Tuesday: The Final Crisis
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 26th of December 2023
Jesus said to His disciples and to us: “ ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV). This is the Great Commission, and in many ways the three angels’ messages, with a call to “every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6, NKJV), is simply the “present truth” (2 Peter 1:12) expression of the Great Commission.
Read 1 John 4:8, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:4, and Genesis 12:3. Why does every group of people matter to God?
Christ’s love is for all humanity, with no people group excluded. Contrary to the theology that teaches that Christ died only for a predestined elite, the Bible is clear that Christ’s death was for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or any other factor. If you are a human being, Christ died for you. Period. The only question remaining for anyone is, How do you respond to His death?
When Jesus returns, there will be only two overt camps: those who have submitted to the authority of Satan through religious and political institutions as shown in Revelation 13:1-18 and 17, and those who have fully submitted to Jesus Christ, whose faith is made manifest by their keeping “the commandments of God” (Revelation 14:12).
Since the beginning, human beings have had evidence of who God is and of His way of righteousness and love (Romans 1:18-21). Therefore, all human beings from ages past will be judged based on how they cooperated with God and how they lived—regardless of how much they did or didn’t understand (Romans 2:11-16).
But in this time of the end, there is a growing polarization, and no longer will freedom of conscience be respected. People will be pressed to align themselves with Satan’s party. It is urgent that the gospel be proclaimed and the serious news about Satan’s strategies be exposed. And that is exactly what the three angels’ messages, and our mission, are all about.
Dwell on the fact that Christ has died for you personally. What could possibly make you think that anything you have done, no matter how bad, could not have been sufficiently paid for by the death of Christ on the cross?
(23)
I am a 4th generation Seventh-day Adventist and I admit freely that I am disappointed that Jesus has not come within my definition of "soon". I don't think that I am alone in this disappointment but the fact that he has not come has given me the opportunity to reflect and think carefully about the faith that we hold dear.
It is in this context that I read an article by Michael Gerson, a Washington Post Columnist. The article was written for Christmas 2021 and the backstory was that he was dealing with a diagnosis of terminal cancer. He wrote the article with a very appropriate title: "Hope May be Elusive but Despair is not the Answer":
The final crisis has not played out soon enough for some of us but it is not an invitation to give into despair. Rather is provides us with a time to reevaluate what is essentially important to us and our Christian experience.
The issue that is uppermost in my mind in this context is that we have not seen an uprising of political-religious intolerance to Seventh-day Adventist Christians but rather we have seen an overwhelming tide of indifference combined with secularism. That is the present-day crisis and I sometimes think that just being ignored and considered irrelevant is persecution. We can promote the idea of a final crisis, but we ignore the present crisis at our peril.
Revelation 3 describes the end times as a period of apathy and increasing narcissism rather than persecution. Is it possible that all the persecution has been fulfilled?? Maybe worth consideration. Maybe The LORD is patiently waiting for The Remnant to be committed to spreading The Gospel and the promise of The New Earth to unbelievers and those who are apathetic. Christmastime or Season of Advent is a time where Seventh-Day Adventists have opportunity to celebrate with all humanity the Promise of 2nd Advent and The New Earth.
"There is a growing polarization...."
Yes.
Satan and his demons seem more busy than ever stirring up hurtful divisions to split families and friends. When I let my focus go to the various forms of rejections, my natural reaction is to want to withdraw, feel sorry for myself, and build some impermeable walls.
But then...I'm picturing Daniel praying before his open window. He was being falsely accused by his peers who were prompted by evil spirits, and it would have been easy for him to close his shutters while praying, or move to another more private spot. No commandment against that. And yet Daniel refused to hide. Prayer was his strength.
We followers of Jesus drop to our knees in a crisis and install windows (pray) in our walls to let in the Light (Jn. 8:12). We remain open to others in Jesus through prayer. We turn to His Word and are encouraged to read,
We are not accused in Jesus. We read on, looking out our window at precious people all around us, and cry out,
We see how the Devil grasps at the opportunity to maintain his kingdom, to distress the people of God, and to dishonor the name of Christ. Spurgeon says,
Through the windows of our eyes and hearts and body language and actions, we are like lighthouses in a storm, showing the world that we trust God alone for the future, for their future, for our future.
As the children's song says, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. ...Won't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine.... Hide it under a bushel, NO!, I'm gonna let it shine.... Let it shine 'til Jesus comes, I'm gonna let it shine."
Is my life more wall or window? Why? Is there a person or situation I need to be more open to, pray about more?
Dogmas of the Christian world:
1. "Let's hurry Jesus' return!" - Only God knows the hour, and this is already established. We are the ones who need to be worried and rush to be involved in our own individual Mission.
