December 29, 2022 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Greetings, friends! Today, we stand at the doorstep of a new year, and a natural question that comes to mind is—”How many more years until Jesus comes? Are we really living at the end of time?”
Interestingly, we aren’t the only ones asking these questions. Recently, a well-known and respected organization in the United States, known as the Pew Research Center, conducted a survey asking whether or not people believe we are living in the “end times.”
Two in five Americans surveyed responded affirmatively, believing “we are living in the end times.” This response included both Christians and those professing no religion.
In addition, the survey revealed that 55 percent of U.S. adults believe that Jesus will return to Earth one day, and fascinatingly, even some claiming to be atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular” indicated they believed that one day Jesus would return.[i]
Of course, as Seventh-day Adventists, belief in the Second Coming of Jesus is core to who we are as Adventists. We believe in the imminent, visible return of Jesus Christ, trusting in His beautiful promise found in John 14:1-3—
“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” (NKJV).
The Second Coming of Christ is the great hope of the ages—it is the hope that burns within our hearts, it is the climax of all history! And friends, I believe with all my heart that Jesus is coming soon!
We are living in amazing times. Those who are in tune with Bible prophecy and events both in and outside of the Seventh-day Adventist Church realize that God is doing something unusual. People are hungering for the truth, they are longing for something better than what the world has to offer, and there is a real sense that the world is on the precipice of something monumental.
While no one should ever predict any specific date, we have been given signs in the Bible which point to the time just before the Lord’s return, and that time is now!
Realizing the nearness of the Second Coming, the urgency of proclaiming the three angels’ messages comes into sharp focus. The cry must go out to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people: “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Rev. 14:7).
In order to proclaim them, however, we must first internalize these messages for ourselves—by receiving them, believing them, and being revived by them. How do these special messages revive us? They are full of light, and as these messages become a part of us, they shine through us as a light to others. We then understand how vitally true these messages are and because we love God, we want to share this life-changing truth with others. This is our commission from Jesus Himself, as given in Revelation 14. It’s a commission to His remnant people, and is a work given to no one else.
As we look forward to the new year and the privilege we have of allowing God to shine through us, we are given this inspired counsel through the pen of Ellen White:
“. . . with the commencement of this new year, you should dedicate yourselves to God. Now give yourself to Him, soul, body, and spirit, to do His will. Let all selfishness . . . all your faults, and besetting sins die with the old year. Begin this new year to the glory of God. Pray to Him, morning, noon, and night, to give you a meek and humble spirit, a mild temper, an affectionate disposition. Live as you never lived before. Begin this new year with new feelings, fresh desires, and a strong determination to glorify God” (Youth’s Instructor, January 1, 1856).
As we begin this new year, are you willing to give yourself unreservedly to the Lord? Are you willing to be used by Him in these last days of earth’s history to lovingly and powerfully share His final message of redemption, love, and judgment as proclaimed in His three angels’ messages? If so, I invite you to pray with me just now.
Father in heaven. We thank you that you have preserved us through this past year. And now as we enter a new year, we do so firmly placing our hand and our heart in your care leaders and guide us and help us to be a light shining from heaven, shining through your power, through us to touch the lives of others. Please, Lord, help us to share those precious messages of the three angels in a powerful and winsome way. Because we’re connected with Heaven itself. Change us. Revive us. Reform us. And make us your lights here on this earth as we come to Christ soon. Second coming. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.