What in the World are “All Things”?
Acts
3:21 Whom the heaven must receive
until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by
the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
What
are these “all things”? Why do they need restoring? Is this a reference to
the universe- or some such thing? Or, is this “all things” some thing quite
specific and totally unambiguous?
Could
it be possible that we have overlooked the biblical explanation of what “all
things” are because we unknowingly assumed we knew? Surely “all things” is
everything, isn’t it? What if it is not? Would you want to know what it is?
While
the phrase “all things” is used for different “all things” in the bible,
what do these “all things” refer to if it is not the creation
of the universe? Is there even a “these” all things that are
distinct and separate from other “all things”?
Let’s see if we can assemble the biblical explanation
that will tell us exactly what these “all things” are.
We might as well start with the above quote from Acts, so
let’s ask, “what can we derive from this verse?”
Perhaps, in analyzing verse 21, the very first thing we
need to make note of is the preceding verse- 20.
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached
unto you:
Thus, we are told that this Jesus (Yeshua) has been, and
will continue to be, “received,” which in the Greek is in the aorist tense,
then allows for this to be ongoing, meaning “keep” or “hold” once
received. The point being that he will remain where he was received
until the appointed time to leave. Next, that the “times” in question is a
time (not numerous different times) of restoration of some sort.
Now, here’s a hard one. Most would automatically assume
that “restitution of all things” would mean the restitution of the
universe. But is that what is meant? Simply put, No!
First of all, let’s assume it did for the sake of the
discussion. Then what would that result in? If it meant “the
universe” would be restored to some better state physically than its present
state, then a belief wherein man (or the restored man or mankind, or the
resurrected man, the “church”, etc.) is destined to oversee the development
of the universe through the populating of it with physical life, would actually
be the “restitution of all things,” and not the return of Jesus (Yeshua)?
If, what many call, “the second coming” is the restitution of all things,
then wouldn’t the populating of the universe, other planets, etc, be a
restitution of the restitution? Now, if you are having trouble following that
line of reasoning, join the crowd. While what is presented is only in general,
it does reveal a weakness to the concept that none apparently address. Where is
the biblical support for a prolonged development of the universe overseen by
resurrected humans, or whatever the concept may be? Now, this is not to say that
maybe the resurrected man won’t do such, but only to point out that “that”
would not be the “restitution of all things.
And Why not? Because of what else verse 21 states! - which
God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Whatever this “restitution” is, God has spoken of it
since what time? The “since the world began” is not a reference to
the physical “planet” (actually, the use of the word “world” is never a
reference to the planet, regardless of the Greek word from which it may be
translated). In this verse, “since the world began” is from the Greek
prepositional phrase: ap’aionos, which has to do with a point in
“time” and not physical matter. Compare with Luke 1:70 and Acts 15:18
(beginning of the world [age]).
Continuing, God has spoken of this time
through His holy prophets. Thus, we have a point of origin for the, “since
the world began” that is contained within a timeframe where
humanity exists, since the holy prophets were all human.
So, the very first thing we must remember is that whatever
“all things” really are, they have been spoken of and about for
millenniums. To understand what “all things” are we simply need to
understand what the prophets were saying- to whom and for what reason.
Now, since we have not been able to figure that out very well in the past for some reason, or most have just assumed what it means, let’s take a little more time and assemble some key New Testament verses on this subject first before we look into the words of the prophets.
But to us there is but one God,
the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
The first thing that tends to get one off-track, or headed
down the wrong road, is the appearance of the English word “by,” which is
used twice in this verse. In English we would naturally assume that “by”
implies an understanding where we see the “cause” as emanating from the
accompanying pronoun, in this case the “whom”, which is Jesus in the above
verse, the implication being that somehow Jesus had something to do with making
“all things.” But, the grammatical problem is that usage would only be
possible from the Greek “en”, however the word used here is “dia”,
which means “through,” and with this occurring in the accusative case it
means, “on account of,” or “because of.”
That leaves us with a meaning more reflective of the idea
that these things that are “of” God (ek “out from” God) and exist
for a reason that has to do with Jesus Christ, and in turn, the “we by him”
shows that we exist because of, or on account of, Christ Jesus. This is
completely different from an understanding that places Jesus Christ as the
creator, designer, or maker of “all things.” Now he is not the initiator of
“all things”, but the recipient.
