Peter speaks of “the restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time.” The purpose of God in creating the perfect humans, Adam and Eve, was for them to have children, who would have children, until the earth was filled with perfect humans. These perfect humans should live forever in the paradise on the earth.
This purpose was temporarily thwarted by the rebellion of Satan, the Devil. But the words of Peter, and the words of the prophets, whom he refers to, show that the situation that existed before Satan’s rebellion will be restored. Peter’s words, therefore, show that in the future, the earth will be filled with perfect humans who will live forever. This is the fulfillment of Peter’s words about the restoration, and this has been his purpose before God creation of humans.
In the four previous Parts, I have demonstrated that the basis for the restoration is the corresponding ransom of Jesus Christ. I have argued that Judgment Day is the same as the thousand-year reign of Jesus, and that all Adam’s descendants, except the 144,000 persons who will reign with Jesus in heaven, and those who sin against the holy spirit, will have a resurrection on Judgment Day. I have further argued that during the thousand years, humans will gradually proceed toward perfection, and at the end of the thousand years, all things will be restored. All humans will then be perfect, exactly as Adam was before he sinned. Each one will now get the same choice that Adam and Eve got: to serve and worship Jehovah or to refuse to do so.
Part V will discuss in detail the promise of restoration, showing how this promise is connected to several passages in the Bible. In Part I, I showed that The Christian Greek Scriptures clearly state that all who die because of inherited sin will get a resurrection. Part V will discuss passages indicating what will happen on Judgment Day after the resurrection. For example, which inspired expressions are behind the view that the resurrected ones will gradually proceed toward perfection during the thousand-year reign of Jesus and reach human perfection at the end of the thousand years?
THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS SPOKEN BY THE PROPHETS
Peter healed a lame man, and the people gathered around Peter and John. Peter spoke to the crowd and said, according to Acts 3:19-21:
19 “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, so that (hopōs ’an) seasons (“appointed times,” kairos) of refreshing (anapsyksis) may come from Jehovah himself 20 and he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus. 21 Heaven must hold this one within itself until the times (khronos) of restoration (apokatastasis) of all things (pas) of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old.
This passage is particularly important because it points to the very core of God’s purpose with humans and the earth — the restoration of all things, as they were before the first humans sinned. We need to analyze the words of this verse.
REPENTANCE IS NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR THE REFRESHING AND THE RESTORATION
The words “so that” in verse 19 can mislead the reader. These words indicate that the last part of the verse is dependent on the first part. In other words, that people repent and turn around is the requirement for the coming of appointed times of refreshing, and that God will send Jesus Christ. This is wrong because Jesus will come again regardless of what people do, and the appointed times are decided by God and are not dependent on humans.
We find one way the expression hopōs ’an is used in Acts 15:16 NIV:
“‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the (“and so” Good News Version) remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’.”
The conjunction hopōs is a “marker of purpose of events and states.” (Louw and Nida) David’s fallen tent was the kingship in the line of David. Jacob spoke these words at the meeting of the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem in 49 CE. And he said that the words were fulfilled on all the people of the nations who had become Christians. Thus, the words hopōs ’an, translated as “that” and “and so” do not say that building David’s fallen tent was a requirement for the nations to seek God. But building David’s fallen tent was the same as people of the nations becoming Christians.
Therefore, the words hopōs ’an do not state a condition, but they state the purpose of God. In a similar way, in Acts 3:19, hopōs ’an do not say that repentance is a requirement for what follows. But the words show what the purpose of Jehovah is.
THE APPOINTED TIMES FOR THE REFRESHING AND THE RESTORATION
Two words referring to time are found in verses 19 and 21. The word kairos in the plural refers to appointed times that can be counted. The word khronos in the singular refers to general time. But it can also refer to appointed times that can be counted. This is particularly the case when khronos is in the plural. I quote Luke 21:24 (above) and Galatians 4:4 (below):
24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times (kairos) of the nations are fulfilled.
4 But when the full limit of the time (khronos) arrived, God sent forth his Son, who came to be out of a woman and who came to be under law.
The words in Luke 21:24 show that kairos in the plural refers to a definite number of time periods that will end when Jerusalem is no longer trampled upon. The time referred to by khronos in the singular ended when Jesus Christ started his preaching work. Here, khronos refers to units of time that can be counted, namely, to the 69 weeks of years mentioned in Daniel 9:25:26.
The Hebrew language often uses parallelisms, and the most common form is to put words, expressions, or two clauses side by side, and they say the same thing with different words. We also see this in the Christian Greek Scriptures. One example is Acts 1:7:
7 He said to them: “It does not belong to YOU to get knowledge of the times (khronos) or seasons (“appointed times,” kairos) which the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction (exousia).
Here, the words times (khronos) and appointed times (kairos), are parallel. Both words are in the plural, referring to time periods that can be counted and which God has decided. Jesus said that God has placed these time periods in his own “jurisdiction.” The Greek word exousia has the meaning “power, ability, faculty, authority, rule, dominion, jurisdiction.” (Mounce) The purpose of God is connected with his authority and rule, which means that appointed times are a part of his “purpose of the ages.” Paul speaks about the existence of these appointed times in 1 Thessalonians 5:1.
I quote Acts 3:19-21 one time more:
19 “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, so that (hopōs ’an) seasons (“appointed times,” kairos) of refreshing (anapsyksis) may come from Jehovah himself 20 and he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus. 21 Heaven must hold this one within itself until the times (khronos) of restoration (apokatastasis) of all things (pas) of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old.
This is a typical example of Hebrew parallelism because “the appointed times (kairos) of refreshing” are parallel with “the times (khronos) of restoration of all things.” This is also noted by commentators, and I give one example:
Verse 20. The parallelism between the two halves of the verse shows that the kairoi anapsykseōs, “of refreshing,” are not intervals of respite in the eschatological distress, but rather the final time of salvation (like the khronoi apokatastaseōs, “times of restoration,” v. 21) anapsyksis, “refreshing” is the subjective counterpart to apokatastasis “restoration.”[1]
This parallelism means that the two expressions refer to exactly the same thing. When we look at the details, the parallel between kairos and khronos is clear: both refer to appointed times that can be counted. But what is the parallel between “refreshing” and “restoration”? These words seem to refer to different things.
THE MEANING AND APPLICATION OF ANAPSYKSIS
When we ask for the meaning of the expression “appointed times of refreshing,” it is difficult to find an answer. The word “refreshing” is a noun, and it needs something it can modify, such as:
A refreshing drink.
A refreshing breeze
A refreshing change
Few things are quite as refreshing as…
And the fresh air fragrance is refreshing.
The expression “appointed times of refreshing” has no meaning because we do not know to what the refreshing refers. In a similar way, the expression “appointed times of restoration” would have no meaning without a context because we do not know to what the restoration refers. However, the expression “times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old” shows the meaning and reference of the expression.
THE LEXICAL MEANING OF ANAPSYKSIS
That the rendering “refreshing” in Acts 3:20 lacks meaning suggests that the rendering “refreshing” for the Greek word anapsykhsis is unsatisfactory, and I refer to several definitions of the word in lexicons:
a refreshing coolness after heat; met. refreshing, recreation, rest, Acts 3:20.[2]
relief from distressful, burdensome circumstances; a state of cheer and encouragement after a period of having been troubled or upset.[3]
Breathing space, relaxation, relief fig.,of the Messianic age kairois anapsykseos, times of rest Ac 3:20. [4]
The Greek word for refreshing admits of a twofold derivation (from psyche and psykhō), according to which it properly denotes either cooling and relief from heat, or the recovery of breath after exhaustion. In either case, the essential meaning is the same, although the first is the idea naturally suggested by the English word refreshing. What is here meant is relief from toil or suffering, not without an implication of more positive enjoyment.[5]
In Hellenistic Greek anapsyksis means rest or respite when not used literally of cooling.[6]
From these comments, we see that anapsyksis has the meaning “relief.” (blue text) This is not relief in the general sense, but relief from toil and suffering (green text). And such relief is connected with rest, which was the meaning of the word in Classical Greek. (red text)
THE WORDS ANAPSYKSIS IS CONNECTED WITH THE SABBATH IN THE SEPTUAGINT
I quote two examples from the Septuagint, which can throw light on the meaning of the verb anapsykhō which corresponds to the noun anapsyksis, I quote Exodus 23:12 (above) and 34:21 (below):
12 “Six days you are to do your work; but on the seventh day you are to desist (anapausis, “rest”, in order that your bull and your ass may rest (anapauō) and the son of your slave girl and the alien resident may refresh (anapsykho) themselves.
21 “Six days you are to labor, but on the seventh day you will keep the sabbath (katapauō). In plowing time and in harvest you will keep sabbath (katapauō). (Footnote: “You will rest.”)
When God rested according to Genesis 2:2, the Septuagint uses the verb katapauō with the meaning “to desist from work,” and by implication “to rest.” We see the use of katapauō two times in Exodus 34:21. However, when laws regarding the sabbath are mentioned, the focus is not on desisting from work but on the positive result of resting on the sabbath. For this focus, the verb anapauō is used — the difference being the prefixes ana- and kata-. Please note that both verbs are used with reference to the sabbath.
The meaning of katapauō is, as mentioned, “to desist from work, to rest.” And the meaning of anapauō is “to cause to rest, soothe, refresh” (Mounce), “to continue to be in a state in or on someone, with the implication of a beneficent result.” (Louw and Nida) One example from the Greek Scriptures is Matthew 11:28:
28 Come to me, all YOU who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh (anapauō) YOU (“I will give you rest,” NIV). 29 Take my yoke upon YOU and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and YOU will find refreshment (anapausis) for YOUR souls (“you will find rest,” NIV).
