[542]Unless, therefore, mankind has a full and fair opportunity to be restored to the perfect condition enjoyed by father Adam while in Eden, then all of these promises of Jehovah are meaningless and must fail. If they should fail, such would prove that God is not all-powerful. It would also prove that his promises are not sure; whereas the Scriptures declare: "All the promises of God, whatever their number, have their confirmation in him; and for this reason through him also our 'Amen' acknowledges their truth and promotes the glory of God through our faith. But he who is making us as well as you stedfast through union with the anointed one, and has anointed us, is God, and he has also set his seal upon us, and has put his spirit into our hearts as a pledge and foretaste of future blessing."—2 Corinthians 1:20-22, Weymouth.
[543]Jesus arose from the dead and ascended on high. The fact of his resurrection is a guarantee that all men shall have an opportunity for life. If there is to be no restoration of the human race, then the resurrection of Jesus and the awakening of others from the dead are meaningless and for no purpose. If we believe the Scriptures, we must believe in restoration, because God "hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead". (Acts 17:31) If we do not accept the doctrine of restoration of the human race, then we must ignore the positive words of the Apostle, who wrote: "Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."—1 Corinthians 15:20-26.
[544]"The mystery" is the Christ, the anointed class—Jesus the head and his body members—designated in the Scriptures as the seed of Abraham, according to the promise. (Colossians 1:26,27) It is the repeatedly announced purpose of Jehovah that through this seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Galatians 3:8,16,27,29) Jehovah has devoted much time and effort to the development of the seed of promise. If, therefore, there is to be no opportunity for full restoration of mankind, then the time and effort spent in developing the seed of Abraham has been wasted, and the promise of blessing through this seed is meaningless and void. If we believe the Scriptures above cited, that God's word cannot return unto him void, then we must know that his purposes cannot fail.
[545]The Lord Jesus went away to prepare a place for his bride, the church, which is the seed of Abraham through which the promised blessing of mankind must come. He promised to return and receive his bride unto himself. He has come again, as the Scriptural evidence herein cited clearly and conclusively shows. If there is to be no opportunity for the restoration of man to the condition which Adam enjoyed before he sinned, then the second coming of the Lord must fail in one of its primary purposes. That one of the primary purposes of his second coming is the restoration of the human race, is definitely stated by the inspired witness: "God ... shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you; whom the heaven must receive [retain, hold] until the times of restitution [restoration] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days." —Acts 3: 20-24.
[546]Added to this positive statement of the inspired Apostle is the testimony of all the prophets foretelling the time coming for the restoration of the things that were lost through the disobedience of Adam.
[547]Enoch was the first of the holy prophets. (Jude 14,15) Then followed Jacob (Genesis 49:10), Moses (Genesis 3:15; 12:3; 13:15; 18:18; 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:15,19; 30:15), Samuel (1 Samuel 2:6), Job (14:13-15; 33:19-30), David (Psalm 22:27; 30:5; 37:11; 46:10; 67:1-7; 72:3,4,6,10; 86:9; 93:2; 96:11-13; 98:4-9; 104:5), Solomon (Proverbs 2:21; 11:31; Ecclesiastes 1:4), Isaiah (2:2-4; 9:7; 11:4-9; 14:7; 19:22; 25:6-12; 28:17,18; 29:17,18; 33:24), Jeremiah (3:17; 24:7; 31:16,29,34; 32:39,40; 33:8,9; 46:27; 50:4,5), Ezekiel (11:19; 16;55,61-63; 18:2,31,32; 28:26; 34:25-28; 36:26,27,29,30,35; 37:24; 39:29), Daniel (2:44; 7:27), Hosea (2:18,21; 3:5; 13:14), Joel (2:22,32), Amos (9:11,12; Acts 15:14-18), Obadiah (verse 21), Jonah (chapter 4), Micah (4:1-5,8), Nahum (1:15; 2:3-6), Habakkuk (2:14), Zephaniah (2:11; 3:9,13), Haggai (2:7), Zechariah (2:11; 3:10; 8:3,8,12,15,21,22; 9:10,17; 14:9,11,20), Malachi (1:11; 3:11; 4:2), and John the Baptist. (John 1:29; Matthew 11:9,11) This entire array of holy witnesses, without a single exception, unite in testifying to the coming days of restoration of man.[[A]]
See discussion of this in "The Finished Mystery", pages 62-95.
[548]The reasonable mind cannot conceive that Jehovah would develop a new creation and glorify that creation by committing to the head of it all power in heaven and in earth without assigning the new creation some work to do with reference to man. The very purpose of the glorification of the new creation, the church, is that the members thereof, directed by the head, the Lord Jesus, might judge and bless and restore the families of the earth. There could be no judgment without a trial; and a trial means an opportunity. Jesus plainly said: "In the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel". (Matthew 19:28) Here is the positive statement of regeneration. Regeneration means the act of reproducing or giving life anew to a creature.