It Will Be Restored

There's a trend happening in society today that people are becoming more and more irreligious. In other words, they really are not being religious at all. And I think you can see that in the world, the way people talk, the way things are developing. And putting it in different words, it basically means people don't want to do the will of God. That's basically what it is. And you know in the Lord's Prayer, the model prayer, it says, Let thy kingdom come, let thy will be done.

The two are actually tied together. Because when God's will is done, His government is on us, on our lives, in our society when God's will is done. His government is being done. So when we see people are becoming irreligious, it basically means people don't want God's government in their lives, in their country and in their society.

I've got a quote here from an article in The Economist. That's on page 41, dated August 13, so it's a pretty recent article. And the name of the article is called, The Skeptic Isle. And it's actually referring about England or Britain.

And I'm just going to read you one or two paragraphs out of it. And it says, Britain is unusually irreligious and becoming more so. Now, it's interesting that if frame, as you and I know, therefore, is actually taking a lead in this approach or this feeling that is going around the whole world. And you can see it in this country. But as you will understand about what I'm going to quote from this article in a moment, Britain is, quote-unquote, a few years ahead of us. In other words, they're even worse than what we are in this specific topic. And it says, now, quote, The country is littered with evidence of the change.

Everywhere, deconsecrated churches are reopening as bars and restaurants. Five hundred churches were turned, and obviously what they mean is church buildings, as you understand them, looking from the walls point of view. Five hundred churches were turned into luxurious homes over five years in London alone. Five hundred churches in London alone have been turned into luxurious homes.

It says, shrinking congregations and growing repair boats are typically the fatal combination. So there's less people, less money coming in, and the maintenance boats, they just, they can't keep up. And so about a quarter of standard services, and obviously Christianity in the world, standard services, are attended by fewer than sixteen parishioners. Then a little later in the article says, the Pew Research Center, which has nothing to do with the church view, but it's the name of that research center, projects that Australia, France, and the Netherlands, which means Holland, will lose their Christian majorities by 2050.

And then it says, even in America, the non-religious part of the population rose from 16 to 23 percent between 2007 and 2014. And then it says, Britain is just further down the road in a post-religious society than most. So brethren, what we see, therefore, is that people are becoming, let's call it calloused, just interested, switched off to the warnings that the church is proclaiming up there through our programs, through Beyond Today, people are just, yeah, they come, maybe, but they don't speak.

They switch off. Oh, it's a nice program, but they don't practice anything. Why? Why, brethren? Well, let's turn to Isaiah 4. Daniel 4. And here we have a scripture that says, my people are destroyed, I'll say it, Chapter 4, Verse 6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because, now, it's not lack of knowledge, because you can go on to Google and you can get a lot of knowledge.

Knowledge has increased, but not the right knowledge. Not the right knowledge. He says, because, yeah, it is the right knowledge that has been rejected, because you've rejected knowledge. What knowledge? The knowledge of God, the knowledge of God's ways. I will reject you from being priest to me, because you've forgotten the law of your God. I will also forget your children. Now, this is a serious indictment to people. When people leave God, it's going to affect their children. And so, more and more people are rejecting God. They are becoming irreligious and, as such, they're rejecting God's government. Think about it. They're rejecting God's rule.

They're rejecting the will of God, which is, you know God's will if you have the knowledge of God, and therefore you get to know what he wants and what he doesn't want. People don't want that. Now, this was prophesied to happen at the end time.

Turn with me to 2 Peter, where we can see that very prophecy. 2 Peter, chapter 3. 2 Peter, chapter 3. And we're going to start reading in verse 3. And I'll break into the sentence here. But knowing this first, 2 Peter 3, 3, knowing this first, that's scoffers. So what are scoffers? People that mock. People that say, ha ha, you know, they're mockers, they're scoffers. They'll come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, to their own desires, and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from beginning of creation.

Basically, what people are saying is, when we give the warning about the end time through our basic programs, we've had these problems before, come on, we've had droughts before, it's happened before, it happens again, or we had fires before. You know, we're watching the news, the fires in California, devastating fires. Oh, well, you know, that has happened before. Oh, you see the problems in Louisiana? Ah, floods have happened before. You know, it comes and goes, it's seasonal, it'll get dry, we'll really construct it, and it'll all be fine. And all things continuously away from the beginning of creation. That's what people are saying.

