“When Shall These Things Be?”
21
You will not be able to say that He will come in one, two, or five
years, neither are you to put off His coming by stating that it may not
be for ten or twenty years.—
The Review and Herald, March 22, 1892
.
We are nearing the great day of God. The signs are fulfilling. And
yet we have no message to tell us of the day and hour of Christ’s
appearing. The Lord has wisely concealed this from us that we may
always be in a state of expectancy and preparation for the second
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven.—
Letter
28, 1897
.
The exact time of the second coming of the Son of man is God’s
mystery.—
The Desire of Ages, 633
(1898).
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Ours Is Not a Time-setting Message
We are not of that class who define the exact period of time that
shall elapse before the coming of Jesus the second time with power and
great glory. Some have set a time, and when that has passed, their pre-
sumptuous spirits have not accepted rebuke, but they have set another
and another time. But many successive failures have stamped them as
false prophets.—
Fundamentals of Christian Education, 335
(1895).
God gives no man a message that it will be five years or ten years
or twenty years before this earth’s history shall close. He would not
give any living being an excuse for delaying the preparation for His
appearing. He would have no one say, as did the unfaithful servant,
“My lord delayeth his coming,” for this leads to reckless neglect of
the opportunities and privileges given to prepare us for that great
day.—
The Review and Herald, November 27, 1900
.
Time-setting Leads to Unbelief
Because the times repeatedly set have passed, the world is in
a more decided state of unbelief than before in regard to the near
advent of Christ. They look upon the failures of the time-setters with
disgust, and because men have been so deceived, they turn from the
truth substantiated by the Word of God that the end of all things is at
hand.—
Testimonies for the Church 4:307
(1879).
I understand that Brother [E. P.] Daniels has, as it were, set time,
stating that the Lord will come within five years. Now I hope the
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impression will not go abroad that we are time-setters. Let no such