Restoration of the Kingdom of God on earth at Christ’s coming and victory at Jerusalem is only the initial roll out of the promised and long awaited “restoration of all things” the apostle Peter speaks of during his second sermon to fellow Jews after Pentecost (Acts 3:18-21, NKJV). As he attests, restoration of Israel as a sovereign nation and kingdom led by Christ, Son of David along with all creation is the prophetic future theme of the Old Testament (Isaiah 49:8-26; Amos 9:11-12; Acts 3:22-26); a theme the Lord Jesus never refutes, though, He redirects concern about the timing of fulfillment to the present Kingdom priority of restoring men (Matthew 17:11, 19:27-30; Acts 1:4-8).
The restoration cause of God in Christ has focused on man first as the object of His love, grace, mercy and plan for him to rule as His highest creature. The physical universe has held a secondary, subordinate priority place in the restoration work of God even though it came to be ahead of man (Genesis 1:1-26). This is because the heavens and earth exist for man and is his as a dominion. He is, therefore, preeminent in the creation! As a result, man’s fall into sin negatively affected and brought death to the creation (Genesis 3:17-19). But God sent Christ a second Adam to save the willing and restore man’s rule with the physical creation (Colossians 1:9-23; Hebrews 2:5-9).
Thus, restoration of willing mankind from this present age in Christ is completed first at His Second Coming (Romans 8:14-23; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57)! Then, beginning at Jerusalem He will restore the whole land of Israel (Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:8). All the land will be purified by the burning of weapons and burial of all the world’s armies slain by the Lord in the war for the city and land; those not buried will have been eaten by birds and animals (Ezekiel 39:9-20; Revelation 19:17-21). As promised by God, Jerusalem, its Temple and the land will be restored with people, beauty, bounty, order and the divinely ordained borders (Isaiah 60:1-18, 61:4; Ezekiel 39:21-48:35; Zechariah 8:1-15).
In all the rest of the earth (not excepted by divine decree) new mountains and valleys will appear; salt and fresh waters along with their creatures will be regenerated. Deserts will bloom; the winds and rain will cleanse and restore the atmosphere. Seedlings and the green grass will sprout; birds, flying and other insects will again delight in their natural habitats to include forests with lush vegetation. Ecosystems will function in perfect order and balance in the Day of the Lord and the earth yield her abundant crops in season (Isaiah 35; Joel 2:18-27). The darkened heavens will be uncovered and once more declare God’s glory (Isaiah 13:9-10; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Malachi 4:1-3)!
The Lord as King will uphold His Word and judge among the nations that survive God’s wrath and His coming (Zephaniah 2:4-10; Matthew 25:31-46). There will be no other gods or religions since all demons are on lockdown. The Lord alone will be worshipped (Psalm 22:27-29, 86:9-10; Zephaniah 2:11; Revelation 15:3-4, 20:1-3)! All of the Lord’s spiritual, moral and ethical instruction along with law and order informed by His Ten Commandments will be restored. Mortal life expectancy will be restored for the obedient; premature decay will show in the sinner’s body (Isaiah 65:20-22). Justice will not be delayed and judgment of the rebel wicked occurs quickly (Malachi 3:5).
Hallelujah! This day of rebellion against God is shortly coming to its end! For the Day of the Lord will also restore His design, order and purposes of mortal mankind! There will be no more male and female confusion. Marriage until death between a man as head and his female wife will be restored as the Lord instituted in Eden. Married fathers will act responsibly. The sanctity of life will be upheld and mothers will no longer murder their unborn. Indeed, all women will desire and submit to the Lord’s purpose and blessing for them to bear children in abundance (Isaiah 65:23; Jeremiah 30:18-20; Ezekiel 36:37). Respect for and submission of children to their parents will be restored and families will prosper under the Lord’s reign (Isaiah 51:3; Amos 9:13-15; Micah 4:4).1
Professed Christians and their churches across the earth are now supposed to be faithfully upholding the will, way and Word of God as it is written; the restored Kingdom reality under Christ in that Day very near. But because many are false, love or fear this present world governed by Satan more than the Lord, they are “falling away” from Him and the truth as foretold (2 Thessalonians 2:3a, NKJV)! In joyfully declaring and longing for Christ’s restoration of all things, I am not angry with or hating anyone. However, I declare what is certain concerning the reign of the Lord in accord with His eternal Word (Psalm 111:7-8, 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
1 Truly, the Lord’s restoration in that Day will vindicate everything I was led by Him to write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics concerning what a man is and does! Since it is all like that, I urge you to get your copy now in the Strong Man Store to know what is bound up in the Lord’s will to restore men and their families.
Far from the supposedly hope quenching gloom and doom view of Bible prophecy foretelling the apocalyptic end of this present world as we have known it even many professed Christians hold, is the gloriously bright reality captured in the phrase, “the Lord reigns,” (Psalms 93:1, 96:10-12, 97:1-9, 99:1-3; Revelation 19:6, NKJV)! These three words are exclaimed on the earth and in every other realm of existence after the victory of Jesus Christ at Jerusalem!1 Indeed, elect, mortal Israel and surviving Gentiles of His grace are urged to join the glorified immortal saints in joyful celebration of the King; singing His praises with awe and jubilation (Psalms 47, 98, 100, 150:1-4; Isaiah 12)!