2. "Jesus is late on His return." - His "so-called" delay, which is just the right amount of time, has to do with His mercy for us; thus, we have time to repent and get involved in the Mission. He can't ever be late!
3. "God's Grace is for all." Jesus's sacrifice is indeed for all, but only God is unconditional Love. God's Grace is conditional because there is a need for acceptance. As Christians, we must realize that an essential, proactive, saved life results from accepting Jesus' sacrifice for us every minute!
I have always struggled with Christianity's effort to make Jesus’ death on the Cross the focus of the believer's relationship with Him. Yes, His death was foretold in the scriptures of the Old Testament, but this does not mean that Christian’s ought to make the cross and His death the sole evidence to prove that He is God's Son and mankind's Savior.
I consider His death to have taken place to benefit His Jewish people's expectation to see in Him the fulfilment of their prophecy which under their Law required Him to become a living sacrifice to atone for their sins. He was willing to lay down His life to fulfill the prophecy; at the same time ending the requirements of the Covenant of the Law by introducing the new Covenant of Faith to them and the rest of the world.
As I see it, the final crisis confronts everyone alive with the call to live one’s life by faith as demonstrated by the LIFE of Jesus Christ. In His life, He embodied the Image of the Father who gave Him to show mankind who their true God is, that He sent Him to teach HIS children to understand who they are and live their life to give Glory to Him and so draw mankind to Him as well.
Therefore, my focus regarding the final crisis of this earth and all its inhabitants is on the Life and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. His Life and faith in that His heavenly Father will resurrect Him, to demonstrate to man Who it is that holds the power over life and death.
For me, our Savior's life and resurrection is the evidence that all who believe and are found in Him receive the resurrection unto life everlasting.
So, I rather share this message which focuses on the Life and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, that He takes the burdens of this life on His shoulders and helps us to keep our foot on solid ground until the end.
Our heavenly Father gave to mankind His Son with the promise that all who believe in Him and respond accordingly will be saved - Rom.10:8-10.
Brigitte, in the past you have several times expressed your opinion that too much attention is given to the cross of Christ. According to Paul, that opinion is also held "by them that perish. (1 Cor. 1:18) The preaching of the cross is "foolishness" to them. You may want to re-consider your stance.
It seems to me that you may not understand the meaning of the cross. Christ's whole life was a crucifixion of self - long before He was crucified on Golgotha. And He said clearly that no one who does not take up his cross daily can be His follower. (Luke 9:23 and Luke 14:27.. See also Mark 8:34, Mark 10:21, Matt. 10:38, Matt. 16:24, ) He did not say that no one who disbelieves His resurrection can be His follower. That is because the cross symbolizes the death to self that godly love requires. And that is why the cross is central to Christianity.
The cross is what makes salvation possible. (See 1 Cor. 1:17, 18; Phil. 2:8, Col. 1:20, Col. 2;14, Heb. 12:2) Everything else is built on that foundation. There is no resurrection without the cross.
Yet, while the cross is foundational and central to salvation. There is more. Christ's ministry in heaven makes effectual what His death accomplished. Through His Spirit He teaches His followers the meaning of the cross - that we must die daily. That there is no Christ-like love while self is all alive and ready to defend itself at the least provocation. And He produces this death, because we cannot crucify ourselves.
Rather than too much attention being given to the cross, I tend to think that not enough attention is given to the teaching of the cross. Instead Satan has beguiled Christians into wearing pretty little necklaces with a dangling golden cross.
The cross is important because it is a symbol of death. And each of us needs to die to self in order to be saved. There is no other way.
May we say with Paul,
[Btw, I have never known Christians to "make the cross and His death the sole evidence to prove that He is God's Son and mankind's Savior."]
Inge, thank you for your comments. "In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever. I will glory in the cross."
"When He was on the cross, I was on His mind."
Genesis 3:15 also tells us of the cross and the victory over Satan
Thanks, Tom. Yes the concept of the cross is found throughout Scripture, even though the word "cross" may not be used. It's a symbol of self-sacrificing love, which is the law of life for earth and heaven. The crucifixion on Golgotha was the ultimate demonstration in terms humanity could understand. That is why "the cross" has such wide appeal and so many hymns feature "the cross." We just need to think more deeply about what it really means ...
It also seems to me that Satan hates the concept of a self-sacrificing God and will attack the teaching wherever he can. After all, self-sacrificing love is the total opposite of his law of self-serving, me first, etc. At the same time, Satan seeks to pin his own character qualities on our Creator God with false teachings, such as eternal torment as well as in more subtle ways.