When our spirits resonate with truth we will discover that there are many wonders beyond those specifically mentioned in the Bible. We are walking with God on a relational journey to discover more about Him and ourselves and what our role is in restoration. We have the Holy Spirit of Truth in us and with us as our guide. We have Jesus, the way, truth and life, in us and with us to disciple us. We have our loving Father in us and with us to Father us into sonship. Agape love should be what we use to measure and test everything against. If you don’t resonate with anything on the journey, park it and continue to pursue the truth with God directly. There are many things that I don’t yet fully understand cognitively but that does not necessarily make them wrong. There have been many things that I was convinced were true that I now realize were merely man’s opinions and ideas. The 4 streams of thought that are converging into one mighty river are: Mystic sonship, Realized eschatology, Universal reconciliation, Energy frequency healing. We have been focused of the mystic stream. So, we are going to cover the other 3 streams in these messages. How does the restoration of our creation mandate relate to our expectations for the future?
Eschatology is the study of the last things: how does this relate to restoration? How did Jesus link eschatology and restoration? If people are expecting failure and rescue, they are not motivated to participate in restoration. There is little point stewarding a planet that is doomed to destruction.
Futurist eschatology relegates restoration to an event linked to Jesus’ return, not a present process. When people link Jesus’ prophecies in Matt 24 with the distant future rather than with that generation they also link the prophesies of Gehenna / “Hell” with the future; restoration is then irrelevant, as everything will be destroyed and can only possibly be restored by Jesus, at His coming
There are many doctrines linked to eschatology that can sidetrack us from the goal of restoration. Many are rooted in the fruit of the poisonous tree of Brethrenism. These include: The “second coming” as a future “rapture” event rather than a past event. Earthly restoration of Israel in a future 1000-year millennium period replacing the church’s role in restoration in the present – reverse replacement theology. This also includes a 7-year tribulation period and a rapture of believers before the “second coming” of Jesus to set up a literal new temple sacrificial system in Jerusalem for a literal 1000 years for national, Zionist Israel.
Over the last 200 years, futurist eschatology has become the default position but it was not always the case. The rapture, second coming, and millennium have numerous sub-positions around the issue of the so called “second coming.” Premillennialism, Postmillennialism and Amillennialism Pretribulation, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation rapture rescue.
In these messages we are going to explore these topics from Jesus’ perspective. Because futurism is the default position for most people, these issues tend be controversial and easily cause offence. Please keep an open mind and ask the Spirit of Truth to give you revelation.
In the 1980’s, in the Brethren church, I went through a number of deconstructions of my beliefs. In 1986, after 3 years of seeking, I was baptized in the Spirit. God then challenged my understanding of the kingdom of God and deconstructed my eschatology. I was conditioned to be a pre-tribulation, premillennial, futurist Zionist; who believed that Jesus was going to literally return to physical Israel, who I thought were God’s earthly people.
All that changed during the deconstruction of my belief systems and that process has continued. Heresy – belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine. (the act of having) an opinion or belief that is the opposite of or against what is the official or popular opinion.
What is orthodox? Whose orthodoxy do we oppose? Heretic – a person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted. A person who has beliefs that are opposed to the official belief of a church and that the church considers wrong. “My past self would probably call my present self a heretic.”
We are on a journey where revelation is progressively unveiled. You are probably going to be a heretic to someone; make sure it is not God’s view you are opposing.
Here is a useful acronym for heretic, Happy, Enlightened Redeemed, Enjoying Truth in Christ. You won’t please everyone, but you are already pleasing to Father. These issues are controversial and often cause a highly emotional response.
If your theology and doctrinal positions are challenged and you feel offended, please take it back to the Father and be open for the deconstruction of your beliefs.
I have covered basic eschatology in – Preparation for Sonship, so in this section I will try to cover the second coming and Israel, and how it relates to restoration I will also look at how eschatology has impacted our view of universal reconciliation and hell.
“God is love plus nothing! God’s holiness and justice are facets of His love, and not something different or opposite from His love.” Only the lens of love will enable us to see the true nature of who God is and understand restoration. If your theology doesn’t lead you to love people more, you should question your theology!
I believe the restoration of all things is not a one-off event but is a continual process that God does with us, in us, and through us as His sons. I believe as coheirs we are to be involved in and carry responsibility for the restoration of all things, and specifically for creation’s freedom.
