A few months ago, an event happened at the White House in the United States that has changed the Middle Eastern landscape and set an example for the world. The joy of Christmas came early as two sworn enemies—Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization—signed a framework for peace. The next day, newspapers reported that Israel and Jordan were able to establish a similar accord. To view the first peacemaking was breathtaking. To have the second one with Jordan only a day later was stupendous.
The references to prayer that showed up in a number of the speeches given on the White House lawn were more than mere rhetorical flourishes. As PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat pointed out, "Ladies and gentlemen, the battle for peace is the most difficult battle of our lives. It deserves our utmost efforts because the land of peace . . . yearns for a just and comprehensive peace." From The New York Times, September 4, 1993.
Progressive peace is an inherent element of the new world spiritual order. Predicting the coming of Christ Jesus, the book of Isaiah declares, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isa. 9:6. Certainly, the life of Jesus proved not just the cost of peace—as evidenced in his willing sacrifice on the cross. His resurrection made clear that the rewards of peacemaking far outweigh the sacrifices we need to make in order to find peace.
