Quote:
Originally Posted by Meribah
The teaching that they (the LC--and basically only them) were going to "bring the Lord back" shocked and annoyed me more than most of their crazier teachings. I can scarcely even imagine an Almighty God being bound by His creatures in any way. In fact, I cannot. My mind just won't go there.
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I think it is a clever ploy of Satan to convince Christians that they cannot do anything to advance Christ's return, when 2 Peter 3:12 tells us to hasten Christ's return, it is even a command from the apostle Paul. In fact, every time we pray "thy kingdom come" in the Lord's prayer, we are hastening the Lord. What's the point of praying "thy kingdom come" if it is coming anyway?
This website presents it fairly well, based on 2 Peter 3:12
https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/...ist-15204.html
Is it possible? Can we hasten His return? For the answer to that, I studied what Greek scholar Dr. Marvin R. Vincent and others said about this passage. He and a number of Greek scholars agree that these words of Peter state that by our actions the Church can hasten the Day of the Lord:
Dr. Vincent goes on to explain,
…that day being no date inexorably fixed, but one the arrival of which it is free to the church to hasten on by faith and prayer. See Matt 24:14: The gospel shall be preached in the whole world, “and then shall the end come.” Compare the words of Peter in Acts 3:19, “Repent and be converted…that so there may come seasons of refreshing.”
That makes a lot of sense. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ isn’t a time chiseled in stone that can never, ever be changed. Peter says we’re to be looking for—and hastening—the coming of the day of God. Through our prayers we can cause Jesus Christ to come more quickly than He would have come.
A more in depth presentation can be found here:
https://bible.org/seriespage/9-scoff...-2-peter-31-13