The Restitution of All Things

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. 35:11The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. (Isaiah 35:1); Isa. 55:1313Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. (Isaiah 55:13); Isa. 40:55And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:5); Isa. 52:1010The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 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 3:19-2119Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 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 17:11,11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. (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 1:66When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again 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 35:5-65Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. (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. 68:2929Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee. (Psalm 68:29); Ezek. 43:4-54And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 5So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. (Ezekiel 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. 31:3434And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)).
The Nations
The nations will also be blessed (Psa. 22:27-28; 72:1727All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations. (Psalm 22:27‑28)
17His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. (Psalm 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 24:66This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. (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. 14:1616And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16)).
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