What is a happy, realized, fulfilled or covenant eschatology? Most eschatological systems have far from happy endings for some or most people and created beings. Most eschatological systems have expectations of fearful judgment, punishment, war, doom, gloom, destruction and failure for mankind.
In happy eschatology, there is a more optimistic view of the future; realizing that the prophesied doom and gloom, judgment and destruction are things that have already been fulfilled, leading to a restorative period where all things will be restored.
The future is positive and filled with possibilities of increase and blessing In a happy, realized eschatology, all biblical references to the end, last days, end times, last hour, and ‘soon to take place’ are all referring to the end of the old covenant that Jesus prophesied would occur in that generation.
There is no fear for the future, based on Biblical prophecy, if it is past for us. The end is past not future. The end of the old heavens and earth is past not future. The new heavens and the new earth is present not future. The great tribulation is past not future. The end of the age is past not future Judgment and resurrection are past, not future. Matt 24:34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. Matt 24:21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
That great tribulation, as prophesied, has already occurred and will never be repeated again to fulfil prophecy and be the end of the old covenant. That does not mean that there will never be any tribulation again throughout history; but if there is tribulation, it will not be a fulfilment of Bible prophecy or this specific passage.
Matt 24:2- And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
Matt 24:3 And when he is sitting on the mount of the Olives, the disciples came near to him by himself, saying, `Tell us, when shall these be? and what [is] the sign of thy presence, and of the completion of the age? YLT. Parousia is the Greek word often translated ‘coming’ and is often given to the ‘second coming’ of Jesus. Many the times the Greek word parousia is translated in English as ‘coming’ when it actually means ‘presence’ in the Greek. Confirmational biased interpretation and translation that places past and present into a distant future.
1 Thes 3:13 so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
1 Thes 3:13 to the establishing your hearts blameless in sanctification before our God and Father, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. YLT
1 Thes 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
1 Thes 5:23 …. be preserved unblameably in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ; Parousia: a presence. The word means literally ‘the being beside,’ thus, ‘the personal presence.’ NASB
Parousia as ‘coming’: 24 times YLT and Rotherham’s translation Parousia as ‘coming’: 0 times YLT and Rotherham’s translation Parousia as ‘presence’: 24 times.
The New Testament doctrine of our Lord’s Second Coming- By James Stuart Russell http://www.bereanbiblechurch.org/transcripts/christ_has_come/russell.html
Summary conclusion His coming would be the close and consummation of the aeon or age; ‘the coming of the kingdom of God with power.’
This truth, that was a present expectation for them has through the centuries lost its meaning to become only a future expectation.
This coming was expressly declared by Jesus to be near, not distant future; meaning the event is impending that He shall come; He is about to come. This was an expectation that they were prepared for and were saved from physical death because they were ready. Some of those who heard Jesus make this prediction were still alive to witness the event of which He spoke, His coming in glory. The inference therefore is, that the Parousia, or glorious coming of Christ, was declared by Himself to fall within the limits of that then existing generation.
Parousia really means presence, not coming; therefore it is present and not future. Parousia originally meant to be in the presence of the king who had come and has been twisted to mean the coming of the king, not presence of the king.
Jesus ‘coming on the clouds in power’ happened in that generation. The book of Revelation happened in that generation. The lake of fire, in context, happened in that generation. Jesus’ second coming happened in that generation. Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy happened in that generation ‘As in the days of Noah’ happened in that generation. They fled from Jerusalem to the mountains in that generation. The judgment and resurrection happened in that generation. The kingdom was established in that generation. That generation ended in 70 AD with the destruction of the temple and the final end of the old covenant period.
The period of the restoration of all things began in that generation and continues in the New Covenant.
Prophecy relating to Gehenna and outer darkness also already happened in that generation and not in the future.
Jesus did not teach about ‘hell’ and ‘eternal conscious torment’; therefore all still have the opportunity to choose Jesus as Lord, even after death.
How the Bible frames our understanding of our future will greatly influence what we believe about our sonship and what we believe is possible in restoration. Our expectations of the future will also determine what we will believe about our part in its fulfilment.
When would Jesus’ return? Why would Jesus’ return? How would Jesus’ return? Where would Jesus return? Would Jesus’ return be literal and physical?
