Posted on 10/02/2021 7:59:05 PM PDT by boatbums
But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 1 Peter 4:7
G. Campbell Morgan, that great expositor of Bible prophecy and the Word of God, wrote, “I never lay my head on the pillow without thinking that perhaps before I awake, the final morning may have dawned. I never begin my work without thinking that He may interrupt it to begin His own. And every night before we go to sleep, we ought to say, ‘He may come tonight.’ Every day when we get out our tools and go to work, ‘This may be the last day’s work I'll do.’”
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is imminent—it could occur at any time. Peter would not have told the early Christians (v. 7) to watch, had the coming of Jesus Christ not been something that could occur at any moment. From the very founding of the Church, Christians have been told to look for and long for the coming our Lord.
But is there anything we can do to hasten it? Could Jesus’ return happen more quickly because of anything we might do? Listen to Peter again:
Therefore…what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 2 Peter 3:11-12. (emphasis mine)
Is it possible? Can we hasten His return? For the answer to that, I studied what Greek scholar Dr. Marvin R. Vincent and others said about this passage. He and a number of Greek scholars agree that these words of Peter state that by our actions the Church can hasten the Day of the Lord:
I'm inclined to adopt the transitive meaning [the transitive meaning of this verb] “hastening on,” that is, “causing the day of the Lord to come more quickly by helping to fulfill those conditions without which it cannot come…
We are causing the day to come more quickly today when we fulfill the conditions without which the day of the Lord will not come.
Dr. Vincent goes on to explain,
…that day being no date inexorably fixed, but one the arrival of which it is free to the church to hasten on by faith and prayer. See Matt 24:14: The gospel shall be preached in the whole world, “and then shall the end come.” Compare the words of Peter in Acts 3:19, “Repent and be converted…that so there may come seasons of refreshing.”
That makes a lot of sense. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ isn’t a time chiseled in stone that can never, ever be changed. Peter says we’re to be looking for—and hastening—the coming of the day of God. Through our prayers we can cause Jesus Christ to come more quickly than He would have come.
“Thy Kingdom Come”
We have been taught that God’s Kingdom is going to come. But how did Jesus teach us to pray in Matthew 6:10? “Thy Kingdom come.” We’re told to pray for the coming Kingdom.
We know that one day there will be peace in Jerusalem. But there will never be peace in Jerusalem until Jesus, the Prince of Peace, rules upon the throne of David. There won't be peace in the world until there is peace in Jerusalem. When is that going to be? When He comes.
So what does the Bible tell us to do? Psalm 122:6 says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” And when you’re praying for the peace of Jerusalem, you’re really praying for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And so Peter says, “Watch and pray.”
Do you remember what the aged apostle John prayed on the Isle of Patmos? God gave him a revelation of all the glories and wonders that would take place when Jesus Christ comes as King of kings and Lord of lords. Then John closes Revelation with these words, the last prayer in the Bible: “Even so, come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
Are you praying that prayer? You ought to be.
I long for the Lord Jesus Christ to come. I was talking about the work of the ministry with another pastor, and I said, “Bob, just think about it. Jesus Christ is really coming, and we’re going to see Him.” Then my eyes filled with tears and so did his.
You see, we got happy thinking about the fact that this is not some fairy tale. Friend, I'm talking to you about reality. As surely as God made little green apples, at any moment, Jesus Christ is going to come.
If we as the children of God love Him, we long for Him to come. I have Him in my heart—but I long to see Him. To walk with Him and talk with Him, “whom, having not seen, we love” (1 Peter 1:8). Peter continues in that verse to say, “Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”
One day we’re going to see Him—not as He was, but as He is, in all of His majesty, all of His power, all of His glory.
“Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”
A fellow I once read made the cogent observation that God is the Initiator and man the Responder.
I agree....the Gospel message is why we’re still here IMO....He knows who will answer that call and until those intended to be reached who will go with Him when He comes in the Clouds to take us with Him, then that work continues.
Speaking with a long term friend tonight we spoke of the Gospel message delivered at her husbands funeral. It was rich with meaning and her son was saved as a result of that message. Another woman said she was going to make certain her own Eulogy had the Gospel message in it. ...and the list goes on with those who were deeply affected by that message at that time.
I love the fact we can still work for I know those who are still not Christians. But with that surely the time is shorter than ever before.
“...Can We Hasten The Second Coming Of Christ?...”
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If or when Christ returns,
it will be on his timetable, not ours,
and we can do nothing to change that timetable
or to “hasten” his arrival.
I disagree with that premise. God is omniscient - He knows the end from the beginning even before it all came into existence. I don't see it as a contradiction. The first Christians were watching and waiting for the return of Christ and have been for 2000 years. What the article examines is how God uses us to further His kingdom as all the pieces line up for the end times.
That verse has especially intrigued me for a while now and I'd like to hear other's ideas about what is meant by us "hastening the coming of the Day of God". That word was used for a reason. The Lexicon has this: https://biblehub.com/greek/4692.htm. It can mean to "desire earnestly"; "to urge on" (diligently or earnestly); by implication, to await eagerly; to hasten.
Thanks for your comments.
Good point!
You mean immanentize the Eschaton?
The gospel shall be preached in the whole world, “and then shall the end come.”
As Dr. Ralph Winter, of the US Center for World Missions, said famously, "We could fulfill the Great Commission within five years. But American Christians spend more on dog food than on missions."
I think it’s ALWAYS been imminent. How much closer are we than the first Christians?
It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:11-15)
A reasonable reply to those who assert that the date of Jesus’ return is fixed, I suggest, is to inquire whether that belief retards their effort in obeying their Lord’s Great Commission.
I saw a video of Jesse Duplantis, saying God asks him for his opinion. What blasphemy I thought. Don’t don’t stand too close to him in a thunderstorm, in case lightning bolts come down.
I do not, however, think there is any human activity, that can affect the time of His return. My opinion is, when God has decided, the last person, has come to faith in Christ, things will begin to happen, rather quickly.
“See Matt 24:14: The gospel shall be preached in the whole world, “and then shall the end come.” “
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Since the barrier so often is in the Bible being untranslated;
and the number of languages into which the Bible is being translated keeps rising,
eventually the Bible shall be available in every language on earth.
Understand that the speed of this task keeps increasing, much as the size of computer capacity. Doubling and doubling.
Wonder how many languages are left at this time.
There is at least 1 version of the Bible available in about 2,350 of the 8,138 identified languages on Earth.
Of the 10,333 identified people groups on Earth, 4,520 are without an indigenous Christian community strong enough to evangelize the people group without external aid.
https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/statistics
About 1/4 of the world’s population, some 1.98 billion people, are in Frontier People Groups nearly unreached by any witness for Christ; 33 of these groups excede 10 million people; roughly the population of the U.S., taken together.
“The vast majority of mission prayer, giving and laborers focuses on strengthening Christians where Christians are already present. Only a tiny portion of mission prayer and resources go to Unreached People Groups at all, and only a tiny fraction of this goes to Frontier Unreached People Groups. Very few mission agencies and churches send even 1% of their missionaries to Frontier Peoples.”
https://joshuaproject.net/frontier
Whether or not we can, we should evangelize the nations as if we can.
sorry i forgot the sarc sign...
i am awaiting God’s return.
Yes it’s always been imminent, but more so than ever. The signs are everywhere.
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