This verse shows that the verb anapauō and the noun anapausis both mean rest and refreshment. If we look back on the quotation from Exodus 23:12 above, we see that anapauō and anapausis are applied to the sabbath law, meaning that the focus is not on desisting from work but on the great benefits of keeping the sabbath. We note that anapsykho is used as synonym to anapauō. Both verbs stress the rest on the sabbath and the refreshment and benefits of keeping the sabbath.
| The application of anapsykhō to the sabbath day, both stressing the rest and the benefits and refreshment from the rest, justifies my rendering “refreshing rest” for the noun anapsychis. |
A NEW TRANSLATION OF ACTS 3:19-21
Based on the discussion above, I suggest a new translation of Acts 3:19-21, NWT84 above and my translation below:
19 “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, so that seasons (kairos) of refreshing (anapsyksis) may come from Jehovah himself 20 and he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus. 21 Heaven must hold this one within itself until the times (khronos) of restoration (apokatastasis) of all things (pas) of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old.
19 “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, that the appointed times (kairos) of the refreshing rest (anapsyksis) may come from Jehovah himself. 20 And he may send the one chosen beforehand for you, Christ Jesus. 21 Heaven must take hold of this one until the times (khronos) of restoration (apokatastasis) of all things (pas) of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets through the ages.
Important differences between the translations are marked in different colors, and I have the following comments. The word that instead of so that shows that the coming of the appointed times does not depend on repentance and turning around. The Greek word kairos basically means an appointed time, a special time. I use the words appointed times rather than seasons, to show that Peter speaks of particular time periods that can be counted.
The noun refreshing standing alone without another word or phrase that can specify the kind of refreshing that is meant, has no meaning. The word anapsyksis includes both the idea of rest and of refreshing, and therefore I render it as the refreshing rest. The kind of refreshing rest is not specified by Peter. But it is specified in the bigger context, as I will show below. The words chosen beforehand is not very different from appointed.
I use through the ages instead of of old. The Greek word aiōn often refers to time with the meaning “time with an unknown end — time indefinite.” It can also refer to an age where the focus is on the characteristics of the age — a system of things. Or the focus can be on the age and not on its characteristics — age. In this case I find that age is the best rendering.
The basic meaning of the Greek word khronos is time in general. But in several situations, the context shows that it has the meaning “appointed times” that can be counted, like the meaning of kairos. In verse 21, khronos is plural, and it parallels kairos in verse 19. Therefore, I render khronos in verse 21 as times, because it is its basic meaning. But it is clear that in this context the meaning is appointed times.
In the example from Exodus 23:12, the Greek word anapsyksoō (“to have a refreshing rest”) was used in the same verse, and as a synonym, of the verb anapauō (“to rest”). Based on this synonymous use, we can construe the meaning of anapsyksis in Acts 3:20 as refreshing rest. What anapsyksis refers to will be discussed below.
THE REFERENCE OF THE EXPRESSION “REFRESHING REST” IN ACTS 3:19.
I have demonstrated above that the noun anapsyksis and the verb anapsykhō in the LXX are connected with the sabbath. They both focus on the rest and the benefits and refreshment that are caused by the rest. Another verb connected with the sabbath is katapauō, which emphasizes desisting from work rather than focusing on the benefits of the sabbath.
When we are looking to find the reference to “the appointed times of the refreshing rest,” we need to consider the use of both anapauō and katapauō in the Christian Greek Scriptures. The verb anapauo is never connected with time or with future prophecies in the Christian Greek Scriptures. But the verb katapauō is connected with prophetic time. It occurs four times, including Hebrews chapter 4, and the corresponding noun katapausis occurs seven times in Hebrews 3 and 4. The references in these chapters are to prophetic time. I quote Hebrews 4:1-9:
1 Therefore, since a promise is left of entering into his rest (katapausis), let us fear that sometime someone of YOU may seem to have fallen short of it. 2 For we have had the good news declared to us also, even as they also had; but the word which was heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who did hear. 3 For we who have exercised faith do enter into the rest(katapausis), just as he has said: “So I swore in my anger, ‘They shall not enter into my rest,’” although his works were finished from the founding of the world. 4 For in one place he has said of the seventh day as follows: “And God rested (katapauō) on the seventh day from all his works,” 5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter into my rest (katapausis).”
6 Since, therefore, it remains for some to enter into it, and those to whom the good news was first declared did not enter in because of disobedience, 7 he again marks off a certain day by saying after so long a time in David’s [psalm] “Today”; just as it has been said above: “Today if YOU people listen to his own voice, do not harden YOUR hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had led them into a place of rest (katapauō), [God] would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 So there remains a sabbath resting (sabbatismos) for the people of God.[7]
After the six days of creation, Jehovah desisted from any work, and Genesis 2:2 says that he rested (katapauō). In the section about the Jubilee below, I demonstrate that Jehovah’s day of rest is 7,000 years long. And the last thousand years are the sabbath of which Jesus is Lord. (Matthew 12:8)
The point of chapter 4 is that people can rest together with Jehovah by showing faith and obedience. The Jews were invited to rest with Jehovah when they entered the promised land. But they lacked faith. At the time Hebrews was written, there was still the possibility of entering God’s rest by faith and obedience.
The important point of verse 9 is the expression “there remains a sabbath resting (sabbatimos).” The word sabbatismos occurs only once, and it has the meaning of “celebrating the sabbath.” Verse 6 says that it remains for some to enter the rest, i.e., the possibility to enter the rest is extant.
The writer of Hebrews refers to Psalm 95:8-11, where the word “today” refers to the 40-year sojourn in the desert, during which the Jews were offered entrance into God’s rest. But Joshua did not lead them to enter God’s rest because the people lacked faith. Then there is a contrast to “today,” (the sojourn in the desert): After this, God “marks of a certain day” (verse 7) and “have spoken of another day,” (verse 8). According to verse 9, this “day” is expressed by the Greek word sabbatismos, with the meaning, “a special religiously significant period for rest and worship.” (Louw and Nida)
It is important to note that the sabbath was not a day of doing nothing. It should be kept holy (Exodus 20:8), and in the prophetic temple mentioned in Ezekiel 46:3 the people “must bow down (“worship”) at the entrance of that gate on the sabbaths and on the new moons, before Jehovah.” Not only should worship be in the temple, but also in the family, when the sabbath was celebrated, as Leviticus 23:3 shows. Psalm 92 is one of the songs for Jehovah’s praise that was used in the worship on the sabbath.
The important conclusion we can draw from this is that the word sabbatismos refers to the celebration of the sabbath, or the active worship of Jehovah on his holy day. This accords with the requirements shown in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 of showing faith in Jehovah and obey his laws to enter his rest.
Hebrews 4:7, 8 says that God had spoken about “a certain day” or “another day,” and this is the sabbatismos. The only place where we can read that Jehovah spoke about the prophetic sabbath is Isaiah 66:23:
23 “And it will certainly occur that from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath all flesh will come in to bow down before me,” Jehovah has said.
The setting here is that God’s enemies are destroyed. And then the people of God who remain will keep the sabbath. This must be the “certain day,” the “another day” that God spoke about. This must be the “sabbath resting” (sabbatismos) mentioned in Hebrews 4:9, which Jehovah has spoken about after he spoke the words presented in Psalm 95:8-11. The situation after the enemies are destroyed is the thousand-year reign of Jesus, and therefore, “the sabbath resting” (sabbatismos) must be identical with these thousand years. This is also the antitypical sabbath of which Jesus is Lord, according to Matthew 12:8.
Matthew 12:8 “the sabbath” (anapsyksis) = the thousand-year reign of Jesus Hebrews 4:9 “a sabbath resting” (sabbatismos) = the thousand-year reign of Jesus
In the discussion about the future Jubilee below, I will show that the thousand-year reign of Jesus is the last 1.000 years of Jehovah’s day of rest of 7,000 years. Now we can draw a parallel between “the sabbath resting” (sabbatismos) in Hebrews 3:9 and “the refreshing rest” in Acts 3:19. Both are connected with the appointed times connected with Jehovah’s 7,000 year-long sabbath, and both are connected with the 1,000 year-long sabbath of which Jesus is lord. Therefore, the “refreshing rest” (anapsyksis) in Acts 3:19 is identical with “a sabbath resting” (sabbatismos) in Hebrews 4:9. Both refer to the last 1,000 years of Jehovah’s 7,000 year-long day of rest of which Jesus is lord.
Acts 3:19 “a refreshing rest” (anapsyksis) = the thousand-year reign of Jesus Hebrews 4:9 “a sabbath resting” (sabbatismos) = the thousand-year reign of Jesus
[1]. A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, Hermeneia Series, by Hans Conzelmann (1973)
[2]. Mounce Greek Dictionary (Gramcord).
[3]. Louw and Nida Greek Lexicon (Gramcord)
[4]. A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature by F.W. Arndt, F. Gingrich.
[5]. by J.A. Alexander (1887, 1980)
[6]. The Acts of the Apostles Volume IV by F.J. Foakes Jackson and Kirsopp Lake (1979)
[7]. A detailed discussion of these verses is found in the article, “The appointed times of the great Jubilee — the importance of the year 1975 (Part III).” https://mybelovedreligion.no/2025/06/23/the-appointed-times-of-the-great-jubilee-the-importance-of-the-year-1975-part-iii/
THE MEANING AND APPLICATION OF APOTKATASTASIS
The key word is apokatastasis with the meaning, “a restitution or restoration of a thing to its former state; hence, the renovation of a new and better era.” (Mounce) The noun occurs only in Acts 3:21 and not in the Septuagint.
A verb describes an action or a state, and a noun describes the result of the action of the verb, or in some cases, it describes the action itself. The verb apokathistēmi describes the action of restoring, and the corresponding noun apokatastasis describes the result of this action, namely, restoration.
The noun occurs only once in Acts 3:21 and not in the Septuagint, while the verb occurs eight times in The Christian Greek Scriptures and 30 times in LXX. A study of the verb apokathistēmi will help us understand how biblical writers treated the idea of the restoration of all things. I quote one example from the Christian Greek Scriptures and four examples from the Hebrew Scriptures:
Acts 1:6:
6 When, now, they had assembled, they went asking him: “Lord, are you restoring (apokathistēmi) the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
Hosea 11:11
11 And they shall be amazed like a bird from Egypt and like a dove from the land of the Assyrians, and I will restore (apokathistēmi) them to their homes, says the Lord.
