The Restoration of All Things

“… whom (Jesus) heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Acts 3:21)

“’Eliah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished’.” (Mt. 17:11-12)

“Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.” (Mt. 17:13)

May this message, if necessary, place (Greek: OIKODOMIA) our idea of restoration “on the foundation of another world.” These days there is much being preached and written about restoration. Themes such as “restoring the church” have become well-used slogans. All of us know of God’s intentions. He will not let His Son Jesus Christ stand up at His right hand until His church has been restored “having not spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” (Eph. 5:26-27) The church, the body of Christ, is on its way “to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13)
However, one must ask, how do we imagine the restoration and completion of the church or all things constituting her? The natural, human mind involuntarily pictures to itself something big and spectacular. Right away it sees the up to now divided and scattered Christians approach as in herds and hug each other in tears, being reconciled as brothers. Others are expecting the restoration of all things to be the great break through into perfect ecumenicalism, the universal Christian unity. At least they expect all of the genuinely believing denominations and churches to join in brotherly unity with one another. Yes, how wonderful would it be, if suddenly all of the shepherds and spiritual leaders would have the veil removed from their eyes and a true repentance, reconciliation and unification amongst all God’s people would take place!

How do you understand this promised restoration of all things? What do you expect concerning the outside, and what do you expect concerning the inside? May we not be found belonging to that category of people who from the start cry out: impossible! Because Jesus will restore all things pertaining to the church before He comes with his holy ones to restore all of the earthly things. (Rev. 20:6)This message is not given in order to become philosophical about God’s possibilities in this situation – whether God will ever succeed in renewing and straightening out entire church systems and denominations. Every child of God knows that nothing is impossible for God. He only needs to bat an eye and far greater things would take place. Yes! May many such wonders still take place before our very eyes! Nevertheless, I am more concerned about God’s intentions, about His goal of restoration.

What exactly is to be restored? “Of course, we the church!” is what everyone would simultaneously say. Did we not read that at the beginning of the chapter? At first glance, yes, but let us take a second look and learn an important lesson from this. In view of the coming of John the Baptist, was it not already said, “Elijah must come and then all things will be restored?” (Matt. 17:11-13) Well, did that Word of God come true or not? Of course the Word of God cannot be nullified. (John 10:35) 1 Therefore, yes, John did restore all things as is written of him. However, what was the ordinary Israelite supposed to expect when he thought of the restoration of all things? Which events was he waiting for long before the coming of the promised forerunner who would prepare the way? What do we see as the results after John had carried out his ministry? What was his fruit? Let us judge objectively.

Through his ministry, the people of God as a whole became split into two camps. He publicly criticized the majority of the spiritual leaders and disqualified them as a brood of vipers, a generation of snakes. (Matt. 3:7) Multitudes of people were put off by this man and seperated themselves from God’s purpose by crying, “He has a demon!” (Lk. 7:30+33) Even between the disciples of Jesus and those of John, there were open questions and tensions. (Matt. 9:14) 2 In the middle of his ministry, they threw this restorer into prison and there, in this dungeon, even he harboured terrible doubts about his ministry. (Matt. 11:3) 3 Finally, they killed that restorer of all things. (Matt. 14:10) 4 Even so, twenty years later there were still disciples of John around, who in spite of his ministry had missed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and even Jesus himself. (Acts 19:1-7) 5 Well, had the outward form of the restoration somehow or other been indentical with the general expectation of the people of God back then? Do we not think as well that most of them did imagine the restoration of all things to be something completely different? And yet, it remains so: “Elijah has come and HAS RESTORED ALL THINGS!” What is God actually interested in with the restoration of all things?

