Introduction

I. Salvation Is Restoration

II. God Created Man to Become Perfect In Nature

1. There Would Have Been No Original Sin.

2. There Would Have Been No Need for Desperate Prayer and Repentance.

3. No Savior Would Have Been Necessary.

III. It Was God's Will That Israel Should Believe In Jesus

1. God Sent John the Baptist.

2. What Was the Mission of John the Baptist?

3. How Did the Jewish People Regard Jesus?

4. How Did Israel Look at John the Baptist?

5. Jesus Witnessed for Himself.

6. How Do We Interpret the Prophecy of the Suffering and Dying Lord?

7. When Jesus Learned of His Coming Death He Taught His Disciples That They Too Must Suffer.

8. Jesus Prayed in Gethsemane.

9. It Is Finished.

10. The Greatest Tragedy Is the Tragedy of the Jewish People.

IV. Physical Salvation Was Lost Until The Second Coming

V. Prophecy of the Christ as Lord of Lords and King of Kings

1. Scriptures on His Kingdom.

2. Comparison of Two Lines of Prophecy.

VI. Man's Responsibility in the Fulfillment of God's Divine Plan

What was the true mission of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, from God's viewpoint? What were the secrets which Jesus had kept deep in His bosom that he could not reveal? Why is the Second Coming of the Messiah necessary?

There are many different interpretations as to the purpose and mission of Jesus. Some believe Jesus is God. Some believe He is the Son of God. Some say He was only a master teacher or a great philosopher. Others say Jesus was an imposter and a liar.

Today, God has revealed a new insight by which we can analyze the Messiahship, His mission and His death. Some of the mystery surrounding the crucified Lord was the effect it had on God's overall purpose for all mankind can be clarified.

Jesus was the personal or given name of the son of Joseph and Mary. Christ is His official title originating from the Greek word Christo, which means "Anointed". His title for the mission of King of Kings, was Messiah or Christ which means the "Anointed Man of God".

John 1:41 "We have found the Messiah, which is, being Interpreted, the Christ.

This world was originally made good. Since the fall of man, by God's plan for restoration, we are returning to the original Garden of Eden, which symbolizes a paradise, a perfect sinless world filled with love, joy and peace. In the beginning God created all things good to establish the Earthly Kingdom. Instead, man opposed the law and principles of God, lost the Earthly Kingdom and thereby established the Evil or Earthly Hell.

If God's original plan is lost, if God's creation cannot be restored, then something is wrong with God's original idea. God's plan is the complete restoration of all things and the fulfillment of the original Kingdom of God on Earth.

Jesus was sent by God for the salvation of mankind. Salvation is the means by which God is restoring mankind to the original sinless state. God's Providence for Salvation is the Providence for the Restoration of man and all things. Restoration of the world means restoration of the individual and the circumstances. The Kingdom will be accomplished and the restoration fulfilled by the Ministry of the Second Coming.

All Israel waited for, and believed in the actual, literal restoration of the Kingdom on Earth. The disciples expected Jesus to restore Israel and set up His Earthly Kingdom. They asked Jesus in:

Acts 1:6 "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, 'Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"'

His followers thought it was His actual body and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but Jesus knew He was resurrected in Spirit and told them:

Acts 1:7 "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power."

Let us consider several scriptural references referring to God's Restoration Providence:

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."

Matt. 17:11 "And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things."

Rom. 8:19 "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God." (restoration of children.)

Rom. 8:21 "Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." (restoration of all things.)

The scriptures plainly state that God has a plan to restore man and all things. Mankind shall be delivered from sin and shall be restored. The fulfillment of restoration means salvation for man, to be restored to life with God in the Original, Ideal Earthly Kingdom.

We can see by common sense, this sinful and dying world must have a Savior. Man cannot be restored by himself. Sinful man cannot approach God without a mediator. The following scriptural verses indicate all men on earth are sinners:

I John 1:8,10 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

The scripture says 'Every child is born in sin'. Therefore all children must have a Savior. All Christians, according to the Bible, have daily struggles and must pray to overcome sin and temptation.

Rom. 3:10-11 "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (13) Their throat is an open sepulchre: with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: (14) Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Even those that have faith in Jesus Christ and are true believers, have sinned and have not reached the glory of God.