Isaiah 23:17
17 And it shall be that after seventy years God will pay a visit to Tyre, and she will be restored (apokathistēmi) again to her ancient condition and will be a market center for all the kingdoms of the world.
Jeremiah 23:8
8 but “The Lord lives who gathered all the offspring of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries, there where he had driven them, and restored (apokathistēmi) them to their land.”
55 Ezekiel 16:55
And your sister Sodoma and her daughters shall be restored (apokathistēmi), just as they were from the beginning, and Samaria and her daughters shall be restored (apokathistēmi), just as they were from the beginning,
The verb apokathistēmi and the noun apotatastasis have the meanings of restoring something to its original state. This is particularly evident in the three instances where the verb is used in Ezekiel 16:55 and the clause “just as they were from the beginning.”
When we consider God’s purpose in creating the earth and the humans, we observe the following scenario: God created the paradise in Eden and placed two perfect human beings within it. Adam had his unborn progeny in his loins, and God’s purpose was that his perfect descendants should fill the earth and expand the paradise to the whole earth. This was temporarily thwarted by Satan’s rebellion. But the purpose of God is that this will be restored “as it were from the beginning” —to borrow the words of Ezekiel. The words of Peter in Acts 3:19-21 mean that in the future, the whole earth will be a paradise filled with billions of perfect descendants of Adam. This means that the situation will be exactly like what it would have been if the first humans had not sinned and violated God’s law.
THE PROPHETS SPOKE ABOUT THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS
A prophet is a person who speaks or writes inspired words from God, regardless of whether he speaks about the past, the present, or the future. Moses was a prophet, and he tells what God said to Adam, as we read in Genesis 1:27, 28:
27 And God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. 28 Further, God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.”
The requirement for Adam and Eve to fulfill God’s purpose was that they obeyed the laws of God. If they did not do that, they would die. I quote Genesis 2:16, 17:
16 And Jehovah God also laid this command upon the man: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. 17 But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”
The account shows that Adam followed Satan in his rebellion, and he was sentenced to death. When God pronounced his judgment, his words also presented a ray of hope, as we see in Genesis 3:15:
15 And I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel.”
The seed of the woman should bruise the head of the snake, who represented the rebel Satan. Enoch was a descendant of Adam, and he expanded on the words about the seed of the woman, according to Jude 14:
14 Yes, the seventh one [in line] from Adam, Eʹnoch, prophesied also regarding them, when he said: “Look! Jehovah came with his holy myriads. 15 to execute judgment against all, and to convict all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly deeds that they did in an ungodly way, and concerning all the shocking things that ungodly sinners spoke against him.”
This was a prophecy about how those who followed Satan would be sentenced. But I will point to positive prophecies. When Peter used the Greek noun apokatastasis (“restoration”), he referred to what the prophets had said. I will now quote four passages from Hebrew and Christian prophets, each one representing rays of hope in connection with the restoration:
Isaiah 65:17-25
17 “For here I am creating new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart. 18 But exult, YOU people, and be joyful forever in what I am creating. For here I am creating Jerusalem a cause for joyfulness and her people a cause for exultation. 19 And I will be joyful in Jerusalem and exult in my people; and no more will there be heard in her the sound of weeping or the sound of a plaintive cry.”
20 “No more will there come to be a suckling a few days old from that place, neither an old man that does not fulfill his days; for one will die as a mere boy, although a hundred years of age; and as for the sinner, although a hundred years of age he will have evil called down upon him. 21 And they will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat [their] fruitage. 22 They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating. For like the days of a tree will the days of my people be; and the work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full. 23 They will not toil for nothing, nor will they bring to birth for disturbance; because they are the offspring made up of the blessed ones of Jehovah, and their descendants with them. 24 And it will actually occur that before they call out I myself shall answer; while they are yet speaking, I myself shall hear.
25 “The wolf and the lamb themselves will feed as one, and the lion will eat straw just like the bull; and as for the serpent, his food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” Jehovah has said.
2 Peter 3:5-13
5 For, according to their wish, this fact escapes their notice, that there were heavens from of old and an earth standing compactly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; 6 and by those [means] the world (kosmos) of that time suffered destruction when it was deluged with water. 7 But by the same word the heavens and the earth that are now are stored up for fire and are being reserved to the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.
10 Yet Jehovah’s day will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a hissing noise, but the elements being intensely hot will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it will be discovered.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought YOU to be in holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion, 12 awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah, through which [the] heavens being on fire will be dissolved and [the] elements being intensely hot will melt! 13 But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.
Revelation 21:1-4
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.
Luk 23:42, 43
42 And he went on to say: “Jesus, remember me when you get into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.”
I will discuss the details of these passages later. But we should note that several passages prophesying about the restoration or discussing the restoration itself are expressed in a figurative language, such as Revelation chapters 21 and 22.
Isaiah speaks about “new heavens and a new earth,” and Peter quotes these words. The context of 2 Peter chapter 3 shows that “new heavens and a new earth” do not refer to literal heavens and earth. According to verse 5, Peter refers to literal heavens and a literal earth. The worldwide flood that he refers to in verse 6 did not destroy the literal heavens and the literal earth. But the water destroyed kosmos, all the humans who lived in the days of Noah. When Peter refers to “the heavens and the earth that are now” (verse 7), he cannot refer to the literal heavens and the literal earth that were not destroyed in the flood, but that are still standing. Therefore, he must refer to figurative heavens and a figurative earth, a new heavenly government and a new state of affairs on earth. John also refers to new heavens and a new earth in Revelation 21:1, and the context shows that these words are figurative as well.
The new heavens and the new earth are directly connected with the restoration of all things, as the words ingreen indicate:
the former things will not be called to mind. (Isaiah 65:17)
the heavens will pass away with a hissing noise. (2 Peter 3:10)
all these things are thus to be dissolved. (2 Peter 3:10)
the former heaven and the former earth had passed away. (Revelation 21:1)
The former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)
The situation will be the same as the situation of Samaria, which is mentioned in Ezekiel 16:55 “and Samaria and her daughters shall be restored (apokathistēmi), just as they were from the beginning.”
Is it possible to connect “the former things that have passed away” with other accounts and words in the Scriptures? The words of Jesus in Matthew 19:3-8 can help us:
3 And Pharisees came up to him, intent on tempting him and saying: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on every sort of ground?” 4 In reply he said: “Did YOU not read that he who created them from [the] beginning (arkhē) made them male and female 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? 6 So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart.” 7 They said to him: “Why, then, did Moses prescribe giving a certificate of dismissal and divorcing her?” 8 He said to them: “Moses, out of regard for YOUR hardheartedness, made the concession to YOU of divorcing YOUR wives, but such has not been the case from [the] beginning (arkhē).
The Greek word arkhē, “beginning,” can refer to the beginning of a great number of time periods, which can be identified based on the context. Jesus quotes the words in Genesis 2:4 about marriage between one man and one woman, and he applies the situation where God expressed these words as “the beginning” (arkhē).
Revelation 21:4 translates the word prōtos («first in time; first in meaning») as «the former (things)». The word prōtos is an adjective that can refer to something that was first in time, i.e, the time before sin was introduced. The word arkhē is a noun, which refers to the beginning of something. Thus, the adjective prōtos and the noun arkhē refer to the same period of time, to the time before Adam and Eve violated God’s law and sinned.
In this “beginning,” God’s laws were followed, and there was peace and harmony in heaven and on the earth. After this “beginning,” Satan caused the humans to rebel and break God’s laws, and Satan became the god of the world of humans. (Luke 4:6) Satan introduced the wicked heaven and the wicked earth, and these are “the former heaven and the former earth” or “the former things” that will pass away. (Revelation 21:1, 4)
Jesus said that “such (a man having more than one wife) had not been the case from the beginning.” And by his words, as quoted in Mathew 19:3-8, Jesus restored the original law of God regarding marriage. However, Jesus not only restored this law, but he also showed that everything that existed in the garden of Eden before the rebellion should be restored. We read in Luke 23:42, 43:
42 And he went on to say: “Jesus, remember me when you get into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.”
The words of Jesus indicate that when at least one part of the earth has become a paradise, the criminal who was also fastened to a pole will receive a resurrection. The situation described in Isaiah 65:17-25, regarding the condition on the new earth, where the wolf and the lamb will feed together, is also a reference to the paradise in the garden of Eden.
Peter wrote about “the times (khronos) of restoration (apokatastasis) of all things (pas) of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old.” The discussion above has shown that the prophets spoke about a full restoration of the paradise in Eden, as it was before Adam and Eve violated God’s law.
TO GATHER ALL THINGS TOGETHER AGAIN IN THE HEAVENS AND ON THE EARTH
I have demonstrated that the Greek noun apokatastasis (“restoration”) appears only once in the Christian Greek Scriptures, in Acts 3:21. Nevertheless, the concept of restoration can also be conveyed by other words. One example of this is Ephesians 1:10
THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ACCURATE TRANSLATION
Paul speaks about the role of Jesus Christ in the restoration, and we read, according to Ephesians 1:10:
10 for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times (kairos, plural), namely, to gather (anakefalaioō) all things (pas) together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. [Yes,] in him.
The correct meaning for the verb in this verse is important, because NWT84 renders it as “to gather all things together again” while NWT13 renders it “to gather all things together.” Most translations have a similar rendering as NWT13. But the Latin Vulgate (above), the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible (middle), and Jubilee Bible 2000 (below) have a rendering like NWT84:
10 in dispensationem plenitudinis temporum instaurare (“restore”) omnia in Christo quae in caelis et quae in terra sunt in ipso.