And then, go a little bit further down into verse 9. Go a little bit further in the same chapter in verse 9. It says, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but His long-suffering. God has a promise, a promise that is going to make things right, for one.

That's our hope. He's going to get everything nice and clean and straight. He's not slack. But some count slackness, some count slackness. But God is long-suffering towards us, He's giving us time. Why? Because He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God is patience. Why? He's patiently waiting for us, giving us a chance, giving us an opportunity to change, to repent. God wants everyone to repent. Think about it. Repentance is the beginning of restoration. Because when you change yourself and you repent, and as we heard in the sermon, when we are humble and we desire to change and to have God's Holy Spirit, and therefore we want to be full of the Spirit, we want to change.

That requires repentance. That is the beginning. And as we change and other people change, the whole world ultimately will change. Repentance is the beginning of this restoration. Continuing then, reading in verse 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat, both the earth and the works that are in it will be burnt up. Ultimately, through the day of Christ's coming, the day of the Lord, which, yes, it will be in a sense for a year initially, but it will extend while Christ is reigning to restore all things, and the ultimate end result will be that we will have a new heaven and a new earth.

Think about it! Completely restored into a beautiful environment. Therefore, verse 11, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? Brethren, the ultimate real purpose of prophecy, of knowing what certain things are going to happen, is that we may repent, we may change, and that our conduct may be better. So much better that it becomes holy conduct and being like God, godliness. That is the end goal, a change, a respiration starting inside of ourselves.

Continuing then in verse 12, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, you see, yes, God's promise is not slack according to that promise.

Look for new heavens and new earth. Our ultimate goal, even Abraham, as you read, looked for a new city. We look for that new heavens and new earth. That is the ultimate goal, even beyond the wonderful world tomorrow, even beyond the Second Resurrection, all beyond to the new heavens and new earth, in which righteousness dwells, in which righteousness dwells, in other words, in which God's world is fulfilled, in which His perfect government of love is executed.

So, brethren, that is the hope we have.

So, brethren, we can see God as a plan. God as a plan to restore everything, starting from us, inside, but ultimately, it will be the whole earth and heavens that will be restored, ultimately. But the real beginning is in us. The real beginning is in us. And so, turn with me to Acts 3, verse 17-21. Acts 3, Acts 3, verse 17, 3, 21. And Yah is Spirit giving His sermon, and He says, Yet now, brethren, I know that whatever sins you've done in the past, you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In other words, they don't know better. And in a sense, in God's mercy, it's good for them to not know better, because God then can give them mercy. Otherwise, had they done it deliberately, God could not give them mercy. So, that, in a sense, is merciful. Verse 18, But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ, it was the Messiah, would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Christ has fulfilled them at His first coming. He did, He fulfilled the suffering. Verse 19, repent therefore.

And be converted. That is the beginning of restoration in ourselves. That your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Eternal, of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His prophets since the world began. There's going to be a restoration of all things, and the ultimate end result of that restoration will be ultimately new heavens and a new earth. But it's going to start with us. Obviously, it started with Christ. He suffered. He suffered for us, so we can be forgiven. But now we need to repent. We need to do our part, and therefore a very important part of God's work. And I think this is a part that quite often we forget. Quite often we think, well, doing God's work is being the one that is on the TV program and preaching. Yes, that is an important part of God's work. Preach the Gospel. But a second equally important component of doing God's work is preparing a people. It's us. It's God's work in us, changing ourselves. And that is an important part that you and I have to do now to prepare ourselves to be the bride, so that you and I may be ready at Christ's coming.

That is an extremely additional important part of God's work. It's the work that God is doing in us through His Holy Spirit.

So, the real beginning is repentance and is change. In other words, think about it. Baptism is only the first step. Baptism is only the first step in a long road. It's not the end, it's the beginning. Now, when did all go wrong? Where did it all go wrong? You know where it all went wrong? Where did it start going wrong? Look at me in Isaiah 14.

Isaiah 14. Isaiah 14, as some of you may remember, that Isaiah 14, as well as Ezekiel 28, is talking about Satan. And in verse 12, it says, How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, as it's written literally. Some Bible says a little marker, and it says the word Lucifer, it literally there was written day star, which is basically Venus, representing that star. It reflects light. It does not know the light of itself. Son of the morning. How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations. How you are fallen, it says at the beginning of that verse, how you cut down. The fall was Satan.

