The earth is a gift from God to mankind!

“Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” “And I will make the place (footstool) of my feet glorious.” “And his (Jehovah’s) feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives.” Isaiah 60:13; 66:1; Zechariah 14:4; Matthew 5:35; Acts 7:49 

God’s footstool has been anything but glorious for the past six thousand years. Earth has been filled with sin, pain, crying, mental and physical suffering and death. Billions of humanity wait for the curse of divine justice to be lifted and for mankind  to be returned to perfection. Soon, the light of divine favor, shining in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord, shall rise as the Sun of Righteousness – “…the Sun of righteousness (shall) arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Malachi 4:2.

God has abundantly provided for the restoration of mankind and for his home, earth. The ransom for Adam and for his children bought the whole world. It secured for each person an opportunity for a trial for everlasting life under favorable conditions. However, it did more. It purchased back Adam’s Paradise home (lost by his transgression), and his dominion as earth’s king, representative of God, his Creator and Father.

We read, “And thou, O Tower of the flock (Christ), the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion.” (Micah 4:8) The Apostle Paul also wrote about the “redemption of the purchased possession” (Ephesians 1:14).

Our Lord in the parable of the treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44) referred to this. The man purchased not only mankind, the treasure, but also the field (the earth).

The entire object of the Millennium will be the restoration of mankind and of earth. Paradise, when lost through sin, was only a “garden” in a corner of the earth. But now the Adamic race has multiplied to fill the earth, as God intended (Genesis 1:28). Since mankind have all been redeemed, it will be necessary to provide a Paradise sufficiently large to accommodate all. This implies that the entire earth will become fruitful and beautiful as it was in perfection in the Garden of Eden. All this is promised as the grand future consummation of the divine plan. Acts 3:20,21; Revelation 2:7; 2 Corinthians 12:4

Acts 3:21 (NLT), “For he (Jesus) must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.” 

One such promise is in Numbers 14:21, “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.”