The Bible gives scriptural proof that Jesus accomplished spiritual salvation only. Paul, the champion of faith, witnessed to his own personal struggle with sin:

Rom: 7:21-24 "I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: (spirit-man) But I see another law in my members (body) warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

Paul spoke these words after the resurrection of Jesus. We see the body of Paul was still a captive under sin. Just as Paul, we need the redemption of our body. Not only Paul, but all Christians and non-Christians still struggle with this law of sin which is in the body and the mind of all humankind.

Paul goes on to say in: Rom. 7:25 "So then with the mind I, myself, (spirit) serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

Thus, we see that the followers of Christ have spiritual salvation, while the flesh is under the law of sin. The fleshly body is claimed by Satan.

Rom. 8:7 states, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

Paul knew that his body would not be delivered or liberated from sin until the time of the Second Coming. Paul looked for a glorious body, but only at the Second Coming.

Rom. 8:23 "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

Even through Jesus we are only adopted children. God is waiting for the manifestation of the true Son of God.

What would have been the original state of man and the world if there had been no fall, if there had been no sin? Three conditions would have been accomplished:

Our ancestors, Adam and Eve would have been the first perfect parents, and would have produced perfect sinless children. Instead all humankind in under the law of sin which is inherited from our first parents.

Adam and Eve did not pray., they talked directly to God. All mankind should be directly under God and all men should have direct communication with God as his perfect sinless children. If this were so, there would have been no need for this struggling life of prayer and faith. Man should have direct communication and oneness with God and receive God's direct love. Now all mankind struggles night and day trying to reach the original stage of direct communication with God which Adam and Eve lost. Prayer is mans' attempt to communicate with God.

If there had been no fall, there would have been no sin. If Jesus brought complete salvation, as some believe, why are the followers of Christ still struggling in an evil world? What is wrong with mankind? What is wrong with the Christian life? If we are completely saved, we Christians should be rid of our sinful nature; but we sin daily and cannot control sin in our own lives, let alone the lives of others. Christians of today do not reflect the image of God. Even devoted Christian parents who have a deep faith and prayer life, cannot give their faith to their children. Every child, as he grows year by year, must struggle through faith and prayer, individually to receive his own salvation. From generation to generation this struggle continues, even though Christ came 2,000 years ago. It is obvious that Christ's death on the cross is not our complete salvation. Even by faith in Jesus our Lord, man is far short of and cannot be the ideal of God's original plan. Jesus knew that mankind could not be completely restored until His Second Coming. He must return to completely liberate mankind from this life of struggle in this sinful world. In order to complete His mission, which was cut short by His death, there must be a Second Coming.

God wanted mankind to accept the Messiah. God called Israel and set Israel apart as a chosen nation. God sent four major prophets and twelve minor prophets from Hosea to Malachi to declare the coming Messiah. The Messiah would set up the Kingdom at His Coming. He was to establish the Israel people as a nation. God sent these prophets and gave prophecy to prepare the people to accept the Lord, believe His words and follow the Christ.

Luke 1:31-33 "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus . He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

One of the greatest proofs in the Bible is the witness of John the Baptist. He was prepared from birth for the greatest mission, as the forerunner of the Christ to declare His coming "Hear ye Him, Repent and prepare for Him." The only message John the Baptist preached was, "Prepare, repent and believe. He is coming."

Luke 1:76 "And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;"

John 1:6-7 "There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness to the light, that all men through Him might believe."

According to the message John gave they should accept the Christ, not kill Him.

John's mission was to Prepare the way for the Lord, as we find in:

Malachi 4:5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."

Luke 1:16-17 "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

John the Baptist was the Second Advent of Elijah. The mission of Elijah was to separate the people from Satan and prepare the minds and hearts of the people for the coming Messiah. After Elijah's death, the people again united with Satan, forsaking God and failing in preparation for the coming of the Lord.

John the Baptist was sent to succeed Elijah's mission, to re-separate the people for Christ and to prepare the minds of the people. John the Baptist was chosen by God for the continuation of the work of Elijah, the prophet. The Second Advent of Elijah was vital to the Jews, since the Jewish people waited for Elijah to come before the Messiah appeared. The Jewish people and religious leaders did not know that John the Baptist was in the capacity of Elijah. Therefore, they paid no attention to the Messiah. When Jesus began fulfilling the work of the Messiah, the Jewish religious leaders were shocked. How can this be the Messiah? Elijah has not come. Here we can see the faithlessness and mistake made by the Israel people and the Jewish leaders.

According to Jesus' statement, John the Baptist was Elijah.

