The material creation will be restored to us as when we have been delivered from the person and works of Satan and filled with the Life of God through Christ. This is the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, the performing of God's will in earth as it is in Heaven. This is the Kingdom preached by John the Baptist, by the Lord Jesus, and by the Apostles.

The Lord Jesus gave to us the grand vision of the Kingdom but He spoke in parables. The Epistles of the Apostles provide us with the practical steps and means of entering the Kingdom of God—the Kingdom that is in Heaven and is coming from Heaven to the earth.

Faith is our conviction concerning these "things" of restoration that are in the process of being brought from the Divine vision into the material realm. We "hope" for the coming of these things because they are not in evidence as yet.

The visible material things were created by an invisible spiritual Force, and by His spiritual force the material things will be restored.

As we examine our examples of faith, in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews, we notice that none of them suggests to us any of the incorrect or incomplete assumptions or approaches we are apt to find today:

The glorious restoration God has promised cannot be brought into reality.

None of the people of Chapter 11 adopted the attitude that what God has promised cannot be brought into reality, although it was not possible for them to fulfill the vision in their own strength by means available at that time.

There cannot be a fulfillment during this present life.

The patriarchs died in faith without having received all the promises because it was not yet the appointed time of total fulfillment; but they steadfastly kept on looking for their fulfillment, and some of the promises of health, wealth, and long life were fulfilled in their lifetimes.

The fulfillment was available previously but not now.

None of the saints of the Scripture ever took this attitude toward the promises of God. It is inconceivable that theologians should take this position concerning the ministries and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The restoration will take place in Heaven.

This concept does not appear in the Old Testament or the New Testament. It originated, apparently, at some point in the Christian Era and has become part of our tradition.

We are to manipulate the supernatural realm by "speaking the word of faith."

It appears superficially that Joshua did this when he commanded the sun and the moon to stand still. But Joshua at the time did not speak to the sun or moon directly but "to the Lord." And Joshua was fighting a battle under the specific directions of the Lord.

And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. (Joshua 10:8,12)

"Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites."

To be continued.