Beat Your Plowshares Into Swords

A Call to Arms

It is never a good idea to bet against God. If He says something is going to happen, it will—even if it looks impossible at the moment. When skeptics doubted that Germany would rearm, we here at Tomorrow’s World never shied away from saying that there would be a Zeitenwende, a turning point for Germany. Of course, we did not use that term spoken by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, but we understood, based on Bible prophecy, that Germany would experience a shift away from pacifism and toward militarism. Nor did we know what specific event would bring it about—only that it would happen.

Russia, Ukraine, and Europe’s Prophetic Turning Point

While American presidents failed to pressure NATO nations into paying their agreed-upon 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product on military spending, Russian President Vladimir Putin managed to accomplish this by invading Ukraine. Who would have thought even a year ago that European nations would boost defense spending to a whopping 5 percent of GDP? Yet that is the trajectory to which several are committed today. “Together, Allies have laid the foundations for a stronger, fairer, more lethal NATO,” said Secretary General Mark Rutte last year. “These decisions will have a profound impact on our ability to do what NATO was founded to do—deter and defend” (NATO.int). And the pace at which European countries are ramping up military spending—and manufacturing supplies and weapons—is astounding. Few on this side of the Atlantic realize what is truly happening in Europe.

Joel’s End-Time Prophecy Is Being Fulfilled

What we see occurring before our eyes is the fulfillment of a biblical prophecy. “Proclaim this among the nations: ‘Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am strong”’” (Joel 3:9–10).

The focus of the prophet Joel’s visions is the “day of the Lord,” the time leading up to the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Joel begins his prophecies by describing locust plagues greater than anything seen before and by setting the time when they will occur: “Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty” (Joel 1:15).

This is followed by the sounding of the alarm of war as the Day of the Lord approaches.

Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand: a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations (2:1–2).

The Day of the Lord is directly mentioned 32 times in Scripture, and it is found in both testaments of the Bible in an end-time setting—the return of Jesus Christ. It is the fulfillment of the biblical Festival called Rosh Hashanah by the Jews, the Feast of Trumpets. Specific plagues making up that day are laid out with the sounding of seven trumpets in the book of Revelation. It is at the last trumpet that Christ returns, and the prophet Isaiah reveals that the Day of the Lord—the time of these seven trumpet blasts—covers a period of one year. “For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8; see also 63:4).

Everything about the Day of the Lord shows that it is a time of war and destruction when God’s wrath will be poured out on unrepentant, rebellious mankind: “The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm” (Zephaniah 1:14–16).

Signs That the Day of the Lord Is Coming

One would think that such a time would have many warning signs—and, indeed, it does. The theme of the book of Revelation is the Day of the Lord (Revelation 1:10). We read there of the Apostle John being given a scroll sealed by seven seals. Only the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, can open the seals. The first four are popularly known as the Four Horsemen of Revelation (or the Apocalypse). The fifth seal represents a martyrdom of some of the servants of God. The sixth seal reveals terrifying heavenly signs when it is opened, and what follows is something many cannot imagine.

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:15–17).

Yes, the Day of the Lord is nothing other than the wrath of the Lamb of God upon rebellious mankind. Few think of Jesus in any other terms than a sentimental love. They cannot imagine His love coming in the form of a terrific spanking—one that will be necessary to bring mankind to its senses. You can find a fuller explanation by ordering a free copy of our resource Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled! or by reading it right here at TomorrowsWorld.org.

It is difficult to believe, with everything leading up to this time, that people will not recognize that God is not happy with our behavior. Yet the Apostle Paul explains that, despite the catastrophes taking place in the world, humanity will not get the point—and will be taken by surprise by the events that follow. How could this be?

There is coming a time in the midst of all the troubles ahead when the world will think that the long-hoped-for time of peace has finally arrived. Warning: When that happens, do not get caught up in the euphoria of the moment. It will not last! “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:2–4).

An Inevitable World War 3?

Visitors to the United Nations in New York may notice a statue of a muscular man beating a sword of war into a plowshare for agricultural use. It is called “Let Us Beat Swords Into Plowshares (1959)” and was sculpted by Russian artist Yevgeny Vuchetich and gifted to the UN by the former Soviet Union. Its message comes from the book of Isaiah and depicts a time when Christ will return and bring an end to war. “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 anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

This is also repeated by the prophet Micah (Micah 4:3). Do not think this will not happen—it will. Again, it never pays to bet against God!

No Peace (In Our Time) Before Joel’s Prophecy Takes Place

But let us not get ahead of the story. As mentioned earlier, the prophet Joel tells us that before there is an end to war, there will come a time when mankind gears up for war on a massive scale. Remember that Joel’s visions are set at the time of the Day of the Lord, the time leading to Jesus Christ’s return. Note again what Joel tells us about a future time, long after he would be dead—the time in which we are currently living! His words are being fulfilled even as you read this article: “Proclaim this among the nations: ‘Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am strong”’” (Joel 3:9–10).

Not since World War II has there been a time when nations are more intent on preparing for a war they truly believe is coming. Yes, during the Cold War the Soviet Union and the West built massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons to guarantee “mutually assured destruction”—the idea that if each side possessed enough destructive power, neither would dare use it. It was a game of blind man’s bluff, with each side desperately hoping no mistake of technology or judgment would start an unthinkable chain of events that would destroy mankind as we know it. Thankfully, though there were some close calls—much closer than most people realize—that did not happen. (For insight on just how close we came to nuclear war, watch our award-winning 2021 telecast “Cold War Secrets Revealed!”)

