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A Restored Earth The Desire of
All Nations I will shake all the nations, and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.—Haggai 2:71 Aaron Marten Even while looking forward to a heavenly reward, Christians cannot help but rejoice when considering the many promises of blessings for the world of mankind set forth in the Bible. “And the ransomed of the LORD [all mankind] will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isaiah 35:10). Although the Scriptures abound with such promises of blessing to the world, mankind still remains bound in ignorance. Many have no hope beyond the present life. Others wrongly claim heavenly rewards which are promised only to consecrated followers of Jesus willing to sacrifice with him. Some, holding to creeds and traditions, condemn most of mankind to everlasting torture. Despite what man may think of his own eternal state, the Scriptures proclaim that in God’s infinite love and wisdom, he has a plan for all that will result in their restoration and blessing on earth. Ransom Redeems All “[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). If God’s desire is to save all mankind from Adamic death, then any plan which accomplishes something less is a man-made limitation on the power of God to carry out his will. To justly atone for Adam’s original sin, a ransom needed to be paid in the form of another perfect human life: “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time” (1Timothy 2:5,6). Lest any think that this “all” is limited to “all believers” or “all Christians,” the Scriptures further declare: “He himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before thee” (Psalm 22:27). “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:17-19). Yes, the ransom price that Jesus paid at Calvary covers all mankind, including those who never followed after Jesus. Seeing then that God desires the salvation of all mankind, why has it not happened in the nearly two thousand years after the ransom price was offered up? What is holding back the blessings of the promised kingdom from flowing to all mankind? Why has the world not yet been turned back to God? World’s Conversion Yet Future “So shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). The time from the Lord’s baptism in Jordan until now has been the time for the call and selection of the “little flock” of believers (Luke 12:32). It is an age, similar to the days of ancient Israel, in which God is working only with a select group of individuals to develop the Bride of Christ. God’s will is that all mankind will be saved. Since this has not been accomplished, the only reasonable conclusion is that the conversion of the world has not yet been attempted, and is something that will take place in the future. There is an advantage and blessing to those in the world who hear the gospel message to any degree now, even if they do not go on to a full consecration to do the will of God. Although not under trial at the present, when resurrected all members of Adam’s race will be under trial to see whether they are worthy of everlasting life. The call now to all mankind is one of repentance and reform. We should certainly encourage any who are trying to live a good and righteous life according to Scriptural principles to continue in their right-doing. Any watchfulness of self, condemnation of sin, and upholding of biblical principles done now will be of assistance to those walking on the highway of holiness in the kingdom. “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom he has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30,31). Perfect Earth for Perfect Men The world’s turning back to God will not only mean a restoration to life, but also a restoration to the original mental, moral, and physical perfection that Adam and Eve possessed in the garden of Eden. The earth will be restored to its Edenic conditions: “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing” (Isaiah 35:1, 2, KJV). That God will restore the earth to Edenic conditions is clearly stated in the Scriptures: “On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall no longer be any curse.” (Revelation 22:2,3). “Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody” (Isaiah 51:3). This work of restoring the earth is also part of the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). A perfected and restored earth, not heaven, is the ideal habitation for a perfect man: “There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another” (1 Corinthians 15:40). God knows what constitutes the ideal environment for perfect human beings, and this he provided Adam and Eve in the garden. The root of the Hebrew word for Eden translates to “pleasure, delight.” Thus, with the earth enjoying Eden-like conditions, perfected mankind will find it most delightful and satisfying; they will have no longing for heaven. Many who claim heavenly hopes often do not know for what they are asking. When asked what they expect to do in heaven for all of eternity, they often say they would desire to do various good and wholesome earthly activities. They want to be reunited with deceased family members and friends. Others say they don’t know what they will be doing, but they still want to go there. This near-ambivalence is exquisitely brought to life in the final stanza of Dr. Arthur Colahan’s immensely popular and achingly wistful love-song to his native Ireland, “Galway Bay”:
And if there’s going to be a life hereafter, The Scriptures describe the work of the resurrected saints in heaven as one of reigning as “kings and priests … on the earth” (Revelation 5:10, KJV) during the Millennial age for the purpose of blessing all the families of the world. “But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come” (Daniel 7:18). They are also called to be judges of the world and of the fallen angels: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, matters of this life?” (1 Corinthians 6:2,3). If one does not long for and prepare for these promises made to the saints, one does not truly long for heaven. What many really desire (and often describe in their depictions of heavenly paradise) is a perfect restored earth under the dominion of the Prince of Peace and his saints. Many, not realizing the full significance of what they ask, pray for this perfect earth: “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). That these kingdom conditions are mankind’s inmost, yet unspoken, desire is evident in the world. Longing for Eden All seek happiness and peace through various channels: wealth, society, philosophy, religion, family, politics, and the like. Despite more and more unprecedented individual freedom concerning time, resources, and talents, discontent continues to grow. True happiness, peace, and prosperity are only found when one has restored fellowship with God through the blood of Christ: “How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God” (Psalm 146:5). Consider the various political and economic experiments that mankind has attempted, especially in recent years: Free Market Capitalism, Democracy, Communism, Socialism, and Nationalism. Each purports to be the most fair, just, and equitable. And indeed, although often misguided and poorly planned, there is usually a proper heart desire within these systems for justice, equity, and the general uplifting of mankind. Countless dollars are spent to fight the effects of sin in its various forms: disease, poverty, drug abuse, crime, and war. But little progress is made against any of these compared with the complete eradication of all of these that will occur in Christ’s kingdom. The world longs for relief from the effects of sin. It longs for full restoration to being the “children of God” as were Adam and Eve. It longs for true liberty, to be free from the bondage of sin. The apostle speaks of this desire within both the church and the world: “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:19-23). What bountiful blessings await the world of mankind! We should count it a great blessing to see these glorious prospects in the hope of the world and be some measure of comfort in sharing these blessings with the world as we have opportunity. The participation in lifting the Adamic curse from mankind, followed by the blessing and uplifting of the world back to God, will be the privilege of every faithful member of the little flock. When mankind has been fully restored to life and harmony with God, it will be said that the “desire of all nations” has truly come.
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