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Now notice what Jesus said: "Elias [Elijah] truly shall first come, and
restore
all things" (Matt. 17:11). Notice at that time, John the Baptist already had
come,
completed his mission preparing the way before Jesus' first appearing--yet Jesus
said, "Elijah truly SHALL first come." Elijah was yet to come, IN THE FAR
FUTURE, although John's mission was already completed and he was in prison.
Then Jesus continued: "But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they
knew him not [did not recognize that he was Elijah], but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them."
John had come in the power and spirit of Elijah, but they did not
recoqnize
who he was.
Now why, then, was Elijah YET, in the future, to come--just before the
"day
of the Lord?" Verse 11, Jesus said to "restore all things." John the Baptist DID
NOT do that! Even Jesus did not come the first time to "restore all things." He
came over 1,900 years ago to announce the KINGDOM OF GOD, which will
restore all things. He came to set up his CHURCH--but not then to set up the
KINGDOM. The Church was merely the embryo that shall BECOME the Kingdom
of God WHEN RESURRECTED--when changed to immortal SPIRIT--at Christ's
second coming.
Now notice where Jesus is NOW! He (God) "shall send Jesus Christ..."
back to earth, "whom the heaven must receive UNTIL the times of restitution
[restoration] of all things..." (Acts 3:20-21).
Jesus shall come, SOON NOW, to RESTORE ALL THINGS! He did NOT
restore all things when he first came. John the Baptist did not "restore all
things."
But the one who was to "restore all things" just before the "day of the Lord"
and
preparing the way for Christ's second coming, was YET to come, in the future, as
Jesus said.
Now what are the "all things" to be RESTORED? "Restitution" means
restore to a former state or condition. It DOES NOT and CAN NOT mean restoring
things to a condition as they were in the days of Adam and Eve. It was Adam who
was given the opportunity to "restore all things" as they were before Lucifer
and
the angels SINNED--before Lucifer became Satan and his angels became demons.
Before that, THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD ruled the earth. Lucifer sat on the
throne of the earth, administering the GOVERNMENT OF GOD by the LAW OF
GOD! Sin is the transgression of the spiritual Law. It is the GOVERNMENT OF
GOD that needs to be restored. Adam failed.
Jesus QUALIFIED to restore God's government--to set up the KINGDOM
OF GOD, ruling over the earth, administering the GOVERNMENT OF GOD.
Jesus' Gospel Message was the GOOD NEWS that he would (at his second
coming) RESTORE the government of God through the KINGDOM OF GOD. That
was the true GOSPEL! That Gospel was suppressed within 22 years (Gal. 1:6-7),
and was not proclaimed to the world until THIS CHURCH began proclaiming
it--within the United States beginning 1934, and going worldwide beginning
1953--precisely a century of time cycles after it had been suppressed!