The vision describes God's final goal. What will the universe look like when God's mission is complete? What must ultimately exist?
“To fully restore my image in fallen humanity; to utterly and forever abolish sin; to restore the universe to perfect holiness and harmony; to dwell with My people forever.”
God created man in perfection. He was not only perfect physically, but mentally and spiritually. His mind was balanced. He was a completely perfect man.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26-27 (See also Genesis 5:1-2 “in the likeness of God”; Genesis 9:6)
Man was God's most amazing masterpiece of creation. God crowned him with glory and honor.
What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, Psalm 8:4-6
Adam and Eve's characters were like copies of God's character.
Sadly, this perfection was eventually spoiled by sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, the image of God in them was damaged—yes, nearly obliterated.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Genesis 3:6-7
Imagine what God felt in His heart through this experience. God had created man in His own image. Yes, man was created and God was the Creator, but they were like each other. Adam's character reflected God's character. The things that God loved, Adam loved. There was a seemingly unbreakable close bond. When Adam and Eve chose to shatter this close bond, the shock in God's heart was intense. Being all-knowning, He knew that this would happen. But the experience still pained Him terribly.
Suddenly, sin was introduced into the perfect environment. Numerous new words had to be introduced into Adam's vocabulary. Until now, such words had no definition because they didn't exist. But new circumstances required new words. Some of these new words include: sin, suffering, separation, sadness, fear, pain, chill, weep, anger, remorse, destroy, death. God never designed that man should know these words or experience their meaning. But now that sin was introduced, it would have to run its course. Every person who ever lived would experience the results of sin.
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned Romans 5:12
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23
As sin multiplied through the generations, God's image in people was increasingly erased. It became more difficult to recognize the image of God in humanity.
But God was not caught off-guard. Although deeply wounded in His heart, God still overflowed with love for the people He created. He hates to be separated from His people and longs for the day when separation will be ended. Yet He is limited—not by His power, for He is all-powerful; not by his knowledge, for He is all-knowing. God is limited by our choice. No matter how deeply God desires to save us, He will never force anybody.
Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:1-2
This is serious. We all have sinned. We all fall short of the glory of God. We all are destined to death. But this is not God's plan for us. It's Satan's plan. Satan is happy about separating humans from God. Satan hates God and loves to destroy His image in us.
But God in His infinite love cannot leave us in this situation without providing a solution. Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, God's solution must be comprehensive and universal enough to include every human being who ever has lived and who ever will live. It must be sufficient to restore even the worst criminal to His image.
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25
Jesus came and broke Satan's power. He became human like us and won the victory over sin. Because of Jesus' sacrifice for us, we may be re-created and restored into His image.
Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. Isaiah 60:1-2
For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:1-3
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29
and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, Colossians 3:10
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
“The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God. From the first intimation of hope in the sentence pronounced in Eden to that last glorious promise of the Revelation—“They shall see His face; and His name shall be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:4)—the burden of every book and every passage of the Bible is the unfolding of this wondrous theme—uplifting humanity—the power of God “who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57. People who grasp this thought have before them an infinite field for study. They have the key that will unlock to them the whole treasure house of God’s Word.” (TEd 75.1).
“By the awful event of man's fall, it was Satan's purpose to make of the beautiful world God had created, a home of sin and woe. He designed to set the human race in rebellion and hostility against their Maker. But he was not left free to drag them down without divine interposition. The holy pair had fallen, and henceforth the earth must be marred by the curse of sin; but through the gift of the only-begotten Son of God, earth was to be restored to its Edenic purity and beauty, and man renewed in the image of God.” (ST February 17, 1909, par. 3).
“The great object of life should be to restore to God soul, body, and spirit.” (10MR 231.2).
And finally, God will accomplish His mission and will live with His people.
“When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own. COL 69.1
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4
The only way to restore the earth to its original perfection and ensure lasting happiness is to destroy sin and to ensure that it will never come back. God hinted at this early in Genesis 3:15 when He promised Satan's head would be bruised, signifying the ultimate destruction of Satan and sin.
Not only will God eliminate sin permanently, He will restore the universe to perfection.