T HE U PWARD C ALL
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet;
but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God
IN C HRIST J ESUS .
(Philippians 3.13-14 NASB )
#02-08108
N OVEMBER 28, 2008
B EHOLD , I A M M AKING A LL N EW ! #4
The previous issue addressed the restoration of all things in bringing about God’s purpose of being all
in all in all new . This final issue very briefly looks at the remaining five words beginning with the prefix
re ― restitution , revival , recovery , reconciliation , and redemption . No attempt is made to fully
explain or even come close to explaining the meaning of these words. The purpose is to simply put
the terms before you for your consideration and further study as part of God’s plan to achieve His
purpose. But please keep in mind that these re concepts are not the all new of God; they are simply
part of God’s plan that must be completed in order to bring in the all new . They are part of the plan,
not the purpose. Obviously, among those who hold to one or more of these views, there are camps
within camps with their differences and emphases. I make no attempt to sort these out or to highlight
hem, except to offer my opinion on some aspects which are of interest to me.
2
“If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls
into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and
the dead animal shall become his.” (Exodus 21.33-34 NASB)
b
I believe that restitution will be a significant part of the chastening that will take place through the lake
of fire. Further, through Paul we know that the saints will judge the world and the messengers
(angels), and this judgment is for setting things right, which, obviously, encompasses the concepts of
restoration and restitution. Simply, all debts will be paid. Do not confuse this with the one debt that our
ord Jesus paid for the sin of the world, which is explained by the word redemption .
L
The word revival means “a bringing or coming back into use, attention, or being, after a decline;
restoration to vigor or activity; a bringing or coming back to life or consciousness; a stirring up of
religious faith among those who have been indifferent, usually by dramatic, fervid preaching and
eetings.” In the Hebrew, the word chayah , which means “to live,” is often translated as revive .
m
Will You not Yourself revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? (Psalm 85.6
NASB)
For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell
on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive
the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isaiah 57.15 NASB)
Today, revival is used in reference to the so-called “church” of our day being spiritually revived. The
fact of the matter is that there have been revivals in the history of the “church,” and there are some
today that believe that we are on the cusp of a great revival that will occur in our present age that will
exceed all previous revivals. Time will tell if this will be so. Many who are looking for revival also see
t
The word restitution means “a giving back to the rightful owner of something that has been lost or
taken away; restoration; a making good for loss or damage; reimbursement; a return to a former
condition or situation.” We see this principle in the laws of restitution given to ancient Israel (Exodus
2.3-15; Leviticus 5.16; 6.5; Numbers 5.7, 8; 2 Samuel 12.6).
Depending on the translation, the Hebrew word shub , often translated as restoration , is also
translated as restitution ; consequently, the two words go hand-in-hand. The Hebrew word shalam ,
which means “to be safe, to be completed,” is also translated as restitution . This meaning implies that
restitution makes things complete as in restoring things to a safe condition or as they were intended to
e.
e
However, Scripture points to revival and restoration coming in the next eon and not before. I believe
the type of revival that some are longing for will occur as the next eon unfolds and not in our present
wicked eon. What many see as the “church” in our day most definitely needs to be revived from its
lukewarmness, its spiritual deadness, and all its emphases and worldliness. The revival that is coming
is related to the coming of the kingdom of Christ to this earth and will follow the Feast of Tabernacles
when the conquerors of Christ bring revival to the rest of the “church” that failed to conquer during the
last eon. The conquerors are the ones counted worthy to reign with Christ in His kingdom. They are
the ones that will receive immortal and eonian life when they are transfigured into glorified,
celestial, spiritual bodies in the image of the Lord and through whom the nations will learn
righteousness . Also, through them and their ministry, the “church” will be revived. I do not believe
that Scripture teaches that all believers will be counted worthy. On the contrary, this honor is reserved
for all who conquer or overcome (see Revelation 2-3) while in bodies of death and humiliation. This
nderstanding is more in line with recovery.
u
The word recover means “to get back (something lost, stolen, etc.); to regain; to compensate for;
make up for; to catch or save; to reclaim.” Thus, recovery means to reclaim something that has been
ost. Recovery is not as common a term in our day as restoration is.
l
Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His
hand the remnant of His people, who will remain…. (Isaiah 11.11 NASB)
Those who hold to the concept of recovery see the “church” in declension and, as a whole, not
coming out of this declension in our present eon. They see a remnant of believers who stand for what
the ecclesia is in the heart and mind of God. The remnant holds to the testimony of Jesus as a
epresentative for the whole “church.” The remnant is actually the conquerors or overcomers.
f
For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him
to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross;
through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. (Colossians 1.19-20
NASB)
In order for the Father to be all in all, He must be reconciled or in harmony with all creation, and this is
what the blood of the cross has accomplished, without exception. All things will be reconciled to God
before He makes all new . We could say that reconciliation is an absolute prerequisite for achieving
he purpose of God.
O
For He …. transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1.13-14 NASB)
Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the
redemption of our body. (Romans 8.23 NASB)
Redemption of the body is the one re that is the closest to the all new, for the redeemed body is in the
image of the Son of God, and this is the new creation in Christ . The heart of God’s plan is to have a
people like His Son.
When the firstfruit anointed of the new creation are manifested, then the One sitting on the throne will
rightfully declare: Behold, I am making all new!
The Upward Call #02-08108 by — Stuart H. Pouliot
the “church” rising to a place of glory in the earth as a precursor to the coming of Christ. In other
words, although the “church” might be in a state of lukewarmness and declension, revival will bring
her out of this condition as preparation for the coming of the kingdom of Christ. Actually, some
revivalists see the kingdom being manifested through the “church” prior to the arrival of Christ to the
arth.
r
The word reconciliation means “to reconcile,” which means “to make friendly again or win over to a
riendly attitude; to bring into harmony; to make content; to make peace.”
t
Finally, the word redemption means “to redeem,” which means “to buy back, to get back; to recover.”
f course, the whole Christian faith rests on redemption.