Satan fell from the position that God had given him. Why? Because he did not want to submit to God's will. He did not want to submit to the government of God. And because he fell, and he was thrown down to the earth, there was a great destruction upon the earth. And we can see that in Genesis chapter 1. Verse 1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

The heavens and the earth, which includes obviously the sun, the moon, the stars, and all that. In the beginning, he created that. He created the heavens and the earth. So they were all part of that creation. And the earth was without form and void. Was without form and void at the beginning of creation? No, as you will see just now. It became that way. So at a certain point in time, it was.

And creation was not so, because God creates everything beautiful. Over time, something happened that led to become without form and void. The word without form is toru, which means formless and in confusion. And the word void is bo'u, which means waste. So the earth became formless, in confusion, and an absolute waste. Why? Because Satan rebelled. And Satan was prone down to earth, as we saw that in Isaiah 14. Because that was not how God created the earth.

And we can see that from Isaiah 45. So turn with me to Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45 verse 18. It says, Isaiah 45 verse 18. For thus is the Lord who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth, and made it, and has established, who did not create it in vain, in tohu, in formless and confusion. It did not create it in that state. It became because of Satan's rebellion.

He created it beautifully to be inhabited, but Satan's rebellion caused the damage. And so what happened? It's like today you call a nuclear winter. There was an absolute disaster on earth. No light could shine through. And it was like a nuclear winter, what we call it today. And so God and the Word set up to restore it. And so we renewed the earth, as we can see in Psalm 104. So if you and I turn to Psalm 104, Psalm 104, verse 24, Psalm 104, verse 24, says, through 30, O Lord, how manifold are your works!

In wisdom you've made them all. The earth is full of your possessions, this great and wide sea, in which are innumerable, teeming things, loving things both small and great. There the ships sail about, there is the Leviathan. We're not sure what creature that is, which you have made to play there. These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in your season. And you give them, you give them their gathering. You open your hand and they full of good. You hide your face and they trouble. You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

You send forth your spirit and they are created. And you renew the face of the earth. God renewed the face of the earth. It was after Satan's destruction, God renewed the face of the earth, created animals and then he created man. And that's what we see. So if you and I go back to Genesis 1, back to Genesis 1, and we start in verse 3, or in fact we did not finish reading verse 2, so let's finish reading verse 2.

And darkness was upon the face of the earth, that's what we would call today that nuclear winter. And the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters and then God said, let there be light and there was light. And so he started cleaning up that nuclear winter and allowed the light to come through to planet earth. And God saw the light that it was good and God invited the light from darkness and he called the light day and the darkness he called night.

So there was day and night. Now, how can you have day and night unless there is a sun? And the earth is rotating around and there is a day and a night because there is a sun. So the sun was there already, was just a light that started coming through. And so it goes on that God made these things. It does not say, I created, he made. In other words, he made them appear, he made them clean them up and made them appear. So it shows various things he made and then further down he created the animals and mankind. It very uses the word, create, creating the animals.

And then we see at the end of this chapter, at the end of this chapter, in chapter 1 verse 31, chapter 1 verse 31 says, Then God saw everything that he had made, and in the end it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Everything God created was very good, was perfect. You know what? It always amazes me when we look at a simple thing like a cell phone. I mean, ten years ago or fifteen years ago, the cell phones were not like today. Some of them looked like bricks, you know, big things, like an old brick.

And then we got a little bit better and got a little bit better. And now we've got these little cell phones. Then do a thousand and one things. They put your calendar, you can get your email, you can talk, you can see somebody talking, like in the stories of the Jetsons, you know, you remember that, and all those things. But you know what? When we made the cell phone, first it was not like what it is today. So you had to go through different versions of iterations to get better and better. And I don't know, sometimes it's better and better, but anyway, it got better and better in some ways, you know what I mean?

But when God made man and a woman, it did not make version 1 and then version 2 and then it improved for version 3 and then version 10, like Windows 10 or whatever it is, that is better. No! He made version 1, which is perfect from version 1.

What is the difference between man and God? Man is not able to plan perfection from day one, but God is. And when he made, God made a man and a woman, he made them perfect. And you know what? I'm sometimes amazed, because the other day I just saw a note that they found some Egyptian finding with numbers and things like that, and they were wondering what it was for a number of years and now a scientist, a nuclear scientist, worked out that this is actually a calculus formula that they had in the days of Egypt.

