In Matthew 19:28 Jesus associates the future work of judgment with “the regeneration.” Adam generated the human race. Jesus will regenerate those to whom Adam bequeathed a heritage of death. This is brought beautifully to our attention in Isaiah 53:10, where we are informed that Jesus “shall see his seed,” and that the “pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” From the natural standpoint, Jesus did not have an offspring, a “generation”; but, as verse 11 states, “He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied.” His travail in death as man’s Redeemer will indeed result in offspring which will be the regenerated race of mankind.
Isaiah declares concerning Jesus that the “pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” This “pleasure” of Jehovah must be that loving purpose of which he makes mention over and over again throughout his Word, that gracious design which he has spoken by the “mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” It is his plan to bless “all the families of the earth” by giving them an opportunity to accept the provision of God’s grace through Christ and live forever.
The Apostle Paul further emphasizes the fact that the human race will be regenerated through Jesus when he refers to him as the “last Adam.” He explains that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” The “first Adam” generated the race in a dying condition, but the “last Adam” will regenerate the race to life.—I Cor. 15:22,45
Confirming this aspect of Jehovah’s provision for regenerating humanity are the many references in his Word in which the church of Christ, when associated with him in glory, is spoken of as his “bride.” Revelation 19:7 reads, “The marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” It is this glorified bride, the “last Eve” as it were, who will with Christ initiate the call to life: “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. … And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”—Rev. 22:17
This symbolic reference to the church of Christ and her work in the resurrection is in full harmony with Paul’s explanation that this same class constitutes a part of the promised seed of Abraham through which “all the families of the earth” are to be blessed. (Gal. 3:8,16,27-29) It is also in agreement with Jesus’ promise in his statement to Peter that the “gates of hell” would not prevail against the church. (Matt. 16:18) These “gates of hell” are to be opened that the “pleasure of the Lord,” his promised blessing of all the families of the earth, might prosper through Christ and his glorified bride.
In Isaiah 49:8,9 we have another reference to the release of the prisoners of death through the instrumentality of Jesus and his church. In II Corinthians 6:1,2 this prophecy is quoted, in part, by the Apostle Paul and applied to the church. The promise reads: “I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; that thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves.” God covenanted with Abraham and confirmed it by his oath, that he would bless all the families of the earth, and in this prophecy he assures us that this will be accomplished through Christ and his church, that all the prisoners of death will be called forth in fulfillment of his promises.
In Isaiah 65:17-25 we have another wonderful promise of the kingdom of Christ and the blessings it will shower upon the people. In this promise Christ and his bride are referred to as the “blessed of the Lord,” whose “seed”—regenerated mankind— will then build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. The marginal translation states that “mine elect shall make them,” the “seed of the blessed of the Lord,” “long enjoy the work of their hands.”
The earth is not to be filled merely with the offspring of a group miraculously kept alive through Armageddon. Instead, and as Isaiah assures us, Christ shall “see his seed,” and shall “see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied,” for the “pleasure” of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. Surely he who wept over the suffering of the sin cursed and dying world and said to Jerusalem, “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,” could never be satisfied to see the billions of the present population of earth for whom he died go down into everlasting death! Nor could he be satisfied to see all those who have died through the ages suffer a similar fate. If this were so, how untrue would be the promise that the “pleasure of the Lord” would prosper in his hand!