Dean's World

The following comment appears on Dean's World regarding the cross post:

Htom said:

You really need to look at Isaiah 2:4 in context. The beating of swords and spears occurs AFTER the Lord has taken control of the world; it is not the cause of that peace:

2And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

4And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

RJR: Ah, yes, but the context is generally unknown and unreferenced, while the words I quoted are widely used as a feel-good expression for what ought to be.

(Comments continued here)

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Kristian H. (mail) (www):

Ah, yes, but the context is generally unknown and unreferenced while the words I quoted are widely used as a [variable] expression for what ought to be.

And such is the problem with seriously discussing much of religious scripture / beliefs.

5.20.2006 11:31am

Vic Stein (mail):

That's funny, because according to Jews that probably know a lot more about what Scripture means, world peace is definately a _sign_ of the true messiah and one of the reasons they consider it pretty obvious that Jesus wasn't it. In fact, there are any number of very clear messianic prophecies, and Jesus doesn't actually fulfill any of them, which is why Christianity never won over large numbers of Jews, but appealed mainly to Gentiles from distant lands. Instead, we have to settle for a bunch of bizarre fulfilments that don't even seem to be about the messiah or eevn predictions at all (like the infamous: he shall be called Emmanuel... which no one actually calls Jesus, or riding on TWO asses).

5.20.2006 8:25pm