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Let's Hasten
His Coming
(Please Note: All indented quotations with coded references
are from the pen of Ellen White. Readers are encouraged to consider
all such quotations in their original context.)
When is Jesus
really coming again?
We hear it in sermons, we hear it at seminars, we hear it on 3ABN and
Hope Channel; I myself have been hearing it for over 30 years:
-
His coming is “sooner than soon.”
-
His coming is “not near but here.”
-
His coming is “not at the door but in the door.”
The question is: Can we take these predictions seriously?
In order to answer this question responsibly and accurately we have to
carefully consider the facts as they are found in the Bible and the
Spirit of Prophecy writings:
Fact: There Is
Still a Huge Work to Be Done For the World
Scripture tells us in no uncertain terms that . . .
`This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.'
(Matthew 24:14 KJV)
Ellen White confirms:
“His
kingdom will not come until the
good
tidings of His grace have been carried to all the earth.”
(AG348.2)
While it is quite
understandable
that people would want Jesus to come next week and to put an end to
the heartache, the hurt and the horrors of this world, the truth is
that it would be altogether unfair if He were to return while most of
the world remains unwarned.
This is
why,
. . .
“In
mercy to the world, Jesus delays
his
coming that [all] sinners may have an opportunity to hear the
warning, and find in him a shelter before the wrath of God shall be
poured out.” (4SP292.1)
Clearly, therefore, there is a great work to be done before Jesus can
come again and,
as
the following confirms, this work is going to be a personal work - not
just the result of truth-filled radio and television programming being
beamed across the world.
“The
people must be warned. We have a solemn work to do to
proclaim this message of warning to the world.
Are
we engaging in this work?” (HS234.1)
Fact: There Is
Still a Huge Work to Be Done on Our Hearts
In the light
of
the fact that we, as a church, have been largely ineffectual in
carrying the gospel to all the world - and even to our neighbourhoods
- our focus today should not be on the time of the end, but on the end
time work, for the end time work will determine the time of the end.
In any event, if we really do want to know when Jesus is coming again,
we should not be looking at the state of the world, but at the state
of our hearts – for this is the “sign” that God is looking for:
“When the character of Christ shall
be
perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim
them as His own.” (COL69.1)
Until that great day arrives, however, we can only pray that the
angels will continue to hold back the winds of strife – just as they
have been doing for over 100 years. (Revelation 7:1)
Fact: The Work
for the World Is a Prescription for Our Characters
In summary, therefore, (a) there is a work to be done for the world,
and (b) there is a work to be done on our characters. Yet we all need
to realize that it is in God’s all-wise providence that He has called
on us to engage in this special work for the world, for this is the
very work that is going to refine our characters:
“God
could have reached His object in
saving
sinners without our aid, but in order for us to develop a character
like Christ's, we must share in His work. In order to enter into
His joy, - the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice, - we
must participate in His labors for their redemption.” (DA142.2)
We
conclude,
therefore, that while it is altogether possible for God to get “the
stones” to cry out, and while angels are most certainly going to
assist us in this work, it is of vital and eternal importance to every
one of us that we play our part in this most noble work.
Fact: Had We Done
the Work, Jesus Would Already Have Come
There is no question that we are living in the “time of the end.”
After all, Laodicea is the end-time church, but the sad reality is
that the very church organization that is now crying out that “time is
short” is the very church organization that has been delaying His
coming for more than a century.
“I
know,” said Ellen White, “that if the
people of God had preserved a living connection with Him, if they had
obeyed His Word, they would today be in the heavenly Canaan.”
(Ev694.4)
“Had
the church of Christ done
her
appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would
before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come
to our earth in power and great glory.” (Mar19.1)
This being the case, it is clear that Jesus is delaying His coming
simply because we have not finished our work. As such, we should never
blame Him for the delay:
“We
should not add sin to sin
by
charging God with the consequence of [our] own wrong course of
action.” (Ev696.3)
Fact: The World
Has Long Been Bad Enough For Jesus to Come
For long years we have been observing “the signs of the times,” which
some people believe to be “the signs of the crimes,” and the idea
prevails that God is waiting for the world to get “bad enough.” The
truth, however, is that the world has long been “bad enough,” but we,
God’s church, have simply not done enough.
“It
is because the work has
not
been done for the wicked that time delays.”
(10MR275.4)
“It
is the
unbelief,
the
worldliness,
unconsecration, and strife among the Lord's professed people that have
kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.”
(Mar19.2)
Clearly,
therefore,
our situation
calls
for careful introspection. We have a solemn responsibility to do the
work - failing which, . . .
“We
may have to remain here
in
this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the
children of Israel.” (Ev696.3)
Fact: We Can
Hasten His Coming
Despite the fact that we have delayed His coming, the good news
assures us that God is still waiting patiently for His church -
which is still the apple of His eye - to complete one of the most
important undertakings ever entrusted to mortals.
“By
giving the gospel to the
world
it is in our power to hasten our Lord's return. We are not only to
look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God.” (Mar19.1)
Fact: The Work
Will Be Cut Short In Righteousness
The good news is that Ellen White predicts that the work will be “cut
short in righteousness.” This term, however, is often misinterpreted
and misused.
