Some preliminary thoughts … Where, or by what is there any true hope for the future of all mankind?

• Is it in any of the Sciences?

• Is it in any of Man’s Philosophies?

• Is it in any Medical Development?

• Can it be provided by any Human Government?

• Can it be provided by any Political System?

• Do any of the Religious Systems have a satisfying answer regarding the future?

• Is it possible to develop trust in the future of mankind based on anything a human being can create, or devise, or can come up with?

A solid and absolute “No!” is the answer to every question of that kind.

But there is a definite and glorious hope for all of mankind as given in God’s holy Word. Unfortunately, and very sadly, all three religious systems which claim to worship, to pray, and to preach the God of Abraham: the Islamic, the Jewish, and the (so-called) Christian religions, with all the multitudes of denominations, groups, sects, and what-not organisations in each one of them, have so misrepresented and distorted this glorious hope from God, that there is no true and positive Hope left; God’s holy Word has been robbed of its true and glorious meaning.

In the following pages this definite and glorious hope for all of mankind is detailed and elaborated, based on Scriptures which clearly declare God’s doctrines on this subject, doctrines which are either ignored, or are being replaced by man-made doctrines and traditions, and rules and rites.

The accusation of Jesus to the Jews is:

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines [God’s doctrines] the commandments of men” (Matth. 15:7–9), to which Mark adds: “Laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men … And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:8–9).

These words of Jesus were spoken to the Jews, but they are also applicable to all those systems and people who classify themselves as God’s people, but do not “worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23–24).

The following pages will also clarify what it really means: to be God’s people.

“God our Saviour, who will have all men [all people] to be saved.” (1 Tim. 2:3–4)

“We trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men [all people]” because of His Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity in Christ Jesus. (1 Tim. 4:10)

Therefore: “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” (1 John 4:14)

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17)

The 10 Strings of the Harp of God

God’s Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity is beautifully illustrated and manifested by the ten strings of God’s Harp (Ps. 33:2; 92:3; Rev. 14:2; 5:8).

1. Creation

2. Condemnation

3. The Giving of the Law

4. The Ransom

5. The Redemption

6. Justification

7. Election / Sanctification

8. Glorification

9. Restitution

10. Resurrection

When these strings are perfectly tuned — that is, when these Doctrines of God are fully and properly understood — then God’s glorious Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity can be seen, can be understood, can be rejoiced in. Then the glorious harmony of God’s four attributes can be fully and totally appreciated: His Justice, His Wisdom, His Power, and His Love.

The First String: The Creation of Man

When God created man (Gen. 1:27–28; 2:21–23), he said to them (to Adam and Eve): “… be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth …”, to which Is. 45:18 adds: “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: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”

We also read in a pictorial statement that: “… heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool …”, and: “… I will make the place of my feet glorious” (Is. 66:1; 60:13); and in due time: “… the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Is. 11:9). There will be no place for hidden things: God’s truth will be everywhere.

That is why Is. 40:5 also states: “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed [the glory and the harmony of God’s four attributes, His Justice, His Wisdom, His Power, and His Love for his creation, Man], and all flesh [Adam and all his posterity] shall see it together [in God’s due time, during “the times of restitution of all things”]: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

The Second String: The Condemnation of Adam (for his disobedience to his Creator)

Gen. 2:17  “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (The margin reads: “dying thou shalt die”, indicating a process of dying, a progressive process of decaying: mentally, morally, and physically.)

Gen. 3:17–19  “And unto Adam he [God] said, Because thou … hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life [as long as thy life, from now on, will last]; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

None of Adam’s children was born before his fall from perfection because of his disobedience, and it is for this reason that the Apostle Paul explains and declares, in Rom. 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men [all people of Adam’s posterity], for that all have sinned”; and also, in Rom. 3:10 (with reference to Ps. 14:1–3), “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one”.

Oh yes, Adam’s death sentence was total, as it is also stated in these words in Ezek. 18:4, which are a doctrine of God: “The soul [the being] that sinneth, it shall die” — shall be cut off from life! But praise be to God, to his Justice, Wisdom, Power and Love, manifested by his Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity, for which reason, and from which standpoint, the Apostle Paul speaks of God as: “the Saviour of all men” (1 Tim. 4:10), because, as Jesus himself tells us: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17), to which the Apostle Paul again adds: “Who [God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth [His, God’s truth]” (1 Tim. 2:4). Indeed, Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

The Third String: The Giving of the Law (to the people of Israel)

(That is, the making of a Law Covenant between God and the people of Israel with Moses as the Mediator of it).

With regard to the Law Covenant and the people of Israel under it, we are told by the Apostle Paul that, in addition to all the literal aspects and applications of the Law Covenant: there are also symbolic and prophetic applications, as he said for instance: “… who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things …”; and: “… for the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of things …”; and: “… which are a shadow of things to come …”; and: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us [the Jews, the Israelites] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith”, since a justification unto Salvation, back into harmony with God: on the basis and by the requirements of the Law Covenant is impossible — as imperfect human beings. The Apostle Paul puts it actually in these words: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20).

In connection with these Law Covenant arrangements between Israel and God, with Moses as the Mediator, and that they typify the arrangements during “the times of restitution of all things” in God’s true Kingdom, with Christ as its King and Mediator: there is, all along, a divine principle of operation involved, pointed out by the Apostle Paul: “to the Jew first, and [then] also to the Gentile” (Rom. 2:9–10; 1:16).

