“19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time comes for the restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago… 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.” (Acts 3:19, 20, 21, 24)

Introduction

On a recent Marketplace Retreat God spoke to me once again[1] about the “restoration of all things”, meaning the transformation of the various spheres of culture, such as government, law, arts, education, business etc.[2]. Two scriptures came together for the first time, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father” (Matt 11:27) and,““Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.” (Matt 17:11). The Elijah ministry works for the restoring to Messiah of all things that have been given him by the Father.

The mission of Elijah is to “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers” (Mal 4:6)[3], but the vision of Elijah, with “all the prophets” (Acts 3:24), is to see all things filled with Christ.

“All Things” Given

“All things” means all of creation[4]. It is obvious that all things belong to God, but the scriptures also teach they belong to man. The psalmist says, “You have given dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet” (Ps 8:6). More broadly, Paul teaches, “all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” (1 Cor 3:21-23).

Behind this teaching is the understanding that humans were created to image the glory of God[5]. For this glory to be fully seen the human race was commanded to go beyond Eden and “fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). To fill the world with God-likeness meant that, in the plan of God, godly government would reflect the justice and wisdom of God, the arts reveal the creativity of God, technology the inventiveness of the divine mind, education impart the knowledge of God in all things, business would release the bountiful blessings of the Lord, and so on. In everything God would be glorified (1 Pet 4:11).

The various spheres of culture (government, law, arts, education, religion, business etc.) are creative projections of our humanity and spheres that were designed to image the character of God the Creator. These spheres were designed to be places where God would indwell man and fill the world with his glory. Humanity was created to image the likeness of God in the world through the agency of culture. It is through the creativity, inventiveness, diversity and preserving power of culture that the human race finds its identity, endures through time and establishes its rule over the earth. Without the broad expanse of culture humanity could never adequately reveal the spectrum of God’s own glorious attributes.

All the fundamental structures of creation, including culture, were put in place by God and were “very good” (Gen 1:31). The work life of Adam and Eve, the technology (tools) they used to tend the garden (Gen 2:15), their insight into agricultural methods, their power of speech, Adam’s educating Eve concerning God’s Word etc. were all pleasing to the Creator.

“All Things” Lost

The satanic temptation, “you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:5) was aimed at perverting the spheres of culture. Through sin, the various dimensions of human culture were corrupted and became instruments for the glory of man rather than agencies for the glory of God (Rom 1:19-23). People now work, write, paint, do business, have families, run nations, found religions etc. for themselves and not for God (Eph 2:12). This central disposition of fallen humanity to exalt its own image over that of God’s true likeness is the essence of idolatry.

All prophecy is committed to the destruction of idols and restoration of the glory of the one true God (John 17:3). The prophetic vision testifies that all culture must be discipled to fully obey the command of the Creator. Jesus is the one person who has lived this vision faithfully and in him culture has been redeemed.

Christ Pantocrator

One of the earliest icons of the Greek speaking church is Christ Pantocrator, “Christ Ruler of All”[6]. When Peter preached Jesus as “Lord of all” (Acts 10:36) he was proclaiming the crucified carpenter from Nazareth as Lord of every element of existence, including culture. Jesus was not a disembodied spirit (1 John 4:1-2) but a socio-cultural being in the very broadest sense. His earthly life was not filled with the presence of God only when he was teaching and doing miracles, he was God manifest in “all things”. The Jesus that Peter knew was raised in a family, worked with his hands, ran his own small business, taught creatively, respected civil government[7], and brought God’s Word to the synagogue and so on. The real flesh and blood Jesus (John 1:14; Heb 2:14; 1 John 1:1-2) lived for the glory of God in every realm of culture and so doing redeemed all things for. The cross is the climax of Christ’s obedience because it is where the whole system of worldliness created by the idolatrous corruption of human culture is put to death in his flesh[8].

