The Prophet Isaiah called Jesus the Prince of Peace. When the shepherds experienced the announcement of the coming Messiah, they heard and saw the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men." The proclamation of peace is front and center to the Christmas message.
If ever we needed the Prince of Peace to come into this world, it is now. Instead, at this Christmas time, we are experiencing the fulfillment of the end time prophecies that say there will be "wars and rumors of wars." Jesus, the Prince of Peace, told us that we should not worry when we hear of these things because these things will happen before He comes back the second time. The fact that He came the first time in fulfillment of Biblical prophecy makes His second coming even more certain. The Bible has much more to say about His second coming than His first coming.
In the mean time, there is conflict. That's why we long for the Prince of Peace to come. Lack of inner peace is the main reason for stress and all the related health problems. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27). He also said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).
When Jesus talks about peace, he is not speaking about political peace on this earth. He is talking about the root cause of conflict - our broken relationship with God Himself. Peace certainly didn't come when Jesus came to this earth. Many mothers in Jerusalem mourned the death of their babies as a result of the conflict and turmoil the coming of the Son of God caused. And so it is today. The war to destroy the life of Jesus, God's only begotten Son, continues. Right now, there is war, not peace. More people are being martyred for their faith in Jesus then at any time in the history of man.
Jesus saw this coming. He said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34) And yet scripture calls the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Gospel of Peace. (Romans 10:15) The apostles are said to preach peace by Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:36) This is not a contradiction. It does, however, show us that before peace comes, there must be reconciliation between offended parties. This is why Jesus came.
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We -- all of us -- have violated our relationship with our Holy Father and have made ourselves lords of our lives by going our own way and disobeying His commandments. We were alienated from Him who is Life. So Jesus came to make reconciliation, to make peace, by taking upon Himself a human body and taking the wages of our sin that we might have peace with God. Once we have peace with Him, all other things fall into right order.
But right now there is a spiritual battle for our very souls. It causes conflict. There will be those that do not understand. They will fight against our stand for righteousness. There will be those who will want to extinguish Jesus from our lives because they know, as King Herod knew, that only one king can rule. Peace comes, real peace, inner peace, when we make Jesus our King, then He will also be our Peace.
