Speaking to a group of Jewish people who had voted to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus, Peter said,
Acts 3:17-21,
17 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.
18 “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ should suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
19 “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,
21 whom 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.”
The majority of the Jewish people have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah. The reason for this is that God hardened them so that salvation could be offered to the Gentiles. And from these verses of Scripture, we can see that Jesus will not return until all of Israel accepts Him as their Messiah. For Peter said, “Repent therefore and return… that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you [Israel].” The time of His return is called the period of restoration of all things.
In the meantime, Israel’s transgression gave riches to the world and their failure gave riches to the Gentiles, Romans 11:12. What will their fulfillment be? What will their acceptance of Christ be?
And if their [Israel] rejection be the reconciliation of the world, what will their [Israel] acceptance be but LIFE FROM THE DEAD? Romans 11:15.
In other words, when the hardening of Israel is removed and they accept Jesus as their Savior, times of refreshing will come; for at that time God will send Jesus and the dead will be raised, and all of Israel, both native and adopted (Gentiles), will be caught up with Jesus, and the first creation will be destroyed by fire. All things will then be restored to the Father.
No one will see this coming. When it pleases the Lord, it will happen in the blink of an eye.
Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
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