Just a few thoughts to CONSIDER:
Acts 15 [ylt] -
13 and after they are silent, James answered, saying, ‘Men, brethren, hearken to me; 14 Simeon did declare how at first God did look after
to take out of the nations a people for His name, 15 and to this agree the words of the prophets, as it hath been written:
16
After these things I will turn back,
and I will build again the tabernacle of David, that is fallen down,
and its ruins I will build again, and will set it upright —
17
that the residue of men may seek after the Lord [<--wouldn't you say this refers to BEFORE His "RETURN"
to the earth?], and all the nations, upon whom My name hath been called, saith the Lord, who is doing all these things.
18 ‘Known from the ages to God are all His works...'
[Amplified Bible - '18 SAYS THE LORD,
WHO HAS BEEN MAKING THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO [/from the age]'. (i.e. via the OT prophets and prophecies--same as Acts 3:21 speaks to)]
What do you believe v.16's "AFTER THESE THINGS" is referring to?
[notes point back to its connection with-->] Amos 9:11-12 -
A Promise of Restoration
(Acts 15:5–21)
11 “
In that day I will restore [*H6965]
the fallen tent of David.
I will repair its gaps, restore [*H6965] its ruins,
and rebuild it as in the days of old,
12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that bear My name,”d
declares the LORD, who will do this.
13 “Behold, the days are coming,”
declares the LORD,
“when the plowman will overtake the reaper
and the treader of grapes, the sower of seed.
The mountains will drip with sweet wine,
with which all the hills will flow.
14
I will restore [H7725] My people Israel from captivity;e
they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will firmly plant them in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
from the land that I have given them,”
says the LORD your God.
[
*H6965 - Compare with Hosea 5:14-6:3, v.2's "
IN the third day
He will raise us up [H6965]" and the passage goes on to say, v.3, "Then shall we know,
if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning;
and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter [/spring] rain UNTO THE EARTH" (where this passage
ALSO uses the H2421 word, in connection with this);
and Isaiah 26:15-21 (notice its timing clues), where
v.19 uses this
H6965 word "thy dead men shall live...
SHALL THEY ARISE [H6965]..." (
not speaking of a bodily/physical resurrection here; and which passage
ALSO uses the H2421 word in connection with this);
and Daniel 12:1-4[10] (second half of trib yrs context; where this passage,
also not speaking of a bodily/physical resurrection,
ALSO uses the H2421 word in connection with this)...
ALL pertaining to
Israel's future (in the
same manner that Rom11:15 speaks of it, LIKENING this to a "resurrection"[!]--as well as
Rom11:25-29, and
Rom9:26/Hos1:10-11 (+2:23
a-only; whereas 2:23b speaks of the Gentiles, like Rom9:25 does...
by contrast);
and John 6:39 (
distinct from v.40 re: PERSONS) re: "
IN the last day" (recall that "IN THE NIGHT" ['dark'/'darkness'/'sundown']
is the FIRST ASPECT of an entire "day"--
esp as it pertains to ISRAEL)...
"raise up" THINGS
in v.39 ("things" pertaining to His "throne / governance / judging / etc" [not to mention the people to whom these promises particularly pertained,
see Acts 1:6 ["restore again"], which question only concerned its TIMING, not its NATURE])]
So, in view of the above passages, "the TIME
S OF restoration..." (r
e: the things having been spoken by God via the OT prophets / prophecies--
Acts 3:21--not things that had
yet to be spoken [
by that point] via the NT "apostles and prophets"
)... "the TIME
S of restoration" appears to commence in/during/within the short time leading UP TO His "RETURN"
to the earth Rev19 [yet FOLLOWING "our Rapture"] when thereafter [at the MK point]
the full-fruition of the thing comes into play... I am one that believes Israel comes to faith
BEFORE His return
to the earth [
AT WHICH POINT it is TOO LATE!] (and it is
THEY who "lead the charge" in DOING the
"INVITING" *during* the trib yrs, such as in
Matt24:14 / Matt22:9-14 / Rev19:9 / etc--the
RESULTS shown in
Rev7:9,14, Matt25:31-48 [vv.40,45 BEING these "INVITERS" themselves],
Rev19:9 and the 8-10 "BLESSED" passages relating to this,
as well as Matt13:24,47-48 "net cast into the SEA, and gathered OF EVERY KIND"... etc etc). Recall that
Rev1:1 / 1:19c / 4:1 [i.e. SEALS onward] speaks of the
"IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]" time period (
not things which would transpire over some 2000 yrs, nor even 100 years prior... but the "ONE WEEK / 7 YEARS" which is part of what the OT PROPHECY in Daniel said is "DETERMINED UPON" Israel [people of] & Jerusalem... and ONE of those "purposes" is to bring Israel into the New Covenant, turning them to their Messiah [Jesus Christ] BEFORE His ARRIVAL [Rev19]).