Jesus did not come just to redeem man, but the whole world. He may love mankind more than other parts of His creation, but He loves all He created and will restore the earth to the paradise it was originally created to be, as the biblical prophecies declare. He may give most of His attention to man, to whom He gave dominion over the earth, and it is through man that He will restore the earth. This will begin with restoring man’s reign over the earth through those whom He has chosen to rule with Him in the age to come.

      The earth’s restoration is one reason the Lord Jesus usually referred to Himself as “the Son of man,” rather than “the Son of God.” He had emptied Himself of His divine nature to become a man because, in the garden, a man (Adam) had surrendered His dominion over the earth to Satan, and a man had to recover it. The apostle Paul referred to Jesus as “the last Adam” (see 1 Corinthians 15:45). Through one man, Adam, sin had taken dominion over the earth, and through one man, Jesus, the sin would be removed and man’s dominion over the earth would be recovered.

      As we see at the end of the book of Revelation, everything that was lost in the Garden is recovered. A big part of what is recovered is man’s rightful and righteous dominion over the earth. Then God the Father will make His abode on earth among men. There will be an end of Satan and all who joined him in his rebellion. Not only will the earth be restored as the paradise it was created to be, but with God dwelling on the earth, this tiny little speck of dust floating through the universe will become the capital of the universe!

      These concepts are important to know and keep in mind as we process the human saga and begin our deep dive into the book of Revelation. The earth may be but a speck of dust compared to the enormous universe, but because God Himself has stated that He is going to live here, the earth will be the most important address in the universe. This should establish for all time that size does not necessarily equate importance.

      This is also why the Lord choose the small and seemingly insignificant nation of Israel to dwell within, which He stated a few times in Scripture. Then, He chose a small band of rogue people, the church, to build His next dwelling place. He seems to always give the greatest significance to the small, the weak, and the insignificant. For this reason, we should never despise small churches, small prayer meetings, or anything seemingly small and insignificant. If the Lord visits them with His manifest presence, they may become the most important place in the world, if not the universe!

      In ancient times, when it became known that the king was going to visit a city, it was “all-hands-on-deck” for that city to clean it up, restore ruins, and prepare the very best hospitality possible for the king. The king’s visit may only last a couple of days, but the restoration and improvement the city made in his honor would endure for years after.

      If we knew that the president was going to visit our home in a week, would we not clean it like never before? We would probably even paint and buy new furniture. Do we not know that someone far more important than the president lives with us in our home? If we knew this, would it not be reflected in how we keep our home all of the time?

      Is not the King of the universe about to return to the earth? We should love the earth and always take care of it to honor the One who gave us such a wonderful home. Knowing that He is about to return, should we not want to clean it up as much as possible?

      Even though evil is increasing, and we know from the prophecies of the calamity that will come at the end, every good deed, every manifestation of His light and truth and His people growing in faith and love will shine ever more as the darkness grows. Taking care of the earth as much as we can does reflect our care for Him and His gifts to us.

      I read somewhere that a man was asked what he would do if he knew that the Lord was going to return to the earth the next day, and his reply was that he would plant a tree. At first, I thought that was a silly reply. Now, I think it was profound. He knew Jesus was coming to restore the earth, and he was going to get started. What can we do to prepare the way for Him?