As the faithful reflect from this mortal vantage point prior to the coming Day of the Lord, it is beyond tragically sad that all of humanity does not accept God’s free offer of salvation and restoration through repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! For knowing the end from the beginning, salvation and restoration has been in God’s heart from eternity when He saw that man would sin. Giving His creature free will, God also saw that many would exercise it and reject His gracious offer of pardon with immortal glory. For this reason, any sadness we have now should move the faithful to proclaim the Gospel and witness Christ to unsaved fellow humanity with all the more zeal!
For truly, we of all people have known from God’s Word that deliverance from and an end to this present evil age governed by fallen angels was finally going to come. Rule over the earth or any part of physical creation was not intended for them, but man under the sovereign and righteous reign of God (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 8). However, Adam rejected God’s rule (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-6)! Nevertheless, the Day of the Lord was telegraphed in His foretelling of Satan’s defeat by the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15)! Patient and longsuffering over the millennia, God first celebrates restoration of His Kingdom rule through Christ outside 1st century Jerusalem (Colossians 2:11-15).
Doing my assigned Kingdom work with many tears for the lost and disobedient professed Christians along the way, I gladly leave it behind for a moment and in God’s will come to the foretold second celebration of His rule restored by Christ at Jerusalem! With His prophetic Word, faith and Kingdom vision causing me to be in attendance, I join in the celebration--shouting, clapping, dancing and singing praises to King Jesus; yes, in unrestrained joy shouting with all of my voice “the Lord reigns, He reigns forever and ever!” “All glory, praises and honor be unto Him!” Then, like David, with total abandon I dance before the “King of glory,” (2 Samuel 6:12-15; Psalm 24, NKJV)!
Subsequently, I realize again I and all of the saints around me are shining with God’s glory and explode in fresh inexpressible joy--yet, I am expressing it fully (Daniel 12:2-3; Matthew 13:41-43; 1 Corinthians 15:47-49, 54-57; 1 Peter 1:3-9)!2 My slave forefathers may have truthfully sung “nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.” On this Day, though, everyone under, on and positioned over the earth knows my joy in the Lord with all of the saints for His victory; vindicating our faith, hope and suffering in Him (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12)!3 “Glory to God; glory to the ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’ who reigns and alone is worshipped forever more” (Zechariah 14:9, 16-19; Revelation 11:16, NKJV)!
As foretold, the King One with the Holy Spirit will reign in the reverence of His Father in truth, righteous judgment, unimpeachable justice that punishes wicked mortals in accord with what their sins deserve, divine wisdom, knowledge, strength, perfect fairness, impartiality and tenderness toward the meek (Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Psalm 99:4-5; Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-5; Matthew 5:5). Men will be taught the ways of the Lord and from Jerusalem His law will go forth throughout all the earth. In consequence, under His rule a real, thorough and lasting peace will prevail on the earth. Men will turn their weapons into tools and study war no more forever. The ferocity and carnivorous behavior of related plants and animals will cease (Isaiah 2:1-4; 11: 6-10; 65:24-25; Micah 4:1-3)!
The King will rule over mortal men with a “rod of iron” from His glorious throne at Jerusalem; elevated in height and beauty by Him (Psalm 2:8-9; Zechariah 14:8, 10-11; Revelation 19:15, NKJV). And we, His saints, shall reign on the earth with Him in all of the same character qualities and governance as He (Psalm 150:5-9; Daniel 7:26-27; Revelation 1:4-6, 2:26-29, 5:9-10, 20:4-6)! “Glory, glory to God for His awesome vindication of His faithful; of those that endured to the end proclaiming the Gospel to restore men and standing firm on His Word!”4 If only all professed Christians today could truly believe that what is unfolding in the world--great evil, a creation in labor pains and His coming wrath--is heading toward the exceedingly better Day of God’s Kingdom restored to earth!
1 I acknowledge that I with many other prophecy teachers and authors have conveniently named earth’s final war, “Armageddon” as is the case in my December 20, 2015 re-post, Reigning With Christ On Earth, under the category, Bible Prophecy that I recommend be read along with this present post. Technically, though, Armageddon is the hill or tel of Megiddo in northern Israel overlooking plains easily corresponding to the prophet Joel’s “Valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:1-2, NKJV). It serves as the ma- jor assembly area, staging ground and launch point of the world’s armies with Antichrist for war against Israel and Jerusalem. Christ descends upon the Mount Of Olives immediately in front of Jerusalem on the east and engages the enemy there delivering it while also overseeing His swift victory in the war actually raging all over Israel in- cluding Armageddon and around it (Isaiah 63:1-6). Then my Lord the King will enter Jerusalem to great acclamation as before, but this time on a white horse and with all knowing in absolute certainty who He is (Matthew 21:1-11, 23:37-39; Revelation 19:11)!
2 See the July 31, 2016 blog, The Immortal Bodies Of God’s Eternal Sons, under the category, God’s Creatures to learn more about the glorious immortal bodies of the saints!
3 Read the November 29, 2015 blog, When The Glory Comes, under the category, Glory To God!
4 Check out the Give Page on our Web Site to see how you can support the ongoing work of Strong Man Ministries to restore men.
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