Brothers and Sisters, it is not about any outward forms! It is not about a special selection of lucky Jews or elite Christians! Once again, it is neither humankind, nor crowds of followers, nor an organisation nor a certain point of teaching that would make up the center. John was not to restore a social, let alone a divine service system; rather he restored God’s testimony of Himself within the midst of His people - God’s holy standards, God’s eternal truths, ordinances, boundaries and realities! Everything, which did not correspond to the real and holy God, had to be changed and restored. Repentance, turning around, turning away, shift in thinking, having a new mindset and remorse were the contents and the purpose of John’s commission. Whoever encountered John and resisted his testimony directly excluded himself from the dawning kingdom and as a necessity missed Christ. What can we learn from these things?

Even if only the twelve apostles had bowed to the ministry of John it would still be written in Scripture today, "Elijah has come and has restored all things." Beloved, when dealing with the restoration of all things it is solely about God's testimony of Himself in us and surely not about a large number of followers or any Christian forms. So, likewise do not misguidedly expect something “great” to take place based on the restoration of all things pertaining to the church! I say to you, even if God could only find a small group willing to become transformed by His reality and could fully have and thus saturate this group in all areas, then through this group, God's testimony would be restored and the Christ completed. Again: restoration of all things pertaining to the church has at first absolutely nothing to do with quantity, i.e. with the number of followers, and just as little with any outward form of the church or teaching views, rather solely with the true Christ IN us and with the real Christ THROUGH us and He being formed in us. Of course, we too are not expecting the restoration of the church comprising just a handful of souls. However, that does not alter the basic principles we have just mentioned.

The Testimony of Prior Restoration Ministries

God already demonstrated in prior restoration ministries that He is concerned about Himself and not about the number of people involved. When performing a work of restoration God was never interested in simply taking in “everyone”.

At time of Noah, when He restored the “world” and the human race, there were only eight souls with whom this work of renewal could be materialized.

When God restored the people of “Israel”, who had decayed because of unbelief and disobedience, it was only Joshua and Caleb who remained out of 3 million people, and with them the younger generation.

When God began to restore “all nations”, the entire nation of Israel, His people, were cut off because they did not bow down to the overtaking kingdom of God. “But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles …” (Rom. 11:11)

What will the restoration of the visible kingdom of God and Israel be like on earth? Woe to those people who are expecting a golden “new age for everyone.” The “restoration of creation” and of the cosmos will be ushered in by the destruction of at least one third of the whole creation (Rev. 8), and just along this line the restoration of the church will take its course as well. The completion of the betrothal means the complete removal of all carnal Christianity. Restoration will never be mass euphoria, or great signs and wonders, let alone an all encompassing reconciliation or fraternization movement. Even though entire denominations and churches could be included, as a rule it will be a despised and generally quiet move of being led out from all the existing denominations, churches and fellowships. Thus, the restoration of the church will principally be a coming out comprising solely those who follow the Lamb, wherever He goes. When it comes to the last stretch of the road to be covered they will surely meet and greet one another and here and there join, but this will never grow into a vast multitude of people.

The Process of Restoration

Dear brothers and sisters do not be afraid of anything and do not think either that just because so many do not find the narrow way, it would accordingly mean that it is hard to walk along it. Whatever your spiritual situation may be, the restoration and completion of the church will reach and get hold of you, if you only desire from your whole heart to be brought into it. No denominational commitment will be able to hold you back and no barricaded horizon will be able to hinder you. Neither a spirit of the times nor any religious current nor personal weakness or despondency will be capable of robbing you of your portion. Jesus looks only at your heart. No, His way is not too hard for us to go, for His yoke remains easy and therefore for many people it is almost even treated with contempt – and that is why so many take the wrong path. However, if you thirst to be restored to the reality of God, then cry out with your heart, YES LORD, I WILL to every one of the processes as described in the following! Then prepare yourself for upheaval and trials! It will cost you everything, but it will never go beyond what you can bear. (1 Cor. 10:13) 6 Which way then are we going to be recovered? Over and over again the Bible uses figurative language in order to allegorically bring out certain inherent laws or processes in nature as being in conformity with spiritual ones. In view of the church being in the making, it is revealed to us among other things that she will be restored and perfected according to the inherent laws governing the making of bread. Of course, there are many other symbols or illustrations, which could be interpreted too, but because of the compactness of just this one I will limit myself to that – the symbol of bread. Seven steps are being revealed before our eyes.

