This prophecy from Ezekiel will come to fruition when Cyrus invades and conquers Babylon and allows those in exile to return with money and the sacred vessels, seed and flocks so that they can rebuild Jerusalem. And they were secure and might have remained secure if they had remained faithful to God. We know that they did not and suffered again from the Greeks and then the Romans.
When will Jerusalem rest secure? At this point, no one has the answer to that.
The question is for everyone though; when will any of us rest secure? The answer stays the same today as it was then: when justice reigns; peace will reign.
Although it might seem like an impossible task, there are steps that we can take. The first step is to end violent speech.
It is important that we show respect to everyone, whether we know them or not. No one needs to be yelled at, called names, bullied or subjected to any other kind of verbal abuse.
Then we need to follow that up with no violence in the home. Just as we need to show respect to those outside the home, we need to do the same to our spouses, parents and children. Children learn from how they see their parents act.
Then we move to the workplace, the school, and the neighborhood. Each act of respect or kindness leads to another, just as each act of violence often leads to another.
We need to be those who are working to spread peace so that we might rest secure.
