“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will save he will rejoice over thee with joy he will rest in his love he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17 KJV).

ABSTRACT

The urgent signs of Christ’s second coming and calls the community to active preparation through Scripture and inspired counsel so that we stand ready when He appears.

WILL WE READ THE SIGNS HE GAVE US?

The heavens and the earth declare the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture together with the Spirit of Prophecy demands that we read these signs with sober and prayerful attention. Christ Himself sat upon the Mount of Olives and unveiled the conditions that would mark the close of this world’s history when He said, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:25 KJV). The Saviour did not unveil these terrors to fill our hearts with dread but to lift our gaze toward the morning of redemption. He made this purpose plain when He said, “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” (Luke 21:26 KJV). Then He pointed beyond the trembling of nature to the appearing of the Son of Man, declaring, “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27 KJV). Through the inspired pen we are told that “Christ has given signs of His coming. He declares that we may know when He is near, even at the doors” (The Desire of Ages, p. 632, 1898). Ellen G. White further affirms in the same chapter that the present hour is no longer ambiguous, for “These signs have appeared. Now we know of a surety that the Lord’s coming is at hand” (The Desire of Ages, p. 632, 1898). The student of prophecy must therefore study these warnings with humility and faith, lest spiritual slumber overtake him before the day breaks.

The world today bears every mark of the agitation foretold for the last days, and the prophetic messenger described our generation with searching exactness when she wrote, “Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). The Saviour confirmed this same trajectory when He bade His disciples to “look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28 KJV). Paul echoed the Saviour’s urgency to the Roman believers, exhorting, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11 KJV). Through inspired counsel we are warned that “The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). The literary record in The Desire of Ages presents the closing crisis with sobering brevity in the words, “The crisis is stealing gradually upon us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). Peter likewise calls the household of faith to readiness, urging, “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7 KJV). The believer who studies these things rises from his knees with strengthened faith and a quickened sense of the King’s near approach.

DID PHARISEES READ THE SIGNS?

Christ’s rebuke to the Pharisees at Magdala laid bare the tragedy of religious leaders who could read the sky but could not read the prophecies given for their own day. They came to Him with a feigned hunger for evidence, and Matthew records that “the Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven” (Matthew 16:1 KJV). The Saviour answered them with calm severity when He said, “When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red” (Matthew 16:2 KJV). He pressed home the contradiction of their position by adding, “And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:3 KJV). The same generation that scrutinized the heavens for storms refused to scrutinize the prophecies of Daniel for their Messiah, and Christ pronounced upon them the verdict, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed” (Matthew 16:4 KJV). Sr. White warns the closing church against this same insensibility, recording that “The world, full of rioting, full of godless pleasure, is asleep, asleep in carnal security” (The Desire of Ages, p. 635, 1898). Familiarity with sacred truth must sharpen the spiritual senses; it must never dull them into blindness.

The danger Christ unmasked among the Pharisees stalks every age of the church, for the love of present comfort steadily blinds the soul to the testimony of prophecy. The Saviour warned the disciples in the same Olivet discourse, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4 KJV). He explained why the warning was urgent, declaring, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:5 KJV). In The Desire of Ages we read that the moral atmosphere of the last days mirrors the carelessness of antediluvian times, for “Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They laugh at warnings” (The Desire of Ages, p. 635, 1898). The prophetic messenger further unveils the unseen warfare behind this mockery in the solemn statement, “Satan sees that his time is short” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). This same enemy still seeks to dull the spiritual perceptions of professed believers, for through inspired counsel we are told, “He has set all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). Daniel reminds us that the appointed close is fixed, for the angel said, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4 KJV). Every soul must therefore choose between Pharisaic blindness and the open eye of faith.

WHAT QUESTION DID THE DISCIPLES ASK?

Upon the Mount of Olives the disciples brought to Christ a question that still trembles in every faithful heart. They desired to know the timing of the temple’s fall and the appearing of His kingdom. Matthew preserves their words exactly, recording, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3 KJV). Mark adds the intimate detail that “Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately” (Mark 13:3 KJV), showing how the closest of His friends were burdened with this concern. The Saviour did not refuse them, but neither did He give a calendar; instead He gave a constellation of signs, beginning with the warning, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6 KJV). He then drew the larger horizon, declaring, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Matthew 24:7 KJV). The thread that binds all these signs together is the promise of His return, and He confirmed that promise to those same anxious hearts in the upper room when He said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3 KJV). Sr. White affirms the certainty of this promise in the words, “A little longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty” (The Desire of Ages, p. 632, 1898).

