For weeks now Wednesday night prayer meeting focuses on how bad things are getting in the world and how much worse they will get. It should make me happy that the Time of Trouble is almost here and after that, the Second Coming should follow close behind.
Perhaps this is really it. Why deny it any longer?
However, I wonder how Adventists responded as the Great Depression was ushered in by that unthinkable stock market crash and its aftermath? Did they also think at that time that the Time of Trouble was, no doubt, in its initial stages?
The thought has come to me more than once that society at large will probably not persecute the Remnant because of their refusal to honor the Day of the Sun, but rather for having such deeply pessimistic and dire predictions about how things will get worse and not better.
If as a people, all seven million of us--or however many Adventists are actively waiting for the Time of Trouble to arrive--focus all our efforts and mental energy on how things will get worse, no doubt, such a powerful self-fulfilling prophecy will come true. Sooner or later.
2 comments:
The mindset of looking for terrible things and thus predicting even worse things is a vicous cycle. In addition, it can get us speaking about things that we don't have the expertise to speak on. for example, the elder talking about national economic policy and using this as a sign of the end.
In addition, I have written about the idea where people are so busy predicting the end that they don't do the "weightier matters." Being ready is not about knowing exactly when the bottom will fall out of the economy, but being connected to the most high by Grace through faith.
When you spend too much time speculating about the end, you spend too little time on the other things that require no speculation.
Thank you Sherman for your post. Blogger's software didn't notify me of your comment and I'm glad I found it by chance today.
I'm fascinated that you also posted about the very same topic. I guess it's on a lot of religious and, esp. Adventist folks' mind.
May God continue to bless you in your ministry.
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