“For we, who are many, are one bread, one body” (1 Cor. 10:17)

Paul does not say here, we are like one bread, or we are like one body (meaning a human body). Rather, in the light of the conformity of the inherent laws in both the natural and the spiritual he says that we truly are one bread and one body. This body has been existent since Pentecost. In fact, neither a sleeping giant nor a full-grown man began to wake at Pentecost. Actually it was the birth, the hour of birth of the church, which however, towards the end of the age, according to Eph. 4:17 7 should reach the fullness of a mature man. Thus, the terms “bread” and “body” prophetically convey spiritual realities. In both of them, we find portrayed the one and the same reality, in which the “body” reveals the dynamic side of the nature of the church and the “bread” reveals its static side.

The body points to the NATURE, the CHARACTER of the church, namely that she is a living organism. That is to say that the restored church of God in the end will have her existence only as a living organism having assumed a definite corporeal, visible, and thus presentable form.

The bread on the other hand points to the PROCESS, meaning the individual levels of growth of the same one church. So if the church began at Pentecost in miniature form (embryo or baby form), then, when talking about bread we need to begin at its earliest form as well.

Now, we could add here an infinite number of stages, parallels and examples. Actually, we could produce an almost non-stop string of interpretation and application. However, let us recognize and make sure our calling in the mirror of bread making and give the Lord an answer by way of our dedication to Him.

Are we bread, or do we refuse to become bread? The following can be applied both to one’s personal and to the church level.

1. Bread in contrast to “grown” food

Bread is formed through handwork. That is why fruit cannot adequately express the process of the restoration of the church. Certainly, every type of fruit created by God pictures a special nature and side of a spiritual reality of the church (for instance vine, fig tree, wheat, olive tree etc), but only bread reveals the exact and complete spiritual
process.

2. Bread in contrast to a grain field

Are you still a “field Christian” or are you already a “bread Christian?” Field Christians are those who exist only for themselves. Of course, they can live in Christian surroundings (a field with many other stalks of grain), but there remains a distinct distance, a certain aloofness and remoteness between them. Field Christians have their own roots, and these roots are still deeply set in this world. They cannot live and do without the visible. It is true, field Christians are barely edible, just like green grain, but they are not bread! If the wind (the Holy Spirit) blows on them, they certainly let themselves be moved, and it may be they even sway beautifully back and forth, but afterwards they remain unchanged. “Field Christians” and “field churches” are outside of God’s purpose. Do you want to become bread? Then say YES to the divine sickle. Let yourself be uprooted from your individualism and be brought to where God wants you to be, otherwise, the restoration will pass you by.

3. Bread in contrast to sheaves

In our eyes, it might be rather revolutionary to have perhaps already come to the point of living accountably in a home-fellowship or in some other way having left behing the ordinary level by cultivating some well-meaning Christian “teaming-up”, and yet it is possible to live in constant close Christian togetherness and still not be “bread!”

In my teenage years, I spent much time with people who live accountably in a commune. Those people however were communists and so, according to their own headstrong way, they too were all seeking after their own interests.

That is just the way the “sheave Christians” and the “sheave churches” are. Even though they meet regularly and – in contrast to the field Christians – come much closer together,  they are still single stalks and remain individuals. Concerning the world, it might be true that they have thoruoughly uprooted themselves from it, but as to their innermost structure, nothing at all has changed yet. The way they think and feel and will is still exactly the same as it previously would have been in the world. Certainly, you cannot find them anymore at the places where they formerly used to be, but what makes up their way of behaving, talking and distinguishing, is in its nature still earthly oriented. “Sheave Christians” may well be in touch with each other, but they have not really become one. The presence of many other stalks being in close contact to one another – thus forming a sheave – changes neither their outward appearance nor their nature. Therefore, God also wants to put an end to every form of shared individualism regardless of how much these fellowships have already uprooted themselves from the world and how much Christian-like they might have garnished their individualism! Say YES if you want to move beyond this stage and become bread and let the cross take you another step further.

