As Seventh-day Adventists, we’ve long identified ourselves with the “third angels’ message” of Revelation 14, where God’s last-day people are described as those who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
Unlike many other Christians, we still observe the seventh-day Sabbath and believe that salvation comes through faith in Christ. We apply this to ourselves, seeing ourselves as the fulfillment of this prophetic vision. We also use this as a basis for our evangelistic marching orders, providing the impetus and urgency for our missionary zeal.
This is all well and good and appropriate. But I wonder if, in our prophetic excitement, we’ve jumped right over a key ingredient of this message.
Let me illustrate. An evangelist comes to town to put on a seminar. Many people are open to his preaching and want to get baptized, but there are a few holdouts. So the evangelist visits hold-outs and tries to urge them to take the necessary steps to receive the truths they’ve heard in the meetings. “After all,” the evangelist urges, “time is short. Jesus could come at any moment. So don’t put off making a decision.”
Again, this may be all well and good. And it may be exactly what people need.
But I wonder if, in so doing, we run the risk of ignoring one key characteristic of God’s last-day people.
What is it?
Seventh-day Adventists should be the least hurried—whether in our evangelistic efforts or in our personal lives.
Patience.
After all, the third angel’s message ends by noting that “here is the patience of the saints.”
Thus, we’re not simply people who keep God’s commandments and place our faith in Jesus. We’re people defined by patience. Indeed, precisely because we keep God’s commandments and place our confidence in Jesus, we’re people of great patience.
We’re not in a hurry. Those of us who’ve embraced a life of rest—especially expressed in the Sabbath—know we can rest in the sufficiency of God’s never-resting grace. And those of us who rely on Jesus for our salvation know we can trust in Him for other people’s salvation, as well, rather than trying methods to hurry up the process.
Thus, of all people, Seventh-day Adventists should be the least hurried—whether in our evangelistic efforts or in our personal lives.
This somewhat challenges our typical understanding of evangelism, which often uses the shortness of time as a reason to achieve quick results. As former General Conference President G. I. Irwin proposed in 1901, Adventism’s mission is the “rapid dissemination of the third angel’s message.”1
But doing so not only contradicts one of the key characteristics of God’s last-day people, it also risks turning people into objects rather than those who deserve our loving, patient care.
After all, as Ellen White wrote in 1894, “The shortness of time is frequently urged as an incentive for seeking righteousness and making Christ our friend. This should not be the great motive with us . . . Jesus is attractive.”2
So let’s lift up Jesus as the great incentive—and live out His patient, loving ways.
1 G. I. Irwin, “President’s Address,” The General Conference Bulletin, April 3, 1901, p. 20. Emphasis added.
2 Ellen G. White, “Rest in Christ,” The Bible Echo, June 25, 1894. Emphasis added.