In “becoming sin” for us (2 Cor 5:21) on the cross Jesus is handed over to the depths of evil resident in fallen human culture. The Son of God is condemned by the highest religious system of the world, ancient Judaism, the wholly innocent one is found guilty by an Empire which prided itself on lawfulness, the Teacher of the Wisdom of God enters into a place where there seems to be only ignorance and so on. If culture was created as a space where God and man could dwell together, for Jesus to be given over to the full hellishness of fallen human society means that the divine presence is completely excluded from the space he occupies on the cross. By taking the absence of the presence of God into his humanity on the cross, “why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34), Jesus pays the penalty for the sinfulness of human culture in “all things”.

“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”” (Luke 24:26). In the cross Jesus humanity is emptied of manifest glory, but in exaltation Jesus is “crowned him with glory and honour, 8 …(with) everything in subjection under his feet.” (Heb 2:7-8). Jesus is the God-inhabited man in whom all the divine goals for human culture have been completely realised. Having taken our humanity into the eternal glory of God[9] culture has been glorified in him. His mind, will, emotions, wisdom, understanding, creativity, wisdom, insight, rule, justice…are totally saturated with the glory of God. The fullness of justice, government, education, creativity, communication, productivity etc. is embodied in the perfected humanity of the Son of God. This is the content of the new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15).

Since, “he (Jesus) upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb 1:3), underneath the corruption of culture, at the very deepest level of the meaning of politics, arts, education, law, media, business etc., is the presence of Christ. From the midst of the divine council (Jer 23:22) the prophets proclaim that everything belongs to Jesus. To say, “Jesus is Lord”, is to say,“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’” (A. Kuyper). This is the vision that unites heaven and earth.

The New Jerusalem that descends from heaven as the eternal dwelling place for God in man (Rev 21:2) is neither an ethereal space filled with disembodied souls nor a giant arena for praise sessions. It is a true city where all of God’s attributes of justice, goodness, rule, communication, creativeness, wisdom etc. will be experienced in an encultured way. Only in this way can we be fully human forever.

A New Vision

Paul describes the body of Christ as “the fullness of him who fills all things in every way” (Eph 1:23). It is the mission of the church to fill all the realms of culture with the presence of Jesus by manifesting Christ’s justice, rule, communication, wisdom, productivity and so on in all spheres of culture. As Christian politicians, educators, communicators, business people, family members, artists etc. our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). Seated with Christ in heaven (Eph 2:6) we can manifest in the midst of fallen earthly culture the perfection of culture that indwells the heavenly humanity of Jesus[10]. The prayer, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:9-10) is not fulfilled in some super-spiritual space, but in the real space-time spheres of society that surround us.

To disciple nations (Matt 28:19) is to bring the presence and life of the exalted Christ into every sphere of earthly existence. The church does not create Christ’s presence; it is called to embody the truth that he is already at the root of every element of cultural life.

The prophetic vision is for the universal restoration of all things human (Acts 3:21). Our present experience of being “filled with the Holy Spirit” and our “union with Christ”[11] witness to us of the time when God will fill everything with the life of Jesus. Sensing this, we prayerfully and passionately desire to see this reality become increasing realised in every dimension of human life and culture, NOW.

Conclusion

The Elijah vision sees beyond the realm of mortal appearances to a universe framed and constituted as the dwelling place of God in man. At the centre of this vision is the revelation that this reality already exists in Jesus own glorified humanity.

The prophet does not point to a mythical Christ, but proclaims “the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27). As the church in the power of the Spirit is filled with this glory, it begins to image in “all things” the future condition of the universe, when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea” (Hab 2:14). When unbelievers see the manifestation of the divine justice, wisdom, goodness, creativity etc., through the church they long to live with this God forever. This is what Jesus has commanded us to be a part of, this is what it means to disciple nations and long for the restoration of all things, it is for this vision that the prophets and martyrs died. This is the vision that God wants to share with you in all the spheres of your earthly life.