You know, those people were so intelligent that we thought, well, calculus and those things are modern science type of things. Those people were able to do it. You know, you think about people, you need a time of Christ. You know, they didn't have Bibles like you and I. They would go to the synagogue, whatever it is, and read the scrolls, and they would learn it off by heart. And they could quote it off by heart.

You and I have to read and read and read, and you and I just can't recall it. Those people could recall it like this. You know, what has happened, brethren, is we haven't got any better. We've actually degenerated. We actually have degenerated as human beings.

We're not any better. We're actually worse. Nowadays, people live a little longer because of medical science and things like that that you do, etc. But we're not any more intelligent or capable. People were very intelligent in those days. So we see that God, from day one, made a perfect, let's call it, version of Adam and Eve, which is version whatever, which is perfect from day one from the beginning.

We can't do that. Our minds are incapable. That's why mankind has the concept of evolution. Why? Because we have to evolve from Windows version one to version three to version whatever to version seven to version ten. We have to evolve. But God doesn't have to because he's perfect. And you see, evolution, therefore, limits God's power. That's what it does. It limits God's power. But anyway, what I'm saying is God created man with a tremendous potential and Adam and Eve with a tremendous potential. And then we have Adam and Eve under the inspiration of guidance or encouragement from Satan to reject God's will, to reject God's government. And so mankind rejected God, good rejected God's government.

And since then, mankind has been under the influence of the spirit of the power of the air, which is encouraging people to reject God. You can read that in 2 Corinthians chapter four. So turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter four.

2 Corinthians chapter four. And we're going to read just verse three and four. But even our gospel is veiled. There was the good news, the good news of Christ and of this hope that we have to bring peace for restoration of the world. This good news that starts from Christ is the foundation and we got to change and we got to repent. But it's good news. It is veiled from people in the world. It is veiled to those who are perishing. Yes, the people in the world are perishing. They are dying. Whose minds the God of this age as blinded. People in the world cannot say it. Why? Because they are blinded. Who do not believe? Yeah, people in the world don't believe. Lest this hope, the light of this good news of the glory of Christ. What is the glory of Christ? It's Christ living in us. And we are reflecting the example of Christ and being like Christ, being Christ-like, who is the image of God, should shine on us. So, He blinds us. So this Christ living in us does not shine in us, is not being reflected in our character and in our being. That's what Satan is doing. So brethren, we have excellent news. I know the world is full of bad news, but we have excellent news. What are the excellent news? The excellent news is that God, in the process of time, through us, using us, Christ will come back to earth, will use us then, having been modified and changed with the work of God in us, changing, becoming like Christ. We will become His wife. We will then rule with Him. We will help Him to change the world. And ultimately, the whole of people that have died will be resurrected. They will also then learn the truth. They will also have an opportunity to change and repent. They will also have an opportunity to become like God. It was like Christ, like godliness, practicing godliness. And when then all those people that accept and do and willingly change, have reached that mature stage, then God will wipe out all this thing and will bring in new heaven and new earth in which righteousness dwells. It is a beautiful hope and plan for you and I. And you know what? You and I need not to have fear. Why? Because God wants to do it. And He wants to use you and I to help in that world tomorrow. So do not fear. I know the news around us is very discouraging. But you know what? If you and I are pleasing God, you and I have nothing to fear. So how is God going to do this? Well, if you read Daniel 2, you don't have to go there now, but just remember Daniel 2. You have that statue of Daniel and then that statue will be the reigns of the swald. Finally, they'll be destroyed by a stone or a rock that came from heaven, not made by human hands, and will destroy the kingdoms of the swald, establishing the kingdom of God on earth. Right? You know that? That's Christ coming back. Then you read in Daniel 7 that it talks about those beasts. And then at the end it shows, which correlates Daniel 7 of Daniel 2, that those beasts will be destroyed. And at the end, God will establish a kingdom on earth. That's the kingdom of God. That's exactly the same thing that we're saying. Christ is going to come back, He's going to establish His kingdom, His will will be done, and you and I, as the married bride of Christ, being part of those first roots, will have a responsibility to rule in the world tomorrow. Just look at E.R. for instance, in Daniel 7, verse 27. Daniel 7, verse 27.

I basically summarized what Daniel says, but in Daniel 7, verse 27, Daniel 7, verse 27 says, Then the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven. In other words, then the dominion, the greatness of all the governments on planet earth, whether it's the United States, whether it's Britain, whether it's France, whether it's Germany, the greatness of all these powers, all these nations, whether it's Japan, whether it's China, whatever. All of them shall be given. All those kingdoms, all those nations, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.