The Fourth String: The Ransom (for Adam and, by extension, all his posterity)

As the absolute first thing on the subject of the “Ransom” it is necessary to understand the meaning of the word “ransom” (the Greek word from which it is translated is anti-lutron), which is: a corresponding price, a totally equal price, and that according to God’s justice — not what a human judicial system may consider a corresponding price. The perfect human being Adam was sentenced to death (to be cut off from life), and only an other perfect human life voluntarily given up could be given to buy back that perfect life Adam lost because of his disobedience to his Creator. This is exactly declared in these words:

Rom. 5:12  “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men [all people], for that all have sinned.” (All of Adam’s children were born after his condemnation, after he lost perfection by his disobedience).

Rom. 5:18  “Therefore as by the offense of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men [upon all of Adam’s posterity] to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the man Christ Jesus] the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

God’s Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity, by providing “a ransom”, is indeed a gift to the human race: His Love provided it; His Wisdom found a way; His Power would establish it; His Justice was not violated, because of “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin [singular] of the world” (John 1:29) — Adam’s sin, in which the whole world (all his posterity) is involved. Therefore we also read this statement by the Apostle Paul:

1 Cor. 15:21–22  “For since by man came death [by Adam], by man [the man Christ Jesus] came also the resurrection of the dead [in God’s plan, and which is soon due to come about]. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

1 Tim. 2:6  The Apostle Paul gives this clear statement, referring to the man Christ Jesus: “Who gave himself a ransom for all [for Adam and, by extension, to all of his posterity], to be testified in due time”, which implies that this subject of “the ransom” was not understood for a long time — by some not properly, and by most not at all! Two more Scriptures on this subject:

Rom. 5:21  “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace [the grace of God] reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Heb. 2:9  “That he [Christ] by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

The Fifth String: The Redemption

The basis for the redemption of the human race is “The Ransom”. In other words: without the “Ransom”, there can be no redemption! The “Ransom” is the price itself; the “Redemption” is all the work involved, all the work necessary to bring about that perfection which Adam had, before he lost it by his disobedience to his Creator and the consequential sentence, and thus also re-establish the harmony between man and God.

To be a Redeemer signifies: to obtain control of something and bring it to a former condition in a legal and satisfactory manner which, of course — according to God’s Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity and His “times and seasons” — will be established at the end of “the times of restitution of all things”. But before that end is reached, several other aspects of God’s glorious Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity must take place, must be accomplished.

What was the very first aspect of the redemptive work? This:

In accordance with his Father’s Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity: to become “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [Adam’s world]” (Rev. 13:8), the Logos, the Word, voluntarily left his heavenly glory, the one he had in his pre-human existence: “And the Word was made flesh [became a human being]” (John 1:14), to become “the Lamb of God” to take away “the sin of the world” (sin in singular, Adam’s sin, but which rests upon all of Adam’s posterity — John 1:29). This Word, this Logos, the Son of God, “the firstborn of every creature” (Col. 1:15), did it: “for the joy that was set before him” (Heb. 12:2). What was that joy? Well, in Matth. 13 we read for instance:

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Matth. 13:44).

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Matth. 13:45–46).

But before summing up these two picture parables, these points should also be remembered (and for those of you who do not know much about God’s holy Word, please, consider the following points also):

In Matth. 13:38, Jesus tells his disciples that “the field” is “the world”, and that the “good seed” — the few stems of wheat among the masses of “tares” (Matth. 13:24–30) — “are the children of the kingdom”, namely, the “little flock” of only “144,000” (Luke 12:32; Rev. 14:1, 4); the true “saints” and “jewels” of God (Ps. 50:5; Mal. 3:17); Christ’s “bride” (Matth. 25:1).

Therefore, then, the one who buys the field — the world — is the man Christ Jesus: he buys it with all that he has: his life, by voluntarily and sacrificially laying it down — giving it up. He buys the field — the world — because of the treasure within, because of the “one good pearl of great price”: his “Bride”, which, as a unit of a little flock, not as individuals, God already had chosen in him (for him) “before the foundation of the world [Adam’s world]” (Eph. 1:4, 11; Rom. 8:29).

The joy set before him (before the Logos), put also in these words:

• that thus he might serve the Heavenly Father’s gracious purposes;

• that he might recover mankind from the state of sin and death into which all were plunged by Father Adam’s one act of disobedience;

• Additionally, he was promised the honour and distinction of the Messianic Kingdom by and through which mankind would be blessed and uplifted;

• He was promised a special Bride class to be selected from among those to be redeemed — a class having His own disposition of loyalty to God and to righteousness, and faithful unto death — which like Himself would be exalted in the Chief Resurrection from the earthly to the heavenly condition, far above principalities and powers and every name that is named;

• He was promised that His own personal distinction would be to all eternity a participation in the qualities of the Divine nature; He would possess not only glory and honour, but also inherent life, deathlessness, immortality (John 5:26; Heb. 1:1–3).

