The Scriptures reveal and declare that in God’s plans and purposes there will be a time referred to as: “the times of restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21), and that these times (years) of “restitution of all things” are applicable to all mankind, viz, to Adam and all his posterity. Restitution, of course, means: to restore, which also means that there was something which was lost, something which was taken away and will be given back again. What is it all about? Well, the Scriptures are very clear about this.

Gen. 2:16–17  “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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 dying thou shalt die” (see the margin reading).

The expression “dying thou shalt die” explains, of course, the kind of death Adam and his posterity would experience: a process of dying, a progressive decaying from that perfect life he received and enjoyed from the moment he was created. To this the Apostle Paul is adding this explanation:

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, for that all have sinned.”

Since “justice”, “judgment”, and “righteousness”: “are the habitation of his throne” (Ps. 89:14; 97:2), that sentence came indeed upon Adam, and as a consequence: Adam, having become imperfect by his disobedience to God’s law, could not impart perfect life to his children any more, since all of them were born after the sentence was pronounced upon him. It is from this standpoint that the Psalmist says: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps. 51:5).

It should be emphasized at this point that death is the opposite of life, that being condemned to death means: the loss of life; it means: non-existence; it means: oblivion. It is for this reason and from this standpoint, that we read:

Ps. 6:5  “For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?”

Eccl. 9:5  “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing.”

Eccl. 9:10  “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

God’s principle, law, and judgment is:

Ezek. 18:4, 20  “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

Rom. 6:23  “For the wages of sin is death.”

If the foregoing is fully and clearly understood, then the full meaning of the following Scriptures will also be fully and clearly understood:

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

Matth. 18:11  “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost [the life Adam lost].”

1 Cor. 15:22  “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Oh yes, it is God’s express will: “to have all men [all people; Adam and all his posterity] to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4), toward which all God’s plans and purposes are designed. Who is man to speak (and even teach and preach) contrary to God’s plans and purposes, contrary to God’s “times and seasons”, who said:

Is. 14:26–27  “This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?”

The LORD also declares:

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.”

Here, now, is again Acts 3, and this time note all the words:

Acts 3:20–21  “And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive [from the time of his resurrection, at his first Advent] until the times [years] of restitution of all things [after his second Advent], which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began [Adam’s world]” (in types, in pictures, in parables, in parallels, and yes, in some cases even quite directly).

On the basis of the foregoing, it is possible to understand the full meaning and impact of the following Scriptures:

Luke 2:10–11  “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour [a Life-Giver], which is Christ the Lord.”

John 4:42  “Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

1 John 4:14  “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”

Oh yes, during “the times [years] of restitution of all things”: all people of all mankind — Adam and all his posterity — shall come back from the graves; not from hell, or from Purgatory, or heaven, but as Christ Jesus declares it himself:

John 5:28–29  “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice [Christ’s voice; not a literal voice, of course], and shall come forth; they that have done good [those who already have God’s approval up to “the times of restitution of all things”], unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil [all the rest of mankind], unto the resurrection of judgment” (the word damnation in this verse is incorrect; it is ‘judgment’), a judgment which will take in a time period of a thousand years, namely, throughout God’s true Kingdom: when the “King of kings and Lord of lords” reigns, in the which God’s will: will “be done in earth, as it is [done] in heaven” (Matth. 6:10).

To those who say (and there are most likely many): How can it be that more than 100 billion people — all mankind, from Adam to this day — could live on earth, since the life of most of the 6 billion people living today: is most miserable already?

Ah yes, considering that about four fifths of the globe’s surface is water, and only one fifth is land, and that the area on which man can live and exist is even less, that conclusion would be quite right; but remember the words in Is. 55, in which God declares: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”

Yes, indeed, if God purposes a thing, He will also provide those things necessary for it. Jesus said that with man certain things are impossible: “but with God all things are possible” (Matth. 19:26; Mark 10:27). We also have the assurance: “For I am the LORD, I change not” (Mal. 3:6), to which the Apostle James adds: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

Therefore: once the human race will experience a restoration to the life perfection which Adam had before he disobeyed his Creator, so will the earth also undergo a transformation in harmony with God’s plans and purposes, which will also include the animal kingdom. With regard to the earth itself, we read this:

Is. 66:1; 60:13  “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool [symbolically speaking] … and I will make the place of my feet glorious.”

We can be sure that when God created Adam and Eve, and said to them: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28), He, God, would not permit the human race to overfill the earth.

No, when God declares that He did not form and make the earth “in vain”, but that He: “formed it to be inhabited” (Is. 45:18), and gave the Garden of Eden as an illustration, as a model to what the earth would be like for perfect humanity, then we can rest assured that a God whose “righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne” (Ps. 97:2; 89:14); that a God who: “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son [to become the “Saviour” — the Life-Giver — of the world, by giving himself “a ransom for all”], that whosoever believeth in him [in due time, during “the times of restitution of all things”] should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16–17; 1 Tim. 2:6).