There is symbolic language and meaning, but also literal evidence. There are a number of questions people raise when their futurist view is challenged. It is said that Jesus left physically and will have to return physically. Does it really say that or is it a futurist assumption? Acts 1:9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 11 … “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
‘Come’ here is Greek erchomai not parousia arrival (1), arrived (1), brought (1), came (225), come (222), comes (64), coming (87), entered (2), expected (3), fall (2), falls (1), give (1), go (1), going (2), grown (1), lighting (1), next (1), turned (1), went.
The same word can be used of ‘come’ and ‘go’ and ‘enter’! Was the meaning that Jesus went physically and would come physically? Was the meaning that Jesus went in a cloud and would come in the cloud? Was the cloud a physical cloud of moisture vapor (therefore Jesus could not come back on a sunny day) or was the cloud symbolic of the cloud of witnesses?
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
Act 1:11 … “this Jesus who was received up from you into the heaven, shall so come in what manner ye saw him going on to the heaven.” YLT The manner was ‘in a cloud’ which was Jesus also relating to that generation.
Matt 24:30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. That happened in that generation.
Matt 26:64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless, I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
The High Priest would see in that generation.
Acts 1:9 Cloud, Greek nephelé.
Heb 12:1 Cloud, Greek nephos.
Matt 24:30 Clouds, Greek nephelōn.
Matt 26:64 Clouds, Greek nephelōn All words are rooted in physical, literal clouds; but can have a symbolic as well as literal meaning.
Apocalyptic/prophetic/symbolic language – When we read that Jesus is coming on the clouds and stars are falling from the heavens in Matthew 24, we should realize this is the language of the OT prophets.
It was never meant to be taken literally but is figurative and symbolic.
In the OT when God came riding upon the clouds in judgment rolling up the heavens like a scroll, this was symbolic language depicting the fall and judgment of nations (not literal and physical).
The Bible interprets its own symbolism, if we let it. In Daniel chapters 7, 9 and 12 the consummation of the major eschatological events can be found. Daniel connected the eschatological time of the “end” with events such as the desolation of the temple, the resurrection, the tribulation, the coming of the Son of Man and the arrival of the kingdom. All those events would take place when the city and temple would be destroyed or “when the power of the holy people would be completely shattered”; “all these things” (not some of them) would be fulfilled together ( see the consummation scenes in Dan. 12:1-7; Dan. 7:13-14, 18, 27; 9:24-27). In Matthew (13:39-43, 51.)
Jesus taught that the judgment and resurrection (“the time of the end” eschatological events) would take place at the end of their old covenant “this age.” Jesus specifically asks them if they understood His teaching on the time of this harvest at the end of their “this age” and they emphatically responded “Yes” (vs. 51). Jesus had previously taught that He would return in some of their lifetimes.
Matt 10:23 “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.”
Matt 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels and will then repay every man according to his deeds. 28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Mark 8:38-9:1, Luke 9:26-27.)
What Jesus, as the living word of God, said about His coming must be used to interpret what everyone else has said or written about it, including the cloud of witnesses, Peter, John, Paul, James – or anyone else, for that matter!
The Parousia, the ‘second coming ‘of the Lord Jesus Christ was in that generation That the manner of His coming was to be glorious -‘in his own glory’; ‘in the glory of his Father’; ‘with the holy angels.’ That the object of His coming was to judge that ‘wicked and adulterous generation’ (Mark 8:38), and ‘to reward every man according to his works.’
Luke 18:8 “I say to you, that He will execute the justice to them quickly; but the Son of Man having come, shall he find the faith upon the earth?” YLT. The word ge means land or ground or country, and refers to Israel, not the world.
Matt 19:28 And Jesus said to them, “Verily I say to you, that ye who did follow me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man may sit upon a throne of his glory, shall sit – ye also – upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel…”
Regeneration palingenesia renewal 3824 paliggenesía (from 3825 /pálin, “again” and 1078 /génesis, “birth, beginning”) – properly, the coming of new birth because “born again”; regeneration.
824 paliggenesía (“renewal, rebirth”) is used twice in the NT referring to: a) the re-birth of physical creation at Christ’s return (Advent), which inaugurates His millennial kingdom. (Mt 19:28; cf. Ro 8:18- 25); and: b) the re-birth that all believers experience at conversion (Tit 3:5). It was future: it is now past, and present.