For these joys, He left His glory, He was made flesh, He sacrificed His earthly life. But this sacrificing of His earthly life: also involved aspects which are part of the redeeming work, aspects which are still preliminary to the actual redeeming work as it will effect the Adamic race during “the times of restitution of all things”. Being raised from the dead, He has entered into His promised joy — partially — and since is looking forward in expectation for the completion of the Church — His Bride — (the true Church of Christ), and also the time when the Father will give him the heathen for His possession; that He may bind Satan, put down sin and uplift the sinner and bring everlasting order out of earth’s confusion by destroying the willfully wicked.

The Sixth String: Justification

Justification means: the making right of something which is wrong. With regard to God, He cannot say arbitrarily, You are wrong and sinful as a violator of my just laws, but I will declare you to be right. No, He must be just. Justice is the foundation of His throne; everything rests upon it. If you are imperfect and sinful, He cannot say that you are righteous. If you were righteous he could not declare you a sinner, nor treat you as such. Considering that there is none of the Adamic race righteous — “no, not one” — God cannot justify anyone of us, right? Yes, that would be right, except: there is Jesus Christ, in and through whom there is a way, which God’s love and wisdom have devised, by which: He can be just and the justifier of those sinners who believe in Christ and accept Him according to God’s precepts and arrangements (Rom. 3:26). We, who are wrong, sinful, and condemned before God, are made right by having our sins and shortcomings settled by another — by having the perfections of another set to our account. Thus, we who were sinners, were justified by God’s favour, by the acceptance of the merits of Jesus Christ as an offset to our demerit, an acceptance based on knowledge, understanding and faith. — “Search the Scriptures” and “prove all things”! (John 5:39; 1 Thess. 5:21).

It must be understood, that the basis for justification is: the “Ransom”, before anyone can realize its full blessing. It is the sacrificial death of Jesus which is the basis of all justifying faith — the channel of God’s grace. These three things: the value of the Ransom as the power of justification, the Grace (of God) which provided it, and the Faith which appropriates it, these three aspects are beautifully joined by the Apostle Paul in these words: “Justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood” (Rom. 3:24–25).

The secret is, that Jesus died for our sins. Rom. 5:18 declares: “Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life” (solidly declared in God’s Plan of Salvation, and will come to pass very shortly during “the times of restitution of all things”). — Ah, yes, He gave his sinless, perfect humanity “a ransom”, a substitute for ours! Therefore, here again: Justification without the “Ransom”, would be impossible!

The Seventh String: Election

The election of each individual member of the true Church of Christ — the “little flock” of “144,000” and no more — is taking place, of course, all through the Gospel age, from Pentecost after Christ’s crucifixion, to just before “the times of restitution of all things” begin, as applicable to all of mankind. It was for this purpose — to select these individuals — that the good news of the Gospel was (and still is) preached: “in all the world for a witness unto all nations” (Matth. 24:14), on the basis of which the Scriptures declare: “And then [in the end of the Gospel age, during “the harvest” — Matth. 13:30; 1 Thess. 4:16–17) shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven [the ecclesiastical heaven, viz, from wherever so-called Christianity has preached their gospel]” (Mark 13:27).

It is also for this reason (to select the individuals of this predestinated Election) that during the Gospel age a “holy calling” went out (2 Tim. 1:9), an invitation to become “partakers of the heavenly calling” (Heb. 3:1). Addressing those who respond to this “high” and “heavenly calling”, the Apostle Paul assures them: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God [not just with their “lips”, but those who love God “in spirit and in truth” — John 4:23–24], to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

• These are the ones who make up the “Bride” of Christ (Matth. 25:1).

• These are the ones who make up God’s “jewels” (Mal. 3:17).

• These are the ones referred to in Ps. 50:5 in these words: “Gather my saints together unto me [the true saints unto God]; those that have made a convenant with me by sacrifice.”

• These are the ones to whom the Apostle Paul refers in these words: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” (Rom. 6:3).

• These are the ones to whom the Apostle Peter addresses himself, saying: “… give diligence to make your calling and election sure …” (2 Pet. 1:10).

• These are the ones of whom Rev. 14:1 and 4 speak in this way: “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb [Christ] stood on the mount Sion [one of the symbols of the Kingdom of God], and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. … These are they which were not defiled with women [a woman is a symbol of a church, a religious system, a sect; therefore: these have kept themselves separate from any of them]; for they are virgins [not literally, but pictured as such with regard to their bridegroom to whom they have consecrated their life, and to no one else; waiting patiently for his promised return to take them unto himself]. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”

• These are also the ones of whom it is declared that: “… they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:14).

No wonder the Apostle Paul counsels those who follow the “high” and “heavenly calling”: “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). No wonder Jesus mentions these in his prayer to his Father in this way: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” — even though being in the world (John 17:16).

Knowing now what the true Church of Christ is all about, whose members are even referred to as “the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:27; 6:15; Eph. 1:22–23): can anything of the foregoing be made applicable to the hundreds of denominations of Christendom? To Catholics, including their ecclesiastical leadership? To Baptists? To Seventh Day Adventists? To the Mormons? To the Church of England? To any of the Eastern Orthodox Churches? etc., etc., etc.?

Oh yes, every member of the true Church of Christ is making the words of the Apostle Paul their own: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:12–14).

The Eighth String: Glorification

When speaking of “glorification”, it is referring of course: to the “little flock”, God’s true saints, the members of the true Church of Christ. To see clearly what this future glory would entail, we first look at the glory the Lord Jesus received, because it is the glory his “bride” is to share, to fully participate in.

