“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.  The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young one shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like an ox.  The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his and in the viper’s den” (Isaiah 11:6-8). 

Some think that this teaches that one day the whole world will be at peace.  Some of these even take the language as literal.  They believe that even the animals will one day be at peace.  Predator and prey, they will no longer be.

Others think that this does not describe earth, but heaven.  They believe that this peace will exist in heaven.

However, I believe that these views are mistaken.  I do not believe that this describes universal world peace, and I do not believe that this refers to peace in heaven. 

This refers to what happens in the LORD’s holy mountain (Isaiah 11:9 cf. 2:2; Daniel 2:35, 44).  This refers to people – who once were very different with very different interests and even adversarial in relationship – being brought together in Christ, in the body of Christ (i.e. in the church). Consider this, Paul applies this section of Scripture to the Gentiles under the New Testament (Isaiah 11:10 in Romans 15:12).      

 He writes, “Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). When Christ is truly followed, peace, harmony, and reconciliation is possible.

The church should be the greatest unity movement ever.  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).  He “created in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Ephesians 2:15).  “There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11).  The things which divide us should no longer do so in Christ.  Jew and Gentile can be one in Christ (Ephesians 2:15).  Matthew (once a tax collector) and Simon (once a zealot, who no doubt wanted to remove the yoke of Rome) were brought together by Christ (Matthew 10:1-4 cf. Luke 6:12-16).  I once preached in a congregation that had Russians and Ukrainians worshipping together.  Brethren from north and south in the U.S.A. can do the same.  Whites and blacks can do the same. 

Jesus desired and prayed for the unity of believers (John 17:20-23).  Are we praying for such?  Are we stiving for such?  “Pursue with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). True Christianity is beautiful. Let’s practice it.