The phrase “the restitution of all things” refers to that “golden era” of which prophets have written glowingly and psalmists have sung rapturously from the beginning of their testimony. It is that wonderful time when divine rights will everywhere be respected here below, when the long-rejected Jesus will be enthroned in His appointed kingdom, and when man’s evil career will receive an abrupt check. Then Satan’s power will be set aside; his wretched work will be in a large measure undone and creation’s wounds healed. “The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose”; “instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree”; “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together”; yea, “all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God” (Isa. 35:1; Isa. 55:13; Isa. 40:5; Isa. 52:10). Blessed era! How remote if we were to judge by appearances, but how near when we hold the prophetic lamp aloft in faith!
Let us read together Acts 3:19-21 (JND): “Repent therefore and be converted, for the blotting out of your sins, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and He may send Jesus Christ, who was fore-ordained for you, whom heaven indeed must receive till the times of the restoring of all things, of which God has spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since time began.” Peter was the speaker. He was addressing the Jewish people on the occasion of the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. He made a definite proposal to his audience — by divine authority, of course. If they would repent of their many sins, and especially of their murderous rejection of Jesus, times of refreshing should come to them from the presence of Jehovah. He would even send back the very One whom they had driven away, and the times of the restitution of all things should set in. Bible readers in Israel had long looked for such a consummation. In Matthew 17:11, the Lord confirmed the disciples in their expectation that Elijah “shall first come and restore all things.” In keeping with this hope, they asked Him after His resurrection: “Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Now Peter, with light from heaven in his own soul such as even he never possessed before, lays before the people the conditions upon which the longed-for restoration could take place. Their thoughts might be limited to Israel; God’s thoughts take in the whole creation.
The restoration of all things is contingent upon two other events: the repentance of Israel, and the return of Jesus. He will not return until Israel is prepared to welcome Him, and until His return no universal restoration is possible. A millennium without the Lord Jesus, whatever the aims and desires of men, can never be.
The Repentance of Israel
The restoration of all things has limitations. Peter’s words show this — “Of which God has spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since time began.” Some have pressed the apostle’s words to make them include even the unpardoned dead. The restoration does not go beyond what “God has spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets,” and certainly no prophet bids us look for the restoration to divine favor of men who have died in their sins. The prophets’ standpoint was the earth, and in heart-stirring language they describe the removal by divine power of all the scars that sin has caused in order that God may once more have pleasure in the works of His hands, and that men may enjoy His mercy. The healing of the lame man was an example, strikingly illustrating Isaiah 35:5-6.
In that era Israel will be restored. All the twelve tribes will enjoy the blessing of God throughout the whole extent of the magnificent possession promised to the fathers. (In the past they have occupied only a small part of their destined inheritance.) The temple will be restored to them, with Jehovah’s presence filling it continually (Psa. 68:29; Ezek. 43:4-5). None of them will need to exhort his neighbor to “know the Lord,” for all will know Him from the least to the greatest of them (Jer. 31:34).
The Nations
The nations will also be blessed (Psa. 22:27-28; 72:17). No longer characterized by pride and independence of God, no longer filled with envy and hatred towards each other, they will dwell peacefully under the sway of the King of kings and Lord of lords. In accordance with the divine purpose, they will acknowledge the special place of favor and supremacy given to Israel, and will render respectful homage. They will seek Jacob’s face, as Psalm 24:6 tells us, because God is in Jacob’s land. From year to year the ambassadors of all nations will attend at Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles (Zech. 14:16).
Creation at large will be restored. No longer will the strong prey upon the weak. Even the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the lion will eat straw like the ox (Isa. 11:6-7). The Son of Man’s beneficent rule will extend to “the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas” (Psa. 8:7-8). The manifestation of the sons of God will be the signal for the complete deliverance of all from the bondage of corruption (Rom. 8:19-21).
But whatever the blessedness of that era, absolute perfection will not then be realized, and thus finality will not be reached. The Millennial Age (the last of the dispensations of God) is the vestibule to the everlasting kingdom, the eternal state, the new heavens and the new earth. Therein perfection will indeed be found. The Son of Man having subdued every antagonist, and silenced every rebellious tongue, God will be “all in all” (1 Cor. 16:28).
W. W. Fereday