The heavenly host that announced Christ's (Messiah's)
birth proclaimed to those on EARTH, "PEACE, good will toward men" (Luke 2:13-14)
One of Messiah's EARTHLY titles is "the Prince of
PEACE" (Isaiah 9:6)
for His EARTHLY government will be founded upon PEACE and justice (Isaiah 9:7
cf.Isaiah 2:4)
At His FIRST COMING - Messiah said He came "NOT to
send PEACE, BUT a SWORD" (Matthew 10:34), i.e. NOT PEACE, BUT DIVISION (Luke 12:51-53)
Indeed, Messiah's OWN PEOPLE "SOUGHT TO KILL HIM"
(John 7:1)
and His OWN BRETHREN DID NOT "BELIEVE IN HIM" (John 7:5)
At His SECOND COMING - "the Lord thy Redeemer"
(Isaiah 54:8)
shall FOREVER establish His "covenant of PEACE" with His EARTHLY peope (Israel) and their CHILDREN (Matthew 5:9 cf.Isaiah 54:10,13)
The Lord promised to make an EVERLASTING "covenant
of PEACE" when He shall FOREVER dwell with HIS PEOPLE (Ezekiel 37:26-27) and then "the heathen shall know that I, the Lord do sanctify
ISRAEL" (Ezekiel 37:28)
HIS DISCIPLES who He sent out to herald PEACE from "the
Son of PEACE" (Luke 10:5-6)
are the ones He pointed to and declared them to be "MY BRETHREN", because He said they do "the will
of My Father" (Matthew 12:48-50 cf.Matthew 5:9)
In "the LAST TIME", i.e. the TIME "when
ANTICHRIST shall come" (I John 2:18):
During this GENTILE "dispensation of GRACE"
(Ephesians 3:1-2), believers are exhorted to be "FOLLOWERS OF GOD, as DEAR CHILDREN"
(Ephesians 5:1) to "walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us" (Ephesians 5:2)
"FORBEARING one another in LOVE" is what allows
brethren to "KEEP the UNITY of the Spirit in the BOND of PEACE" (Ephesians 4:2-3) for "LOVE worketh NO ILL to his neighbor" (Romans 13:10)