4. Bread in contrast to grain

The next stage is what I call the “grain sack Christianity.” Meanwhile, there are as many “grain sack Christians” and “grain sack churches” as sand on the shore. They have a deeper desire for more openness, unity and renewal. God rewards this desire for more accountability and nearness, however, not as the soulish Christian or the flesh would like it to be. If we are thirsting for more nearness and unity, God sends his “holy flail.” (2 Tim. 3:12) 8 All of a sudden, spirit and flesh are constantly colliding with each other. Now the chaff must be eliminated! Oh, how many attempts at restoration have already come to a halt right here! People sadly withdrew because they did not recognize the grace hidden in it. Oh how it hurts, when the Holy Spirit suddenly has to remove one or the other out of the midst of the saints! However, if we really want to become bread, then there is no other choice for us. The chaff must be completely separated from the grain. Chaff has the exact same form as grain, but inside it is hollow, empty. It has no life, no spiritual substance. However, if we keep ourselves exposed to the cross, to the deeper life. Looked at from the perspective of church history we are now right in the middle of various sanctification movements. There are sanctification churches, sanctification conferences, sanctification meetings etc. They are all just as indispensable for the heavenly bread as the flail or, today one would say, as the treshing machinge is for the earthly bread. However, we should not deceive ourselves: even the most thorough application of the threshing machine will not lift us beyond the status of “grain sack Christianity.”  When we have been cleansed and separated through sanctification meetings, we still have only reached the level of “grain sack Christianity.” Churches pursuing sactification are an impressive thing compared to “sheave churches”, and yet at the same time, how wretched and miserable and blind and naked they are if they remain at that point. That is why you should say YES to the cross, if you want to become bread. Now you should keep especially still.

5. Bread in contrast to flour

How encouraging it is to see that more and more Christians do not settle for just being cleansed from the chaff, but pursue all the more the surrender of the lives on their own initiative in order to become one with each other. For grain sacks are but a mere accmulation of individual, unbroke grains, even though they have already been separated from the stalk, the ear and the chaff. One can still pick out a kernel of corn without affecting any of the others. Therefore, the restoration to the full measure of the stature will lead us still deeper into the working of the cross. Now comes “the Rock eternal” (Is. 26:4), Christ, on whom all of us must be ground until no trace of individualism is left. Under this rock’s grinding even the sheer possibility of harbouring individualism will be taken from us. Blessed is he, who is being brought into this mill. It is all or nothing here. In this process, we will be put under inescapable pressures where we are grinded against each other and against God. We’d much rather run miles away and flee from it with the wings of the dawn, but just as often as we make the effort to do so we are overcome by the spiritual reality, and discovering that we are at the right place we realize anew that we’ve got to get through it.  This time it is no longer about getting rid of the unpleasant chaff because it is already gone. Everyone around us is experiencing the same thing and their endurance under the same pressure motivates and comforts us and makes us one in our deepest beings. At the end of this process, it does not even hurt as it did at the beginning, when the divine grinding stone started to turn. Now one finds himself surrounded on all sides and embedded in a totally pliable and gentle fellowship.

Oh, how dead we are now, at any rate much more “dead” than all the others! Now we are as clean and white as flour! Whoever, though, has become “a flour Christian” or a “flour bag church” and is becoming self-satisfied because of it, this one is the most miserable of all the aforementioned Christians. Realize that flour is more inedible than green or hard grain. You can only spit it out if it remains at this stage and does not allow to be processed further. It is also a catastrophe when the wind blows over exposed flour (John 3:8) 9 – then it even has a polluting effect on the whole environment. It takes its toll on everything around it! Therefore, in your heart say anew and loudly YES to the cross, if you want to become bread!

