Derek Prince - We Can Hasten The Coming Of Jesus
This excerpt is from: How Should We Prepare For His Appearing?
Now we come to the fourth requirement. I’m not suggesting that these are exhaustive. But I’m suggesting they are main requirements of Scripture. Which is to speed or hasten the coming of that day. Now this may be a new thought to some of you. I want to go back to 2 Peter 3. And read that passage that I think we’ve already read twice. Verses 11–12. 2 Peter 3:11-12. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, we've commented on that.
Now, notice the next statement. Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. Now, if you have the King James it will say hastening unto. But almost all the modern translations have decided that the correct way to translate that is not hastening unto, but hastening the coming of the day of God. One translation says, speeding its coming. Now that’s a challenging thought, because that indicates that there are things that we can do that will bring that day nearer. And I want to suggest to you what I believe to be the main thing that we can do to bring nearer the day of the Lord’s return. I need to say to those of you who are theologically minded that I do believe God knows the exact day and hour when Jesus will return. Nevertheless, it won’t happen until we fulfill the conditions. Do you understand? But that’s resolved by God’s omniscience. Because God knows when there will be a generation that will do the things that will bring back the Lord. My prayer is that I may be looking at that generation.
Now let me show you what I believe is the essential requirement. In Matthew 24. Matthew 24 corresponds to Luke 21. Both of them are the chapters that describe the close of the age. We need to read verse 3 to get the question which Jesus then proceeds to answer. Matthew 24:3: Now as Jesus sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying: Tell us, when will these things be? That’s the destruction of the temple, which he had just spoken of. And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? Let’s leave out the question about the destruction of the temple which is actually answered in Luke 21. I’ll just give you the answer. Jesus said: When you see Jerusalem surrounded with armies then know that the destruction of it is near. That’s not given so fully in Matthew. That’s why we have to put the chapters together. But, the answer to the second question, which in a way, is more important is given very specifically in Matthew 24.
The second specific question is: What will be the sign the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? In the verses that follow, Jesus gives a number of signs. Plural. False messiahs, false prophets, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, increasing lawlessness, the lack of love amongst God’s people. There are a lot of negative signs. But He still hasn’t answered the question. Because the question was: What will be the sign? But when you come to verse 14, He answers a specific question with a specific answer. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations. What are the next words? And then the end will come. That’s an answer to the question: What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, as a witness to all the nations. And then the end will come.
What is the specific sign? It’s the preaching of this gospel in all the world to all the nations. You see, before Jesus left after His resurrection He gave specific instructions to His apostles. Very precise, in two places. Matthew 28 and Mark 16. In Matthew 28 He said: go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. Mark 16 He said: go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Now until the Church has obeyed those orders, Jesus will not come back. So we are responsible. Either for hastening His return, or for delaying His return. The only way we can be sure of the Lord’s return, is by doing the job He committed to us. I have to say I believe Satan is very well acquainted with Biblical prophesies. And his main motivation is to hold onto his kingdom. And he knows that his kingdom will stand until two conditions are met. The first is this one. This gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.
The other which we’ll deal with in a moment is the restoration of Israel to their Messiah. And so, on satan’s priority list of things to prevent those are the two top items. By all means, prevent the Church from preaching the gospel of the kingdom to all nations. And by all means, resist the re-establishment of Israel. That’s the meaning of what’s happening in the Middle East. The furor that persists about that little nation in that little country is totally illogical. Unless you understand the spiritual issues behind it. Satan knows that when Israel is re-established, his kingdom is finished. He also knows that when the Church has fulfilled its task and proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom to every nation, then the Lord can return. You see, satan is angered if even one soul is saved. But it’s not going to threaten his kingdom. Even if 50 million souls were saved in the United States tomorrow that wouldn’t unseat satan’s kingdom. But if the gospel of the kingdom is preached in every nation to every tribe, every tongue and every people, then the way is open for the Lord’s return.
As regard to establishing churches in a country like America, I’m not sure that satan is much worried about churches being established. I think some of them help him, actually. I’m not being cynical, I mean, I think they keep Christians tied down. Harmlessly occupied with things that are not any threat to Satan. I’m inclined to think we have enough churches in America. In fact, it could be said we have too many. American churches are no threat to satan until they become, what? Sending bases for the messengers of the gospel to all nations. And most of them are not. I have to say I think satan has the church tied up in knots. And most of it is in simply things that are habitual. We go on doing it. After any religious institution has been in being one generation, its supreme object is to keep the institution in being. Regardless of what the institution is accomplishing. That’s almost irrelevant. The hardest thing in the world is to terminate a religious institution.
Now I’m not attacking churches, but what I want you to see is that is never going to change the world situation. What’s going to change the world situation, is our doing our assigned task. Which is proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to all nations. It’s estimated at the present time in this world, there are two and a half billion people, which is a little more than half the world’s population, who have never heard the name of Jesus once. That’s the real issue. That’s what matters.