What Time is It?
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SDAs seem to be obsessed with time prophecies about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Should this not be expected when we take into consideration or Millerite heritage. Under the guidance and careful study of William Miller, though he made an error by misinterpreting the meaning of the sanctuary in Dan 8:14, great multitudes believed that Christ was coming in 1843. When this time period came and passed, Miller and his associates re-examined the Bible and came to a conclusion that they had been mistaken and indeed Christ would come to the earth in the fall of 1844. We all know how that ended… The Great Dissapointment. You would think after this debacle that Adventists had learned their lesson and would stay clear of time prophecies, but
In recent years a number of Seventh-day Adventists have begun to apply the time prophecies in Daniel 12:5-13 to the future.1 Rejecting the traditional Adventist understanding, which places the 3 1/2 times, the 1290 and 1335 days as prophetic times in the past, they claim these time periods are to be understood as literal days still to come. According to one interpretation, the 1335 days begins with the national Sunday law in America, and the 3 1/2 times or 1260 days and the 1290 days with the universal Sunday law.
Have you heard of the 7000 year theory [explain].
Again, in 2018, a well known SDA evangelist aggresively proclaimed that the door of probation was going to close for SDAs in the Spring of of 2019, and shortly after that Christ would come. I received many inquries and emails about this prophecy from concerned members. Many were getting swept away by euphoria. Even though many of the evangelists arguments were refuted by individuals such as Mark Finley and Doug Bachelor, there is still an itching among God’s people, an itching to discover a time prophecy that will reveal when Christ will come.
What does the Bible say concerning when Christ will come?
27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!
34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Just like the flood came withtout warning, so it will be with the second coming of Jesus...
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
Jesus pointed out the that the Holy Spirit would be poured out “not many days from now.”
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
again, look what it says in Luke 24:49
49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
We read from hindsight, we know the story, “oh yes, 50 days later the Holy
Spirit fell on…, but it’s important to understand that the disciples did not know when the Holy Spirit would be poured out… so it will be with the second coming of Jesus.
Christ coming will be...
At God’s Appointed Time
At God’s Appointed Time
1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
Notice that Paul is comparing the actions of a thief with an unexpected event… sudden destruction
27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
We had a thunder storm yesterday, I have always loved thunder storms… I have been warned that if I was born in the West Indies, I would not say such a thing… anyhow are we able to stand at a distance and predict when and where a lightning bolt will flash in the sky? 5,4,3,2,1… So it will be with the coming of Jesus.
Christ coming will be...
Unexpected
Unexpected
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Jesus expands and repeats the sentiments of Matt 24.8
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
discuss
Christ coming will be...
After a Delay
After a Delay
Matthew 24:30–33 (NKJV)
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!
James 5:8–9 (NKJV)
8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
What sentiment or principle are these texts communicating?
7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Christ coming will be...
Imminent
Imminent
You will often hear people pray about getting ready for Jesus’s second coming. There are some Christian songs that… “People get ready...
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
The song should slightly modified to be Biblically accurate… “People be ready, there’s a train a coming...” Seeing that Christ’s coming will be at God’s appointed time, unexpected, after a delay, and imminent… we need to be ready...