Should Christians try to delay or hasten the arrival of the end times?

In view of such a future the apostle exhorts once more to holy living and godliness, "waiting for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God." The thought which is often expressed in the words "hastening the coming of the day of God," that we might act and serve, sending the gospel to the heathen, and do other things, thus hastening the coming of the Lord, is not warranted by the text, nor is it true. God cannot be hastened by the creature, nor can He be delayed in the execution of His eternal purposes.

Verse 11 poses a searching question. Will not a sense of the awesome reality of God's judgment impending over creation have even now a sanctifying effect upon the hearts and ways of His people? "looking for, and hastening, the coming of the Day of God." We ought to keep eternity always in view, both in anticipating that great, day, and desiring it with full hearts. It is not that we can make its time arrive more quickly than God has already ordained, but that our attitude is to be one of real, vibrant expectancy, so that in experience, time does not drag for us.

Let all who love the Lord remember that He cannot come to put the world right and establish God's righteousness in the earth, until He has taken His church, His bride, out of it. We can hasten that glorious day for which all creation groans, by looking earnestly for Him and crying with hearts expectant and fervent, "Come, Lord Jesus."

Let all who love the Lord remember that He cannot come to put the world right and establish God's righteousness in the earth, until He has taken His church, His bride, out of it. We can hasten that glorious day for which all creation groans, by looking earnestly for Him and crying with hearts expectant and fervent, "Come, Lord Jesus."

Let all who love the Lord remember that He cannot come to put the world right and establish God's righteousness in the earth, until He has taken His church, His bride, out of it. We can hasten that glorious day for which all creation groans, by looking earnestly for Him and crying with hearts expectant and fervent, "Come, Lord Jesus."

Let all who love the Lord remember that He cannot come to put the world right and establish God's righteousness in the earth, until He has taken His church, His bride, out of it. We can hasten that glorious day for which all creation groans, by looking earnestly for Him and crying with hearts expectant and fervent, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

We do not now speak of the signs of the last days that abound, we are not looking for signs but for Him, and the most blessed sign of all that His coming is near would be an increased desire in the heart of His church for His coming. It is the Spirit and the Bride that say Come, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." If the distresses of these days turn our thoughts more thoroughly to Him it will be well, and will hasten the day of His appearing. He cannot appear to judge the world in righteousness and bring peace to the nations while His church is here. And while we look onward to His appearing and pray "Thy Kingdom Come," we wait for the realisation of our hope which is to be for ever with the Lord.

"Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness." You may feel, and you ought to feel, what man is in his scoffings against the truth of God; but the best answer to it all is that of a godly conversation — the effect upon your souls and in your walk of the knowledge of that hope, and your sense of the dreadful doom that awaits those that despise not only the righteous will of God, but His mercy. The Lord here shows us the importance of it. "What manner of persons ought ye to be, etc… looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God." That is, we do not want this day to be delayed for our own sakes, but we love the patience of God towards men, and that reconciles our hearts to the delay, while personally, we long for the Lord to come; because we know that when He has come and taken us away, the day of God must quickly close in upon the earth.

Well now, that is negative. The very fact that you know the judgment of God is resting upon things will make you a separate person, but then, we are filled with positive expectations. We hasten to the coming of the day of God. We are like people with our hands out to the dawning of a new day. Nothing we can do will make the clock go faster, but we haste towards it in our hearts and affections. People are eagerly reaching forward to the new day that is coming. Men are talking about the new day which they think is going to be brought about by new schemes, but we Christians are hasting to the coming of the day of God. We hasten to it, not merely because all that which is obnoxious and tainted with sin is going to come under the action of the fire, but we according to His promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Righteousness is going to have its abiding home, with nothing to disturb. It will not have to be upon a throne, casting its judicial eye around continually in case there be an uprising of that which it must condemn. That is the position in the millennial age, when you reach the new heavens and the new earth, righteousness will be able to descend from the throne — its work being done — and come down abidingly amongst men, without any thought of there ever arising again that which will be a challenge. It will dwell unhinderedly in the new heavens and the new earth.

We know that the dissolution of the earth and all its works is decreed by the Word of God. Then we shall be marked by "holy conversation" — i.e., a separate manner of life — and godliness. We shall be as those who expect and hasten the coming day. The Christian who spends all his energies in making the best of this world may affirm that he knows these things, but he hardly believes them in the true sense of the term. Lot struck his roots deeply into the soil of Sodom but it was because he did not know its doom was decreed. What would he have done had he known it? In very deed the light of true prophecy has a separating and sanctifying effect.