by sin. Man cut himself off from the guidance, direction and blessings of God.
From mankind’s perspective, this began the battle of light vs. darkness, right vs. wrong, evil vs. good. Sides were drawn. Camps and philosophies were developed. Whose side are you on?
Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/kingdom-of-god/god-vs-satan/
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Update.
My neighbor Zack, and I are still digging stuff out of everywhere and sorting it into departments. Some for this granddaughter, some for the other one, some for this thrift shop, and some for another one. We took many items to the curb, and they have already disappeared. One man’s trash…..
This morning we took some shelf units and lots of articles that I have for sale to a storage unit on FM 1097. It is on the way to Navasota, but only about 7 miles from here. I rented it for three months, just long enough to get stuff out of the houses and later I can move it, or sell it, at my leisure. It will be cooler by then, too. Different friends and family members are coming this week to get what they want. Just got a call that someone wants all my gardening tools, shovels, rakes, hoes, hoses, etc., but I can’t let my weed whacker, lawnmower, hedge clippers or blower go yet because I still need to maintain the place for the next four weeks. Then I will be free !!!!
My son-in-law and grandson are coming to move me on the w/e of the 20th, so I have marked everything that is going to the apartment with a patch of blue painter’s tape. That is the tape that comes off easily without leaving any residue.
For the church potluck on the Sabbath, I took some frozen organic pizzas. I am trying to get my freezers as empty as possible. Then I made two sheet pans of oven-fried rutabaga fries. I could have cooked them in my airfryer, but I had so many that I did it in the convection oven. Just about the same thing. But we had so much food at the potluck that we saved the pizzas for another time. The rutabaga fries went down well, even the kids liked them.
The Bible readings were Psa. 24 and 15, Exo. 26:1-30, Eze. 16:10-19, Heb. 8:16 and all of Matt. 24. The Teaching was “Jeremiah and The Changing Times.”
I am so anxious that I won’t have it all moved in time, but we will keep plugging at it day by day.
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