On the surface, Christianity has promised peace to its followers, and to the world in general. The birth of the savior, Jesus Christ, was heralded with the greeting:
“Peace on Earth, and Good Will towards Men”. (Luke 2:14 KJV)
Jesus departed from His apostles with the words:
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. (John 14:27)
Is there more peace on Earth after the coming of Jesus or less? It is hard to judge, but there is little peace in this world, especially in the 2000 years of Christianity. So, either the bible is wrong, or it is being taught wrongly.
If we start with Luke 2:14, we see that there are two interpretations of this greeting, the one shown above int eh King James translation, but often there is another which shows up in many bible translations.
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests”, given in the New International translation (NIV).
This would say that peace on Earth is limited to those God likes, or to whom He has gifted a peaceful lifetime.
The parting quote from Jesus is even more selective. He is not offering any promise of peace on Earth. What He offers to everyone is “His Peace”.
Jesus tells us that He is not of this World, so His Peace is not of this world either. This world is ruled by the god of the dead. (Mark 12:27) So, Jesus cannot promise peace on Earth.
“And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23)
Jesus, the King of Heaven (John 18:36) and what He brought to Earth with His act of Redemption is Heavenly Peace, and this peace is in the soul of everyone. Prior to His Victory over Death, there was no hope for humanity. There was no way for any soul to enter Heaven.
“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” (John 3:13)
But after Jesus defeated Satan, and opened the gates to Heaven, there is hope for all the fallen. This is the spiritual peace that Jesus has given to all the fallen, the promise that the path home is open whenever they are ready to start the journey.