Second Coming Delayed

We thought Jesus was coming very soon. All things point to His soon coming. Now we find out He delayed His coming. Why did Jesus delay His coming? What are the consequences of Him delaying His coming? Many will want to know the answers as to what has happened. We all want Jesus to come as soon as possible that there would be an end to the suffering in this wicked world. It will be "good news" when we can

Are you ready for Jesus to come today

know for a certainty that His coming will be soon.

Do we all feel the same way, will it be good news? Are you ready for Jesus to come today or tomorrow? What if He does come tomorrow, I fear that many even in His church would be sorry that He came so soon. Why? This is the subject of today's message. Let's begin by looking at last week's Sabbath School lesson, The Hour of His Judgment.

In Friday's lesson the author of the lesson says "In class, discuss the close relationship between the gospel and judgment as seen in these two parts of what is, really, one prophecy. Why is the link between the two such good news for us? How should this link help alleviate the fear that many have had regarding the idea of judgment?" He is pointing to the 2,300 days in Daniel 8 and the 70-week prophecy in Daniel 9. One revealing the sacrifice of Christ for our sins and the other the cleansing of the sanctuary which involves the blotting out of sins and the investigative judgment. Notice that we are told that there is "good news" in this.

Good news for us? Not for all of us. Many in the Laodicean Church rise up against the True Witness' message. This causes a shaking in the

Our characters will be revealed as holy or selfish

church. Many will be shaken out. How ought they look at the Day of Atonement? It is not a day to celebrate one's victory over sin. Salvation does not continue when one sins. We do not believe in once saved always saved. Even if we did, many ought not jump on the bandwagon to celebrate the Day of Atonement and its judgment. Why not? Because many will be blotted out of the Book of Life. This is a most solemn time to pray that God will reveal the true condition of our hearts. God is not being judged, but each one who has been written in the Book of Life is being judged, every single one must pass through this review of their lives. The books are opened and all is revealed. The standard in the judgment is the law of God. Our characters will be revealed as holy or selfish. How do you now feel about the day of judgment? Have you been sealed? Then, I suppose unless you believe you are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and know you are "miserable, wretched, and poor, and blind, and naked" you no longer will look at the Day of Atonement as "good" news. There is a work to do before the church ought to consider the investigative judgment is good news. And, it is true that the reason for this revelation of who truly loved God supremely, is that the unfallen worlds will understand that God is both just and merciful.

As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. Every name is

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment

mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God’s remembrance. The Lord declared to Moses: “Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.” Exodus 32:33. And says the prophet Ezekiel: “When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, ... all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned.” Ezekiel 18:24.

All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life. The Lord declares, by the prophet Isaiah: “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25. Said Jesus: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.” Great Controversy, pg 483.

It is not a day to celebrate the "good news" as we see here. Some will be destroyed and some will be cut off, cast out of the nation, on the Day of Atonement. What then does that mean in our day? Go by what the Bible says, not by what others say it says. It is a most solemn time because many will not be saved, thus they will not meet Jesus in the air, but will come up from the grave after a thousand years to be punished for each and every sin. Wake up church! Teach the people in and out of our church what the judgment is and what its rewards and punishments will be. It is not fair to mislead others. Remember Jesus is not going to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sins, as many have been taught. It is most important while the church remains in a Laodicean condition. Study what this means if the simpler Words of Jesus cannot be understood. The Laodicean believes all is well when all is not well.

For those who do not understand what Christ says about the condition of our church, the seventh church in the Book of Revelation, read the message to the Laodicean Church.

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and True Witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and

Be zealous therefore, and repent

neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation 3:14-22.

