Fifth, the concept that when the Body is mature it will appear with Christ and establish justice among the nations of the earth has been lost. Sometimes the totally unscriptural notion that Gentiles will compose a kingdom in Heaven while the Jews compose a kingdom on the earth is advanced. This idea not only is unscriptural, it also is unrealistic. Multitudes of people have both Jewish and Gentile blood in them. How is one to distinguish among them? Would those who are part Jewish, part Gentile, be placed in Heaven or on the earth? Where would the Apostles of the Lamb find themselves? They all were Jewish!

Also, the Apostle Paul told us in Christ, that is, in His Body, there is neither Jew nor Greek.

Obviously there are many Evangelical traditions that need to be reviewed at this point if the Christian churches are to bring forth the radiant Wife of the Lamb.

In the beginning God placed man in Paradise on the earth. What God begins God finishes. When all has been finished, man once again will be in Paradise on the earth. The difference will be that mankind will be governed by a righteous kingdom that will prevent sin and death from entering the earth. The Kingdom of God is composed of Christ and His Body, His Church.

All that has transpired since Adam and Eve rebelled against God has been for the purpose of teaching man and angels the folly of sin, and then for the working out of the program that will culminate in the restoration of what was lost.

He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:21—NIV)

The above verse does not mean, as some have conjectured, that eventually every individual will be restored to God's Presence. It means rather that all will be restored according to that which was spoken through the Prophets.

Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, One had to come who would be perfectly obedient and then be willing to be a sin offering for mankind. This the Lord Jesus Christ did with the result that an atonement has been made for the sin of the world.

However, an enormous problem remains. After people have their sins forgiven, what then? The earth still is cursed. People still are born in a state of lawlessness. The nations still are in rebellion against God. Even though sin has been forgiven, the earth remains the valley of the shadow of death.

Someone has to come to the earth who has the authority to lift the curse from nature, and who has the Spirit of God to such an extent that all sin can be driven from the earth and Paradise can be restored.

The One who is to do this is the Servant of the Lord. Why, then, did the Lord Jesus Christ, the Servant of the Lord, not lift the curse from nature and drive sin from the earth when He appeared two thousand years ago? After all, He did have all authority and also the Spirit of God without measure.

The answer to this question goes back to the beginning.

To be continued.