The same disciples who pressed Christ for the time of His coming have left their question upon every generation of waiting believers. The answer remains essentially the same. We are not granted the day or the hour, but we are granted enough light to know the season and to keep ourselves ready. Through inspired counsel we are told, “There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord’s appearing” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). The prophetic messenger sets before us a tender consolation of what awaits the faithful when she writes, “A little longer, and He will wipe all tears from our eyes” (The Desire of Ages, p. 632, 1898). Such hope is no abstract sentiment, for John in vision heard the Saviour Himself promise, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12 KJV). The closing words of the Apocalypse repeat the same assurance, and the bride answers, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20 KJV). The believer who answers this promise with watchful obedience is prepared for whatever signs may yet unfold.

HOW SHALL WE WATCH AND WAIT?

The Saviour’s command to watch is no idle posture but a settled habit of soul that shapes every hour of our daily lives. He stated the principle directly, saying, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42 KJV). He illustrated the urgency with a vivid figure, adding, “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up” (Matthew 24:43 KJV). The conclusion He pressed upon the disciples followed as plain duty, for He said, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44 KJV). Sr. White, expounding this same passage, writes that “Because we know not the exact time of His coming, we are commanded to watch” (The Desire of Ages, p. 634, 1898). Through inspired counsel we are told further that “Those who watch for the Lord’s coming are not waiting in idle expectancy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 634, 1898). The prophetic messenger explains the inward fruit of such watching when she affirms, “Those who are watching for the Lord are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 634, 1898). True watching is therefore not anxiety but sanctification.

The parable of the ten virgins provides the clearest portrait of the watching church, and Christ unfolded its meaning with severe tenderness when He said, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom” (Matthew 25:1 KJV). The midnight cry separated the wise from the foolish, for the gospel records that “while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept” (Matthew 25:5 KJV). The Saviour brought the lesson to a sharp point in the closing words of the parable, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13 KJV). In Christ’s Object Lessons we are told the searching truth that “It is in a crisis that character is revealed” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 412, 1900). The literary record presses the matter further with the warning that “The great final test comes at the close of human probation, when it will be too late for the soul’s need to be supplied” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 412, 1900). Paul therefore charged the Thessalonian believers, “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:6 KJV). Each soul must take care that the lamp of personal faith is filled with the oil of the Spirit before the cry breaks upon a sleeping world.

WHO DELAYS HIS COMING?

Christ contrasted the faithful steward with another servant whose inner posture toward the delay of his Lord betrayed a heart already corrupted. He drew the picture in plain terms, saying, “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming” (Matthew 24:48 KJV). The fruit of that inward attitude appeared in outward conduct, for the Saviour added, “And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken” (Matthew 24:49 KJV). The judgment that overtakes such a servant is sudden and unexpected, as Christ declared, “The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:50-51 KJV). Sr. White exposes the precise psychology of this servant in The Desire of Ages, writing, “The evil servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delayeth his coming.’ He does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and by his actions and words he declares that the Lord’s coming is delayed” (The Desire of Ages, p. 635, 1898). Through inspired counsel we are warned of the contagion of such delay, for “His influence leads men to presumptuous, careless delay” (The Desire of Ages, p. 635, 1898).

This warning carries piercing relevance for every member of the remnant church. The temptation to push the King’s coming into the distance is woven into fallen human nature. Peter foresaw this very mood when he wrote, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 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 the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4 KJV). Sr. White lays down the unsparing principle in The Great Controversy that “Those who delay a preparation for the day of God cannot obtain it in the time of trouble or at any subsequent time” (The Great Controversy, p. 620, 1911). Paul gives the antidote to delay in his charge to Timothy, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season” (2 Timothy 4:1-2 KJV). The writer to the Hebrews reinforces the urgency with the assurance, “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37 KJV). The literary record adds the solemn note that “So now we are given warning of Christ’s second coming and of the destruction to fall upon the world. Those who heed the warning will be saved” (The Desire of Ages, p. 634, 1898). Let no servant delay what only present obedience can secure.

WHO SAYS PEACE AND SAFETY?

The voice of the world in the closing days refuses the testimony of Scripture with steady self-assurance. Paul named that chorus with prophetic precision. He warned the Thessalonians, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3 KJV). He then turned to draw a sharp contrast for the believer, urging, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4 KJV). The apostle pressed the comparison to its conclusion, declaring, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5 KJV). Through inspired counsel we are told the unsettling reality that lies beneath the world’s confidence, for “The advent of Christ will surprise the false teachers. They are saying, ‘Peace and safety’” (The Desire of Ages, p. 635, 1898). Sr. White, looking deeper still into the moral state of the closing age, writes that “Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They laugh at warnings” (The Desire of Ages, p. 635, 1898).

