|
CHAPTER 9: The story should be familiar by now: the manner in which mankind's understanding and expectations of God's ways have been thwarted and confounded repeatedly by Providence is perhaps the most constant motif of history and religious experience. This story, repeated in the Bible in various forms, with its greatest and most tragic episode being the rejection of Christ, reveals the truth that unfortunately, throughout the ages, human beings have learned not from pondering on the mistakes of their past, but rather have repeated them. It also reveals the profound truth that in our relationship to God, we human beings, in whatever age we live, are fundamentally the same: God is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, and we are but His servants (80:2) Although, collectively, we have often responded to God's summons in a pitiful manner, we are not bound, as individuals, to learn only through failure. God has endowed all women and men with hearts and minds through which to discern and follow His Will. And now, readers, in this chapter, I appeal both to your hearts and minds, and address you straightforwardly regarding the Second Coming (80:3) If we have arrived at this point in what seems to be a round about way, if the preceding chapters seem too lengthy, I apologize. I ask you to reflect though, on the subject at hand. Remember the Time of which we are speaking: "the time of harvest" , and the Person about whom we are speaking: the most compelling and peerless Person who ever trod the Earth: Christ Returned (80:4) The Bible demonstrates that everything, absolutely everything, depends on our approach. Haste is not appropriate when seeking the Lord of History. The majesty of our subject, the Second Coming, requires a more ceremonious approach if we are to render it the proper respect. It is partly for this reason that this chapter has been arrived at by way of a journey through ancient prophecy, as seen through the eyes of our ancestors (80:5) And now we have arrived at our time, the present, and I ask your further indulgence. If you approach the opinions here expressed with impatience, pride or intolerance, if you refuse to suspend judgment until an open heart, a searching reason, and fair investigation are the basis of your eventual decision, your will have acted in haste (80:6) If what follows, you find - after fair deliberation - to be a hoax, in investigating it you will have wasted but a little time, and perhaps learned how to save others from such a cruel deception. If, however, you presume, ahead of time, to know the secrets of God's inscrutable wisdom, and therefore fail to investigate, is it not possible that you will have made the same mistake as those gone before us? After all, are we not all subject to error?
(80:7)
|