John 5:26  “For as the Father hath life in himself [is immortal]; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself”, which means, that at his resurrection our Lord received something from his heavenly Father which he did not have before: immortality (which also means that the Trinity doctrine of Christianity is an impossibility). Each member of the “bride” class will also become immortal, spiritual beings, and are therefore called: New Creatures. That is what the Apostle Paul is talking about in 1 Cor. 15:53, stating: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Is. 53:12  “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great”, which means that the great Jehovah is giving his Son a share of himself: immortality as a reward for all that he did (please read all 12 verses, which tell of all that our Lord Jesus experienced during the 3½ years as the man Jesus Christ).

Eph. 1:17–22  “… when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet.” — And, in all this, his Church in glory will share!

1 Cor. 15:25–26  “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” — Yes, you read right; in due time: there will be no more death! Rev. 21:4 also states: “There shall be no more death”, and Rev. 20:14 states: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire [symbol of total destruction]. This is the second death.” — Again, if Christianity’s “hell” is also going to be destroyed for ever, what about their doctrine of “Eternal Torment in Hell”?

Eph. 5:27  “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Clearly, the Church the Scriptures are talking about can never be any of the churches of Christianity, neither in times past, nor now. Oh yes, individuals have been found in them, but they did not remain in them, because they also heard the call addressed to them: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people [out of Babylon, a symbolic name for Christendom], that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (Rev. 18:4–5; 2 Cor. 6:17). The Apostle Paul has some fitting words on this subject:

“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the [full and true] knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:12–15). Ah yes, only those who are like this, also represented by the “five wise virgins” (Matth. 25:1–12), are going in with him “to the marriage” (verse 10); only for those who are like this would Jesus pray to the Father:

“Father, those whom thou hast given me, I wish that where I am, they also may be with me; so that they may behold my glory, which thou didst give me [as stated in his Father’s plan] because thou didst love me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24; from the Diaglott).

What a glorious inheritance that involves! What a glorious Hope is set before all those who truly, and earnestly, and with a full understanding diligently seek: to make their “calling and election sure”. Ah, yes, what a glorious inheritance, what a glorious hope, and yet: there is more! The Apostle Paul, considering all these things also, says: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [the sufferings for Christ’s sake, for “righteousness sake” — 1 Pet. 2:19–20; 3:14; Col. 1:24] are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

Here are some more Scriptures which have to do with the glorious inheritance with Christ, to which each individual member of the true Church of Christ, each one of the true saints of God, can look forward to when united to their Bridegroom as New Creatures on the Spirit plane. To the ears, and minds, and hearts of each member of the “body of Christ”, these words of Jesus are like heavenly music: “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).

2 Tim. 2:11–12  “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer [on behalf of Him, and on behalf of righteousness, by following the Lamb “whithersoever he goeth”], we shall also reign with him.”

James 1:12  “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried [when such a one is being tested with difficult experiences, which God will permit, and by which we prove our loyalty and love to God and all that which is in, through, and by His dear Son], he shall receive the crown of life [immortality], which the LORD hath promised to them that love him [those who “worship him in spirit and in truth” — John 4:23–24].”

But it should be noted, that God will grant this glorious inheritance with Christ to those who are gathered from the uttermost part of the earth and number only a “little flock” of “144,000” under specific conditions, one of which (in addition to those already mentioned) is specifically emphasized by His beloved Son in these words:

Rev. 3:21  “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”

These only are the ones of whom it is written:

Rev. 20:4–6  “… and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. … This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power [because they are resurrected “immortal”], but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Note: the first sentence of the 5th verse is spurious, was inserted).

Rev. 5:9–10 (Diaglott)  “And they sung a new Song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the Scroll, and to open its Seals; because thou wast killed, and didst redeem to God, with thy Blood, out of every Tribe, and Tongue, and People, and Nation; and thou didst make them to our God a Royalty and a Priesthood, and they shall reign on the Earth” — not as human beings on the earth, but as the highly exalted spiritual beings together with Christ — constituting a spiritual Government over the earth: their control on the earth will be a total one, the effect of which will be: “Thy will be done [God’s will] in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matth. 6:10); “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

And how about the beautiful picture of the Church of Christ (the true Church of Christ), collectively called the “bride” of Christ:

Psalm 45:13–15  “The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.”

For some of you who are not very well versed in Scriptures, here are some explanations.

First of all, God Almighty — the great Jehovah — is also referred to as “King” in both the Old and New Testaments, as for instance: “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God …”; “Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints”; “… O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God”; “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation” (1 Tim. 1:17; Rev. 15:3; Ps. 84:3; Jer. 10:10; and still more).

Furthermore, it should be remembered (it is pointed out) that this picture in Ps. 45:13–15 is given as if applicable to an exceptional, but nevertheless human “bride” according to human tradition, but, of course, it is not. This picture is given for mainly two reasons:

1. to show how these individuals of the true followers of Christ are looked upon from the divine standpoint, even though none of them was recognized as such in the human societies and in a number of cases were even persecuted, or dealt with badly; Jesus is referring to this when he said: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”, and: “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 17:16; 15:20), and in 1 John 3:1 we read: “… therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew not him”;

2. and, in connection with the foregoing, the picture of Christ’s “bride” is given in this way: that in due time, during “the times of restitution of all things”, when all people shall receive God’s “knowledge of the truth”, when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (1 Tim. 2:4; Is. 11:9), the true identity of these individuals will be seen (remembered), expressed and acknowledged in these words: “And of Zion [Christ’s true Church] it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there” (Ps. 87:5–6).

