This week I am pausing my series about Satan’s tricky, intrusive memories so I can address a huge complaint atheists have about God’s promise for peace. This week a pastor spoke about a university professor, an atheist, who said he could not believe in God, because he felt God had failed to keep his Christmas promise for peace on earth. But this professor made a huge mistake that most nonbelievers make. He did not read the Bible and look at God’s real promise. Instead this man made up what he wanted God to promise and claimed this is what God said. Often people get angry with God when they imagine what He is like and ignore who He really is and what He actually said. This reminds me of my memory verse in Romans 1:21, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.” So please join me as I explore the mistake atheists make in accusing God of forsaking his promise for peace at Christmas and year round.
First, let’s look at the most famous Christmas promise of peace. In Luke 2:14, the angels said, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests,” (NIV.) Most people assume this says, “Peace on earth,” as a blanket promise. But it does not say that. Instead, the words are transposed to say, “On earth peace,” so this does not guarantee complete peace for the entire earth. Second, the verse does not say this peace is for all people. The peace is offered, “to those on whom his favor rests,” which means this kind of peace is not for those on whom his favor does not rest. Thus we must ask ourselves, “On whom does God’s favor rest?” Who are the ones who receive this peace? Not everyone receives the favor, although anyone can ask for God’s favor, as the Psalmist did in 90:17, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” Only those who live righteous lives and seek God find his favor as stated in Psalm 84:11, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” So this peace from God comes to those who yield to God.
And lest the atheist claim God forgets his promises, King David lived to an old age, and in 2 Sam. 22:31 he said, “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” David affirmed that God had not abandoned him, even in old age.
So next, we must look at what the peace of God looks like. The atheist professor I mentioned said he should see peace on earth, but the Palestinians and the Israelites were still fighting, so God must not have kept the peace. But this view contradicts people’s free will. Evil people will fight, not because God cannot keep them peaceful, but because God will not force them to stop fighting. Look at the evil character of two fathers of the Arab people, Esau and Ishmael. Esau was described as an immoral man in Hebs.12:16, “See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.” Esau’s descendants were not satisfied with the land God had given them, which according to Deut.2:5b said, “I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.” Instead Esau’s descendants tried to take land God promised to Israel, (Psalm 137: 7-9 and Obad.1:10-14.)
Ishmael was described harshly in Gen. 16:12, “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Lest we wonder, Gens. 25: 12-18 lists Ishmael’s descendants and clearly shows some of Israel’s future enemies. Furthermore Psalm 83:5-8 confirms several of these descendants are Israel’s hostile enemies.
Israel itself is not without blame at times. The Israelites often sinned against God, as Jesus confirmed when he said in Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.”
So when these two men’s descendants attack Israel, and Israel sometimes fights in godless ways too, it is not because God cannot keep the peace. Instead, these Arab nations harbor hatred towards Israel and don’t want peace, and most Israelites reject Jesus as their Messiah of peace too.
God allows free will, because he wants everyone to come to him freely. Look at Deut. 30:19-20, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.” Remember that the Ishmaelites were traders with Egypt (Gen.37:28), and that when Israel left Egypt, many non-Israelites joined them in their Exodus (Exodus 12:38.) Therefore it is even possible that some Ishmaelites heard this very promise. Yet some of them did not heed this call to peace. They have chosen to fight the Israelites. And the Israelites also fight against Jesus. So the professor’s belief that God cannot create peace in the Middle East is based upon the lie that God has to force people to act against their will. God does not force people to do that, thus God did not forsake his promise when nations fight in the Middle East.
We see what atheists mistake for peace, but what does God’s real promise of peace look like? Jesus lets us know in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” The peace that some people receive from God comes in our hearts and minds, and only when we have God’s favor. Only when we surrender our lives to God do we have this peace, even when the world opposes us. For example, Jesus also promised fighting in Matt. 10:34 “Don’t imagine I came to bring peace to earth! I came not to bring peace but a sword.” This is the problem atheists have with God. They hate the fighting that comes when Satan uses people to oppose God’s plans. Atheists blame Christians for this battle, but Christians are called to live at peace, Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” True Christians fight against evil, not against any innocent people.
Jesus did not promise peace of mind on the inside without problems in the outside world. He said we would suffer persecution and tribulation (John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” And 1Peter1:6 “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.”) Jesus promised us peace in our minds and hearts while we are in trials and suffering, not the peace that comes from a lack of strife in the world.
But this peace does not come passively. To have this peace of mind and heart, a Christian must actively pursue righteousness and peace. Paul reminds us in Romans 8:6, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace,” so we must overcome our sinful flesh and not do the bad things it wants to do like retaliating when someone hurts us (1Thes. 5:15 and 1Peter3: 8-9). In Gal. 5:22-23 we read about the fruits of the Spirit (in love) that we must pursue to have this peace. We must carefully listen to what God tells us in Scripture and through the Holy Spirit (Psalm 85:8 “I listen carefully to what God, the Lord, is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.”) Furthermore, Phil. 4:9 reminds us to practice the peace we learn from God, and if we forget and become anxious, 1Peter5:7 reminds us, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Psalm 4:8 also reminds us to seek God’s peace so we can sleep well.
Finally, the peace God offers can never be fully seen on the earth, because Satan is still ruling here. In 2Cor. 4:4b Jesus confirms this and also explains what is wrong with the perception of atheists like the professor in our article: “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News.” But Satan’s rule is temporary. Even as early as the book of Genesis 3:15b, God made a promise about Jesus opposing Satan: “He will strike your head.” This promised is spoken of more times in the Bible. So I wish we could tell the atheist professor to be patient, because in Romans 16:20 Jesus promised, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” And in Revelation chapter 12 and chapter 20, we learn that Jesus will fully defeat Satan, before the Millennial Reign and again at its end. Finally Satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, never again to plague the nations with war. Then full peace will reign on the earth.
That atheist professor did not read the Scriptures, like many nonbelievers who do not know what the Bible really says. Instead they make up their own ideas by twisting Scripture to say things it never said. So let’s invite our non-believing friends to look at what the Scripture really says and encourage them to find the true God of peace. Then they will understand the peace that God actually promises, peace of mind and heart in the midst of an angry and hostile world. So please use what you read in this post to share with any unbelieving friend who claims God has forgotten his promises for peace. Until we go to heaven, let’s bring as many people to Christ as we can. Let’s encourage them to know God loves them richly and wants only the best for them. After I wrote this post, I also prayed for that professor the pastor mentioned this week. Be sure you pray for any unbelievers you know too.
Thanks so much for joining me in this week’s post. May the Lord bless you and keep you in his peace: Shalom!