Preparation for the End Time
Christ and the End of Days
In the final hours of Jesus’ earthly sojourn in human flesh, He spoke these words of comfort to the disciples:
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know”. (John 14:1-4, NKJV).
Though they certainly didn’t fully understand the meaning of what He said nor the time in which His promise would be fulfilled, the men surely drew comfort from Jesus’ words. A room in His Father’s house? A place that Jesus Himself was preparing for them? Surely this would be better than wherever they might find themselves in this world now.
Indeed, not too long before, as He sat with the disciples, Jesus gave them a quick survey of what would happen before He returned. It was kind of a “history of the future”, and it was not pretty. Wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation, famines, and earthquakes were all, Jesus said, just “the beginning of sorrows”. Persecutions, betrayals, deceptions, and trials were on the horizon, as well.
Today, from our vantage point in the flow of history, we can see that nearly all of what Jesus warned about has come to pass, and just as He predicted, too. We can see the fulfillment of two major time prophecies, as well. The first is the “time and times and the dividing of time” of Daniel 7:25 (see also Rev. 12:6, Rev. 12:14; Rev. 13:5; Num. 14:34), which began in the sixth century A.D. (A.D. 538) and ended in the late eighteenth century (A.D. 1798). Then, too, the longest time prophecy, the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, reached its fulfillment in the year 1844.
Surely, then, we are now living in “the end of the days” (Dan. 12:13). But not only do we not know when the end — climaxing with the second coming of Jesus — will come, we don’t need to know. We need to know only that it will come, and that when it does, we must be prepared.
How? Perhaps the best answer is found in this text: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col. 2:6, NKJV). In other words, with so many world events, so many headlines, and so many theories about end times, it’s easy to get diverted, focusing too much on the things that we think are leading to Christ’s coming instead of on Christ Himself, who alone is the key to our preparation.
This quarter the focus is on the end time, but not totally. The real focus is on Jesus, but in the context of the last days and how to be prepared for them. Yes, we need to look at historical dates, at world events, at history itself, because the Bible talks about them in relation to the end. But even in this context, the Bible talks about Jesus, about who He is, what He has done for us, what He does in us, and what He will do when He does return. Christ and Him crucified must be the center of our faith; or, as Paul said: “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2, NKJV). The more we focus on Him, the more we become like Him, the more we obey Him, and the more prepared we will be for all that awaits us, both in the immediate future and in the end, the day when we do enter “the place” that Jesus has prepared for those who love Him.
Norman R. Gulley, PhD, is a research professor in Systematic Theology at Southern Adventist University.
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Please send me an address that I can go into to get all the lessons from the Quarterly, "Preparation for the End Time."
The lessons may be found here:
https://ssnet.org/study-guides/lesson-archives/2010-2019/2018-q2-preparation-for-the-end-time/#contents
the link is also found on the Sabbath School Net front page under the heading Adult SS.
Grateful for the healing messages.
If Adam didn’t eat the fruit I wonder what would happen to Eve, would have she died alone or will God make him an other Eve ?
The Bible doesn't give us any information other than that God is trustworthy and always does what is best for us. Beyond that is not for us to speculate because the Bible says that "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." (Deut 29:29)
Let us stay prepared for second coming of our Lord Jesus.
It is amazing to know what insight Jesus Christ the True Witnesd has given His remnant church through the inspired writings of His Servant and Messenger Mrs. Ellen G. White in Testimonies to the Church, volume 1, page 466 where we read this: " I was shown that a most solemn work is before us. Its importance and magnitude are not realized. As I marked the indifference which was everywhere apparent, I was alarmed for ministers and people. There seemed to be a paralysis upon the cause of present truth. The work of God seemed stayed.Ministers and people are unprepared for the time in which they live, and nearly all who profess to believe present truth are unprepared to understand the work of preparation for this time. In their present state of worldly ambition, with their lack of consecration to God, their devotion to self, they are wholly unfitted to receive the latter rain and, having done all, to stand against the wrath of Satan, who by his inventions would cause them to make shipwreck of faith, fastening upon them some pleasing self-deception. They think they are all right when they are all wrong. 1T 466.1Ministers and people must make greater advancement in the work of reform. They should commence without delay to correct their wrong habits of eating, drinking, dressing, and working. I saw that quite a number of the ministers are not awake upon this important subject. They are not all where God would have them. The result is, some can show but little fruit of their labors. Ministers should be ensamples to the flock of God. But they are not safe from Satan's temptations.They are the very ones whom he will seek to ensnare. If he can succeed in lulling one minister to carnal security, and by so doing divert his mind from the work, or deceive him with regard to his own true condition before God, he has accomplished much. 1T 466.2
Here we see that God's intention is that preparation for the soon coming of Jesus Christ envolved reform in eating, drinking, dressing and working. But unfortunately we are unprepared to even understand this. Paul emphasized the inevitability of reform in Romans 12:1,2 as well as in 1 Cor. 10: 31. Peter in his sermon of Acts 3:19-21 also emphasizes reformation in all things unto 'Edenic standards' as conditions of church readiness for Christ's return. My prayer is that as we study this quarter's lessons on preparation for Christ's second coming, we as God's end-time church may emphasize these important points of reform as commanded by Jesus Christ as part of His will for His end-time church.
God BLESS you my Brother and Elder, for this timely admonition. Satan's "tares" are so effective, because his planting is so innocuous. It is a call to pray MORE fervently for the discernment that only the Holy Spirit can supply. How we need Him! Praying, especially for our leadership and the decisions they are making that affect God's remnant for generations to come. They are prime targets of the enemy's snares. God help me, and all of us, to be less critical and more PRAYERFUL. Until at last, together, we hear Our Father declare, "Well done..."
We need to understand that when we pray for our leadership we need to pray for ourselves. Our leadership is a reflection of our own spiritual experience. Prayer is not a magic wand but the opportunity to listen to God speaking to our hearts. If prayer is not followed by action, our prayers are just noise.
Please, please provide practical ways laity, particularly within local churches, or even spouses, can "actively" make a DIFFERENCE to "change the tide"... beyond prayer? How do you continue to remain "in the ship" when you're constantly in the minority? You soon learn to simply be quiet. Lest others accuse you of being intolerant or self-righteous.
My comment was not meant to imply that ONLY leadership needed prayer - as we ALL need to pray for each other. Only that their decisions often times have the greatest impact, therefore they needed more prayer.
But then, I suppose that, virtually, we are all leaders - " a kingdom of priests, a holy nation..." Exodus 19:6
I NEED the prayers of those I love...
Thank you so much Elder Solomon Nwaejike. May God bless your ministry in Jesus name, Amen.
what about Jesus' counsel to us in matthew 6:6? about praying to God in secret and in 10:16 to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves?" Daniel did not have this advise from Jesus but we do. But it will not be that easy with THE DAY OF WORSHIP of 24 hours every seven days to keep it holy against the wrong day of worship. But God will see HIS PEOPLE through like he did Daniel in the Lions' Den.