Chapter 3: A World Rebuilt From the Ground Up
“Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations” (Isaiah 58:12).
The earth Jesus will find when He returns will be a disaster. Jeremiah described the area of Jerusalem as becoming “desolate” (Jeremiah 33:10). Other prophets depict “waste cities” (Amos 9:14) in “ruins” (Ezekiel 36:33-34).
This will be the world to which Jesus Christ will return.
Historical images and written accounts of places ravaged by wars give us a limited glimpse of the world’s condition at this time, though not necessarily the depth of the human suffering within those ruins.
For example, Ian Buruma, in his book Year Zero: A History of 1945, described post-war Germany this way: “The scale of human misery in the aftermath of the war was so vast, and so widespread, that comparisons are almost useless. Germany had to contend not only with its own citizens and returning soldiers, but also with more than ten million German-speaking refugees from Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Romania who had been expelled from their native lands . . . Almost all had lost everything they ever possessed. This added huge numbers of people to the drifting masses in search of food and shelter” (pp. 62-63).
The world Jesus will begin to rule will be far worse, and the damage global. He and the saints will immediately have to deal with a planet in shambles and survivors of the most traumatic time of suffering ever known.
It will be a world waiting to be rebuilt.
The greatest rebuilding project ever
The priority won’t just be rebuilding physical infrastructure, but reconstructing human lives.
Families separated by wars and disasters will need to be reunited. People in captivity will need to be restored to their homelands. People starving due to famine will need to be nourished back to health. People distrustful of authority due to evil leaders will need their trust restored. People who hate and want revenge will need to be taught to put away hostility and learn to forgive. People who are angry with God for their suffering will need to be shown that God has come to save them.
Rebuilding people’s lives will begin immediately, but it will take time. Healing wounds of trauma can only come gradually.
One of the most important things Christ will do is provide comfort (Isaiah 40:2; 51:3; 66:13; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). He will “feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young” (Isaiah 40:11).
People who experience serious trauma need safety and stability, and a new sense of normality, in order to heal. One of the first tasks Christ and His family will tackle will be to start creating such an environment.
A great example of Jesus’ ability to do this is when He was asleep in a boat with His disciples and a dangerous storm arose, threatening their lives. When awakened by the fearful shouts of His disciples, He “rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm” (Matthew 8:26).
Imagine how their panic gave way in a moment to wonderment and peace. Similarly, His return will begin with a rebuke, and then humanity’s panic will ebb, giving way to great calm.
Christ will set out to institute a new normal, an entirely new society built on a new foundation—the laws and ways of God. It will be a society marked by leaders who have genuine love and care for those they serve.
They will shape the new era God describes through Isaiah: “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places” (Isaiah 32:17-18).
Rest, peace, quietness and assurance—imagine!
Micah foresaw the entire world eventually living without fear. “Everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken” (Micah 4:4).
This environment will help the end-time survivors who live into the Millennium heal and rebuild their lives. This is why Peter spoke of it as “times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19).
Building a new global culture
The Bible also prophesies of the time when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). Later we read that “righteousness and praise” will “spring forth before all the nations” (Isaiah 61:11).
This describes a dramatic, global cultural shift based on the knowledge and righteous ways of God. Instead of today’s world, largely driven by selfishness and greed, we’ll see a new culture based on God’s way of life.
It will take time for all the world to understand, embrace and practice these values, but we’ll see more in the following chapters about how it will come.
Rebuilding a world in ruins
Restoring destroyed cities, towns, villages and farms will be another essential step in stabilizing life. Christ’s government, therefore, will immediately begin to “restore the earth” (Isaiah 49:8) by making it functional, inhabitable and more beautiful than ever.
Cities will be raised from their ruins: “I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt” (Ezekiel 36:33).
Sterile lands will be made fertile: “The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited’” (verses 34-35).
The world’s inhabitants will be marshaled to do this productive work: “And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:4).
God spoke through the prophet Amos about this: “‘I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,’ says the LORD your God” (Amos 9:14-15).
Amos specifically foretold about the future of Israel, since that was his audience, but other prophecies show the entire world being restored to beauty and order.
It took years for Germany to rebuild its cities and agriculture after the destruction of World War II. Who knows how long it will take for the entire world? Perhaps a large part of the first decades of the Millennium will be dedicated to this massive global rebuilding project.
Notice this beautiful prophecy about this time: “And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God” (Ezekiel 28:26).
God understands that safety and security help people heal from psychological trauma, and He will ensure these exist to help survivors recover from the stress and trauma of the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord.
It may take years to rebuild the physical infrastructure to be functional and beautiful and to reframe society to support the emotional and spiritual well-being of all people. But out of the rubble of the old world, a new world will emerge with a refreshed and transformed culture based on God’s laws!