Matt 19:29 “and everyone who left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for my name’s sake, a hundredfold shall receive, and life age-during shall inherit…” YLT.
Mark 10:30 “…but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life [and in the age that is coming, life age-during (YLT)]. By using ‘eternal life’ not ‘age-enduring life’, the age to come is put off until the distant future, totally changing the meaning of ‘that generation’ fulfilment, linked also with Jesus and the disciples being enthroned and ruling.
To what period are we to assign the event or state here called by Jesus the ‘regeneration’? It is evidently contemporaneous with ‘the Son of Man sitting on the throne of his glory. That is a present fact, having occurred on resurrection day. There cannot be any question that the two phrases, ‘The Son of Man coming in his kingdom,’ and ‘The Son of Man sitting on the throne of his glory,’ both refer to the same thing, and to the same time. It is to the Parousia that both these expressions point.
But the ‘coming age’ was, as we have already seen, to succeed the existing age or aeon, the period of the Jewish dispensation, the end of which Jesus declared to be at hand.
The kingdom, His rule, is now; not in a future 1000 years. We conclude, therefore, that the ‘regeneration,’ the ‘coming age,’ and the ‘Parousia’ are virtually synonymous or contemporaneous. This was a near future “in that generation event”, not one that most people are still looking for.
The coming of Jesus is linking resurrection, judgment and the last day that John would be alive to witness.
John 5:25-29 “Verily, verily, I say to you there is coming an hour, and it now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those having heard shall live.”
John 6:39. “And this is the will of the Father who sent me, that all that He hath given to me I may not lose of it but may raise it up in the last day.”
John 6:40 “… may have life age-during, and I will raise him up in the last day.”
John 6:44 “no one is able to come unto me, if the Father who sent me may not draw him, and I will raise him up in the last day”
John 11:24 “He shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
John 12:48 “He who is rejecting me, and not receiving my sayings, hath one who is judging him, the word that I spoke, that will judge him in the last day.”
The words relate to salvation from Jerusalem’s destruction, not ‘going to heaven’ one day, after you die. The coming also is constantly represented as coincident in point of time with the ‘end of the age,’ so that all these great events, the Parousia, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment, and the last day, are contemporaneous.
The end of the age is not the end of the world, or total destruction of the earth, but the close of the Jewish economy. The Old Covenant period was in place in the existing generation that would come to an end in AD70.
We must conclude that the Parousia, the resurrection, the judgment, and the last day, all belong to the period of the destruction of Jerusalem. Not thousands of years later in the distant future. Most Christians today have been conditioned by the evangelical futurist doctrine to put everything off to the future, that Jesus clearly said would occur in that generation. This conditioning is at the root of confirmation bias in eschatology.
When did Jesus say He would come? Some of His audience would live to see it happen (Matthew 16:28.) He would surely come during that generation (Matthew 24:34.) The apostles wouldn’t have enough time to go through Israel, before His coming (Matthew 10:23.) The apostle John would still be alive (John 21:22.) The members of the Jewish Council would witness it (Matthew 26:64.) The first Jewish Christians had to be prepared for His coming (Matthew 24.)
The Father is revealing His heart for the restoration of all things and that is so challenging to our present beliefs that many people are rejecting the Father’s heart for the 200-year-old traditions of men. As we will see, realized eschatology also removes hell as eternal conscious torment. Rest is the key to restoration and revelation.
Start to focus on your breathing, slowing it down, and start thinking of the name of God YHVH. Breathe in deeply and exhale slowly: Yod- Breathe in. Hei- breathe out. Vav-breath in. Hei-breathe out. Repeat.
Invite love, joy and peace to flow in you, fill your spirit and soul, and let it flow through you to create an atmosphere of rest around you. You are in a safe place. Start to think of an open heaven and set your desire upon it. Steps like Jacob’s ladder leading up to heaven. Hear the invitation to come up here. Shift the focus of your mind to heaven. Walk up those steps to the door. Now step through the veil into the kingdom realm. You will meet Jesus standing in the doorway. Present yourself to Jesus, your High Priest, as a living sacrifice. Let Him take you by the hand. Ask Him to reveal restoration and the oracles of the Father’s heart. Ask Him to take you into the eternal now. Ask Him to take you to the fire stones. Jesus, please take each person and show them what they need to receive the mandate for restoration. Go wherever He takes you.