PEACE, PEACE, to the far and to the near

[TonyChanYT]

ESV Isaiah 57:

19 creating the fruit of the lips. Peace[1], peace[2], to the far and to the near,” says the Lord, “and I will heal him.

Ephesians 2:

17 And he came and preached peace[1] to you who were far off and peace[2] to those who were near.

Ellicott made this connection:

To you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.—As the enmity was the enmity with God, so the peace is peace with God; but still the Apostle, having the idea of reunion between Jew and Gentile present to his mind, cannot refrain from bringing out clearly the call of both to one peace, and therefore to unity with one another. The passage is a quotation from Isaiah 57:19.

Jesus was born to give the Jews and Gentiles peace, Luke 2:

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

[Keraz]

Prepare the Way for My People:

Isaiah 57:1-2 The righteous perish and no one is concerned, those loyal to their faith are persecuted; they achieve peace at last on their deathbed.
Isaiah 57:3-11 Come near, you children of sin; spawn of a lie. You practice idolatry, desert your Maker and make bargains with men. You don’t think that your plight is desperate, because now, you have renewed vigour, you do not worry about your future. As the Lord kept silent and looked away, so you don’t fear Him, don’t remember Him or give Him a thought.

Isaiah 57:12-15 Now I shall expose your conduct, that what you think is right. Your idols will not help you; when disaster comes, your strength will vanish.
But he who puts his trust in Me will possess the Land and inherit My holy Place. Then the Lord will say: Prepare the way for My people, let them come to the Place of My dwelling. I will revive the spirit of the humble and the courage of the disheartened.

Isaiah 57:16-19 I shall not always be accusing, I shall not keep My wrath forever, or else the spirit of mankind would fail because of Me. For a short time, I was angry with My people, I withdrew My favour from Israel because of their sins. Despite their conduct, I will heal them and give them relief and comfort. Those who mourn for Israel will then praise Me, as I heal and save them. There will be peace for all, both far and near. Reference: REB, NIV, KJV. Some verses abridged.

‘the righteous perish’ - the persecution of Christians now and throughout the ages. Matthew 23:35, Revelation 6:9-11

‘you practice idolatry - The apostate and atheistic peoples of today have no idea that their judgement is coming. Ezekiel 20:39, Romans 2:9-11
‘renewed strength’- The descendants of Jacob today, in the Christian nations, have become numerous, rich and powerful, so they no longer ‘give the Lord a thought’.

‘when disaster comes, your strength will vanish’ - the Lords Day of vengeance and wrath. Isaiah 17:4-6 The military powers of the world will be destroyed or neutralized by this judgement against the Lord’s enemies, which will ‘prepare the way’, for the return to the Land of My people. Jeremiah 31:21, Isaiah 43:5-7, Ezekiel 20:34

The punishment and exile of Israel and Judah is for a decreed time; ‘a short time’, to the Lord. Now, as that term of exile nears completion, we look forward to ‘relief and comfort’ and ‘peace for all’, for EVERY faithful Christian, from every tribe, race, nation and language, in the new country of Beulah. Isaiah 62:1-5, Ezekiel 37:26