We have been told that . . .
“The
law of God is to be
magnified;
its claims must be presented in their true, sacred character, that the
people may be brought to decide for or against the truth. Yet the
work will be cut short in righteousness. The message of Christ's
righteousness is to sound from one end of the earth to the other to
prepare the way of the Lord. This is the glory of God, which
closes the work of the third angel.” (6T19.1)
Please take careful note that the above statement includes a prophecy.
“The message of Christ's righteousness is to sound from one end of
the earth to the other.” As such, there is simply no reason to
believe (a) that Jesus will come before this prophecy is fulfilled,
and (b) that this work will not involve our personal labors.
Fact: Laodicea
Will Be Sorely Inclined To Get It All Wrong
As the end-time church, and as a church that has been given fair
warning as regards the symptoms of the Laodicean condition, we need to
pay close attention to the following warning:
“There are those who claim to know the very day and hour of our Lord's
appearing. Very earnest
are
they in mapping out the future. But the Lord has warned them off the
ground they occupy. The exact time of the second coming of the Son of
man is God's mystery.” (DA632.4)
“You will not be able to say that He will come in one, two, or five
years, neither are you to put off
His
coming by stating that it may not be for ten or twenty years. We
are not to know the definite time either for the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit or for the coming of Christ.” (Ev221.1)
Anything beyond this is tantamount to “time setting,” and time-setting
only ever hurts the faith experience of God’s children. Very often
time setting encourages people to make rash decisions that lead to
disastrous results:
“Time
after
time will be
set
by different ones which will pass by; and the influence of this
time-setting will be to destroy the faith of God's people.”
(1T72.3)
We need to realize that when predictions are made as to the soon
coming of Jesus, the implied message is:
-
That we are ready (that our characters are just fine).
-
That there is no more time left to do the work that God has given us
to do.
-
That Jesus is prepared to return to an unwarned world, and thus to
abandon the people that He died for (and that is just so
uncharacteristic of the Master).
All this false excitement, in turn, will bring with it a host of
negative results:
-
It will lead us to place a low priority on the work that God is
calling us to do.
-
It will turn our religious focus inward instead of outward.
-
It will only further delay the second coming.
With these thoughts in mind, we need to seriously consider Jesus’
rebuke to Laodicea:
“You
say, 'I am rich [I am ready]; I have
acquired wealth and do not need a thing [not even a changed
character; not even the sanctifying work of taking the gospel to the
world].' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful,
poor, blind and naked.” (Revelation 3:17)
If my reader has any doubts as to the condition of Laodicea, and
should you have any doubts as to the fact that the Laodicean message
is applicable to our church today [in the year 2010], then please
listen to Stephen Bohr’s messages on the subject of Laodicea at
this link.
When we all understand these messages and, as a body, we fall, all
broken, at the feet of Jesus, we will be ready for a revival, the work
will begin, and the end will be hastened.
Conclusion
It is my sincere prayer that Jesus will come soon, but we must
understand that we can only entertain such a hope if we are engaged in
the end-time work, and if we sincerely believe that we are soon to
finish that work – that is, the work for the world and the work for
our characters.
“The
last rays of merciful light, the last
message
of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character
of love [please note]. The children of God are to manifest His
glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the
grace of God has done for them. In the night of spiritual darkness
God's glory is to shine forth through His church in lifting up the
bowed down and comforting those that mourn [please note the
nature of the work that is to be done].” (COL415.5; 417.2)
“Now
is the time
for
the stones to be taken from the quarry of the world and brought into
God's workshop, to be hewed, squared, and polished, that they may
shine. This is God's plan, and He desires all who profess to believe
the truth to fill their respective places in the great, grand work for
this time.” (HP281.3)
In short, the world is waiting to see God, not in some or other media
presentation, but to see our kind and merciful and compassionate God
living out his life in His kind and merciful and compassionate
children.
A Sure Yardstick
There is no question that Jesus is coming to fetch a vibrant, united,
victorious, working church – and that is simply not how we would
describe the church at this time. Yet the Lord has given us a sure
yardstick by which we may measure our standing before God, and by
which we may gauge the part that our local church is playing in
hastening the Lord’s second coming:
“The life of a church depends on the
interest
which its members manifest in those outside the fold.” (LHU294.5)
“True sympathy between man and his fellowman is to be the
sign distinguishing those who love and fear God from those who are
unmindful of His law. This is the test that the great
Author
of truth used to distinguish between true religion and false.”
(MM251.2)
“[The Holy Spirit will not be
poured
out] while the largest portion of the church are not laborers together
with God.” {ChS253.2}
“The
Master's holy work was a
benevolent
work. Let our people everywhere be encouraged to have a part in it.”
{MM 263.2}
In the interests of a finished work, may I urge my reader to carefully
and prayerfully consider the article, “God’s Simple
Program to Win the World.” This article brings to light the
special work that God requires us to do at this time. Let’s get
excited about the end-time work; then we will have good reason to get
excited about the time of the end.
Take care and God bless you
Neville Mandy |