This ought not be difficult to understand. Jesus both rebukes His people and then encourages us by telling us what we must do in order to obtain eternal life (conversion). If you really want to better understand the message upon which hangs the destiny of the church, this may help:

I was shown that the testimony to the Laodiceans applies to God’s people at the present time, and the reason it has not accomplished a greater work is because of the hardness of their hearts. But God has given the message time to do its work. The heart must be purified from sins which have so long shut out Jesus. This fearful message will do its work. When it was first presented, it led to close examination of heart. Sins were confessed, and the people of God were stirred everywhere. Nearly all believed that this message would end in the loud cry of the third angel. But as they failed to see the powerful work accomplished in a short time, many lost the effect of the message. I saw that this message would not accomplish its work in a few short months. It is designed to arouse the people of God, to discover to them their backslidings, and to lead to zealous repentance, that they may be favored with the presence of Jesus, and be fitted for the loud cry of the third angel. As this message affected the heart, it led to deep humility before God. Angels were sent in every direction to prepare unbelieving hearts for the truth. The cause of God began to rise, and His people were acquainted with their position. If the counsel of the True Witness had been fully heeded, God would have wrought for His people in greater power. Yet the efforts made since the message has been given, have been blessed of God, and many souls have been brought from error and darkness to rejoice in the truth.

God will prove His people. Jesus bears patiently with them, and does not spew them out of His mouth in a moment. Said the angel: “God is weighing His people.” If the message had been of as short duration as many of us supposed, there would have been no time for them to develop character. Many moved from feeling, not from principle and faith, and this solemn, fearful message stirred them. It wrought upon their feelings, and excited their fears, but did not accomplish the work which God designed that it should. God reads the heart. Lest His people should be deceived in regard to themselves, He gives them time for the excitement to wear off, and then proves them to see if they will obey the counsel of the True Witness.

God leads His people on, step by step. He brings them up to different points calculated to manifest what is in the heart. Some endure at one point, but fall off at the next. At every advanced point the heart is tested and tried a little closer. If the professed people of God find their hearts

They have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus

opposed to this straight work, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, if they would not be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. Said the angel: “God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people.” Some are willing to receive one point; but when God brings them to another testing point, they shrink from it and stand back, because they find that it strikes directly at some cherished idol. Here they have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus. They prize something higher than the truth, and their hearts are not prepared to receive Jesus. Individuals are tested and proved a length of time to see if they will sacrifice their idols and heed the counsel of the True Witness. If any will not be purified through obeying the truth, and overcome their selfishness, their pride, and evil passions, the angels of God have the charge: “They are joined to their idols, let them alone,” and they pass on to their work, leaving these with their sinful traits unsubdued, to the control of evil angels. Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation. Vol. 1, Testimonies for the Church, pgs 186,7.

How important is the message to the Laodicean Church?

Solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs

The testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance, and all that truly receive it will obey it and be purified. Vol 1, Testimonies for the Church; pg 181.

Excuse the large letters, but there are times when we must cry aloud that the sleeping virgins might awake from their long sleep. Jesus has delayed His coming because He loves you and me. If He were to come today, many would cry not tears of joy, but of sorrow because unless we love the Lord our God with all of the heart, and have confessed and forsaken all sin, we shall not obtain a life with Jesus in a world without sin. Since Jesus has delayed His coming we still have a moment left to make our election and calling sure. Go back and prayerfully study the message to the Laodiceans. Notice the encouragement for us. The only thing that may be difficult to understand is the offer of "gold tried in the fire." It is faith that works by love. Whose love? The love that Jesus has for you. He would have suffered and died even if you were the only one to be saved. And what of the Father's great love? Have you ever questioned it? If so, then you do not know Him very well. In closing let me present to you the most amazing truth I have ever understood. It comes from one the most amazing books ever written.

The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Romans 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the

“Herein is love.” Wonder, O heavens! and be astonished, O earth!

beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life.

Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.

The heart of the human father yearns over his son. He looks into the face of his little child, and trembles at the thought of life’s peril. He longs to shield his dear one from Satan’s power, to hold him back from temptation and conflict. To meet a bitterer conflict and a more fearful risk, God gave His only-begotten Son, that the path of life might be made sure for our little ones. “Herein is love.” Wonder, O heavens! and be astonished, O earth! Desire of Ages, pg 49.