Restoration

The restitution of all things. That has a nice ring to it doesn't it? The restoration of we the children being restored to the faith of our fathers and apostolic truths being put in their proper order. The apostle John wrote in his first letter for us to love one another, that God was love and His love is perfected in us. Saint Paul wrote that love is the fulfilling of the law. Jesus told us that the law and the prophets were contained in love to God and to each other. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts. Through the confirmation of the apostles and prophets working together with the rest of the church, God is giving a unity of love to us as the key that will unlock His final move for the harvest of souls and the establishment of the kingdom through the desire of His heart. The Bride of Christ is being readied and we are about to celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. If your church is asleep, try to fill their lamps and wake them up, time is short. Jesus will come regardless but don't be as the foolish virgins. Now that you know, you must choose. Anoint an action with prayer and expect restoration promises as a sign to you.

The restoration of all things is a term used by some Bible versions to describe what will happen in the last days to fulfill the spiritual re-building of the temple of Zion. Perhaps all Christians are called to it but those in captivity represent those under the leadership of spiritual Jezebel that has the false authority to replace the spiritual kingdom with a temporal one according to the flesh. The ones that have been taken out of the world and continue in the faith and righteousness expected of us would be among those dressed in white awaiting the bridegroom as a spotless bride. We comprise the living stones of that temple being among the remnant chosen to bring these things to pass.

As the temple of Jesus' physical body rose again on the third day, so also are we entering a third millennial day where the temple of the Body of Christ shall also be raised. The King James Version speaks of the restoration as restitution, which is the act of returning something to its rightful owner, in this case, the church. The world and the flesh has had the controlling interest of Christendom for long enough. Just as Elijah came in the person of John the Baptist, so also shall an Elijah generation come as a forerunner to the second coming of Jesus to denounce that Jezebel spirit. We may draw many correct inferences in these last days by comparing what has been given as examples to us in Bible history. Jesus has promised to come again in power and glory and we are part of that process.

Jesus in a very real sense began that restitution in His sinless life being given as a ransom for all but as Paul wrote to Timothy 2:6, that ransom was "to be testified in due time." Jesus did mention that there would be those that will not taste of death before they see the kingdom of God and we understand this to mean that we may enter into the kingdom of eternal life right now. Jesus is in our hearts and we are able to walk in His footsteps and He is able to live His sinless life through us as we deny ourselves and carry His cross. Just as there is a Sabbath rest for God, so shall we see a Sabbath rest in this third day.

Jesus has promised that the latter house will be greater than the former. The former house is the early church that we are to be restored to and according to His promise, the restoration of the "temple made without hands" that the Lord has allowed us to build will be built. Jesus is the Master Builder and we are the workmen; if He will not use us, He will use others but it will be built and restored to its former glory. The Old Testament history of the restoration of the temple at Jerusalem is given as an example for us, a blueprint and plumb line. The scriptures are clear that there will be those that will hinder the remnant in the re-building and we must pray that there are no mistakes, for satan and his allies care not for present truth but only to dredge up the past, judge and condemn us. The more that God speaks through us, the more that we will be called false prophets and the more we speak with authority, the more we will be thought of as arrogant. We must be workmen worthy of eternal life and not let hateful people frighten us and spoil it for us.

I want to encourage you today - be strong in the Lord. Many of us are about to enter into much trial and tribulation for the purpose of sifting. The enemies of restoration and the sins of the flesh are formed against us but they have no power over you unless you give it to them. Jesus has already given us the victory, the war has already been won; you need to believe that and not be afraid. We are the remnant chosen to bring the completion if indeed you are among those that have been called to it and endure to the end. Are we to refuse the Promised Land because of the giants in the land? Trust in the Lord and He will deliver you.

That solemn assembly that Joel prophesied has been on my heart - a lot. It is very important right now. Generally when the Lord puts things on my heart I try to verify them by other sources so we shall see where this is going but at any rate, I will be in that attitude, actually I have been for a long time. It is real hard for me to sing praise songs, we should be singing the blues. I know that we should be praising the Lord in all of our circumstances but who are the ones that are suffering, anyway? For us to be praising the Lord because of our own blessings while so many others are suffering does not make sense to me. It is the luke-warm church that is rich and has need of nothing and the ones that are praising the Lord the loudest. Is that what we have become, noisy gongs and clanging cymbals without substance? Well, I want no part of that, I will have compassion on those that I know have been oppressed and marginalized and exploited and prejudiced against and do what I can to stand in the gap for them. And I will also keep on preaching that we should come into that solemn assembly to pray for those that have been led away captive into the complacency that typifies the church of today. We are to be living out the kingdom.

Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourns; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languishes. Be ashamed, O you husbandmen; howl, O you vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. Gird yourselves, and lament, you priests: howl, you ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
These verses are directed toward the restoration process in our day. When is that solemn assembly? For me it is now. I have said it before that I believe that we are past time for it but that is just because I have been calling for it and am in that attitude already. If it is the Lord or just my pride, we shall see but we should be looking for it to come some time soon. Just because I think it is now is nothing, it has to be from the Lord but what are we waiting for? Is the Lord waiting on us? It is up to us to think of the kingdom of God as being not only a period of peace in the future but thinking in terms of now. If the kingdom is present with us, we should start acting like it. You see the church that Joel is describing? No meat, no drink, the field is wasted, dried up wine. We are to be lamenting, be ashamed, we are to be putting on sackcloth. Doom and gloom is not popular but look at the condition of the church. They want to be popular so they get all worldly and colorful and give the pretense of having some spirituality when the rest of the world is going hungry. We are fortunate in that we are part of what God is doing to restore the church and we should be praising God for everything but are we having an effect? The church is still in a mess. The prophets speak of a great harvest, stadiums being filled and and people healed but what is happening? The church is still in a mess and they still go to their dead churches that have the appearance of being alive and praise the Lord for their privileged circumstance. We need to lament and get down on our knees and weep and howl for a church that thinks they are alive when it is only ignorant pretense. For me, I will, but what of others, it is supposed to be a united thing. I cannot be the only one who thinks this way, am I?

In our discussion group, we have been discussing the Melchizedek priesthood which is an excellent example of the process involved in the restitution of all things. Those involved are saying that since Christ called ALL things into being, from the beginning, Melchizedek is of the Priesthood of Jesus but if we are "in Christ" and Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, then it follows that we also are as Christ because we as Christians are "in Christ". What Christ gets, we all get. So because He is allowed into the holy of holies and we are a part of His family, we all get to come along. When God commanded us to be holy, to be perfect, to be pure, to not sin, He is talking to the new man who is already created in righteousness and holiness, who is already perfect, pure, and holy. The only problem is that we have been living in the old man and visiting the new one now and then. Once sanctified, resurrected with Christ, now comes maturity. Now our minds can be renewed according to the word of God without the defilement of flesh. How much do we have to believe to be a "believer?" Perfection comes through the Melchizedek priesthood and Jesus wants us completely sanctified. Salvation ultimately comes by accepting the whole program and enduring to the end. Those who are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God, however, we live amongst many Christians who refuse to take their "rightful" places in the body. The seat is available to them but God will not pick you up and levitate you to that seat. He simply sends the invitation and longs for you to show. The prophesied royal priesthood after the order of Melchizedek will become visible as the apostles begin to establish the divine government of God.

The restoration movement began under many false authorities in the 19th century who tried to say that the time was near. The church of Christ had their false restoration movement, the seventh day adventists had theirs, the Mormons and Jehovah witnesses had theirs. They all considered themselves to be among the chosen remnant but did nothing to promote unity among anyone but themselves alone. You can look at them and see where they would naturally see the Vatican as the place where the Anti-christ comes from but I believe that they were all wrong. The pope does not have the political, economic or religious power to influence all nations. They may be a part of Babylon but not the clout. Many things here look like rome but we could say the same thing about many other things that fit as to powers that could enforce the mark of the beast. It must be a power that can set up enough sanctions and embargoes to forbid the buying and selling in the world market. The world would never allow the pope to do that, the Vatican is just not a sufficient world power in today's situation.

The restoration of all things is at the last days, not in previous days. Peter - Now you must repent and turn back to God so that He can wipe out your sins, then you will be ready to receive that spiritual renewal which comes through the presence of the Lord. If you will do that, then God will send Jesus back to you, for He is your appointed Messiah. However, He must remain in heaven until the final restoration of all things even as God announced through his prophets long ago.

The great Restoration and parousia (kingly visit) of the Lord promised in the Old Testament is conditioned upon Israel's repentance as a nation. Many prophetic words concerning Israel are fulfilled in the church. If the suffering and death of the Messiah were due to Israel's ignorance and betrayal, then the Messiah's delay could also be due to the continued rejection by the church. This could be a significant verse for fixing the time of the rapture.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God... For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.
It will not come about until Jesus returns from the spirit world (heaven) to establish Israel as His earthly kingdom as He promised David. This event that the prophets spoke, is the future hope of Israel.