By the way, God does not love the world as it is now, and as it has been for more than 6000 years since Adam’s condemnation. He does not approve one iota of it, for which reason the death sentence upon Adam and all his posterity remains. But God, who knows and declares the end from the beginning (Is. 46:10), looks and speaks of His creation from the standpoint of completion — after each and every one of the Adamic race will have experienced: evil, sin, and death, by God’s permission of sin; and then is giving each and every one of the Adamic race an opportunity to experience “the times of restitution of all things” during which “the true light” will enlighten “every man [person] that cometh into the world” (John 1:9) — into the world of the true Kingdom of God.

So far, this has not yet happened: only some have actually been truly enlightened: the true Church of Christ. But then, during “the times [years] of restitution of all things”, in the true Kingdom of God: Christ will indeed enlighten “every man that cometh into the world”, for then: “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD [issued by Christ], as the waters cover the sea” (Is. 11:9).

The constant flow of knowledge and light (understanding) given then, is so massive and so clear, that it is likened unto a highway:

Is. 35:8  “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean [those incorrigible] shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men [those who listen, learn, and do, and thus go up, up, up, toward perfection, which can and will be reached at the end of “the times (years) of restitution of all things”, at the end of this long Judgment Day], though fools, shall not err therein [all things will be made that clear].”

What a glorious time that will be for all mankind. In fact, the same Scripture continues:

Is. 35:9–10  “No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there [no lion-like, nor any other predatory beast of the human kind shall be permitted then any more]; but the redeemed shall walk there [all mankind, with the exception of the incorrigible ones]: and the ransomed of the LORD shall return [Adam and all his posterity shall make an about turn from their evil and sinful ways, and turn toward harmony with God], and come to Zion [the antitypical Zion: The Christ, the spiritual Government of God’s true Kingdom] with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads [consciously, with full understanding]: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

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 [Adamic 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.”

Pertaining to the very specific declaration that “there shall be no more death”, the Apostle Paul tells us:

1 Cor. 15:25–26  “For he [Christ] must reign [his reign as “King of kings and Lord of lords”], till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

With regard to the reign of the “King of kings and Lord of lords” during “the times [years] of restitution of all things”, we are told:

Acts 17:31  “Because he [God] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained [the man Christ Jesus, because he “gave himself a ransom for all”]; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath [then, and because of it] raised him from the dead.”

Is. 11:2–5  “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear [reverence] of the LORD; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes [as man does], neither reprove after the hearing of his ears [as man does]: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth [not the literal earth, but all that by which man has lived and governed himself (themselves)] with the rod of his mouth [with the judgments he has already declared he will execute upon man’s establishments, traditions, orders, and ways of life], and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked [with the force and spirit of his truth will he manifest those who try to remain evil-spirited, wicked, those who remain incorrigible, and those will be destroyed in the Second Death to never live again]. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” (A girdle is a symbolic expression to indicate service). Yes, the governing and reigning Christ will be Jehovah’s faithful, diligent servant.

Is. 42:1–12  “Behold my servant, whom I [Jehovah, God] uphold; mine elect [Christ], in whom my soul 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 [because, first of all: he is not a human being, and second: this reigning powerful One does not use human means, or habits, vices, or any other visible tools of man]. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth [yes, the weak and the earnest ones will have his special attention]. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth [until he has established justice in all the earth, among all people]: and the isles shall wait for his law [those who have been led away farthest from God because of religious cults with their dogmatic views and teachings, which keeps them totally isolated from the rest of humanity].

“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 [their mental eyes, to the many false religions, doctrines, traditions, cunning vices in politics, finance, self-serving social societies, etc., etc., etc., which have been part and parcel of the lives of people on earth all along], to bring out the prisoners from the prison [from the prisonhouse of death — from the graves], and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house [those who are not yet dead, but nevertheless have no proper knowledge of God’s plans and purposes for all mankind, and also those who had, or have never heard of the saving power of Christ].

“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another [no matter what individual people among the human race have claimed to be, or have claimed to do, in the name of God, and thus are heaping glory upon their own heads, which applies especially to those in power of religious organizations and systems], neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them [not to all people on earth, but to the ones with hearing ears, and those who “worship him in spirit and in truth” — John 4:23–24, and to no others]. Sing unto the LORD a new song [those who become enlightened], and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.”