(Latin translation)10 in the management of the fullness of time to restore all things in Christ that are in the heavens and that are on the earth in him.
10 In the dispensation of the fulness of times, to re-establish all things in Christ, that are in heaven and on earth, in him.
10 that in the dispensation of the fulfillment of the times he might restore all things by the Christ, both those which are in heaven and those which are on earth,
The question is what the real meaning of the verb anakefalaioō. Applying the principles of lexical semantics, we find that the use of “again” has a solid basis. Prepositions are often added as prefixes to Greek nouns to strengthen the meaning or stress a particular side of the meaning. The preposition ana, which is the prefix of anakefalaiō, often has a distributive or repetitive meaning, as in:
anakainizō (“renew”).
anakainoō (renew, change”).
anakainōsis (“renewal”).
anakamptō (“return”).
ananeoō (“renew”).
ananefō (“to regain senses”).
anastauroō (“fasten to a pole again”)
This repetitive meaning of anakefalaioō has long been known by scholars. John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement. In 1765, he published his verse-by-verse comments on the Old Testament and the New Testament. I quote from Wesley’s notes on Ephesians 1:10:
That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times – In this last administration of God’s fullest grace, which took place when the time appointed was fully come. He might gather together into one in Christ – Might recapitulate, re – unite, and place in order again under Christ, their common Head. All things which are in heaven, and on earth – All angels and men, whether living or dead, in the Lord.
The following are three recent quotations. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. III, page 682, has the following comments on the verb anakefalaioō:
Iren. [Irenaeus, c. 130 — c. 200 CE, Church father] used anakafalaioō in the sense of gathering together, summation. Since every summation implies a kind of repetition, the word may sometimes have the direct sense of “to repeat.” The ana- thus assumes an iterative sense which it does not have elsewhere…Apsines [a Greek philosopher in the 3rd century CE] used anakafalaioō with reference to the repetition of an event. The recapitulare in Iren. [Irenaeus] is also to be understood in the first instance as repetition, though it is to be noted that it sums up the original and is thus qualitative…In this summation, however, the prominent element may be, not that of repetition, but that of the affirmation and confirmation implied in repetition.
We note the comment on the preposition ana (“up, upon, on”), which is often used in an iterative sense (= expressing repetition of a verbal action). The use of this preposition with an iterative meaning at the beginning of the verb anakefalaioō could signal the repetitive meaning of doing again, the argument goes.
One example is Romans 13:9, where the commandments have been expressed before, and now they are summed up again (anakefalaioō) in the saying, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” The commentator A.S. Wood in Ephesians in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1978) Vol. 11, page 26, also stresses the repetitive nature of the verb:
The verb anakefalaioō (“to bring together”) means to sum up together again (Rom 13:9). It is derived not from kefalē (“a head”) but from kephalaion (a summary, or sum total”). When a column of figures was added up, the total was placed at the top.
Several commentators of Ephesians also argue in favor of the repetitive meaning of 1:10. Galatians and Ephesians in Meyer’s Commentary on the New Testament (1883, 1979), page 322, says in comments on Ephesians 1:10:
Consequently anakefalaioō, summatim recolligere, “recapitulate summarily,” which is said in Rom xiii 9 of that which has been previously expressed singulatim, “individually,” in separate parts, but now is again gathered up in one main point, so that at Rom. l.e en touto to logo denotes that main point in which the gathering up is contained. And here this main point of gathering up again, unifying all the parts, lies in Christ.
The four quotations above show that the use of the adverbial “again” in NWT84 has a solid linguistic basis. I do not know why the Governing Body deleted this important word from NWT13. However, a characteristic of this translation is that the subtleties and nuances in the original text are often overlooked and not effectively rendered in English.
The words of Paul in Ephesians 1:10, “to gather all things together again in the Christ” must refer to the situation before Satan’s rebellion, to the “beginning” that Jesus referred to. There was peace in heaven because all spirit creatures served Jehovah. And it was peace in the garden of Eden because the two humans obeyed the laws of God. This situation will again be established through the Christ — and this is the same as the restoration of all things.
THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ACTS 3:19-21 AND EPHESIANS 1:10
As we have seen in the discussion above, the concept of “restoration” can be expressed in different words. In addition, the two examples I have discussed also have several similar words. I will now compare Acts 3:19-21 with Ephesians 3:10:
19 “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get YOUR sins blotted out, that seasons [appointed times] (kairos, plural) of refreshing may come from the person of Jehovah 20 and that he may send forth the Christ appointed for YOU, Jesus, 21 whom heaven, indeed, must hold within itself until the times (khronos) of restoration (apokatastasis) of all things (pas) of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time.
10 for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times (kairos, plural), namely, to gather all things (pas) together again (anakefalaioō) in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. [Yes,] in him.
The object in both cases is all things, expressed by the adjective pas. The expression all things is modified by the noun “restoration” in Acts 3:21 and by the verb phrase “gather together again” in Ephesians 1.10.
There is also a time element in both cases. The Greek word kairos has the meaning “appointed time,” often referring to time periods that follow each other and can be counted. The word khronos refers to time generally. But in some contexts, it can also refer to appointed times. In Acts 3:21, khronos is in the plural, and it parallels kairos in verse 19. Therefore, the word khronos in this verse has the meaning “appointed times,” as is the case in verse 19.
The conclusion of the comparison between Acts 3:19-21 and Ephesians 1:10 is that both refer to the restoration of paradise in Eden with perfect humans before Adam and Eve sinned. Both events show that there are appointed times that mark the beginning of this restoration.
DIFFERENT APPOINTED TIMES THAT REFER TO THE BEGINNING OF THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS
The focus of this section is that the noun kairos refers to different actions that will occur at the same point in time, at the beginning of the restoration. To connect the appointed times with the restoration, I quote Acts 3:19-21 one time more:
19 “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, that the appointed times (kairos) of the refreshing rest (anapsyksis) may come from Jehovah himself. 20 And he may send the one chosen beforehand for you, Christ Jesus. 21 Heaven must take hold of this one until the times (khronos) of restoration (apokatastasis) of all things (pas) of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets through the ages.
In these verses, the words “refreshing” and “restoration” refer to the same situation, albeit from two different perspectives. The Greek word kairos, which is connected with “refreshing,” refers to an appointed time, and in the plural, it refers to appointed time periods that can be counted. The word “khronos” in the plural must, as I have shown, also refer to appointed times. Thus, the situation of “the refreshing rest” and “the restoration” is connected with these appointed times. So, we need to find these appointed times.
Paul speaks about the restoration, when all things in heaven and earth will again be gathered together in Christ. I quote Ephesians 1:8-10:
8 This undeserved kindness he caused to abound toward us in all wisdom and understanding 9 by making known to us the sacred secret of his will. It is according to his good pleasure that he himself purposed 10 for an administration (oikonomia) at the full limit (pleroma) of the appointed times (Kairos, plural), to gather all things together (anakefalaioō) in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.
The word oikonomia does not refer to an organization or to an entity. But it is a verbal noun, referring to the action of administering something. And this administration is to gather all things together again in the Christ. We note that just as in Acts 3:21, the noun kairos is in the plural, and the gathering together occurs at the full limit of these appointed times.
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul connects the manifestation (epiphaneia) or coming of Jesus with particular appointed times, and I quote 1 Timothy 6:13-15:
13 I give you orders 14 to observe the commandment in a spotless and irreprehensible way until the manifestation (epifaneia) of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which the happy and only Potentate will show (deiknymi) in its own appointed times (kairos). He is the King of those who rule as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords.
The word kairos (“appointed time”) is in the plural, and the verb deiknymi has the meaning, “to make known the character or significance of something by visual, auditory, gestural, or linguistic means.” (Louw and Nida) According to the context, “the only Potentate” is Jesus Christ, and when he is made manifest at the appointed times, he will make known (deiknymi) his manifestation for all humans. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul mentions other events that are connected with the coming of Jesus. We read in 2 Timothy 4:1:
1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his manifestation (epifaneia) and his Kingdom.
Paul uses both the noun epiphaneia (“be made manifest”) and “apokalypsis” (be revealed). These two words with quite similar meanings must refer to the appointed times that are decided by God. (1 Timothy 6:15)
In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul also speaks about the revelation of Jesus and what will happen at that time. I quote 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
7 But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation (apokalypsis) of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 8 in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9 These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength.
At the revelation of Jesus, all those who are not serving God will be killed. This accords with 2 Timothy 4:1, where we read that Jesus at his manifestation will “judge the living and the dead.”
Now we can get a clearer understanding of the appointed times for the restoration of all things:
- The restoration of all things is connected with particular appointed times (kairoi). (Acts 3:19-21)
- The gathering together of all things again in Christ happens at “the full limit of the appointed times (kairoi).” (Ephesians 1:10)
- The manifestation (epiphaneia) of Jesus Christ will happen at God’s “appointed times. (kairoi).” (1 Timothy 6:15)
- Jesus will “judge the living and the dead” at his manifestation (epiphaneia). (2 Timothy 4:1)
- Jesus will render an unfavorable judgment at his revelation to those who do not serve God. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
Points 4) and 5) refers to the great tribulation, and this is the last event before the thousand-year reign of Jesus, as we see in Revelation 19:11-20:2. That Jesus will “judge the living and the dead” at his manifestation, connects this event with the thousand-year reign of Jesus, because then the living and the dead will be judged, as we read in Revelation 20:11-15.
The important point here is that the full limit of the appointed times (Ephesians 1:10), when the restoration begins, coincides with the manifestation and revelation of Jesus Christ. We need to find the length of these appointed times, and I will do this in the next section.
THE ANTITYPICAL JUBILEE AND THE LENGTH OF THE APPOINTED TIMES
In the last section, we saw that the “full limit of appointed times” coincides with the revelation and manifestation of Jesus. In this section, we will find the length of these appointed times. And I will connect the appointed times with the antitypical Jubilee.
