"THEE FOR EVER BLEST" Thy works all praise Thee: all Thy angels praise: Thy saints adore, and on Thy altars burn The fragrant incense of perpetual love. They praise Thee now: their hearts, their voices praise, And swell the rapture of the glorious song. Harp! lift thy voice on high-shout, angels, shout! And loudest, ye redeemed! glory to God, And to the Lamb, who bought us with His blood, From every kindred, nation, people, tongue; Of life, and made us kings and priests to God. -Pollok THE CHAPTER XI String 10: Restoration of HE restoration string of the harp of God is one that will fill the earth with joyful song. Although every prophet from Samuel to John the Baptist spoke of the coming days of restoration, this wonderful doctrine represented by the tenth string of the harp was for a long time lost to the vision of many who claimed to be Christians, as was also the doctrine of the Abrahamic promise. Hence we see that the eight-string harp sometimes used by the Jews represents the harp of God minus the strings picturing the Abrahamic promise and restoration. Now these strings or doctrines have been found and appreciated by God's people; and the harp fully strung yields music of unspeakable sweetness. 536 Restoration means to restore that which was lost. The first man Adam was made perfect, in the image and likeness of God, with power and authority to fill the earth with a race of people and to rule the earth as his dominion. By reason of his sin, he brought upon himself the manifestation of divine justice; and being sentenced to death, he lost the right to life, and this right was lost also for his offspring. The first man, Adam, was created a human being, not a spirit being. "The first man is of the earth, earthy." (1 Corinthians 15:47) God created the earth for man. "God ... formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited." (Isaiah 45: 12, 18) The Scriptures conclusively prove f that God's original purpose was that man should have an everlasting home on the earth as long as he obeyed the divine law. Man having disobeyed forfeited his right to live on earth, and Jesus, the perfect man, having by his great sacrifice purchased this right for man, the time must come when man will be restored to that which was lost. 537 Some noted teachers of the Bible deny the doctrine of restoration. Let us observe, then, what else must fail if this doctrine fails. If there is to be no restoration of man to his original state, then it must be admitted that the creation of man was and is a failure. Not only would the creation of man result in a failure, but the very purpose for which God created the earth must fail. This would mean, then, that his word has not and will not accomplish what he said. But God being all-wise, and having unlimited power, his purposes cannot fail. If we believe the Bible, we will have to believe the doctrine of restoration. Jehovah has said: "My word that goeth forth out of my mouth... shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it".-Isaiah 55:11. 538 If there is to be no restoration of man to his original state and no opportunity for him to be so restored, then the manifestation of divine justice against Adam amounts to nothing more than God's destroying the work of his own hands and admitting he was and is unable to people the earth with a perfect race. If we believe in his omnipotence, we must believe that he will accomplish his design. Having made the promise at the time of the sentence of man that the great enemy should ultimately perish, we may take this as one truth upon which to hang a hope that something better is to come in the future. |