Those governments will be given to you and I when Christ comes back and we rule with Christ on planet earth. That'll be the kingdom of God ruling on earth. In other words, it'll rule over the United States, it'll rule over Britain, it'll rule over France, it'll rule over Germany, it'll rule over China, it'll rule over Russia, it'll rule over Japan and all other countries.

His kingdom, it was the kingdom of God, which will execute and do the will of God, is an everlasting kingdom. Yes, that kingdom is eternal. Sure, initially will do, will reign for a millennium. Why? Because it's to set up the earth and all that. But afterwards, when everybody is repented and changed and those that do not want to repent, they'll be in the light of fire. But then a new heaven and a new earth will be established and that kingdom will continue eternally.

So continue, yeah. This kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. All nations, all peoples from all over the world will serve and obey Him. In other words, it will do God's will. So that is the restoration that you and I see.

That is a wonderful news. And as we're now getting ready for the Day of Trumpets, I know there's still a few weeks to go, and the feast. It's good for us to start thinking about these positive, encouraging news, because the wall is full of bad news. And you and I, when we just listen to the news, we turn on TV or whatever you do, and you just get bombarded with half-troops, on more half-troops, on statements, on statements that make you sick. After a while, he says, I don't want to listen to this anymore, and you switch. And then you go to another station, and it's the same thing. And you go to a different station, and it's another thing. Otherwise, he says, why am I paying this money to watch TV? You know, I mean, I don't know. I feel that way. I don't know how you feel. It's just bad news on bad news. But brethren, we do have good news coming. Encouraging news. Look at Isaiah 2. Isaiah 2.

And we're going to start to just read a few verses there. Verses 2, 3, and 4. And it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house, in other words, the kingdom of the Lord's house, in other words, the kingdom of God. Mountain in Scripture refers to a government, to a kingdom. So that the kingdom of God shall be established on top of all the other nations, of all the other governments. It will be a walled government and shall be exalted above the hills. In other words, will be exalted above the little nations. So the big nations and the little nations. And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. In other words, let's go to where headquarters is of God's government? To the house of the God of Jacob. Where will that be? It will be where that will be established. And he shall teach us his ways. He shall teach us God's will, God's way of life. The way to live God's way in our practical lives. And we shall walk. We will practice. We will obey. We will submit to God's will, to God's government, in other words, in his past. For out of Zion, so that government will physically be in the area of Jerusalem. But it also means out of Zion, which represents the Church of God, now being spirit beings, being the first fruits. So out of Zion, out of the Church of God, so out of those people that you and I will be the saints ruling in the world tomorrow, shall go forth to the Lord. We will be teaching what is the right way to live, what is right and wrong. Because the law tells us what is right and what is wrong. The law is the knowledge of sin. Right? So the law tells us. And the war of the eternal from Jerusalem. So brethren, there will be a government which will be a world government. That's how God is going to restore all things. You know, it's starting from us. Then Christ will come. We will then have been qualified to rule within. Not like some rulers today, they're not qualified to rule. They can just talk. But we will be qualified to rule within. Therefore, we'll make a righteous government and we'll rule. So, when we have righteousness, what do you have? You have peace. You have prosperity. You have happiness. And mankind, around the whole world, will have peace, prosperity and happiness. Because righteousness will rule. And look at in Isaiah chapter 9. Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 and 7.

For unto us a child is born. That's Christ. Unto us a son is given. And the government will be upon his shoulder. The government will be upon his shoulder.

Jesus Christ will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor. Christ will give counsel which is wonderful, which is good. His name will be called Mighty God. He is the Son of God. He will be called that. He will be called the Everlasting Father. Obviously, he's not the Father, but he is the one that is like we say, you know, somebody is the Father of this Messiah. He is the Everlasting Father. He is the one that is the author of all the things of salvation, of this plan, that the Father has executed through Christ the, let's call, these right hand to do all this. The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and of Riskeena, to order it and to establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord, of us, will perform this. Brethren, does not say, well, God is going to think about it. He might just do it.