Matt. 17:10-13 "And his disciples asked him, saying 'Why then say the scribes that Elias (Elijah) must first come?' And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them! Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them or John the Baptist."

After talking to Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees went to John to see if he were Elijah. John made Jesus' statement a lie, as we find in:

John 1:19-23 "And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priest and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No."

John the Baptist failed Jesus when he denied the word of the Messiah whom he came to declare. When John the Baptist first saw Jesus, he recognized Him and inspired by the Holy Spirit, he gave public witness of Jesus Christ. But because of his failure in serving and following Jesus after his public witness, he failed the Messiah whom he came to serve and attend on.

The following verses show that John the Baptist failed to fulfill his 5% responsibility by faith:

Matt. 11:2-3 "Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?"

Matt. 11:11-12 "... notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

Whom would the lawyers, scribes and Pharisees believe? Jesus, a humble carpenter, or John the Baptist, a great prophet? How did Israel compare Jesus with John? Let us examine these two men from the standpoint of the Jewish people.

Jesus violated the Sabbath Day according to John 5:16. In Matthew 12:6-8 Jesus is telling the Pharisees that he is greater than the temple. What blasphemy! This carpenter from Galilee was doing away with the Sabbath. They thought Jesus was a liar, a cheat, and an imposter. They thought Jesus was trying to abolish the Mosaic Law. To the religious leaders, Jesus was a heretic and a blasphemer. They thought this carpenter was destroying their religion.

Matt. 5:17 Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."

Jesus was fulfilling the scripture and fulfilling God's Will, while the religious leaders led by Satan plotted to destroy Jesus.

Jesus Christ made friends with sinners and harlots, worked on the Sabbath and ate with unwashed hands. Everything Jesus did was unrighteous in the eyes of the Jewish leaders and against their religious law and traditions.

The Mosaic Law said, Honor thy father and thy mother.

Matt. 10:37 Jesus said, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

Luke 14:26 "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethern, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

This statement by Jesus was contrary to the Mosaic Law.

Jesus was prince of the devils according to the accusation of the religious leaders:

Matt. 12:24 "But when the Pharisees heard it they said, "It is only by Beeziebub, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.'

In the eyes of the Jewish nation, John the Baptist was a great man of God. John was anointed from his mother's womb.

Luke 1:13-15 "But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shall call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall he filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb."

John the Baptist lived a life of faith in the wilderness and was considered a sacred prophet. He was a sacred man who ate only locusts and wild honey. He never drank strong drink, and he was never married. A man completely sanctified and separated in mind, spirit and body. The Jewish people thought John the Baptist might be the Messiah.

Luke 3:15 "And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not."

The people knew John was a holy man and expected great things of John.

John's denial of the Elijahship, and the fact that John and his disciples did not follow Jesus but went their own way, nullified the forty-day foundation to separate Satan from the people and from Christ. (To be explained in Part II, Dispensation Centering in Jesus Christ). From this point, Jesus' suffering began and Jesus was forced to set up this foundation by Himself. Thus, the forty days of fasting and prayer and the three temptations in the wilderness were necessary by Jesus to separate Satan's attachment, before Jesus could begin His ministry.

The mission of John the Baptist was to gather the people and turn them over to the Lamb of God, Jesus, when He appeared; but John, his disciples and followers did not follow the Christ. The disciples of John argued with Jesus' disciples. He was responsible for the disbelief of the scribes and Pharisees. If John had cooperated with Jesus in His work, John would have known he was in Elijah's capacity when John left Jesus alone, God's blessing departed from John, and he was beheaded.

John the Baptist was ascetic (strict, self denial) and was offended by Jesus and His friends. Jesus came eating and drinking with sinners; and His lack of conformity to the Jewish religion offended John. Jesus said concerning John:

Matt. 11:6 "Blessed is he who is not offended by me."

John's five percent (5%) responsibility in fulfilling his mission was to surrender to Jesus; turn over all his disciples and the multitude to Jesus and follow the Man anointed of God. John should have given up his own ministry and his preaching when Jesus appeared. Instead, John went on preaching in his own, apart from Jesus, and was beheaded. He should have been Jesus' first disciple, instead Peter became the first disciple.

John gave only water baptism. Jesus gave baptism of the Spirit, Holy Spirit baptism. John the Baptist declared in: John 3:30 "I must decrease and He must increase." This was a poor attitude, since they should have worked together, then God's ninety five percent (95%) by sending Jesus as the Christ, plus John the Baptists' five percent (5%), equaling one hundred percent (100%) would have made it possible for God to accomplish and complete the restoration through Christ.

