The Sword of Peace

     I was struck this morning with an image of peace that had never occurred to me before. When I read in Ephesians 2: 14, "For he himself is our peace…(v. 15-16) His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two [Jew and Gentile], thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross by which he put to death their hostility. (v. 17) He came and preached peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit…(v. 20-21)…Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." The term here uses "peace" as not something to achieve, but as someone that is peace, specifically Jesus Christ.
     Now for many of you this may seem obvious, but then as I looked up in the Word more about "peace" other scriptures that I'd read numerous times took on a different meaning such as in Ephesians regarding The Armor of God, 6:15…"with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace…(v. 17) and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God." The gospel of peace and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, indicates to me that peace is the Spirit which is the Word and if Jesus is our peace then what does that mean for this scripture in Revelations 6:4, "Then another horse came out, a fiery red one, [Red according to the concordance on pg. 1933 of my NIV Bible, 'symbolizing bloodshed and war']. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword." Will this angel be given the authority to remove the Word of God, the Holy Spirit from the earth at which point Satan and his demons will finally get the full reign they've been attempting to usurp since the birth of sin in the Garden of Eden?
     Then Jeremiah chapter 6 speaks of Jerusalem Under Siege, (v. 1)…"For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruction…(v. 10) To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it…(v. 14) They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.'" Are we seeking a building, a temple, to be the sign of the return of peace? No, something made of human hands will not bring peace, only "the sword of the Spirit" has the power to bring or take away peace and we are ignoring its power and purpose in this world.
     We have no peace, because we do not call on the Name of the Lord. We are a people lost in the wilderness and grumbling about our situation only to be ignorant of the danger that will soon come upon us. The concordance on pg. 1800 of my NIV Bible states about Ephesians 6:17-18 that the sword of the Spirit and pray in the Spirit are "Reminders that the battle is spiritual and must be fought in God's strength, depending on the word and on God through prayer." Jesus is Peace. Without peace "men slay each other." The more we remove Jesus Christ from our daily lives, the less peace we will have personally and globally.
    God is not to blame for the evil that happens on earth. "The sword of the Spirit" is the One standing between us and the devil's plan of utter chaos. We must do our part "to live a life worthy of the calling [we] have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Mak[ing] every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3)