The Revised Standard Version is much more in line with the
Greek language, compare:
1Co 8:6
yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things
and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all
things and through whom we exist.
Now that we can begin to see that this “all things” was not made “by” Jesus, but by the Father “on account of” His Son. Let’s look at a few other verses in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over
all things to the church (ekklesia),
Verse 19 speaks of the greatness of the power of God and
specifically how that power was used to raise a dead Messiah to life. The
reference to “heavenly places” in verse 20 is not about geographical
location, but rather about power. “Heavenly” is an adjective and as used
here conveys a meaning of “heavenly spheres”, or, in other words, a realm
that is heaven like in power and scope, and thus, over other lesser powers and
the like.
Notice verse 21 in this light. God uses His power to not
only resurrect His son, but then elevates him in power above what?
Verse 21: Far above all
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named,
not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Now let’s also notice that the appearance of “world”
is aion, which is “age”, thus not a place like the planet or
universe, but a period of time, hence an “age.” And, not only this
“present evil age,” but also the next “age” too, which is not evil, but
righteous in subjection to Christ Jesus because why? What happens in the next
“age”?
Well, Paul already told us earlier in this chapter.
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his (God the Father’s) will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he (God)
might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
In the carrying out of God’s purpose we see that God had
indeed purposed to place these “all things” under the dominion
of His Son. Currently, God is managing the affairs of this age, or administering
(dispensation) them to bring about His will and plan to coincide, or to
culminate with a transition into a new and better age as we shall yet see- at
which time these “all things” will come to be completely under
His Son’s realm.
Now, have you caught it, what “all things” are? Let’s
continue by looking at:
Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by (en) him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by (dia) him, and for him:
17 And he is before (pro) all things, and by (en) him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church (ekklesia): who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And,
having made peace through the blood of his cross, by (dia)
him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be
things in earth, or things in heaven.
First, a point of interest. If Jesus, who was long since
resurrected by God, is the “image” of the invisible God, then he cannot
“be” that God. An “image” is not the item it is an image of.
Next, in verse 16 we again run into the “by” word, but
this time it is from the Greek “en”, which could be “by” in some
cases. Unfortunately here, it must be “in”; instead, as “by” is only
valid were Jesus Christ the one who did the creating. Since the King James
translators thought Jesus did, they chose to use “by” as the translation of
“en”, but the RSV again has it grammatically correct and uses
“in”.
Col 1:16
for in (en) him all things
were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through
(dia) him and for (eis)him.
Continuing, in verse 17 we come across the word “before.”
Well, we all know what before means, don’t we? The Greek here is pro
and means, “before one in time, place, or superiority.” Therefore,
we might say that a man might kneel “before” a king, meaning the man was in
front of (before “in place”) the king, but then say that “the King is
“before” all others, meaning not that the King is in front of anyone,
but that he is superior in rank to all of his subjects, including the man
kneeling before him. The short story is that in verse 17 the word pro,
translated to “before” must be understood as “superior to”, rather than
before in time or place because of the context, which is in part established in
verse 18- “that in all things he might have the preeminence”.
Let’s now notice the specific context so that we may
avoid assuming or attributing things to be present that are not.
Much the same as in Ephesians we see a reference to: “thrones,
or dominions, or principalities, or powers.”
But, what else do we read about that? Again, just as
previously we saw that these things were created by God the Father
“on account of” His son, now, in verse 16, we can see that the word dia
(this time in the Genitive) actually includes involvement of this Jesus Christ
as a part of the cause that will culminate in bringing these “all
things” into the very subjection of the Throne of God spoken of. In none of
this is there a requirement that Jesus be the originator or even so much as a
participant in any way to the creation of these “all things.”
While some of the English translations may lead one to think it does, the Greek
they come from does no such thing.