THE FIRST COMING OF JESUS
The appointed time (kairos) of the first coming of Jesus is mentioned in Mark 1:15 (above) and Galatians 4:4 (below):
15 and saying: “The appointed time (kairos) has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near.
4 But when the full limit of the time (khronos) arrived, God sent forth his Son, who came to be out of a woman and who came to be under law.
The reference in these verses is to the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27, which describes 70 weeks of years given to the nation of Israel and the 69 weeks of years until the Messiah should come. The period mentioned consisted of numbered time units. But both verses view the 69 weeks as a whole, and kairos and khronos are used in the singular.[1]
The Greek word kairos refers to appointed times that can be counted, while khronos refers to time in a general sense. However, Galatians 4:4 shows that khronos can also refer to appointed times that can be counted because it refers to the 69 weeks of years to the coming of the Messiah.
THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS (HIS PRESENCE)
The appointed times (kairos) of the second coming of Jesus, when he would become king in the kingdom of God, and his presence would begin, are mentioned in Luke 21:24:
24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times (kairos) of the nations are fulfilled.
Based on Daniel chapter 4, the appointed times can be shown to be seven in number. Based on the same way of calculation as in connection with the 69 weeks of years, the appointed times of the nations are 2,520 years from 607 BCE to 1914 CE.[2]
[1]. For a detailed discussion of the 70 weeks, see chapter 6 in my book When Was the Book of Daniel Written? A Philological, Linguistic, and Historical Approach.
[2]. See the article “The importance of the year 1914 — Understanding the Appointed times of the Nations (Part III).” https://mybelovedreligion.no/2025/06/07/the-importance-of-the-year-1914-understanding-the-appointed-times-of-the-nations-part-iii/
[3]. I have written three articles on the antitypical jubilee. In Part II, I discuss Ephesians 1:10 and Acts 3:19-21.
[4]. See “The appointed times of the great Jubilee — The importance of the year 1975 (Part III).” https://mybelovedreligion.no/2025/06/23/the-appointed-times-of-the-great-jubilee-the-importance-of-the-year-1975-part-iii/
THE JUBILEE AS A PROPHETIC TYPE OF THE TIME OF THE RESTORATION AND THE REFRESHING REST
As I have demonstrated above that the restoration of all things begins at the full limit of the appointed times, as stated in Acts 3:19-21 and Ephesians 1:10. The end of these appointed times coincides with the manifestation of Jesus Christ at the end of his presence, according to 1 Timothy 6:15.
We note that these appointed times (kairoi) are in the plural in Acts 3:21, Ephesians 1:10, and 1 Timothy 6:15. Therefore, we expect to find evidence in the Holy Scriptures of the time periods these appointed times refer to.
Matthew 12:8 says that the Son of man is the lord over the sabbath. However, to become a perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind, Jesus had to keep the law of Moses, including the law of the sabbaths. Therefore, Jesus was a slave of the Jewish sabbath and not its lord.
This shows that just as Jesus used the literal temple as a symbol of the temple of his body (John 2:19-21), he referred to something different from the Jewish sabbaths in Matthew 12:8. Paul says that the Jewish sabbaths and other festivals were shadows or types of things that will be fulfilled in connection with Jesus.
Against this background, it becomes clear why Peter and Paul employ the plural form of kairoi (“appointed times”) in connection with the restoration and the refreshing rest. According to Revelation chapter 20, the time for the restoration is a thousand years. And this must be the sabbath over which Jesus is lord.
We are now approaching the third account about the restoration and the refreshing rest, namely, the Jewish Jubilee. To point out the background of this source, I quote Colossians 2:16, 17:
16 Therefore let no man judge YOU in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival (heortē) or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath (sabbaton); 17 for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.
Two of the Greek words in Colossians 2:16, 17 include the Jubilee. The word heortē has the meaning “a solemn feast, public festival.” (Mounce) It can refer to all the Jewish festivals, including the Jubilee. The word “sabbath” is also used, and the Jubilee was the fiftieth year which was a sabbath year. Paul says that all Jewish festivals were shadows or prophetic types of bigger things. And the body casting the shadow, the antitype, would come with Christ. We can therefore conclude, without any doubt, that the Jubilee was a type of something bigger that would be related to Jesus Christ.
The Jubilee in Israel was a time when slaves got their freedom, as well as the restoration of property that had previously been sold. It was also a time of freedom and relief from burdens, as well as a time for great rejoicing.[1] The Jubilee includes all the sides of restoration. The two passages Acts 3:19-21 and Ephesians 1:10 connect the restoration with Jesus Christ, and Paul shows that the Jewish festivals were types whose antitypes were related to Jesus Christ. I have written three articles on the Jubilee, and in Part III; I show that the Jubilee is a type of the thousand-year reign of Jesus.
PARALLELS BETWEEN ACTS 3:19-21 (RESTORATION AND REFRESHING REST) AND LEVITICUS 25:10 (THE JUBILEE)
Hebrew does not have a word that corresponds to the Greek word apokatastasis (“restoration”). However, NIV has 82 examples of the word “restore” in the Hebrew Scriptures. These are translated from the Hebrew verbs shūb (“return”), often in the causative hifil stem (“cause to return; to restore”), and qūm (“rise; rise up”), often in the causative hifil stem (“cause to rise up; restore”). Two examples where the Hebrew verb shūb is rendered by the Greek verb apokathistēmi, which corresponds to the noun apokatastasis are Genesis 40:21 NIV (above) and 2 Samuel: 9:7 (below):
21 And he restored (shūb, apokathistēmi) the chief cupbearer to his office, and he gave the cup in Pharao’s hand.
7 And I will restore (shūb, apokathistēmi) to you every field of Saoul, father of your father, and you shall eat bread at my table always.”
I will now quote Leviticus 25:10, and discuss parallels between this verse and Acts 3:19-21:
10 And YOU must sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty (derōr, afesis) in the land to all its inhabitants. It will become a Jubilee for YOU, and YOU must return (shūb aperkhomai) each one to his possession and YOU should return each one to his family.
Two parallels are following: Acts 3:21: RESTORATION (apokatastasis) — Leviticus 25:10: RETURN (RESTORE) TO HIS POSSESSION (shūb aperkhomai)
During the Jubilee, all inhabitants of the land should return to the property that previously was sold without any compensation. This was a restoration of property, and the Hebrew word shūb that is used in Leviticus 25:10 can mean “return” and “restore.”
The prophetic type of the Jubilee was the restoration of all property of the inhabitants in the land, and the antitype is the full restoration of what was lost when sin was introduced — to live forever on the paradise earth as perfect humans.
Acts 3:19: A REFRESHING REST (anapsyksis) — PROCLAIMING OF LIBERTY ALL INHABITANTS (derōr, afesis).
The Hebrew word derōr means “freedom, liberty” (Kohlenberger and Mounce), and the Greek word afesis means “dismission, deliverance, from captivity, remission, forgiveness, pardon.” (Mounce) All inhabitants of the land were freed from slavery when liberty was proclaimed. The words of proclaiming liberty focus on the action, and “a refreshing rest” focuses on the result of this proclamation. There was freedom for all inhabitants, and the whole year was a sabbath with much rejoicing — a refreshing rest.
The prophetic type of the Jubilee was that all inhabitants received freedom and rest, and the antitype is that the thousand-year reign of Jesus is a sabbath of rest where all inhabitants receive freedom from sin and imperfection.
According to Luke 4:18, Jesus should “proclaim freedom.” Luke uses the Greek word afesis, which means “freedom,” and this is the same word that the LXX uses in Leviticus 25:10 for “freedom” in the expression “proclaiming freedom.” However, the “freedom” Jesus speaks of is not connected with the Jubilee. This is so because Jesus spoke about freedom for the prisoners, and he quoted Isaiah 61:1, where freedom for those who were prisoners in Babylon is mentioned and not the freedom that was proclaimed in the Jubilee.
However, Paul uttered some words about freedom, which are related to the Jubilee. We read in Romans 8:20, 21:
20 For the creation (ktisis) was subjected to futility, not by its own will but through him that subjected it, on the basis of hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free (eleutheroō) from enslavement to corruption (fthora) and have the glorious freedom of the children of God.
The Greek word fthora has the meaning “corruption, decay, ruin, corruptibility, mortality.” All humans are destined to die because of their inherited sin, and this is their “enslavement to corruption.” Romans chapter 8 mentions the sons of God, anointed Christians who will reign with Jesus Christ in heaven. In addition to these, “the creation,” which includes all other descendants of Adam, except those who have sinned against the holy spirit, are mentioned.
The verb eleutheroō is a causative verb with the meaning “cause to be free; set free.” The freedom mentioned in Leviticus 25:10 is expressed by the noun afesis (“freedom”), and the freedom mentioned in Romans 8:20 is expressed by the verb eleuthreroō (“set free”). Thus, the expression “proclaim liberty” in Leviticus 25:10 is identical with the expression “set free” in Romans 8:20.
In the prophetic type, all inhabitants in the land of Israel would receive freedom from slavery and debt. In the antitype, the whole creation will be set free from slavery to corruption — from imperfection and death.
THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE JUBILEE
The Jubilee begins at the end of the decided appointed times, after the great tribulation. I have discussed these in detail in Part III of the articles of the Jubilee. However, I provide a brief description here.
The chronology of the Bible shows that Adam was created about 6,000 years ago, and the type of the weekly and yearly sabbath cycles, which, according to Paul, were prophetic types, indicate that God’s day of rest after his creation was finished, consists of six days of thousand years of toil and misery, followed by the seventh period of rest, which is the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ.
But this is not all. The Jubilee cycle is also a cycle of sabbaths, which, according to Paul, are prophetic types. Applying this to God’s week of creation, each day is conceptually seven thousand years long, and the whole week is conceptually 49,000 years long. The thousand-year reign of Jesus is the 49,000th year. However, because the entire cycle culminates in the 50th year, which is the Jubilee, the year of full restoration, both the 49th and 50th years must be types of the thousand-year reign of Jesus, when full restoration will occur.