But what exactly is Joel telling us? When the world arms for war, who will those weapons be used against? And what will be the result? The answers may surprise you.

The World Is Preparing for War—Not Just Germany!

During the Cold War, both East and West prepared for war while hoping that it would never come. But as European nations today are preparing, they expect that war will come in the very near future! They are seriously preparing to square off against a nuclear-armed Russia. As I reported in the January-February 2026 Tomorrow’s World, Deputy Director General Ragnar Vaiknemets of the Estonian Health Board, which oversees war preparedness, stated emphatically, “It’s not a question of if [Russia] will attack. It’s a question of when” (Politico).

And the BBC reports how higher-ups in Germany are viewing the state of the world: “‘We are threatened by Russia. We are threatened by Putin. We have to do whatever is needed to deter that,’ Gen Carsten Breuer says. He warns that Nato should be braced for a possible attack in as little as four years…. ‘And the sooner we are prepared the better’” (BBC.com). By the time you receive this magazine, more than a year will have gone by—Breuer’s “as little as four years” now could be less than three!

Of course, a lot can change quickly, but the plain truth is that we are in the midst of a worldwide military buildup—and, according to the Bible, it will continue until disaster comes. Man does not know the way to peace—so says the word of God (Isaiah 59:8), and so says nearly 6,000 years of human history!

Why We Need the Return of Christ

The Bible foretells several stages of war prior to Jesus Christ’s return. A “king of the South”—a combine of Middle Eastern and North African nations—will attack the “king of the North,” which will be a European power made up of ten rulers who give their power over to a charismatic leader called “the beast.” When the King of the South pushes at this European colossus, the King of the North will overwhelm the Middle Eastern power. Israel will also be invaded at this time, but rumors or threats will come from the north and the east, causing this “beast” power to respond (Daniel 11:40–45). Tensions between Europe and the kings of the east will boil over into the greatest conflict mankind will have ever known up to that time. The whole world will be dragged into the struggle (Revelation 9:1–19).

New Weapons Cause Untold Suffering

This German-led “beast” power and its allies will possess some kind of weapon that causes tremendous pain—incapacitating without killing its victims. This will be used against the kings of the east over a period of five months, but then there will be a counterattack. It is important to note that an army of 200 million could not have been imagined when John recorded the book of Revelation. The only part of the earth that could muster such an army includes China, India, Russia, Pakistan, and other Asian nations. Is it not interesting that we now see nations that have traditionally been enemies in that part of the world beginning to come together?

Jesus Prophesies the “Abomination of Desolation”

Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples that the temple complex they had just walked away from would be totally destroyed, which prompted them to ask a two-part question: “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be [the destruction of the temple]? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’” (Matthew 24:3). Note that their question also included the end of the age when He would return.

After giving several signs, Jesus mentioned a specific sign that would immediately precede the great tribulation. It is called “the abomination of desolation” (see Daniel 12:11; Matthew 24:15). As it involves the cessation of animal sacrifices in Jerusalem, we tell you to watch for those sacrifices to begin—and they will begin, for they must be restarted before they can again be stopped! Remember where you read this!

The end result of these wars between a combine of Arab nations, the European “beast” power, and the combined armies from the East would bring about the destruction of all life—if not for God’s intervention to stop it. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21–22). The good news is that God will intervene. Note also that it has only been since the advent of 20th century nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons that this became a potential reality.

Why the Battle of Armageddon?

But this will not be the end of human conflict and rebellion. When Christ returns to Jerusalem to stop our madness, the nations of the world will cease fighting one another and will turn their weapons against this One they will fear as an invader from space, whom the religious leader controlling the Beast will falsely call the Antichrist.

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon (Revelation 16:13–16).

The Nations Won’t Recognize the Messiah

Though all nations now are blind to it, this war against Jesus Christ at His return is the ultimate reason for Joel’s prophecy of nations turning their tools from agriculture to war. Virtually everyone today is blind to where events happening right now are leading. Nations that are gearing up for war have no idea of the endgame—that they will literally find themselves fighting against Christ! Notice in the verse above that it is “the beast” (a European leader) and “the false prophet” (the real Antichrist) who gather the whole world to the “great day of God Almighty,” often called the battle of Armageddon due to the place where they are gathered.

Their foe is revealed in the next chapter. “These will make war with the Lamb [Jesus Christ], and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14). Yes, nations of the world are ramping up military preparations to fight one another, which they will. But they are ultimately preparing, without realizing it, to fight against the King of kings—as is clearly stated in the book of Joel, where this article began. Let’s notice this time the whole passage:

Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’” Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat [just outside of Jerusalem]; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow—for their wickedness is great.” Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision (Joel 3:9–14).

Finally: Swords into Plowshares

The meaning of the word gospel is good news. As terrible as the above appears to be—and it is terrible—the Bible does give us good news in which we can confidently hope. Jesus’ Gospel was about the Kingdom of God—the government of God to be set up on earth. That is one reason for which He came to earth, as He made abundantly clear to His disciples: “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:43). This was the message contained in his parables (Mark 4:11, 26, 30; Luke 19:11–12). Simply put, the Gospel that Jesus proclaimed is a message about the coming Kingdom to be set up over all the earth at His return.

Peace on Earth at Last

That message is truly good news! The coming Prince of Peace will turn today’s troubled Jerusalem into a true city of peace. Joel’s prophecy of plowshares into swords will be reversed:

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; 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 anymore (Isaiah 2:2–4).

Only then will the world experience true peace. Do not think this will not happen. Just as we see God’s prophecy through Joel taking place before our eyes, so will Isaiah’s take place. It is never a good idea to bet against God!