Ps. 45:13  “The beauty of the king’s daughter is all within [is not being recognized by others, by the people of the world]: her clothing is of wrought gold [gold in the Scriptures always represents divinity, or immortality, which she will receive in her — in their — resurrection change]. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework.”

(The needlework of (on) the raiment is, of course, the embroidering of Christ’s Robe of Righteousness which each true follower of Christ receives at his consecration into the death of Christ. This needlework of embroidery, done by each individual of the “bride” class, is representative of the beautiful ornaments of the Christian graces, the painstaking embroidery of actual righteousness, and also the putting into practice of those things the Apostle Peter is pointing out: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love [Gr. agape, selfless love]. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” — 2 Peter 1:5–8).

Ps. 45:14–15  “The virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.”

The virgin companions of the “Bride” are the foolish, the unwise virgins of the parable in Matth. 25:1–12, the ones rejected by the Bridegroom as belonging to the bride class. But it should be noticed, that while being rejected, by being unacceptable to the high level of the bride-class, they nevertheless are and remained virgins and thus acceptable to be rewarded. However, belonging also to those who consecrated themselves into the death of Christ, they must go through a special trial period, as is recorded in Rev. 7, verses 9 and 14: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands … And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

The Ninth String: Restitution

Acts 3:18–21  “But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled [up to the time of his crucifixion]. Repent ye therefore [the Apostle here is speaking to the Jews only], and be converted [from the conditions of the Law Covenant to the conditions provided by the death of Christ], that your sins may be blotted out [those resting upon them as a people: because of continuously breaking the Law Covenant, as pointed out in numerous Scriptures — sins which are in addition to the Adamic sin which rests upon all of the human race], when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord [the proper Greek translation is: “from the face of the Lord”, from God’s returned favour toward us, as we, the Jews, experienced it in former times]; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you [mostly in types, and shadows, and pictures]: 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 [Adam’s world].”

Restitution means: to restore, and restore means that that which lost its original condition — or that which was lost altogether — is going to be restored, reinstated, brought back to what it was originally. This is exactly the meaning: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”, and also: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world [Adam and all his posterity]; but that the world through him might be saved” (Luke 19:10; 9:56; John 3:17).

Therefore, then, what is it that was lost? What is it that Jesus came to save? What is it that is to be restored? Well, God’s holy Word has plenty to say on this subject. Sadly, however, the word “restitution” is not heard in the churches of Christendom; neither in the preachings and teachings of the “televangelists” on radio and television. Yet, as you already read a moment ago, Acts 3:21 states clearly: “the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began”. Here are some Scriptures on that subject.

A. Those Scriptures which show the condemned, fallen condition:

Rom. 5:12  “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men [all people], for that all have sinned.” (All of Adam’s children were born after he fell from perfection by his disobedience to his Creator.)

Rom. 3:10  “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”

And, of course, the cause of it all — that there is “none righteous, no, not one” — goes back to the beginning, as recorded in Gen. 2 and 3:

Gen. 2:17  “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (The margin reads: “dying thou shalt die”, viz, the process of dying begins: physically, mentally, and morally.)

Gen. 3:17–19  “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife [hast yielded to her request], and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life [until the final day of your actual death]; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

It should be noted, that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 3:8; Ps. 90:4), and that Adam did die in God’s “one thousand year day”; the end of his life occurred when he was 930 years of age (Gen. 5:5).

This tells us what was lost, and in what sad circumstances man finds himself as a consequence of it: Adam lost “life”, even the potential of “eternal life”; he also lost: the favour, the grace and special standing with God. These things Jesus came to save from eternal loss; he came, according to God’s glorious Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity: to provide for the restoration of all these things.

B. Those Scriptures which speak of the preparation for the restitution, and also of the circumstances and conditions of this restitution work:

Gen. 12:3; 22:18  “And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” — “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.”

Gal. 3:16  “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

John 3:17  “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Heb. 2:9  “That he [Christ] by the grace of God should taste death for every man [for every one of the Adamic race].”

Rom. 5:21  “As sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Rom. 5:18  “Therefore as by the offense of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [Christ] the free gift came [shall come in due time, according to God’s “times and seasons”] upon all men unto justification of life.”

1 Cor. 15:21–22  “For since by man came death [by Adam], by man [by the man Christ Jesus] came also the resurrection of the dead [as laid down in God’s Plan of Salvation]. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

In that Kingdom of God, for which Jesus taught us to pray: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”, this is what the human race is going to experience:

Zeph. 3:9  “Then [during “the times of restitution of all things”] will I turn to the people [on earth] a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.”

Is. 11:9  “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain [Kingdom]: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

Is. 42:1–7  “Behold my servant [God’s reigning King — Christ — in His Kingdom], whom I [God] uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul [my whole divine being] delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street [as human beings in human societies do]. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail [God’s original Plan cannot fail in any particular] nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles [even the remotest places on earth] shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes [the literal, as well as the mental blind eyes], to bring out the prisoners from the prison [the prison-house of death], and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house [those who are not yet actually dead, but are totally ignorant regarding God’s Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity].”

