As beautiful and reassuring as the prophecy of Micah is, it does not present the full plan of God pertaining to human destiny under the rulership of Christ. A world without war and the fear of war would be a vastly better world than the one that is now coming to an end. And if we added to this the certainty of economic  security  for all, we would have a world of the sort that philosophers have dreamed about but could never establish. However, there would still be other fears, as well as sorrow and pain and death.

Yes, there would still be the fear of death, and because of the grotesque teachings of the Dark Ages, there would be fear of what lies beyond death. There would still be the need for hospitals and doctors and morticians. But thank God for the other promises of his Word which assure us that even sickness and death, with all their attendant evils, are to be destroyed by the reign of Christ.

We have already noted Paul’s assurance of the destruction of death in the kingdom of God. Now note the prophecy of Isaiah 25:6-9. In the prophecy, even as in the prophecy of Micah, the kingdom of the LORD is symbolized by a mountain, and we are told that in this mountain, death will be swallowed up in victory, and that “the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces… And it shall be said in that day,” continues the prophet, “Lo, this is  our  God;  we have waited for him,…we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

This hope of salvation for a dying race is referred to by the Apostle Peter in the New Testament. In Peter’s prophecy, he tells  of  the purpose of Christ’s Second Advent, that it will bring about what he describes as “times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21) We are indeed glad for the information that the second coming is not to result in the destruction of everything, including the earth, but rather, the restitution or restoration of all things. This will mean restoration to health for the living, and also the resurrection of the dead.

The second presence of Christ is already resulting in the destruction of this present evil order of things preparatory  to  his  rulership of justice and love. But this is the destruction merely of the selfish institutions of men. The human race, the living and the dead, if obedient to God’s laws, are to be restored to that which was lost  because  of sin. Man did not lose a home in heaven, but on earth. The earth was made for man, and when man was created he was given dominion over the earth. But this dominion, and his life also, were lost as a result of sin. This lost paradise is to be restored, and it is this work of restoration which is described by the Apostle Peter as “times of restitution of all things,” He declares that this grand purpose of God had been foretold by his holy prophets since the world began, one of the examples of this prophetic testimony being God’s promise to Abraham.

Another of these prophetic utterances descriptive of restitution blessings coming to the people under the administration of Christ’s kingdom is that which has already been quoted— that blessed promise that death will be swallowed up in victory, and that the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces. Think of the change in human experience that will be! God will wipe away the tears of the people by removing the cause of their sorrow; and think of the many causes of sorrow there are in the world today and what it will mean to all mankind when these are removed!