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:

  1. That we are ready (that our characters are just fine).

  2. That there is no more time left to do the work that God has given us to do.

  3. 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:

  1. It will lead us to place a low priority on the work that God is calling us to do.

  2. It will turn our religious focus inward instead of outward.

  3. 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

 
     

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