Is. 28:17  “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail [hard-hitting truth] shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters [the full and total truth about God’s plans and purposes] shall overflow the hiding place.”

Ps. 85:10  “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

Rev. 21:4–5  “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes [not literally, of course]; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things [under human laws, doctrines, traditions, or whatever regulations and rules] are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”

Is. 35:5–10  “Then [during “the times of restitution of all things”] the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped [both, the literal and the mental ones]. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart [both, the literal one, as well as the one who is slow in grasping, in understanding things], and the tongue of the dumb sing [both, the literal one, as well as the one who formerly was totally ignorant]: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert [both, in the literal landscape, as well as in the landscape of society, viz, in the formerly so-called developed countries and societies and also in the formerly so-called underdeveloped countries and societies]. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes [regarding this verse and the one before this one, there will be a special note at the end of this Scripture]. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. [During “the times of restitution of all things”, during God’s true Kingdom under the reign of Christ: this spiritual highway of holiness — the spiritual guidance given throughout that time period — will be so clear and specific, that even a fool, an uneducated, an unintelligent person: will be able to understand all the things then required on his way up, up, up, on his way toward perfection and toward total harmony with God]. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there [those of the human race who, like beasts of the animal kingdom, pursue their own selfish goals and desires, disregarding totally God’s commandment: “Love thy neighbour as thyself” — Matth. 19:19]; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of the LORD shall return [even all those who are in the graves], and come to Zion [the spiritual Government, Christ’s Government during “the times of restitution of all things”] with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

(Special Note: The 6th (last portion) and 7th verses of Is. 35 are a clear testimony to the fact that according to God’s plans and purposes: even the earth will undergo a physical transformation to accomodate all the billions coming back from the graves. This is also stated in these words: “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” (Is. 45:18); “Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool”, “… and I will make the place of my feet glorious” (Is. 66:1; 60:13). What a glorious picture: the whole earth will be like the Garden of Eden, which was an example picture of what the earth, and man upon it, will be like at the end of God’s glorious Plan of Salvation for Adam an all his posterity.)

Is. 11:6–9  “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 [in all my holy Kingdom].”

The Tenth String: The Resurrection

The divine (God’s) doctrine of The Resurrection is so very much misunderstood and so very much misapplied in all of so-called Christendom. The main reason for these misapplications and misconstruing of this divine doctrine is an other man-made doctrine called: The Immortality Of The Soul, a doctrine which is totally unscriptural.

According to this man-made doctrine: man has a soul, and also, since it is a very small particle of God himself (their explanation): it is immortal, that is: it cannot die. And even though the soul is connected to a fleshly body — which is mortal — it is nevertheless an independent entity, using the fleshly body to live in. This (their) soul, this very small particle of God: God imparts into each newborn human being at the moment of birth (some even say at the moment of conception). However, the Scriptures do not say that man has a soul, but that man is a soul, a living being. In Gen. 2:7, for instance, the Scripture states: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [God activated the living process, a process which is used even to this day when resuscitating a person from unconsciousness or apparent death: Mouth-To-Mouth Resuscitation, to reactivate the living process] and man became a living soul.”

The teachings and preachings of Christendom further is that: At the moment the body of flesh dies, the soul — since it is immortal, since it cannot die — has to go elsewhere in its continuation of its immortal existence. To accommodate the continued existence of the immortal soul after the fleshly body has died, Christendom’s teachings and preachings provide for three places the soul is designated to go (by them, not by God). These three places, taught and preached by them as a doctrine, are:

1. The souls of all those who are members of a Church within Christendom, and have lived a reasonably good life (according to worldly, human judgment): go to heaven to be with God;

2. The Catholic, the Orthodox churches, provide for an intermediate place — before the souls are allowed to proceed to heaven — for an undetermined period of time, to make them ready for heaven; the Roman Catholic Church calls this invented place: Purgatory;

3. And then there is “Hell”, for all the souls of the really bad people, and also for all those who do not belong to a so-called Christian Church. In this place, since the souls are immortal, they are being tortured for all eternity, hence their doctrine of “Eternal Torment In Hell”.

In addition to the one comment made a moment ago (that man does not have a soul, but that man is a soul, is a living being), here now a few more comments to the foregoing:

• If the soul is a tiny particle of God which — as they say — is imparted by God into each newborn human being: How can it be, or how can it become bad? even to the extent to be tortured to all eternity in Hell? If God is perfect to the most unimaginable degree: is not every and any particle of him likewise?

• If, as they teach and preach, souls are so bad that they first have to be placed into Purgatory, or even sent (by them) to “Hell”, what about God’s declaration: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die”; that is: its life is taken away from it! (Ezek. 18:4, 20).

• If God’s throne is built upon Justice, as it is and as it is expressed in these words: “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face” (Psalms 89:14; 97:2); and since “God is love”, as declared in numerous Scriptures; and since it is God’s will to: “have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth [God’s truth]”; and since he did send his only begotten Son “into the world”, not “to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved” — How in the world could such a God send billions of souls of dead people into Hell and permit them to be tortured there for all eternity?