The believer must not be lulled by the world’s assurances, for the same prophetic voice that named the danger also named the deliverance. Isaiah described the godless reasoning of self-indulgent men in plain words, recording, “Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant” (Isaiah 56:12 KJV). Paul therefore exhorts the church to a different temper of life, writing, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Romans 13:12 KJV). In The Desire of Ages the inspired pen describes the spiritual sleep of the world in piercing terms, for “The world, full of rioting, full of godless pleasure, is asleep, asleep in carnal security” (The Desire of Ages, p. 635, 1898). Peter charges the church to a contrary stance, exhorting, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8 KJV). The literary record in The Desire of Ages summons the believer to active separation, for “There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord’s appearing” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). Where the world cries peace, the church must cry preparation.

HOW DOES HOLINESS PREPARE US?

The whole economy of redemption labors to reproduce in the believer the holiness of his Lord. The nearness of Christ’s return makes that work the most pressing concern of every soul. Peter set the standard plainly when he wrote, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16 KJV). He drew the conclusion in light of the coming day, exhorting, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13 KJV). Paul confirmed the same goal for the Thessalonian church, praying, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 KJV). Through the inspired pen we are summoned to a present pursuit of perfection in Christ, for “Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ” (The Great Controversy, p. 622, 1911). This counsel echoes through every chapter of preparation literature, for the inward life must answer to the outward profession.

The parable of the ten virgins lays bare the tragedy of outward profession unaccompanied by inward grace. Christ urged the lesson upon every generation. The literary record in Christ’s Object Lessons describes the church of these last days with searching exactness, recording, “The ten virgins are watching in the evening of this earth’s history. All claim to be Christians” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 412, 1900). The Saviour Himself warned that profession alone is insufficient when He said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 KJV). The same urgency moves John to write, “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3 KJV). Paul presses the practical fruit of holiness upon the Roman believers, urging, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1 KJV). The writer to the Hebrews leaves no ambiguity in the matter, declaring, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14 KJV). Through inspired counsel we are reminded that the work of preparation belongs to the present hour, for “Those who delay a preparation for the day of God cannot obtain it in the time of trouble or at any subsequent time” (The Great Controversy, p. 620, 1911). Holiness is therefore not optional ornament but the very fitness for the King’s appearing.

HOW DOES JOEL DESCRIBE THAT DAY?

The prophet Joel was given a vision of the day of the Lord that has lost none of its solemnity. He saw both terror and mercy in its approach. He cried with apostolic urgency, “Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come” (Joel 1:15 KJV). He described the cosmic disturbances that would precede the great deliverance, declaring, “The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining” (Joel 3:15 KJV). Yet in the same prophetic vision he heard the gracious invitation of God, recorded as, “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12 KJV). The God who warns of judgment is the same God who pleads for repentance, for through Joel He says further, “And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil” (Joel 2:13 KJV). Sr. White amplifies this prophetic foresight in the chapter on the time of trouble, writing, “The ‘time of trouble, such as never was,’ is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain” (The Great Controversy, p. 622, 1911).

The believer who reads Joel rightly is neither overwhelmed by terror nor dulled by complacency, for the prophet binds the warning to a covenant of refuge. Joel points to the Lord’s protective shelter for His people, recording, “But the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel” (Joel 3:16 KJV). The same outpouring that judges the unrepentant world also blesses the obedient, for through this prophet the Lord declares, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” (Joel 2:28 KJV). Through inspired counsel we are warned not to underestimate the gravity of the approaching crisis, for “It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal” (The Great Controversy, p. 622, 1911). The prophetic messenger then lays the responsibility squarely upon the individual conscience, declaring, “In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God” (The Great Controversy, p. 622, 1911). Daniel saw this same hour in vision, writing, “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1 KJV). Whether the day of the Lord brings deliverance or destruction depends entirely on the relation in which it finds the soul.

WHY WEAR THE WHOLE ARMOR?

The Christian life is from its first breath a contest with unseen powers. The apostle Paul devoted the closing pages of Ephesians to the panoply of God that secures the believer in the conflict. He gave the command without qualification, writing, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11 KJV). He then exposed the true nature of the conflict, declaring, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12 KJV). The repetition of his charge underscores the urgency, for he adds, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13 KJV). The pieces themselves are spelled out one by one, beginning with the foundational girdle of truth, “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:14-15 KJV). Through the prophetic messenger we are reminded that the conflict is not theoretical but immediate and personal, for “Satan sees that his time is short” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). The armor is therefore not for some future battle but for this present hour.