I mentioned that Adam was created about 6,000 years ago. God’s creation ended with the creation of Eve. We know that 6,000 years from Adam’s creation ended in the year 1975 CE. But because we do not know the time between Adam and Eve, we know only approximately when the seventh thousand year of God’s day of rest, which coincides with the thousand-year reign of Jesus, will begin.[2]
| The appointed time (kairos) to the first coming of Jesus. | 69 weeks (483 years) from 455 BCE to 29 CE. |
| The appointed times (kairoi) to the second coming of Jesus as king. | 7 appointed times from 607 BCE to 1914 CE. |
| The appointed times (kairoi) to the coming of Jesus as judge and the beginning of his thousand-year reign. | 6,000 years from the creation of Eve. The exact day, hour and year are not known. |
EVENTS OF THE RESTORATION AND THE REFRESHING REST DURING THE THOUSAND-YEAR REIGN OF JESUS
When we consider all information in the Bible regarding the restoration of all things, we see the following scenario of the thousand-year reign of Jesus:
The great crowd will survive the great tribulation, and God will use them to cultivate the earth and make everything ready for the resurrection.
All who die because of inherited sin will be resurrected.
A great work of educating those who have survived and those who are resurrected will occur.
The ransom sacrifice will be applied to everyone, and during the thousand years, all those living will gradually proceed toward physical and spiritual perfection.
At the end of the thousand years, the restoration will be completed. All humans are perfect, and they will decide whether to follow the Devil or to serve Jehovah.
The important question is whether there are passages in the Bible that directly support each of these points. The answer is yes, and these points will be discussed below.
THE GREAT CROWD WILL SURVIVE THE GREAT TRIBULATION
In his prophecy about his presence, Jesus mentions the great tribulation and says that some flesh will be saved from this tribulation. (Matthew 24:22) Those who will be saved are mentioned in Revelation chapter 7, and I quote verses 9, 10, 13, 14:
9After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. 10 And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: “Salvation [we owe] to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
13 And in response one of the elders said to me: “These who are dressed in the white robes, who are they and where did they come from?” 14 So right away I said to him: “My lord, you are the one that knows.” And he said to me: “These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Regarding Josef, Acts 7:9, 10 says that God “delivered him out of all his tribulations.” This shows that the expression “the great crowd comes out of the great tribulation means that they will survive the tribulation. The great crowd is the only group of people who have dedicated their lives to God according to the instructions in the Bible. If other persons who have not changed their lives according to the Bible were to survive, they would create great problems for the servants of God. Therefore, they must die in the great tribulation and get a resurrection during the thousand years. The members of the great crowd are the only ones who will survive the great tribulation.
ALL WHO DIE BECAUSE OF INHERITED SIN WILL GET A RESURRECTION
With his ransom sacrifice, Jesus bought Adam and all his descendants. This means that the ransom sacrifice will be applied to all Adam’s descendants without any conditions such as faith and obedience. The ransom sacrifice will be applied to the 144,000 members of the heavenly government. On the basis of this sacrifice, they will be declared righteous. Then they will be baptized with holy spirit to become new creations. When they die, they will get a heavenly resurrection.
The ransom sacrifice will be applied to all other of Adam’s descendants. But some of them have sinned against the holy spirit, and there is no sacrifice for such sins. This means that even though Jesus also bought those who sin against the holy spirit, they will not get a resurrection. All other Adam’s descendants will come out of their graves by a resurrection. The following scriptures confirm this: John 5:28, 29 (above) and 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22 (middle), and Acts 24:15 (below):
28 Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.
21 For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.
15 and I have hope toward God, which hope these [men] themselves also entertain, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.
All who “die in Adam” are all Adam’s descendants who die because of inherited sin. These do not include those who die because they have sinned against the holy spirit. From these scriptures, it is clear that all Adam’s descendants, both righteous and unrighteous, will be resurrected, except those who have sinned against the holy spirit.
THE PUNISHMENT FOR ANY KIND OF SIN IS DEATH
Judgment Day is identical with the thousand-year reign of Jesus. A common view is that God has “written down” all the sins that each human has committed, and when they are resurrected, they are sentenced on the basis of all the sins they have done.
This viewpoint is patently absurd. Humans have inherited sin, and to give them an adverse sentence for something they have inherited and are not fully responsible for violates the righteousness of God. Moreover, resurrecting people just to give them adverse sentences is not reasonable, and it violates God’s love and God’s wisdom.
God said that Adam and Eve should have children, and their descendants should populate the whole earth, making it into a paradise. (Genesis 1:28) The only condition was that they followed the laws of God. If they violated God’s law, the result would be as we read in Genesis 2:16, 17:
16 And Jehovah God also laid this command upon the man: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. 17 But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.
As a result of his sin, Adam died when he was 930 years old. (Genesis 5:5) Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Greek Scriptures, the only punishment for sin that is mentioned is death. This is confirmed by Paul in Romans 6:7:
7 For he who has died has been acquitted (dikaioō) from [his] sin.
In order to understand these words, I make the following comparison of five clauses:
For until the Law sin was in the world (Romans 5:13)
For [the death] that he died, he died with reference to sin once for all time. (Romans 6:10)
For he who has died has been acquitted (dikaioō) from [his] sin. (Romans 6:7)
For sin must not be master over YOU. (Romans 6:14)
For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Each of these sentences begins with the Greek word gar, meaning “for.” Paul’s style is that when he starts a clause with gar, he is making a declaration of fact. The important facts he expresses in our context are “the wages sin pays is death” (6:23) and “For he who has died has been acquitted (dikaioō) from [his] sin.” (6:7) We have the same expressions as in the situation with Adam; the punishment for sin is death. We note that the word “sin” in both verses is indefinite. Therefore, the reference is not to one or several particular sins but to sin in general, to any sin. (Matthew 12:31) Thus, the pay for any sin is death, and death acquits a person from all his or her sins.
The Greek word dikaioō has the meaning “to hold as guiltless, to accept as righteous, to justify.” (Mounce) We can illustrate its meaning by reading Acts 13:39
39 and that from all the things from which YOU could not be declared guiltless (dikaioō) by means of the law of Moses, everyone who believes is declared guiltless (dikaioō) by means of this One.
The verse shows that by the word of God, a person can be declared guiltless in this life. From God’s point of view, this person has no sin. So, by way of comparison:
By God’s word, a person will be declared guiltless (dikaioō) — Jesus has atoned for his or her sins
By experiencing death, a person has received the payment for sin and is declared guiltless (dikaioō) — he or she has atoned for his or her sins by having died.
Please note that the death of a person atones for all the sins he or she committed before his or her death. If Adam had a resurrection after his death, he could not be sentenced a second time for his sins. And in a similar way, when a person dies and receives a resurrection, he or she cannot be sentenced a second time for his or her sins.
However, while a person who experiences a resurrection is acquitted of their past sins and, at that moment, is guiltless, they retain the same personality as before their death. This means that after a short time, he or she will sin again. Therefore, there is still a need for the ransom sacrifice. And this sacrifice will be applied to all those who get a resurrection, until all have become perfect and without sin at the end of the thousand years of Judgement Day.
THEIR PREVIOUS SINS WILL INFLUENCE THE RESURRECTED ONES ON JUDGEMENT DAY
This heading may seem to contradict the conclusion of the previous section. But this is not the case. If dying as a punishment for sin and by this atoning for their previous sins would lead to everlasting life, there was no need for a thousand-year-long Judgment Day. The way one’s previous sins will influence a person on Judgment Day is very important. Therefore, I repeat the discussion of this from Part I.
According to Matthew 12:36, 37, Jesus said:
36 I tell YOU that every unprofitable saying that men speak, they will render an account concerning it on Judgment Day; 37 for by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned.”
These words show that people who live in this old system of things are responsible for what they do, although not as a basis for their eternal destiny. How will those who get a resurrection on Judgment Day render an account for every unprofitable word they speak?
After Jesus had uttered the words about rendering an account for unprofitable words, he said, according to Matthew 12:41, 42:
41 Men of Ninʹe·veh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; because they repented at what Joʹnah preached, but, look! something more than Joʹnah is here. 42 The queen of the south will be raised up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn (katakrinō) it; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solʹo·mon, but, look! something more than Solʹo·mon is here.
The words «this generation» (this wicked and adulterous generation, verse 39) refer to the whole Jewish population in the days of Jesus. The people of this wicked and adulterous generation would be resurrected on Judgment Day together with the inhabitants of Nineveh. The Greek word katakrinō has the meaning, “condemn, pass judgment on” (UBS lexicon)
The inhabitants of Nineveh listened to Jonah and believed in Jehovah. The words they spoke in connection with this were positive. There were only 120 believers on the day of Pentecost in the year 33. So, this wicked and adulterous generation refused to believe in Jesus and the preaching about the kingdom of God. The words they spoke against Jesus and his followers were negative.
But in which sense did the inhabitants of Nineveh “condemn” this wicked and adulterous generation? The words Jesus spoke in a similar situation help us understand the meaning. I quote Matthew 11:20-24:
20 Then he started to reproach (oneidizō) the cities in which most of his powerful works had taken place, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Cho·raʹzin! Woe to you, Beth·saʹi·da! because if the powerful works had taken place in Tyre and Siʹdon that took place in YOU, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Consequently I say to YOU, It will be more endurable (anektos) for Tyre and Siʹdon on Judgment Day than for YOU. 23 And you, Ca·perʹna·um, will you perhaps be exalted to heaven? Down to Haʹdes you will come; because if the powerful works that took place in you had taken place in Sodʹom, it would have remained until this very day. 24 Consequently I say to YOU people, It will be more endurable (anektos) for the land of Sodʹom on Judgment Day than for you.”
The inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida were a part of the “wicked and adulterous generation” that would have a resurrection on Judgment Day. Jesus started “to reproach these cities.” The Greek word oneidizō has the meaning “reproach, denounce, insult.” (UBS lexicon) This means that oneidizō (reproach) has about the same meaning as katakrinō (“condemn”).
The issue is what it means that the inhabitants of Nineveh condemned the people of this wicked and adulterous generation. We find the answer in what it meant when Jesus reproached the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida. The condemnation or reproach is expressed by the words that it will be more endurable for the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon and Sodom than for the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida on Judgment Day.
Now we can understand the meaning of the saying that humans in this old system of things must render an account for every unprofitable word on Judgment Day. The words we speak reveal our preferences, our attitudes, and our personalities. When we speak unprofitable words, whether we lie or support actions that violate the laws of God, we cannot be judged for these actions on Judgment Day, because our death will have cancelled all our sins. However, a person is resurrected with the same personality and conscience that he or she had before death, and this will influence the person in a good or bad way on Judgment Day.
To fully understand this, I quote Matthew 12:36, 37 one time more:
36 I tell YOU that every unprofitable saying that men speak, they will render an account concerning it on Judgment Day; 37 for by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned.”
James 3:2 says: “If anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man.” All of us have spoken “unprofitable words” on many occasions, but these are petty sins. So why are our unprofitable words so serious that we must render an account on Judgment Day?
The unprofitable words in themselves are not what is important, but rather what is behind these words. Jesus shows this, according to Matthew 15:18
18 However, the things proceeding out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those things defile a man. 19 For example, out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thieveries, false testimonies, blasphemies. 20 These are the things defiling a man; but to take a meal with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the heart represents the conscience and the personality of a man. Paul speaks of “the motives in men’s hearts. (1 Corinthians 4.5) As Jesus showed, what a person says, reveals what is in the heart. This also goes the opposite way; what a person speaks and does, influences the heart.
During our lives in this old system of things, we develop a personality that is deeply connected to our hearts. Our words can show that we have “an unreceptive heart” (Acts 28:27), “a foolish heart” (Romans 1:21), “an unrepentant heart” (Romans 2:5), “a hardened heart” (Ephesians 4:18), “a heart that always goes astray” (Hebrews 3:10), “an unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12), and “a selfish ambitious heart” (James 3:14).
But our words can also show that we have “a sincere heart” (Acts 2.46), “a believing heart” (Romans 10:8), “a wide open heart” (2 Corinthians 6:11), and “a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).
What we have spoken about shows what is in our hearts. Why is this so important on Judgment Day? We get an answer in Acts 16:14:
14 And a certain woman named Lydʹi·a, a seller of purple, of the city of Thy·a·tiʹra and a worshiper of God, was listening, and Jehovah opened her heart wide to pay attention to the things being spoken by Paul.[1]
What helped Lydia to accept God’s truth was that he opened her heart wide. The point here is that our hearts, which represent our motives and personality, must be opened wide to accept the truth. This will be the same requirement on Judgment Day. And now we can understand how we must render an account for our unprofitable words. The words we speak reveal what is in our hearts, and our words and actions also shape our hearts. Revelation 20:12 shows that scrolls will be opened during the thousand-year reign of Jesus. And “the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds.”
It is obvious that whether we “will pay attention to the things” in the books, as Lydia did regarding the words of Paul, depends on which personality we have developed in this old system of things, and what is in our hearts. It is clear that if we have a sincere heart, or a pure heart, or a believing heart, it will be much easier to follow the things written in the scrolls than if we have an unreceptive heart, an unrepentant heart, or a selfish, ambitious heart. We are held responsible for our actions and words in this system of things on Judgment Day because our actions and words form our heart and personality. And our heart and personality will either help us to pay attention to the contents of the scrolls and follow their direction, as did Lydia, or our hearts and personality will prevent us from making spiritual progress on Judgment Day. This is what Paul had in mind according to 1 Corinthians 4.5:
5 Hence do not judge anything before the due time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring the secret things of darkness to light and make the counsels of the hearts manifest, and then each one will have his praise come to him from God.
The inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon would have followed the laws of God if they had been revealed to them, according to Jesus. They evidently had a sincere heart and a believing heart. This will help them repent and follow God’s laws during the thousand years. In spite of the preaching of Jesus and the miracles they saw he did, the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida refused to believe in him. Their words showed that they had “unreceptive hearts,” “hardened hearts,” and “unbelieving hearts.” Because of this, it will be much more difficult for them to repent and follow the instructions in the scrolls than the Ninevites.
As Jesus said, “It will be more endurable (anektos) for Tyre and Siʹdon on Judgment Day than for YOU” (the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida).
To show how great the responsibility of the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida was, Jesus compared them with the inhabitants of Sodom. These inhabitants were guilty of serious sins, such as homosexual actions and even rape in connection with Lot and his family.
They lacked sincere, believing, and pure hearts. So, they would struggle to change their serious sins and repent on Judgment Day. But even if their sins were great, the sins of the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida were greater. Therefore, Jesus said, “It will be more endurable for the land of Sodʹom on Judgment Day than for you.” (the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida).
The important points are: Imperfect humans with inherited sin are not qualified to make a fair and just decision regarding their own eternal destiny, but this will be done in the final test after the thousand years, when all who are living are perfect and without sin.
We can view our lives in this old system of things as our primary school, where we are continually taught and experience various things. Our exam is not when we finish primary school and die as a penalty for our sins. But our high school continues after our resurrection. If we have been good students and learned good things in our primary school, it will be easier to make progress in high school. At the end of the thousand years, there is an exam, and if we have been good students in both primary school and high school, we have a solid foundation for passing the exam.
From this discussion, we understand that even though God will not decide our eternal destiny during this old system of things when we are imperfect sinners, we cannot just live debauched lives, because we feel that God will not hold us responsible for what we do. Everything we do and experience during our lives will have a bearing on our eternal destiny. But God’s judgment regarding our eternal destiny will first occur after the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ.
[1]. When the Bible says that Jehovah does something, he often does so in an indirect manner. Jehovah did not force Lydia to accept the word of truth. But the whole situation that God had caused by sending out preachers appealed to Lydia, who had a receptive and believing heart.
THE DEAD WERE JUDGED ON THE BASIS OF WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE SCROLLS
A judgment can have a favorable or an unfavorable outcome. This will also be the case on Judgment Day, because Jesus said that for some, their resurrection will lead to everlasting life, while for others, it will lead to everlasting death. (John 5:28, 29) The destiny of the resurrected ones will be based on their actions after they have been resurrected. I quote Revelation 20:12, 13:
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds.
Because all those who die due to Adam’s sin are acquitted from these sins by their death, the scrolls that will be opened do not have any reference to what happened in the old system of things. The resurrected ones are judged on what they do, and what they should do will be written in the scrolls that will be opened.
When Peter wrote about the restoration of all things, he referred to the prophecies that had been made about this restoration. Did the prophets write anything that can throw light on the situation in connection with the opening of the scrolls? Yes, and I will quote two prophecies from the book of Isaiah. However, I would like to emphasize that prophecies about the restoration often employ figurative language. The reason may be to provide a broad and understandable description, rather than being bogged down by many details that not all will understand. I quote Revelation 20:14 (above), 21:1-4 (middle), and 22:1-4 (below):
14 And death and Haʹdes were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire.
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”
1 And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of its broad way. And on this side of the river and on that side [there were] trees of life producing twelve crops of fruit, yielding their fruits each month. And the leaves of the trees [were] for the curing of the nations. 3 And no more will there be any curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in [the city], and his slaves will render him sacred service; 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
The language is figurative. But we understand that the Devil will be everlastingly annihilated. We also understand that God will govern the human society, that there will be no death or pain anymore, and that God will support the lives of all humans to their full satisfaction.
I will now discuss the prophecy in Isaiah 65:17-25:
17 “For here I am creating new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart. 18 But exult, YOU people, and be joyful forever in what I am creating. For here I am creating Jerusalem a cause for joyfulness and her people a cause for exultation. 19 And I will be joyful in Jerusalem and exult in my people; and no more will there be heard in her the sound of weeping or the sound of a plaintive cry.”
20 “No more will there come to be a suckling a few days old from that place, neither an old man that does not fulfill his days; for one will die as a mere boy, although a hundred years of age; and as for the sinner, although a hundred years of age he will have evil called down upon him. 21 And they will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat [their] fruitage.
22 They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating. For like the days of a tree will the days of my people be; and the work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full. 23 They will not toil for nothing, nor will they bring to birth for disturbance; because they are the offspring made up of the blessed ones of Jehovah, and their descendants with them. 24 And it will actually occur that before they call out I myself shall answer; while they are yet speaking, I myself shall hear.
25 “The wolf and the lamb themselves will feed as one, and the lion will eat straw just like the bull; and as for the serpent, his food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” Jehovah has said.
This prophecy follow the same pattern as Jesus’ prophecies. It got a miniature fulfillment in the Jewish nation. However, it will find its ultimate fulfillment in the new heavens and the new earth. Isaiah prophesied more than 150 years before the Jews were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar II that they would return to their land. Verse 18 indicates that the words about the new heavens and the new earth mentioned in verse 17 were fulfilled in Jerusalem and among the Jewish nation. The new heavens were the leadership by the priest Joshua and the governor Serubabel, and the new earth was the people who returned and rebuilt Jerusalem.
It is important to note that the prophecy is figurative. Building houses and planting vineyards are literal. That no suckling will die after a few days cannot be taken literally. The lion cannot digest straw, and the serpent cannot live by eating dust. That no one among those who returned from Babylon would do harm or cause ruin cannot be taken literally. The purpose of the prophecy for the Jews was to paint a picture taken from the paradise in Eden to illustrate all the blessings that those who returned from Babylon would get.