• Looking at Christendom with its hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of denominations, sects, or whatever groups, and each one of them quite different from each other (and at one time even opposing each other — the Pope condemning all Protestants into the seventh hell), yet each one of them declaring with Bible in their hands: We present God’s holy Word truthfully, believe in us and thus you believe in God. Is that possible? Would a just, a righteous, a wise, a loving God use instrumentalities like that to bring about His righteous Kingdom of which Jesus spoke when teaching his disciples to pray: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven”?

How does all this (and actually much much more) affect Christendom’s view and use of the resurrection of the dead? Well, first of all, they apply the resurrection applicable to the true Church of Christ, the “little flock” of only “144,000”, the true saints of God, also referred to as “the first resurrection”: to all the members of their Church. Please, read again Strings Seven and Eight, to put before your mind again: what those individuals must be like who really make up the little flock of the true Church of Christ. The Scripture which refers to “the first resurrection” (Rev. 20:4–6; 14:1–4): can never ever apply to any of the churches, sects, or groups of Christendom so-called!

Now, since the resurrection of the “Little Flock” of only “144,000” is referred to as “the first resurrection”, and since: “As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive”, it follows that there will be: a second, or general resurrection; a resurrection applicable to the rest of all mankind.

Therefore, the harmonious sound of the Tenth String of God’s Ten-Stringed Harp adds its glorious sound of the divine doctrine of the Resurrection not only because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and as a consequence the members of his true Church — his bride — but also: that God’s Plan of Salvation provides for a resurrection of all of the Adamic race. That is exactly what is meant by the words of the Apostle Paul when he declares that: “life and immortality” were brought “to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10), that is, immortality to those who become co-inheritors with Christ in his glory (Col. 1:12; John 17:24), and life — human life — to all the rest of the people of mankind, as stated in these words for instance: “For since by man [Adam] came death, by man [the man Christ Jesus] came also the resurrection of the dead”, being the principal part in God’s Plan of Salvation, for which reason the Apostle then continues: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:21–22); and in Acts 24:15 he adds: “… that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both the just and the unjust.”

That was not only preached and taught by the Apostle Paul, but by all the Apostles, as recorded in Acts 4:1–3: “And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”

Jesus said: “I am the resurrection, and the life [to be gained through it]: he that believeth in me [in my Kingdom to come], though he were dead [as “all in Adam” are], yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth [has been brought back from the grave] and believeth in me [then] shall never die” — shall have eternal life. (John 11:25–26).

And again, the Apostle Paul with his logical reasoning adds: “And being made perfect [after his resurrection], he [Christ] became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him [then, in God’s Kingdom, in which he, Christ, reigns as “King of kings and Lord of lords”]” (Heb. 5:9), but also, of course, for all those during this Gospel age: who are his true followers, who sanctified themselves with and by a baptism “into his death”.

John 3:15–17  “Whosoever believeth in him [now, during the Gospel age, or then, in his Kingdom] shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world [in his foreknowledge God is seeing the world as it will be after his 7000 year Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity is completed: as a whole of that which the Garden of Eden represents as a picture; which is the reason:], that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him [with regard to the world during “the times of restitution of all things”] should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son [his only begotten Son] into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

That is also meant by the words in 1 Tim. 2:4, that it is God’s express will to “have all men [all people] to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth [God’s truth]”.

But in addition to all the foregoing, one principal doctrine of God should never be forgotten: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Rom. 6:23; Ezek. 18:4, 20; Jer. 31:30).

In addition, this fact should also not be forgotten:

For the Adamic sin, God provided a “ransom” and an accompanying Plan of Salvation; he provided a Redeemer and the “times of restitution of all things”. But for any one who will not conform to the arrangements of God’s Kingdom under the reign of Christ: there will be no further redemption! They will be cut off from life for ever! Prov. 10:28–30; 21:15–16; 14:12; 2 Thess. 1:8–10 “… and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.”

And what has Christendom made out of all this? This:

With regard to the second, or general resurrection, Christendom’s applications of the Scriptures are just as wrong as those of “the first resurrection”, already referred to a moment ago. There are actually two basic different teachings among those hundreds and hundreds of denominations of Christendom:

The one teaching is that the dead fleshly body is raised only for a final judgment, whereas the other teaching is that the fleshly body, when raised, is raised to a spiritual condition to which its former soul is reunited. But in both cases of teachings: the dead fleshly body is raised for the “last” and great “Judgment day”, which they boldly proclaim to be a 24 hour day. The following is an excerpt from: A Manual Of Instruction For The Members Of The Anglican Communion on this subject:

Holy Scripture seems to imply that at death the soul goes before God for the particular judgment, and is then consigned to joy or misery in the intermediate state. This joy is not the final joy of heaven, neither is this misery that of everlasting punishment. This particular judgment is to be distinguished from the final or general judgment. The general judgment is represented as a vast assize at which all the world will be assembled, and which will not take place until after the resurrection at the end of the world; hence it is called ‘the last judgment’. Our Lord himself so describes it in St. Matth. 25:31,32 — “When the Son of Man shall come in his glory … before him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.” Upon the general judgment at the end of the world, the condition of souls in eternity depends. No one, however good he has been, will receive his final degree of bliss immediately after death; and no one, however bad he has been, will then receive his final measure of rejection. All souls, good and bad alike, go at death to a state of waiting, where we believe they receive a foretaste, though not the actual realization, of their final lot in eternity. The day of judgment is described as “the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:30). By this we may understand that before pronouncing sentence, Jesus Christ will first satisfy the assembled universe of his righteous claim to be their Judge, so that friend and foe alike may be convinced of his perfect equity.