John should have declared Jesus' ministry to the multitudes, then he would have been the greatest support of the Kingdom of Christ. Jesus blamed John the Baptist for His failure when Jesus said:

Matt. 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

This is why the least one in the Kingdom is greater than John, who would have been the greatest and next to Jesus in the Kingdom.

John the Baptist left Jesus to struggle alone. No one believed the Christ whom the religious leaders persecuted. Jesus was rejected by His own. Would we have believed John the Baptist, a great prophet., or a humble carpenter wham no one knew?

Further witness comes from Jesus himself when he asked, "Do you believe? Do you believe? If you believe it shall be done. I tell you the truth and you believe me not."

John 6:26-29 "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them. 'This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

Not kill. Love and believe! Here I an, the Messiah; before I can do God's work, you must believe me.

John 6:36 Jesus said, "But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not."

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The Jewish people rejected Jesus and God has rejected the Jewish people because they did not believe. They should have believed and received the Messiah. Jesus told the Pharisees and unbelievers in:

John 8:44-45 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not."

Matt. 21:45 "Therefore I say unto you, the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."

The gentiles believed and received blessing.

If it had been God's will that Jesus should die at that specific time, the act of Judas Iscariot would not have been that of a betrayer. If it had been God's Divine Providence that Jesus be crucified the role of Judas Iscariot would have been a special and blessed mission, because Judas would have been fulfilling God's Divine Will. Judas is, however, regarded as a most despised and wicked man. God warned any person who should betray or harm the Christ.

Mark 14:21 "Woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. Good were it for that man had he never been born."

Satan entered into the mind of Judas Iscariot as we see in:

John 13:27 "Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, 'What you are going to do, do quickly.'" (R.S.V.)

Many times Jesus performed healing works and miracles; but His disciples did not fully comprehend He was really the Son of God. Peter, the first disciple denied Him three times. Even the chosen twelve did not believe or follow the Christ who taught them for three years. They scattered and ran when Jesus was crucified. It is no wonder Jesus wept.

In the scripture we read of Jesus' sorrow and heartache. We find that Jesus wept bitterly as He looked over Jerusalem. No one knew or understood Jesus' broken heart and His great sorrow. Jesus wanted to complete His ministry at the First Advent and establish the Kingdom. Jesus knew He was to complete the spiritual salvation and physical salvation of all mankind. Jesus knew His people had failed to accomplish God's will. He knew His people would be cursed because of their disbelief and faithlessness. Jesus knew His disciples and followers would be persecuted and would be under the dominion of Satan. This is the price mankind must pay because of unbelief.

Matt. 23:37 states "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (38) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."

Jesus saw the martyred Christians who would follow Him. Knowing He should have accomplished both spiritual and physical salvation, Jesus was sorrowful even unto death. He wept because there was no hope, at that time, for complete salvation. Since He finished spiritual salvation only, all His followers and all mankind would struggle and suffer until the Second Coming. Let us consider Paul's statement in:

I Cor. 2:8 "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."

It is plain to see, Paul knew they should not have crucified the Christ. They did not know, they did not believe and they killed out of disbelief.

If the Jewish nation had believed in the Christ, would they have crucified the Lord of Glory? Would they have hated Him? No, they would have followed and loved Him, as God originally planned. It was not the will of God that Christ should die before the establishment of the Earthly Kingdom.

If the Messiah had lived and completed God's Restoration Providence there would have been no need for desperate prayer and struggling by faith to find Our relation to God and life with the Heavenly Father. There would have been no more suffering and sin in an evil world. Jesus should have been a living sacrifice to accomplish the complete Restoration on the Earth. Instead, Jesus was a dead sacrifice to God, and His followers suffer, are persecuted and rejected by the majority of people in this sinful world.

The Messiah's mission was not completed on earth. As a result, Jesus' followers attain salvation of the spirit only. They are saved by grace and are still waiting for complete salvation of the spirit and body. In order to complete His mission which was cut short by His death, to consummate the perfection of the spirit and body of the believers, Jesus said "I will come again".

If the Messiah's mission had been completed there would have been these six results:

Israel would have believed.
Jesus would have been a living sacrifice to God.
He would have fulfilled complete salvation,
Completed the restoration of the physical body and spirit-man, and
Restored the Earthly Kingdom.
Jesus would have reigned as King of Kings and ruled forever.

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