There is a similar prophecy in Isaiah 11:1-9:
1 And there must go forth a twig out of the stump of Jesʹse; and out of his roots a sprout will be fruitful. 2 And upon him the spirit of Jehovah must settle down, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of mightiness, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah; 3 and there will be enjoyment by him in the fear of Jehovah. And he will not judge by any mere appearance to his eyes, nor reprove simply according to the thing heard by his ears. 4 And with righteousness he must judge the lowly ones, and with uprightness he must give reproof in behalf of the meek ones of the earth. And he must strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the spirit of his lips he will put the wicked one to death. 5 And righteousness must prove to be the belt of his hips, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 And the wolf will actually reside for a while with the male lamb, and with the kid the leopard itself will lie down, and the calf and the maned young lion and the well-fed animal all together; and a mere little boy will be leader over them. And the cow and the bear themselves will feed; together their young ones will lie down. And even the lion will eat straw just like the bull. 8 And the sucking child will certainly play upon the hole of the cobra; and upon the light aperture of a poisonous snake will a weaned child actually put his own hand. 9 They will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain; because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.
This prophecy is also figurative. Like the words of Chapter 65, this text suggests that there will be peace between wild and domesticated animals and humans. Verse 9 says that the reason why the wild animals will not do harm is that “the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters cover the very sea.” This shows that the animals represent humans because wild animals will not become tame because the knowledge of Jehovah fills the earth.
I will now apply the figurative language of chapters 65 and 11 to the thousand-year reign of Jehovah.
According to 65:17, Jehovah will create new heavens and a new earth. This refers to God’s kingdom, which will govern the new earthly society, also known as the new earth. The nature of the government of the new heavens is described in 11:1-5. Jesse was the father of David, and Jesus was the son of David. His way of governing is described. He will judge the lowly ones and the meek ones of the earth in righteousness.
Revelation 20:12 tells that scrolls were opened, and that the dead were judged according to their deeds, according to what was written in these scrolls. The reason why humans who have been like lions and wolves live in peace together with other humans who have been like bulls and lambs is that the whole earth is full of Jehovah’s knowledge. This knowledge has changed the deeds of many humans.
This supports the view that the scrolls that were opened contain new instructions from Jehovah that those who are resurrected must follow. And these scrolls are the reason why the whole earth is filled with Jehovah’s knowledge. On the basis of the words about the scrolls and the words about the knowledge that fills the earth, we expect that an enormous educational program will be instituted for the survivors of the great tribulation and for those who are resurrected. All humans must learn how to serve Jehovah.
When we understand that the prophecies employ figurative language, and that the calf, the lion, the leopard, and the lamb are symbols of humans with different personalities, can we not use these prophecies to show that during the thousand years, wild animals will literally coexist with tame ones? The prophecies can also be used as evidence for this. The figurative words of the prophecies are borrowed from the situation in the garden of Eden, and because Jesus said that the earth will become a paradise (Luke 23:43), the situation that the figurative words describe will also literally come to pass.
However, the prophecies also have some negative aspects. The words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 11 that it will be easier for the inhabitants of Nineveh and Sodom to follow the instructions in the scrolls than for the Jewish inhabitants of Chorazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida, indicate that not everything will go smoothly during the thousand-year-long Judgment Day. Jesus also said that all those who are in the tombs will be resurrected. But for some, the resurrection will result in everlasting life and for others, the resurrection will result in everlasting death.
Isaiah may have referred to the final test when Satan is let loose from his prison. But evidently, he also refers to the situation during the thousand years. To show this, I quote Isaiah 11:4 (above) and 65:20
4 And he must strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the spirit of his lips he will put the wicked one to death.
20 and as for the sinner, although a hundred years of age he will have evil called down upon him.
A part of the prophecies is figurative language. But the two quotations show that Jesus also will judge wicked actions during his reign. And it seems that a person who has difficulties in living in accordance with what is written in the scrolls will get a period of one hundred years to repent. And if he will not repent, he will be executed into the second death.
ALL HUMANS WILL BE PERFECT AND WITHOUT SIN AT THE END OF THE THOUSAND YEARS
Over the course of a thousand years, the contents of the scrolls will be taught to the point where the knowledge of Jehovah fills the earth, and the ransom sacrifice will be applied to all humans. The result of this is seen in Revelation 20:5. I quote 20:5 (above) and 20:12 (below):
5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Haʹdes gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds.
Let us take a closer look at the verb translated as “come to life” (zaō, aorist active indicative). The Greek verb meaning “raise up” is egeirō, and it is not used in 20:5. And neither is the Greek substantive anastasis with the meaning “resurrection.” In 20:13 where the resurrection from the sea and from hadēs is mentioned, the verb didomi (“give; deliver”) is used. So, the word zaō is not used with reference to the resurrection in Revelation or elsewhere in the Scriptures.
But what is the meaning of this verb? According to Mounce, the Greek word zaō has the meaning, “to live; to be possessed of vitality; to exercise the functions of life.” This means that we cannot, at the outset, take the verb zaō in Revelation 20:5 as a reference to the resurrection from the dead. Instead, the meaning must be that at the end of the thousand years, those who have been resurrected have reached human perfection and have been freed from the sin they inherited from Adam. They possess vitality and exercise thefunctions of life to the fullest extent — they are perfect humans without sin. In this sense, they “have come to life.”[1]
Supporting the conclusion that “come to life” means that the sin is taken away and that humans will have become perfect, is the fact that those who have received a resurrection and who are being judged during the thousand years are not called “the resurrected ones” or “the living ones,” but they are called “the dead” in verses 12 and 13. As Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:6, “But the one that goes in for sensual gratification is dead though she is living.”
After the resurrection, humans still have inherited sin and do not have the right to everlasting life. So, they are “dead.” That all humans will be perfect and free from sin at the end of the thousand years is also supported by the account of what happens after Satan and those who supported him are thrown into the lake of fire. We read in Revelation 21:1-4:
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”
These words point to a fulfillment of Acts 3:19-21; now the restoration has been completed! The old heavens of governments led by the Devil and the old earth of wicked people are gone. Two times we read that “the former things have passed away.” This includes death, which is mentioned in verse 4. And this means that no human have inherited sin anymore.
All humans “have now come to life.” They are now perfect and without sin, and everything has been restored to what it was in the paradise in Eden before Adam and Eve sinned. Each human being can now, without the handicap of inherited sin, make an individual choice of serving and worshiping Jehovah or not.
MOST OF ADAM’S DESCENDANTS WILL PASS THE FINAL TEST AND RECEIVE EVERLASTING LIFE
Part III of this study discusses the illustration of the sheep and the goats. The members of the Governing Body say that the goats are the inhabitants of all the nations of the world who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses. Because the goats, according to Matthew 25:41, 46, will be eternally annihilated without any hope of resurrection, according to the members of the Governing Body, this belief implies that 8 billion+ humans will be everlastingly annihilated during the great tribulation.
In Part III, I conduct a detailed study, demonstrating that nations will be resurrected, will be present on Judgment Day, will pass the final test, and remain on earth after this test. Here, I present the main points:
The nations, including their inhabitants, will be destroyed in the great tribulation according to Revelation 19:15:
15 And out of his [Jesus Christ] mouth protrudes a sharp, long sword with which to strike (patassō) the nations (ethnos), and he will shepherd them with a rod of iron. Moreover, he treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Satan is bound and hurled into the abyss for a thousand years, so he should not mislead the nations. This shows that the nations, i.e., their inhabitants, will get a resurrection during the thousand years: I quote Revelation 20:1-3:
2 And he seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 And he hurled him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not mislead the nations (ethnos) anymore until the 1,000 years were ended. After this he must be released for a little while.
At the end of the thousand years, the nations, i.e., their inhabitants, will be present on the earth, and Satan will try to mislead them, according to Revelation 20:7.9:
7 Now as soon as the 1,000 years have ended, Satan will be released from his prison. 8 and he will go out to mislead those nations (ethnos) in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Ma’gog, to gather them together for the war. The number of these is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they advanced over the whole earth and encircled the camp of the holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down out of heaven and consumed them.
Satan will not succeed in misleading the nations, i.e., most of their inhabitants. For they will be present in the restored paradise after the final test, according to Revelation 21: 23-26 (above) and 22:1-5 (below):
23 And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp was the Lamb. 24 And the nations (ethnos) will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will not be closed at all by day, for night will not exist there. 26 And they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations (ethnos) into it.
1 And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of its main street. On both sides of the river were trees of life producing 12 crops of fruit, yielding their fruit each month. And the leaves of the trees were for the healing of the nations. 3 And no more will there be any curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in [the city], and his slaves will render him sacred service; 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Also, night will be no more, and they have no need of lamplight nor [do they have] sunlight, because Jehovah God will shed light upon them, and they will rule as kings forever and ever.
That the nations, i.e., their inhabitants, will be present in the restored paradise after the final test, suggests that the majority of Adam’s descendants who have lived on the earth will get everlasting life.
In this section, we have discussed scriptures supporting the following points:
- Only the great crowd will survive the great tribulation.
- All humans who have died because of inherited sin will get a resurrection.
- The punishment for sin is death. When a human being dies, all his or her sins are blotted out.
- The sins of a person have formed his or her personality, and whether the sins of a person are serious or not, will influence his or her actions on Judgment Day.
- A great teaching program will be instituted. All humans will be judged individually as to whether they change their lives in accordance with God’s laws.
- At the end of the thousand years, all humans are perfect and without sin. They will now get the final test as to whether they will serve Jehovah God or the Devil.
- Most of the humans on earth will pass the final test and receive everlasting life.
CONCLUSION
What is really fantastic is that the situation on the earth after the thousand years is exactly what it would have been if Satan had not rebelled and introduced sin and death. The earth is a paradise that is filled with billions of Adam’s descendants, and these humans will continue to worship Jehovah forever.
This shows Jehovah’s tremendous love, wisdom, righteousness, and might. And all creatures in the universe will see that Jehovah’s name has been sanctified!
[1]. A detailed discussion of Revelation 20:5 is found in my book The Atonement Between God And Man, pages 214-218.
