What's In a Name?
From Sunday's lesson:
God wants Abram to know His name, because that name reveals aspects of his identity, personal nature, and character--and from this knowledge we can learn to trust in His promises (Pss. 9:10; 91:14).
Is it wrong not to expect it soon? Does it really matter? Should our behavior be any different?
Is There a Delay?
2 Peter 3:8-10, NIV
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 1
Adam Clarke, Bible Commentary - Volume 8
Verse 8
One day is with the Lord as a thousand years— That is: All time is as nothing before him, because in the presence as in the nature of God all is eternity; therefore nothing is long, nothing short, before him; no lapse of ages impairs his purposes, nor need he wait to find convenience to execute those purposes. And when the longest period of time has passed by, it is but as a moment or indivisible point in comparison of eternity. This thought is well expressed by Plutarch, Consol. ad Apoll.: “If we compare the time of life with eternity, we shall find no difference between long and short. [Greek edited out]? for a thousand or ten thousand years are but a certain indefinite point, or rather the smallest part of a point.” The words of the apostle seem to be a quotation from Psalm 90:4.
Verse 9
The Lord is not slack— They probably in their mocking said, “Either God had made no such promise to judge the world, destroy the earth, and send ungodly men to perdition; or if he had, he had forgotten to fulfill it, or had not convenient time or leisure.” To some such mocking the apostle seems to refer: and he immediately shows the reason why deserved punishment is not inflicted on a guilty world.
But is long-suffering— It is not slackness, remissness, nor want of due displacence at sin, that induced God to prolong the respite of ungodly men; but his long-suffering, his unwillingness that any should perish: and therefore he spared them, that they might have additional offers of grace, and be led to repentance — to deplore their sins, implore God’s mercy, and find redemption through the blood of the Lamb.
As God is not willing that any should perish, and as he is willing that all should come to repentance, consequently he has never devised nor decreed the damnation of any man, nor has he rendered it impossible for any soul to be saved, either by necessitating him to do evil, that he might die for it, or refusing him the means of recovery, without which he could not be saved.2
On Monday's lesson, it says, "Imagine, then, how different time must be for God, the Creator, than it is for us, mere finite beings whose only knowledge of time is what we can ourselves experience." Some could say we are "trapped" in time. Is God? Was time itself created by the Lord? Instead of being "all time," could eternity be "no time"?
Peter seems to also be saying that humans mis-perceive time. It's close to Christmas -- less than 20 days. As an adult, there seems to be no time left to shop for all the gifts, get the cards out, etc. Do you remember, however, how long it seemed to take to reach Christmas as a child?
How about the cliche, "Time flies when you are having fun"? Why do we say that? Is the reverse also true? If so, how does that reflect on our "disappointment" in the delay?
How much time is really left? Isn't the lengthy of time really tied up in perception?
After the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and then the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus speaks of his heavenly kingdom...
Matthew 25:31, NASB95
31 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory , and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 3
John Calvin writes:
Now when the Son of man shall come in his glory. Christ follows out the same doctrine, and what he formerly described under parables, he now explains clearly and without figures. The sum of what is said is, that believers, in order to encourage themselves to a holy and upright conduct, ought to contemplate with the eyes of faith the heavenly life, which, though it is now concealed, will at length be manifested at the last coming of Christ. For, when he declares that, when he shall come with the angels, then will he sit on the throne of his glory, he contrasts this last revelation with the disorders and agitations of earthly warfare; as if he had said, that he did not appear for the purpose of immediately setting up his kingdom, and therefore that there was need of hope and patience, lest the disciples might be discouraged by long delay. Hence we infer that this was again added, in order that the disciples, being freed from mistake about immediate and sudden happiness, might keep their minds in warfare till Christ's second coming, and might not give way, or be discouraged, on account of his absence.4
Jesus clearly expected "the delay," and tried to prepare his disciples for it. Is there a delay? Is it appropriate to call it a delay if it is expected?
Why the Delay?
Okay, it's not really a delay...but why does God wait? Please look at 2 Peter 3:9 above.
Romans 2:4, NRSV
4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?5
So, why does the Lord "tarry"? Does He need to do something? Is he waiting on us?
Ellen White Wrote:
Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, they would have seen the salvation of God, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward. But in the period of doubt and uncertainty that followed the disappointment, many of the advent believers yielded their faith. . . . Thus the work was hindered, and the world was left in darkness. Had the whole Adventist body united upon the commandments of [BEGIN P.696] God and the faith of Jesus, how widely different would have been our history! {Ev 695.3}
It was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be thus delayed... {Ev 696.1}6
Additionally, she wrote:
"When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own. {COL 69.1}7
Matthew 24:14, AMP
14 And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.8
2 Peter 3:11-12, KJV
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?9
2 Peter 3:11-12, GNB
11 Since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Your lives should be holy and dedicated to God, 12 as you wait for the Day of God and do your best to make it come soon—the Day when the heavens will burn up and be destroyed, and the heavenly bodies will be melted by the heat.10
What can we do to hasten the coming of Christ? What as Adventists (and Christians) have we failed to do that may have been part of the reason for the delay?
What does Sister White mean by, "When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own."? What part of His character are we not "perfectly reproducing?"
Who is God waiting on? The saved? The lost? Both?
Luke 18:1-8, AMP
1 ALSO [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). 2 He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary. 4 And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, Though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man, 5 Yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming or at the last she come and rail on me or assault me or strangle me. 6 Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says! 7 And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf? 8 I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [ persistence in] faith on the earth?11
Although this parable is more about persistence in prayer, why did Jesus throw in that last line? How does it reflect on what we discussed above?
Delay or no delay. Patient or impatient. Jesus will return, and when He does...
From the song, "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" by Larry Norman
Life was filled with guns and war
And all of us got trampled on the floor
I wish we'd all been ready
Children died the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we'd all been readyThere's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind....
The Father spoke the demons died
How could you have been so blindThere's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind12
Will you be ready?
©2003 Alan Fahrner (with credit to the "The Promise: God's Everlasting Covenant" adult Sabbath School quarterly and Graham Maxwell's Audio Lesson for some of the quotes and concepts).
1 The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
2 Clarke, Adam. Bible Commentary - Volume 8
3 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
4 Calvin, John. Commentary on Matthew, Mark and Luke.
5 The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
6 White, E. G. (1946;2002). Evangelism;Ev (Page 695, 696). Review and Herald Publishing Association.
7 White, E. G. (1900;2002). Christ's Object Lessons;COL (Page 69). Review and Herald Publishing Association.
8 The amplified Bible, containing the amplified Old Testament and the amplified New Testament. 1987 (Mt 24:14). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
9The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
10 American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible : Today's English Version (2nd ed.). New York: American Bible Society.
11 The amplified Bible, containing the amplified Old Testament and the amplified New Testament. 1987. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
12 Norman, Steve. "I Wish We'd All Been Ready." ©1969 Beechwood Music Corp. and J.C.Love Publishing Co. (BMI)