The soldier of Christ takes up his weapons not in his own strength but in the strength supplied by the Captain of his salvation. Paul carries the metaphor through every defensive and offensive piece. He continues, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16 KJV). The helmet and the sword complete the equipment, for he adds, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17 KJV). Sr. White affirms in The Desire of Ages that “With vigilant watching they combine earnest working” (The Desire of Ages, p. 634, 1898). Such combined watching and working is impossible apart from the steady supply of grace described by the Saviour Himself when He said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (John 15:4 KJV). Through inspired counsel we are urged to a posture of immediate readiness, for “Because they know that the Lord is at the door, their zeal is quickened to co-operate with the divine intelligences in working for the salvation of souls” (The Desire of Ages, p. 634, 1898). Peter calls the believer to the same vigilance, writing, “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:9 KJV). The armor is given that the saint may stand, and the saint stands because Christ Himself supplies both the strength and the field of victory.

HOW DO WE PREVAIL IN PRAYER?

Prayer is the sinew of the spiritual life and the appointed channel through which the believer lays hold of the resources of heaven. The Saviour set the principle in unmistakable terms, saying, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36 KJV). Paul echoed the same posture in his charge to the Ephesians, writing, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18 KJV). James assured the church of the efficacy of such supplication, declaring, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16 KJV). Through the inspired pen we are given the most striking image of prayer’s power, for Sr. White writes, “Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence?” (Steps to Christ, pp. 94-95, 1892). The literary record adds the assurance that “Through sincere prayer we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite” (Steps to Christ, p. 96, 1892).

Prayer is not a substitute for action but the divinely appointed companion to it, and the Saviour bound them together in unbreakable union. He set forth the promise plainly when He said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7 KJV). He made the promise yet more intimate by adding the condition, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7 KJV). John completes the assurance for the believing community, writing, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John 5:14 KJV). Through inspired counsel we are urged to make this communion the daily habit of life, for “We must take time to pray” (The Great Controversy, p. 622, 1911). Sr. White further presses this duty in the context of the closing crisis, writing, “We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises” (The Great Controversy, p. 622, 1911). Paul therefore seals the matter for the Thessalonian church with the threefold charge, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV). Prayer is the breath of the watching church, and only the praying soul is fitted to stand in the day of trial.

WHY DOES GOD WARN THE WORLD?

The warnings of Scripture are not the threats of an angry tyrant but the appeals of a Father who longs to gather His children before the storm breaks. The apostle Peter fixed this truth at the heart of his second epistle, writing, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). Paul reinforced the same divine purpose in his letter to Timothy, declaring that God “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4 KJV). The Saviour summed up the heart of the Father in the most loved verse of the Gospel, saying, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). Sr. White unfolds the depth of that love in the opening chapter of Steps to Christ, writing, “But this great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father’s heart a love for man, not to make Him willing to save” (Steps to Christ, p. 13, 1892). The literary record completes the thought with the assurance, “The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us” (Steps to Christ, p. 13, 1892).

The cross stands therefore not as the cause of the Father’s love but as its supreme expression, and the warnings of Scripture flow from the same fountain of compassion. Through the inspired pen we are told, “Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world” (Steps to Christ, p. 13, 1892). The apostle Paul makes this same divine pursuit the foundation of Christian assurance, writing, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 KJV). The Father’s longsuffering bears the world that His mercy may yet reach the wandering, and Paul therefore asks, “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4 KJV). The prophetic messenger lays bare the cost of this mercy with reverent solemnity, writing, “God suffered with His Son. In the agony of Gethsemane, the death of Calvary, the heart of Infinite Love paid the price of our redemption” (Steps to Christ, p. 13, 1892). The Spirit and the bride extend the same compassion to every hearer, for John heard the closing call, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17 KJV). Every warning is a measure of love, and every delay of judgment is the patience of God yet pleading with the world.

WHAT DOES OBEDIENCE LOOK LIKE?

The believer who has heard the warnings of Scripture and tasted the love of God answers that love with a life of unreserved obedience to the revealed will of the Lord. Christ Himself laid the principle down in the simplest terms, saying, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15 KJV). He repeated the same principle in His upper room discourse, declaring, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21 KJV). Paul charged Timothy to make the diligent study of Scripture the foundation of such obedience, writing, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV). Peter pressed the same readiness upon the scattered believers, urging, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15 KJV). Through inspired counsel we are called to active stewardship, for the Saviour’s parable of the pounds bears the standing command, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13 KJV). Sr. White affirms in The Desire of Ages that “These are the faithful and wise servants who give to the Lord’s household ‘their portion of meat in due season’” (The Desire of Ages, p. 634, 1898).