The most that we can do in our individual Christian calling is to progress in our spiritual development. I know that is controversial in itself because it seems that so many Christian teachers would have us believe that as soon as we arrive at the cross that we have all that we need and many Christians go on in their salvation without truly growing into maturity. In practice we need to "die every day." The vicissitudes of everyday life stunts our growth only if we let it. Taking up the cross means that we deny ourselves, love and respect each other, grow in that love and then grow in truth and unity and praise and spiritual power and we will see the greater works. It is not about us and how right we think we are, it is about Jesus and His righteousness and taking on His nature.

We are all individuals with individual needs and strengths. Each one of us is a living stone in the building upon the foundation already laid of the restoration. There may be many walls and many majestic rooms but only one temple. Do you really want to see that Shekinah glory? I have caught a glimpse of it, but I want and need more and it consists of being less yourself and more Jesus. Many of you have seen it too, but none of us can glory in it except where Jesus shines through us. None of us have the truth in full measure but we do have Jesus, who is the truth. We are to build upon the fact of Jesus as the Christ and Him crucified. As we restore the spiritual temple, we are the building materials. We are the finished creation as the church itself but a restored church, a holy church, a loving church - one that Jesus can be joined to.

We are not to make this construction all that complicated, one stone upon another until we are joined and fitted perfectly. We need to remind ourselves this year of the perfect law of liberty and not make things so rigid and put up so many legalistic roadblocks and miniscule interpretations to follow. Who is more justified - the person who will not accept the other because he is not doing it right or the one that accepts the other even if he is not doing it right? Sure, we should try to make things right, but how many of us can say that we have arrived?

When Jesus comes again, He will do everything the Jews expect of Him. There will be a great renovation of the physical world (the lion shall lay down with Lamb) and the weather. 'The desert shall blossom like a rose'. Until that day arrives the Lord Jesus must continue to rule from the hearts of men, for all things are not yet subject to Him. They preached Him to men as The Judge of the quick and the dead. They proclaimed a day when God shall judge the world in righteousness by that Man that He hath ordained, whereof He hath given assurance unto all men in that He hath raised Him from the dead. And He shall send Jesus Christ, whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things. These were some of the terms in which they witnessed to Christ to His coming again. And so our witness of the Christ must always include His deity, His Atonement, His resurrection and His coming again.

Many have suffered loss in their life-time. Restoration is a theological concept that you should be very interested in at this time. The Word speaks of the restitution of all things, and this is definitely connected with the second-coming and you can take advantage of the principles of personal restoration that Joel speaks of, right now. Isaiah writes of the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity and dwells in him also with a contrite heart and wishing to revive the hearts of those persons. This is the restoration to seek. This One has seen your ways (however imperfect) and will heal you and lead you and restore comforts unto you.

God will far remove the northern army, send us the former and latter rain in the first month and then restore to us the years that the locust has eaten, and we shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of our God that has dealt wondrously with us and we shall nevermore be ashamed.

Yes, this will happen, the restoration has begun and He is about to pour His spirit upon all flesh, our sons and daughters shall prophesy, our old men dream dreams and upon the servants He shall pour out His spirit. Not since Pentecost (although that was a type), and certainly now, and more to come. He will show wonders in the heavens and earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke. Sound apocalyptic? Of course. And Joel goes on, the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and terrible Day of the Lord.

Well, what is that for you today? If you can but believe, you can apply restoration principles for you personally, today, right now. Not just in the church but in all things. You can expect God to restore to you any area where you have suffered loss. Much loss is due to the belief in loss. With faith, you can turn that around. You can look back at painful periods and see that you have actually gained something. You can look at what has been destroyed and know you can regain something even better. Remember Joseph and his brothers? "You meant evil for me," Joseph said to them; "but God meant it for good." Remember Job, he lost everything and then restored with more that he had before. For every loss, somehow there has been a gain. Drop the loss and pick up the gain.

When you cry, let your companies deliver you; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that puts his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain; And shall say, Cast you up, cast you up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

[Acts, 291, Romans, Joel 1:8-16, 328, Isaiah 57:13-21]



The Lord has given Christians the grace to reconcile the children to their Fathers

As One Body

  • We prepare for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
  • Harvest the Fruit of the Latter Rain
  • Follow Him as the Army of the Lord into His Glory

Help To Prepare A Holy Bride!

Issue Oriented Discussion Newsletter

Index | Search This Site | Aristide.Org | The Latter Rain | Babylon the Great | The Kingdom | The Nicolaitans | Jezebel
The Baptism With the Holy Ghost | The Grand Delusion | World Trade Org | Liberation Theology | Jay Atkinson | Alphabetical Index



jay@latter-rain.com