He will perform. There's no doubt. He will perform. The world will be restored. There will be peace. The only thing I see today is temporary. And God is giving it time in the hope that people change and repent. But it's going to be a point where God says, that is enough. I've got to take it from you. But he has given everybody enough time to repent. And then you and I will rule with Christ. Look at Revelation 5 verse 10. Revelation 5 verse 10. Revelation 5 verse 10. And have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. We will be priests and kings of our God, or to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. Initially, obviously, for a millennium, but beyond that, into the new heavens and the new earth. So brethren, how is this going to be executed? Specifically, how?

Well, it starts with Jesus Christ is the foundation. He's the cornerstone. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 1 Corinthians chapter 3.

Verse 11 through 17. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Christ is the foundation. Now, if anyone bowls on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will be cleared. For the day will be cleared, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test each man's work. So, how are we doing our work? How are we doing God's work?

Now, yes, God's work, as I mentioned, is preaching the gospel. But not everybody's a mouth. Some of us are fingers, nails, livers, gold bladders, whatever it is. Toes. But we're part of the body. And God has put us in the body as it pleases him. And we have to do work towards the body. And the spiritual body, which is the body of Christ, which is the church of God, we have to do the work that God has given us. How we bully and towards the church, towards one another, with works of gold, silver, and precious stones. Are we?

And if we are, those works will survive the fire to come. But if you and I are building with works of wood, hay, and straw, those works will not survive the fire to come. As it said at the end of verse 13, the fire will test each one's work of what sort it is. If your work and if my work, which we've built on it, on the foundation which is Christ, endures, he will receive a reward. So, not talking about the gift of eternal life, it's talking a reward on top of the gift of eternal life. Two different things. Eternal life is a gift, but it's a reward for us. We will receive a position in the kingdom of God in according to our works. If our works are gold, silver, and precious stones, we will have a certain reward. If our works are wood, hay, and straw, our reward will be different.

Verse 15. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer a loss. Of course. But he himself will still be saved, because that's a gift.

Yet, so, as through fire, you still go through certain tests, and you'll have to overcome that.

Verse 16. Do you not know that you are the temple of God? You and I are the temple of God, and that temple is being constructed or built. Remember in Old Testament, when they built the temple, they built a stone here, and a stone there, and a stone elsewhere. And you do not hear the noise of hammers, etc., where the temple would be, because everything had been built exactly to the right shape. And then they just brought those stones to the right place, and voila, they fitted perfectly. It was the temple. Spiritual analogy, you and I are both, one in Lexington, another one in the area of Lexington, another one in South Africa, another one in England, another one all over the place. But when Christ comes, we'll put all together, and voila, there's the temple. Spiritual temple, the body of Christ, the first fruits. We built separately, and that's why it says, do you know, do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you? We are being built to be part of that temple, and we are part of that temple. That is the work of God in us. It's an important part, besides preaching the gospel. Please, I'm not saying that preaching the gospel is not important. It's equally important. But I think often we just think at one, and we don't look at the other. We've got to look at ourselves as well. So if anyone, verse 17, defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Quite powerful. God, through us, is building a spiritual temple. Look at Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 19 through 21. Now, therefore, you're no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints. There were eugentiles, I know more strangers and foreigners, but eugentiles are fellow citizens with the Jewish saints. We all won. And members of the household of God. What is the household of God? It's the family of God. It's the temple of God. The temple of God is the family of God. It's the household of God. It's where God's Holy Spirit is.

Having been built on the foundation, obviously we know the real cornerstone of that foundation is Christ, but on the foundation and on top of it are the apostles and prophets. So the apostles are New Testament, prophets are Old Testament, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone of that foundation, in whom the whole being being fitted together. You and I are part of that building being fitted together, being built in our different locations without making noise where it will all be put together, being built, grows into a holy temple. You and I are growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, in the knowledge of God, having God's Holy Spirit in us. That is God's work being done in us. And so we need to grow into a holy temple, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the city. We are the house of God, and God's Spirit lives in us, and we are clean boat. So brethren, how is God restoring the earth? He's starting with you and I. He's building up those people that are going to be the pioneers, let's call it that. The first fruits of upon which He can build a whole happy world tomorrow. And we, you and I, have an important job today. Look at Colossians chapter 1, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians chapter 1, verse 9 and 10. For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will. God's will, which is God's government, is God's way, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work. In other words, works of gold, silver and precious stones, and increasing in the knowledge of God. How do we increase in the knowledge of God? By having God's Holy Spirit living in us, by us listening to that, following that preaching of our conscience through God's Holy Spirit, and doing the right things. And we become better. We are practicing living that godly life that what we should be doing.