6. Bread in contrast to dough

All of the judgements that have been described up to now are purely judgements of grace, meant to lead us to life and not to death! However, because of their intensity, they eventually will have dried out every follower. That is why at some point it needs to come to a new encounter with the Holy Spirit. It is exactly at this stage where as never before he meets us in form of flowing rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38) 10 If we do not get to know both sides of the Lord (the drying out side and the refreshing side) we can never attain to perfection. After having “survived” the times of judgement an indescribably refreshing flood is being poured out over those who have endured. “Oh, how good it is and how wonderfully, in contrast to evrybody else, we now experience the Spirit!” However, just as we are about to settle for that it starts up again. The divine hands grab hold of us and start to knead us. Whoomp! Slam! Uuff! Thud! Have you ever watched how real robust dough is made? The women in our kitchen slam it again and again over the edge of the kneading trough! Beloved, one thing we must keep in mind as much as possible: There will not be one inch of restoration without the cross in proportion to it. In every new phase, we must be prepared for new suffering and endurance, for even after such an intense treatment we are still not bread. What did your grandmother always say when you stuck your nose over the rim of the bowl and maybe even tried to eat some of the raw dough? “Don’t do that, child; you’ll get a stomach ache!” God feels just the same way about it when He sees His own trying to act as if they were already edible in their “dough stage.” God Himself calls out to people: “Get away from them, you’ll get a stomach ache!”

Do we want to continue with the Lord? Restoration is not a Sunday outing, and it definitely has nothing to do with large crowds and mass euphoria. If we really want ot become bread, then we must no longer be fascinated even by such a dense, adherent unity as dough vividly illustrates. Rather, we must say YES in our hearts, if we want to obtain that which is to be discerned as being the best (Phil. 1:10) and focus ourselves on it. Our western understanding of making bread tells us we now need to let the dough sit for a time and rest at a comfortable temperature so that it can rise. The question remains however, whether the spiritual reality is in conformity with the natural law inherent either in leavened or in unleavened bread. In view, though, of the seventh stage that is awaiting all of us it won't matter whether it gets hold of us now or eventually in a few hours. We must all pass through it, if we want to be brought into perfection.

7. Bread – real, fresh, hearty bread!

As to the actual phase of the ongoing history of salvation, we have now reached the point where the true body of Christ is standing right at this threshold. A time of the fiery oven is coming for the church of Christ. The door to that furnace of blazing fire has already been opened. If we are not yet in it, we need to cry out to God, if He graciously is to add us to the dough, which has already been prepared but is still resting. Not for all the world would I want to be found in any other state or form than the one of the prepared dough when the last fire comes, because the fire will come over everything! The fields will burn up as well as the sheaves. The sacks of grain will turn into hard, roasted kernels and the flour will become all the more inedible, namely black powder. However, those who have been called to the restoration of all things will be able to withstand the blaze of the last trial. Their form will come to its full greatness and beauty exactly during this time. Their smell will be recognized everywhere, but only God will have it on His table. The church, the body of Christ, will find her completion and perfection in this baptism with fire after having started with the baptism in the Holy Spirit, i.e. with the becoming of the one body under the head of Christ.

From this perspective, we can better learn to understand why the restoration of all things pertaining to the church will only reach a part of Christendom. Nothing against expecting revival, but how much easier is it, in one-sided euphoria or even in a false spirit of prophecy to dream of blazing revivals and outpourings of the Holy Spirit? I will say it once more here at the end: without the continous returning of the cross there will be neither restoration nor completion and perfection of the church. All of nature teaches us this. Before a mother can receive the fruit of her womb, she must suffer. Gold is cleansed in fire and diamonds take their shape under immeasurable pressure. Therefore, we must also go through many tribulations in order to enter the kingdom of

God. (Acts 14:22)11 Are we ready to go down this path? The Christ, who lives in us and empowers us for everything is ready!

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His *good pleasure.” (*far beyond your own good will) (Phil. 2:12-13)

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20-21)

Ivo Sasek

_______________________________

If you would like to download a copy of this Olive Tree, you may do so by selecting from one of the following formats:

PDF	Text