The Apostle Paul has a wonderful conclusion to the last part of the just quoted Scripture; he says:

1 Cor. 4:5  “Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man [every person] have praise of God.”

One more Scripture with regard to the wonderful developments during “the times [years] of restitution of all things”, developments which a person even now could take hold of, look forward to, and rejoice in, if only they would be willing to earnestly try to distinguish, try to see the difference, between that which man can promise and that which God has promised; between man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom; between man’s claims and God’s truth! The following Scripture apparently is directed toward the people of Israel, represented by the city of Jerusalem, but in actuality it is applicable to all people during “the times [years] of restitution of all things.” Here is the Scripture:

Is. 65:17–25  “For, behold, I create new heavens [a new order of spiritual control on two levels: the heavenly, spiritual government of Christ, and its earthly representatives, the Ancient Worthies; hence, “heavens” in plural] and a new earth [an entirely new kind of society]: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind [no more human ecclesiastical heavens — spiritual controls — and no more human, man-made organizations, systems, or arrangements, created by earthly wisdom]. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. [If the literal city would be meant, or if the people of Israel alone would be meant, then God would not need to “create” them, would he?] And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people [eventually, all mankind — Adam and all his posterity]: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

“There shall be no more thence an infant of days [during “the times of resitution of all things” there will be no more new children born, the human race will then not be able any more to procreate], nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old [viz, all people who enter into this new arrangement of God’s true Kingdom — “the times of restitution of all things” — are considered children of the new age and must be progressing in the instructions and help they receive; if not, if after one hundred years they still have not let go of evil thinking — because evil actions will not be permitted — that person will not be permitted to receive any further blessings: but he/she will die THE SECOND DEATH; such a person will forfeit the granted opportunity for an eternal life in perfection, for which reason the Scripture continues]; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed [shall be destroyed in the second death]. And 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: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them [a large, united human family, all of whom will speak the language of CANAAN, viz, the language of LOVE!]. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.”

In an earlier chapter of Isaiah we have this addition:

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 and through all of God’s holy Kingdom]: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD [which will then not look foolish to the human mind any more, on the contrary: their praise will be heard from one end of the earth to the other], as the waters cover the sea.” To be ignorant then will be impossible.

Based on all the foregoing, the words and statements in Is. 9:6–7 can be fully understood and appreciated.

Our great Redeemer, highly exalted (as expressed, for instance, in Eph. 1:20–21; Phil. 2:9–11; 1 Cor. 15:27–28, and still other Scriptures), is eventually to bear many titles with references to the many wonderful Offices he will fill and the services connected with them. But these are yet future. His great work up to that time, the Redemption work, was and is the foundation of all the future work. On account of his faithfulness, he will have a right to assume and fill all these various offices and the powers pertaining to them, to exercise and fulfill God’s plans and purposes.

The right to govern the world is his, since he died — gave his life — for it. However, he awaits the Father’s time for taking to himself his glorious power to reign; and the Government must come to him before he can begin to fulfill the various titles, which shall come to pass in the very near future.

First of all, his revelation to the world will be as the Wonderful One, the embodiment, the Expression, of divine justice, divine love, divine wisdom and divine power. As yet, the world knoweth him not. He will be revealed to mankind just before “the times of restitution of all things” begin, “in flaming fire” in the time of trouble “such as was not since the beginning of the world [Adam’s world] to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matth. 24:21), and subsequently, in the rescue work during “the times of restitution of all things”.

He will be the world’s Counsellor, to give assistance, guidance, direction, whereby they may return through restitution into harmony with God and to the enjoyment of the blessings provided through redemption.

His title, The Mighty God, or Mighty ‘Mighty One’, will be recognized then, on earth, as well as in heaven; it will be recognized then: that “him hath God set forth to be a Prince and a Saviour, to grant repentance and remission of sins to Israel”, and “to all that are afar off” (Acts 5:31; 2:39); viz, to all the rest of mankind, which also is specifically stated in Rom. 2:9–10 which reads: “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul [being] of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.”

The title, The Everlasting Father, will apply to him as the Life-Giver of the world, during “the times of restitution of all things”. During all that time he will be giving “life more abundant” to mankind — everlasting life to all who will then obey him — therefore his title, The Everlasting Father, or, the Father who will give everlasting life to humanity. All the world of mankind, regenerated on the human plane, will obtain their right to everlasting life as human beings in an earthly Paradise from their Redeemer, who will then be their King.

His title, The Prince of Peace, will not apply to him at the beginning of his reign, when he will be breaking in pieces as a potter’s vessel every human system out of accord with the divine standards (Rev. 2:27; Ps. 2:9), but true peace shall speedily be established, and He shall be known as the Prince of Peace, and One whose reign will be undisputed and unmolested. “Of the increase of his Government and of peace there shall be no end”; there will be no rebellion; his kingdom will not pass away. When his reign shall terminate finally, at the close of “the times of restitution of all things” (God’s true Kingdom), it will be because “He will deliver the kingdom over to God, even the Father”, that he may be the Great “All in All”.

Messiah’s kingdom is styled “the Throne of David” for two reasons: first, the name of David signifies Beloved, and the Messiah, as the beloved of God, of the Father, is the Antitype of David, even as Messiah’s kingdom will be the Antitype of David’s kingdom. David merely “sat upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD”; it was not his. So the greater than David will sit upon the Throne of the kingdom of Jehovah, to order it and to establish it to completion during “the times of restitution of all things”, as “the King of kings and Lord of lords”. Then he will deliver it up. “The zeal [love] of Jehovah of Hosts will perform this”, operating through the Messiah.