THE RESTITUTION | AdventAI

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 25, 1862

THE RESTITUTION.

(Concluded)

Those declarations of the Old, run parallel with the teachings of our Lord and his apostles, in the New Testament. "Blessed are the meek," said the Saviour, "for they shall inherit the earth," Matt. v, 5. The common interpretation of this passage—making its fulfillment during our present condition of toil and suffering—would not be allowed for a moment in respect to the parallel promises, to the poor in spirit, to those who mourn, to those who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, to the merciful, to the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. The promises to these are admitted to point to the glorious future; and why not also to the meek?—which must as much include all the meek as do the other promises all the subjects of their several beatitudes. This blessing on the meek can belong no more to those living under the gospel than it did to those who were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, and slain with the sword, who wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented,

and making their homes in deserts and dens and caves of mountains. Did such then inherit the earth? or did those inherit it who have since died at the stake, pined away in dungeons, served as food for wild beasts, or left their bones in the mountains or in the valleys of Piedmont? The common interpretation makes this promised inheritance to have been fulfilled to, and enjoyed by, such worthies in their direst extremity of sorrows and privations. The promise, however, was not The meek do, but, "they shall inherit." It was manifestly a promise of future good, to cheer up and encourage those who endure present sufferings. And it may be said in respect to this, as of all other future blessings: "These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Heb. xi, 39, 40.

Could there be any question as to the epoch of the fulfillment of this promise to the meek, it would seem that it should be all removed by the fact that these words of our Lord are the repetition of the same declaration by the Psalmist, who connects it with the cutting off of the wicked. "For," he says, "evil doers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth and delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Psa. xxxvii, 9-11. "The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever . . . . But the wicked shall perish." Verses 18-20. "For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off." Verse 22. "Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it." Verse 34. It is thus positively affirmed by inspiration that the inheritance of the earth by the righteous, is to be at the cutting off of the wicked, and then the inheritance is eternal, as David says; for, "The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell therein forever." Verse 29.

In the same discourse of our Lord he taught his disciples to pray: "Thy kingdom come: thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven," (Ib. vi, 10) thus showing that perfect conformity to God's will on earth, will mark the establishment of his kingdom. But such conformity supposes the banishment of sin and sinners from our globe; and this also is in accordance with our Saviour's own doctrine: "In the end of this world, the Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth: then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." Matt. xiii, 40-43.

As the kingdom, in which the righteous will shine as the sun, is that out of which the angels will gather all things offensive, it can be none other than our fallen planet; which was prepared for man to rule over at its creation, which became corrupted with sin and defiled by sinners, and which will then have been restored to its original perfection and beauty. This is in harmony with what "the King shall say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world," [Matt. xxv, 34.] of which our Saviour also said, "They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage, neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Luke xx, 35, 36. And this inheritance of the saints must be what our Lord called "the regeneration": when he said, "Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Matt. xix, 28.

Peter evidently has in view those glorious predictions here copied from the Old Testament, with others of a like nature, when he speaks of "the restitution" and "times of refreshing:" "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, and he shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Acts iii, 19-21. Peter elsewhere speaks of Christ's having "begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Pet. i, 3-5. And when he affirms that "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up," (2 Pet. iii, 10;) he adds: "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," (Ib. iii, 13;) showing that the earth is not to be burned up, in the sense of annihilation, but the works that are therein; when the earth also, with the elements, shall melt with fervent heat, and being purified by fire, will re-emerge from its molten mass a new and beautiful world, adapted to the eternal residence of its ransomed and resurrected sons and daughters.

Paul's teachings do not conflict with Peter's; when he speaks of our being "sealed with the holy spirit of promise," he calls it only "the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession," [Eph. i, 14]; which must refer to the redemption of this earth. And he represents our world and all its occupants as being in a waiting position for a new and better order of creation: "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Rom. viii, 19-23.

Such a deliverance of the creature from the bondage of corruption, would restore the animal races to the condition of peace and harmlessness in which they were created; so that again, as predicted by Isaiah, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them; and the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Isa. xi, 6-9.

Paul again takes up the same subject, and denominates the restored creation "the world to come." He says that "Unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak; but one in a certain place [David in the eighth Psalm] testified saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the Son of man that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the work of thy hands; thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Heb. ii, 5-9.

