True Advent?

Since the earliest days of church history, people have had different answers to the question, “When is the true ‘Advent’ going to take place?” Advent means ‘coming.’ This question is asking when Jesus will return to reign. Here is list of significant minds and their thoughts:

• 2nd century church historians Justin Martyr and Irenaeus both believed the events in Revelation are real and will happen in their lifetime.

• Late in the 2nd century comes Montanus, “The Mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit.” He starts a strand of Christianity that proclaims the world would end in a few months.

• In the 1200s Joachim of Fiore, an Italian monk who received a vision from God about the meanings of the visions in Revelation, found historical people to represent the monsters and demons in Revelation and put together a proposal that Jesus Christ would be returning in 1260.

• American 18th century Evangelist Jonathan Edwards believed humans were the hands and feet of Jesus, but Jesus would not return until all had heard about Jesus. So he started the Evangelical, conversion-seeking phenomenon known as the Revival.

• William Miller, a veteran of the 1812 war based his interpretation on Daniel 8:14 that says, “2300 days from the decree to restore Jerusalem.” He believed the accurate dating of Ezekiel 4:6 is year 457 BC which includes the decree to restore Jerusalem and so he believed the end of the world, the coming of Christ would be on March 21, 1843. He refined his search and said it would happen in 1844. This failure came to be known as the Great Disappointment.

• Charles Taze Russell believed WWI must mean something biblical. He found passages in Daniel and Revelation that said the end of the world would occur 2420 days following the time of the Gentiles (607 BC). He took that each day mentioned in Daniel to actually mean a calendar year and found the end of the world to be in 1914. Russell died before the war was over but his followers formed a group called the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

• David Koresh in 1981 gathered followers in Waco and convinced them that he was the true adversary of the evil city of Babylon.

Every single one of these people believes with all that they are that God will have dominion over this earth. “Look!” cries Revelation. “He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.”

But Jesus hasn’t come back yet. All of these Bible believing people are wrong.

What does this mean for us today?

I guess it means we should continue waiting despite the evidence, for the one unchanging doctrine since the creation of the church is the Doctrine of Hope. Hope that Jesus will in fact return to reign. Hope that despite evil and sin Jesus will have the power to stop them. Hope that in Christ we too may have the power to stop them. Hope that somehow on Jesus’ return there will be healing in his wings. I know I still believe it.

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