Zone1 In your belief, what do you think "The Dispensation of the Fulness of times" is or what is "the times of the restitution of all things"?

[onefour1]

In the Bible we read:

Ephesians 1:10
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Acts 3:21
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.

In your opinion, what do these things mean?

 

[MarathonMike]

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things

No idea, but this sentence is very interesting. Does this mean everyone goes to heaven until the 'restitution of all things'? What happens after restitution? Are souls cast out of heaven into Hell then? Always seems to be new "rules" popping up about the afterlife.

 

[onefour1]

No idea, but this sentence is very interesting. Does this mean everyone goes to heaven until the 'restitution of all things'? What happens after restitution? Are souls cast out of heaven into Hell then? Always seems to be new "rules" popping up about the afterlife.

The verse just before it tells us that it refers to Jesus who is received in the heavens until the times of the restitution of all things.

Acts 3:20-21
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
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.

 

[MarathonMike]

The verse just before it tells us that it refers to Jesus who is received in the heavens until the times of the restitution of all things.

Acts 3:20-21
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
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.

Oh so in this context, I guess the Restitution of all things is the Second Coming of Christ. Or not, the Bible just reads like a series of riddles to me.

 

[onefour1]

To me a dispensation is a time when God dispenses revelation on how his kingdom is to be run. Obviously "the dispensation of the fulness of times" and the time of the restitution of all things" are to occur in the future from when it was spoken of. I believe the dispensation of the fulness of times is a time when all that has ever been revealed by God will again be revealed. The word "restitution" has the meaning of restoration or bringing back that which was lost. Thus I think this refers to a time when God will restore that which has been revealed in previous dispensations that has been lost and needs to to be brought back. I think the two are referring to the same era in time.

 

[1srelluc]

Good grief, instructions for the afterlife should not read like someone wrote it that was high on mushrooms......That's why I'm agnostic.....Follow the Ten Commandments as best you can and hope for the best.

 

[onefour1]

Obviously if God needs to restore things that were lost that were previously revealed, then there must have been some type of falling away from those things or apostacy. One of the things that I believe needed to be restored was the Holy Apostleship. After most of the apostles of Jesus' day were murdered, we don't hear of any apostles after that. Yet the apostles were known as part of the foundation of the church:

Ephesians 2:19-20
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

and from the Apostle Paul we read:

Ephesians 4:11-15
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

In these verses we read that apostles and prophets were a part of the foundation of the church and that we were to have apostles and prophets until we all came to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. We all know that we have not reached that point and thus we should still have apostles and prophets in the church.

When was the last time we saw apostles and prophets in the catholic church? During the reformation, the protestants had no apostles or prophets and turned to "Sola Scriptura" as their authority. But if we were to always have apostles and prophets in the church until we all came to the unity of the faith as spoken of above, we would have continuing revelation and prophesy in the church. Ezekiel 37 speaks of receiving additional scripture beyond the Bible (stick of Judah) which would be known as the stick of Joseph or Ephraim. So I think through apostacy from Christ's original church, there came a need to have restitution of the church along with apostles and prophets. The restitution of all things began back in 1820 when Jesus again appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith and by 1830 restored his church again on this earth with apostles and prophets. This restitution will continue up until the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It will then continue on throughout the Millennial era but we will have Jesus in our midst to lead his people for a thousand years.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

LDS Mormon analysis of the Bible can be as goofy as the Evangelical one.

 

[Woodznutz]

Obviously if God needs to restore things that were lost that were previously revealed, then there must have been some type of falling away from those things or apostacy. One of the things that I believe needed to be restored was the Holy Apostleship. After most of the apostles of Jesus' day were murdered, we don't hear of any apostles after that. Yet the apostles were known as part of the foundation of the church:

Ephesians 2:19-20
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

and from the Apostle Paul we read:

Ephesians 4:11-15
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

In these verses we read that apostles and prophets were a part of the foundation of the church and that we were to have apostles and prophets until we all came to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. We all know that we have not reached that point and thus we should still have apostles and prophets in the church.

When was the last time we saw apostles and prophets in the catholic church? During the reformation, the protestants had no apostles or prophets and turned to "Sola Scriptura" as their authority. But if we were to always have apostles and prophets in the church until we all came to the unity of the faith as spoken of above, we would have continuing revelation and prophesy in the church. Ezekiel 37 speaks of receiving additional scripture beyond the Bible (stick of Judah) which would be known as the stick of Joseph or Ephraim. So I think through apostacy from Christ's original church, there came a need to have restitution of the church along with apostles and prophets. The restitution of all things began back in 1820 when Jesus again appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith and by 1830 restored his church again on this earth with apostles and prophets. This restitution will continue up until the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It will then continue on throughout the Millennial era but we will have Jesus in our midst to lead his people for a thousand years.

The 'sticks' of Judah and of Joseph will be joined in the millennium, the reconciliation of all of Israel.

The Jews will return to Israel.

 

[onefour1]

The 'sticks' of Judah and of Joseph will be joined in the millennium, the reconciliation of all of Israel.

The Jews will return to Israel.

The sticks are writings. The stick of Judah is the Bible. And the stick of Joseph is the Book of Mormon. They have already been joined to one in our hands as a witness of Jesus Christ.

 

[Woodznutz]

The sticks are writings. The stick of Judah is the Bible. And the stick of Joseph is the Book of Mormon. They have already been joined to one in our hands as a witness of Jesus Christ.

Where does that leave the New Testament?

 

[onefour1]

Where does that leave the New Testament?

Last I checked the New Testament is part of the Bible. Those who wrote the New Testament were Jews while those who wrote the Book of Mormon were descendants of Joseph.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

Sure.

 

[Woodznutz]

Last I checked the New Testament is part of the Bible. Those who wrote the New Testament were Jews while those who wrote the Book of Mormon were descendants of Joseph.

The Jews reject Jesus Christ and the New Testament, have for two thousand years.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

And?

The Jews reject Jesus Christ and the New Testament, have for two thousand years.

 

[Woodznutz]

And?

And so, they're not part of Judah's 'schtick'.

 

[onefour1]

The Jews reject Jesus Christ and the New Testament, have for two thousand years.

You are viewing it by the apostate Jewish religion of the time, where I view more from a genealogical point of view. They were all born in the tribe of Judah. When I look into my ancestry, I am also Jewish to some extent. That doesn't mean I follow the false religion of many of the Jews. It means my ancestry goes back to the tribe of Judah. I'm sure that Peter, James, and John and all the apostles of Jesus' church were Jewish by heritage.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

And?

The Jews reject Jesus Christ and the New Testament, have for two thousand years.

 

[onefour1]

And?

you mean the Jews who adhere to the Jewish religion. Not all Jews adhered to that religion as we see all the followers of Jesus in his days who were also Jews by heritage and they brought us the New Testament.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

you mean the Jews who adhere to the Jewish religion. Not all Jews adhered to that religion as we see all the followers of Jesus in his days who were also Jews by heritage and they brought us the New Testament.

A very small minority.