That's how we prepare for Christ's return. That's how we're restoring the world. You and I can't restore the world today, because that's Christ's job when He comes back. You and I can restore ourselves, because God has given us the power to restore ourselves. God's Holy Spirit that He gives us is enough power to only restore ourselves, not to restore the world. In the world tomorrow, we'll have power to restore the world, but not today.

Look at 2 Peter, chapter 1. 2 Peter, chapter 1. 2 Peter, chapter 1. Simon Peter, a bond servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith. You know, brethren, this conversion process starts with faith.

It starts with us believing and trusting God. Precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. I never forget that I was once in another country, and one person said, No way in the Bible does it say Christ was God. Well, he has one example. Our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. It's unbelievable. It's right there. Grace and peace may multiply to you in the knowledge of God. Brethren, that's what we have to do. We've got to multiply. We've got to grow in the knowledge of God. Through God's Holy Spirit living in us. And of Jesus our Lord. Has his divine power, that's God's Holy Spirit, his divine power, has given to us all things, all tools, all things that we pray to eternal life and God's. You know what's God's Holy Spirit that God has given us? Has got all the things that you and I need to help us change ourselves to become as it says here, like God. And to be able to change ourselves with the help of God's Holy Spirit so that we can become like God, like Christ, to the full stature of Jesus Christ.

So that's where we are, brethren. We've been called out of this corrupt world. So that we can put on the divine nature as you read there in verse 4. We've been called out of this world and we escape the corruptions of its lusts and things like that. And you know the words of the flesh. You can read that in Galatians. The words of this world, the words of the flesh.

Brethren, that's how the restoration of the world starts. It starts by preparing a people.

Yes, preaching the gospel, preparing a people, us getting changed. That is an important part that you and I have in God's work today. And we better be making and doing works of God's silver and precious stones. Otherwise, we'll suffer loss. We'll still be saved, but we'll suffer loss.

So, brethren, we have a great hope. It starts by changing the heart and mind through God's Holy Spirit. It starts by us being transformed by the renewing of our minds as you read in Romans 12, verse 1. It starts by us renewing the inward man day by day. How many scriptures have you remembered about that? I don't have to go through them all. You know those scriptures. Use them as part of your Bible study. We've got to renew ourselves day by day to become more like the standard. Who we need to compare ourselves against, which is Christ. Nobody else but Christ.

That is the hope that you and I have. That one day, the whole world will not be irreligious. That the whole world will then do God's will and will submit to God's government.

But we do have a hope that you and I have a part in that.

So let us not be deceived by saying, well, we need to save the world now. Brethren, you and I can't save it. That's what Christ is going to do when he comes back. But we have a job to do now to preach the gospel as a witness. So we help that with our whatever ways we can that God's given us. But the other part that is equally important is us to prepare ourselves to be the bride and for us as a bride to be ready.

Then, then, if we all are there and which ones of us are there, and God wants you and I to be there, then those that get changed to spirit being, those then will look at the promise which is in Revelation 21. So let's look at that promise in Revelation 21.

Revelation 21. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth have passed away. All this will be passed. Brethren, with God a thousand years is a day. You know what? You know what?

She suspected something so. Don't worry. But a thousand years is a day with God.

And what it means is, it's going to be so quick. I know for you and I, it looks like so long. But you know what? Once we're there and we look back, we'll say it was nothing. You know, in a million, billion, trillion years from today, when you have eternal life and you have lived for a million, trillion, whatever years, you look back at these few years that had gone past and you'll say, that was nothing.

And you know, it was worth it. It was worth it. So he says, Then I, John, verse 2, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for a husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he, the Father, will dwell with us on planet earth. And they shall be people. And God Himself will be with them and be their God. And then there'll be no more tears. There'll be no more death. There'll be no more sorrow. There'll be no more pain, because the former things have passed away.

It will be restored to a beautiful situation where we heard earlier on that says, wherein righteous dwells, righteousness dwells. The niece who sat on the throne said, Behold, I will make all things new. And he said to me, Right, for these words are true and fightful. These words are so fightful that it says, it's as if it's done. It is as if it's done. And that's why it says, in verse 6, it says, and He said to me, It's done. It's done. Brethren, you and I have a hope. Good news are coming. Don't be discouraged by events around. Remember, everything will be restored, and God wants you and I to have a part in that. Thank God for that promise that we have.

Thank God for that.