Now notice what it was that was created. Was it the
physical universe that was created for his son? Read verse 16. It states, “all
things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible…”
Putting aside the issue of just what is “heaven and
earth” in scripture for the moment- A full explanation is available in a
number of articles on the Israel of God website (www.israelofgod.org),
such as the articles on the New Heaven and New Earth, and especially the article
on Genesis 1:1-2, and so on, but here we do not even need to get into a lengthy
discussion of the biblical use of the phrase “heavens and earth” as it
contains a definition, or explanation, in the verse- only we read right over it
every single time (because we automatically assume we know what it
means?).
So, all things that were created in whatever the
heavens and earth mean- regardless if they are visible to the eye or invisible-
are what? They are “thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities”.
And, what thrones, dominions, principalities and authorities is this referring
to? Is this a reference to some kind of evil angelic realm?
Verse 20 explains that through the sacrifice of this Jesus,
the son of God, all these things will be reconciled back to a harmonious
state under the realm and dominion of Jesus, which is given to Jesus by and from
his Father, our God.
Now, having “all things” in these references refer to
“thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers” suddenly allows
this all to fit perfectly into Revelation, but let’s take one look back at
Colossians before moving on.
With
the annotated revisions:
Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For in (en) him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created through (dia) him, and for him:
17 And he is superior to (before) (pro) all things (thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers), and in (en) him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the ekklesia: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence (just as stated in verse 17).
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, through (dia; that is, the peace comes through the reconciliation, which Jesus accomplished through his sacrifice) him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven (the thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, including “every name [just means authorities] that is named, not only in this world [age], but also in that which is to come:”).
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and
there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms (“thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers”)
of this world (kosmos= human society) are
become the kingdoms (“thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers”) of our Lord, and of his
Christ; and he (God the Father) shall
reign for ever and ever (to the ages of the ages).
–And from other scriptures, some of which we have covered, we know that
God gives to His Christ dominion over man and also reigns.
The kingdoms of this “world”, which here is kosmos,
thus human society and neither a time period, nor the universe, are indeed these
“all things” that are “thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
or powers”.
Now, for a full biblical analysis of how, why, and what is meant by, “the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ” please see the articles entitled, “The Lord and His Christ- Do they rule together or separate?” plus the follow up “The Lord and His Christ- Part 2- a further analysis”, which shows that the “Lord” in Revelation 11:15 is a reference to God the Father.
We
now come full circle:
Acts
3:21 Whom the heaven must receive
until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by
the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
We can now ask, “What “restitution” is it that the
holy prophets of God have been prophesying about all these years gone by?”
As Acts 3:21 states this announcement began with the “since
the world (age) began,” what else could it be other than the reinstatement of
the rulership of God over man, and in particular Israel, which is made possible
through the implementation of the Jeremiah 31 “new covenant.”
The Greek word translated, “restitution” (apokatastasis)
carries with it a reference to the reinstatement of the true and original
Theocracy. There is no implication of a “restored” universe. The “restitution
of all things” is not about the universe, but about the dominion of God
over man within the universe.
“All
Things” as used in these and many (not all) New Testament verses is
simply a reference to the totality of rule, rulership, and even rulers, coming
under one authority as the Father has granted to his firstborn son in the
“age” to come. It is not about the universe, or dogs, or cows, or insects,
or trees, etc. It is not even about the “spirit” realm for which God already
has total and complete dominion, but about the “spiritual.” From the time
that man first chose to have dominion over man those governments,
principalities, powers, rulers and thrones have continued in an unbroken
succession of misery, weakness, short-coming, death, destruction and abject
failure. Now, isn’t that what all the holy prophets have spoken of? Isn’t
that what truly needs restoring? The other things, the animals, insects, lands,
waters, and even perhaps eventually the universe, all are subject to man, so
when man is again subject to God all of those things will take care of
themselves. Order will be restored, life will flourish, and living the Way of
the Living God will bring natural blessings upon all those who submit to the
ways, mind, and authority of their Creator God; the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, the God of Israel, the God of His Kingdom- the Kingdom of God.
Richard Fix
August 2005
This article does not intend to be exhaustive on the
subject, if it were it would no doubt be 50 or 100 pages. There is much left
unsaid. However, should you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, may we
encourage you to write us at: info@israelofgod.org
Below is a listing of “all things” verses whose understanding may be affected by this brief study. Please let us know what you find in your study. Help us to grow as well as yourself.