Obedience flows from love and is sustained by faith, and the believer must therefore guard against any wedge of disobedience that would separate the soul from its Lord. James therefore charges the believing community, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22 KJV). The Saviour summed up the standard of all true discipleship in the words, “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein” (Mark 10:15 KJV). The literary record in The Great Controversy presses upon the believer the discipline of present preparation, for “We must take time to pray” (The Great Controversy, p. 622, 1911). The same prophetic messenger urges the daily proving of God’s promises, recording, “We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises” (The Great Controversy, p. 622, 1911). Through inspired counsel we are reminded that the watching church combines vigilance with action, for “With vigilant watching they combine earnest working” (The Desire of Ages, p. 634, 1898). Paul charges the Philippian church with the steady labor of sanctification, writing, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12 KJV). The obedient soul is the prepared soul, and only the prepared soul will recognize his Lord at the last.

HOW DO WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR?

The love that the Father has poured into the hearts of His people is given that it may flow out again to a perishing world. The closing message of the church is therefore both a proclamation and a ministry of compassion. The Saviour gave the new commandment in the upper room, saying, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34 KJV). He named the unmistakable mark of true discipleship by adding, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35 KJV). James defined the practical shape of such love when he wrote, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27 KJV). Paul charged the Galatian believers to make burden-bearing the daily expression of their faith, urging, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 KJV). Through the inspired pen we are given the timeless principle that frames all our outreach, for Sr. White writes, “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me’” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 143, 1905).

The community that lives in expectation of its returning Lord is most ready to mingle with men as Christ mingled with them. The love of His coming begets the love of those for whom He comes. The Saviour Himself said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 KJV). Paul therefore presses the same outward charity upon the Galatians, writing, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10 KJV). Through inspired counsel we are reminded of the practical labor required of every believer, for “There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 143, 1905). The literary record in The Ministry of Healing assures the worker of fruitful labor when she writes, “Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit” (The Ministry of Healing, pp. 143-144, 1905). John gives the apostolic logic of brotherly love in plain words, writing, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11 KJV). The prophetic messenger affirms the urgency of present labor, recording, “There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord’s appearing” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). The signs of His coming therefore drive us not into seclusion but into the streets and homes of those who do not yet know Him.

WHEN SHALL WE SEE THE KING?

The signs are clear, the warnings have been given, and the church now rises to its appointed posture as a watchful, working, hoping people. Paul rouses the Roman believers with the trumpet-call, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11 KJV). He completes the summons with the assurance, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Romans 13:12 KJV). Titus is told to fix his gaze upon the same horizon, for Paul writes, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13 KJV). The Saviour Himself confirmed the swiftness of His coming, declaring, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11 KJV). The closing word of inspired Scripture seals the assurance, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20 KJV). Through the inspired pen we are given the consolation that “A little longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty” (The Desire of Ages, p. 632, 1898).

FINAL REFLECTION…

The hope of the church is therefore not a vague optimism but a settled confidence anchored in the words of God and the testimony of His prophet. Sr. White affirms with quiet certainty that “A little longer, and He will wipe all tears from our eyes” (The Desire of Ages, p. 632, 1898). The writer to the Hebrews calls the church to cling to that promise, urging, “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37 KJV). Through inspired counsel we are urged to faithfulness even unto the closing scene, for “These are the faithful and wise servants who give to the Lord’s household ‘their portion of meat in due season’” (The Desire of Ages, p. 634, 1898). Paul, writing from his prison cell, sealed his own testimony with the words, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7 KJV). He then turned the same expectation to every faithful soul, declaring, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8 KJV). The literary record concludes with the steady summons of the prophetic pen, for “There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord’s appearing” (The Desire of Ages, p. 636, 1898). May we be numbered among them when the King appears.

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SELF-REFLECTION

How can we in our personal devotional life delve deeper into these prophetic truths allowing them to shape our character and priorities?

How can we adapt these complex themes to be understandable and relevant to diverse audiences from seasoned church members to new seekers without compromising theological accuracy?

What are the most common misconceptions about these topics in our community and how can we gently but effectively correct them using Scripture and the writings of Sr. White?

In what practical ways can our local congregations and individual members become more vibrant beacons of truth and hope living out the reality of Christ’s soon return and God’s ultimate victory over evil?

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