The day of judgment will be the day of justice, when all life’s inequalities will be put right, and everyone will get his due. As such St. John speaks of it — “I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” (Rev. 20:11–13).

The result of the judgment is separation; the Judge “shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats”, every soul going to its own place, the place for which it has fitted itself, at the right hand or at the left hand of the Judge. “Then shall the King 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”. — and again, “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matth. 25:31 to end).

The resurrection is the rising again of the body in which the soul was clothed on earth. At the last day the soul will return from the intermediate state, and enter the risen body. The body so raised will not be the natural body as it was in this life (1 Cor. 15:37), but a new and spiritual body, possessing new powers, and existing under new conditions in a new order of being, and freed from all taint of evil and inclination to sin.

Souls re-uniting with their former bodies? Souls re-uniting with their former bodies which are not fleshly any more, but spiritual? All of these billions of people — which according to human wisdom can number between 80 and 150 billion people since the creation of Adam — standing before God to be judged, to be divided into two groups: those who are finally sent to heaven for eternal bliss, and those whom God judgeth to be sent to “Hell” for an eternity of torture and pain and misery?

Can you detect in any of this a “restitution of all things”, as prophesied by “all of his holy prophets since the world began”? — as expressed and contained in these words?:

• All families of the earth shall be blessed;

• God formed the earth to be inhabited;

• God said to Adam and Eve: fill the earth;

• God will make the earth glorious;

• Jesus came to save the world;

• The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world;

• The Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them;

• God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it;

• Christ is the Saviour of the world;

• The kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of our Lord;

• As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive;

• For then (during the restitution times) will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one consent;

• That God’s will (then) will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven;

• God says that: unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess;

• Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord;

• Then, in the restitution times: they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks, neither shall they learn war any more;

• Then, in the restitution times: 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;

• Then, in the restitution times: the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox;

• Then, in the restitution times: the blind eyes shall be opened; the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped; the lame shall leap as an hart; the tongue of the dumb shall sing; in the wilderness shall be waters, and streams in the desert;

• Then, in the restitution times: they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat.

There are still more Scriptures on this subject of “the restitution of all things”, especially also in types, in shadows, in parables, in pictures and in parallels, as given to the people of Israel with their Law Covenant arrangements of which one particular one shall be mentioned here: the arrangement of the Jubilee Year. Every 50th year was a Jubilee Year, and the basic requirement was: that the profits, or advantages gained through the preceding 49 years: had to be returned to those from whom these profits or gains were obtained. In other words: a restitution was required in cycles of 50 years. This was a requirement of the Law Covenant to which every Israelite was bound to fulfill. (Lev. 25, esp. verses 8–13).

Therefore, then, when the Scriptures declare that Jesus came to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10): it is referring to all these human conditions, circumstances, and the once received graces and favours of God, which the human being Adam had and could have had, but lost by his disobedience to his Creator (as outlined also under String Nine).

In conclusion, two aspects need to be pointed out with great emphasis:

1. That everything with regard to the human race which becomes applicable in the general resurrection during “the times of restitution of all things”: has to do and is applicable on the human plane. Except for the special arrangement of the true Church of Christ, the “little flock” of only “144,000”: Adam and all his posterity have no claim, no hope, no promise of a spiritual life! Adam lost human life; he will receive back again only human life, which his posterity then will receive also.

2. The bringing forth of the dead from the graves, the awakening of the dead to life again (John 5:28–29), is not The Resurrection, but is the beginning of a process which lifts them up, up, up, toward perfection, and at the end of which, that is, at the end of “the times of restitution of all things”: they will have experienced the uprighting of themselves from the deepest degradation to the fullest degree of uprightness before God, and then stand before God in full perfection as Adam was before he fell from perfection by his disobedience, by breaking his Creator’s commandment. That is what John 5:28–29 actually declares: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming [there will be a time], in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice [not literally, of course], and shall come forth; they that have done good [in God’s sight, and have already His approval], unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil [all the rest of the human race], unto the resurrection of judgment [the word “damnation” is a wrong translation].” Or, as Rom. 5:21 is putting it: “As sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” during “the times of restitution of all things”. That is what God’s Justice, Wisdom, Power, and Love is all about!

That is what John 3:16 really means: “For God so loved the world [not this evil, sinful world, but what the world is going to be after the permission of sin will have been experienced by all of the human race, when it will have become as demonstrated in the Garden of Eden, for which reason God designed His Plan of Salvation for Adam and all his posterity], that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him [during “the times of restitution of all things”] should not perish, but have everlasting life [at the end of “the times of restitution of all things”]”, because also, as testified in 1 Tim. 2:4, it is God’s express will to have: “all men to be saved”, that is: all the people of the Adamic family.

Indeed:

Is. 55:8–11  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Is. 29:14  “Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men [those looked upon as prudent] shall be hid.”

These words were, or are addressed to the Jewish people, but they are also — and especially — addressed to the people of so-called Christendom, as well as to the rest of the world by extension. Please see also 1 Cor. 1:19.