It was in thus tasting death for man that our Lord purchased the possession he will shortly redeem for its future occupants—whom his blood also redeems; and this "world to come" will be put in subjection again to man,—Christ, in his glorified humanity being the head of our race. And though "the heavens and earth which are now," "are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men," [2 Pet. iii, 7,] and so perish in an ocean of molten lava,—even as "the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished," [verse 6]—it will re-emerge from its deluge of fire, as that from its deluge of water, a "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." For, "Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed." Heb. i, 10-12. There is not to be, however, as some poets sing, > "A wreck of matter and a crush of worlds."

They will only have laid aside their sin-soiled garments, to reappear in robes of angelic purity,—an appropriate residence for earth's redeemed inhabitants. "For, thus saith the Lord that created the heavens,—God himself that formed the earth and made it: He hath established it: He created it not in vain. He formed it to be inhabited." Isa. xlv, 18. "The heavens, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth hath he given to the children of men." Ps. cxv, 16.

Such being our earth's predicted future, John, in Apocalyptic vision, saw a symbolization of its future occupants: "And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth." Rev. v, 9, 10.—"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world are become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever"—that being "the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets: and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." Rev. xi, 15, 18.

John also had a vision of the first consummation, and testifies: "I saw a new heaven, and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with man, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." Rev. xxi, 1-7. "And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God, and of the Lamb, shall be in it; and his servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever." Rev. xxii, 3-5.

Thus, the curse being removed from the earth, it having been cleansed from sin by purgatorial fires, and the righteous being raised from the dead, incorruptible—those then living also putting on immortality—this earth will have become the kingdom of the saints. For, "The kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him."

If such be the undoubted testimony of Inspiration, in respect to the future destiny of the earth; if the prophecies indeed clearly foretell its recovery from all the disabilities and defilements of the fall, its re-investments in robes of innocence and beauty, and designate

it as the inheritance of the glorified redeemed; is it not important that those, who look for redemption through Christ Jesus, be rightly instructed, and that their hopes be in accordance with God's promises?

There are often manifested distaste and indifference toward this doctrine; but, if it be scriptural, may it be innocently undervalued? It is the duty of every Christian to carefully study God's word in respect to all that has been written by holy men of old as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. To do this, is not attempting to penetrate the mystery of "secret things" which "belong to the Lord our God:" it is endeavoring to apprehend the import of "things revealed,"—of the teachings which God has condescended to communicate to our fathers, and to us their children. To be otherwise than solicitous to have clear and consistent views of all God's revealed purposes, would be to disregard His condescension, and to question His wisdom in placing on record things for our learning. And whatsoever may have been revealed, as the final destiny of the redeemed, that, surely, we ought to love and cherish.

A material world is, in the minds of many, indissolubly allied to sin and corruption; and therefore the thought of this earth, as their final home, is to them distasteful. But our Saviour, by his resurrection, has shown us how the material may be elevated above the sinful and corruptible; and this earth, freed from the disabilities of the fall, would be as much a heaven, as any other of the worlds of God's creating.

As whatever is revealed as the saints' future abode, will be their only inheritance; as those who look for salvation through Christ Jesus will inherit that, or be among the lost; it is not unreasonable to suppose that faith in that specific promise, and clear views respecting it, should give harmony to one's religious opinions; enable him the better to apprehend God's great plan of redemption, make his efforts more in unison with God's purpose, and thus cause him to grow in grace, and to be better fitted for the ultimate possession of that inheritance. And, on the other hand, to cherish disparaging views of the locality or condition which, after all, may be the inheritance God has promised, may prove in the end to have been an unexpected hindrance to one's growth in grace and preparation for the kingdom. For God evidently requires that our desires and affections should be in the direction of his purposes. Esau lost the inheritance to which he was entitled because he "despised his birthright." Gen. xxv, 34. He thought it of so little value, that, when faint and hungry, he recklessly bartered it for a mess of pottage, and so cast it off forever. Some of the children of Jacob, also, "despised the pleasant land; believed not His word," respecting it [Ps. cvi, 24]; and, as a consequence, left their bones in the wilderness. It is perilous to undervalue any good which God has promised; and if he has indeed revealed the restoration of this earth, and its inheritance by the redeemed, we may, by despising it, be denied its possession. The loss of Canaan, by those Israelites who disbelieved, is recorded for the admonition of all who come after, and Paul dwells upon it with marked emphasis: "To whom sware He that they should not enter His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." For there remaineth "a rest to the people of God." "Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." Heb. iii. and iv.

It would be difficult to conceive that anything less than this restitution should have been anticipated as the result of the bruising of Satan's head by the woman's promised Seed. For, the defeat of the author of all our woe, surely, implies the full recovery of God's children from it.