God's "work"

Romans 9:27-28 says, "Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved. For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth."

According to Barne's notes on the Bible, "This is taken from the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 10:22-23." This is how the quotation is expressed in the Hebrew translation, which we use more commonly, "For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them will return; the destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a determined end in the midst of all the land."

SDA have a peculiar interpretation for Rom. 9:27-28 which seems at odds with Is. 10:22-23. They speak of God, just before the end of time, endowing them with power in a second Pentecost to complete the preaching of the gospel, in a glorious rush to the end, to every nation, kindred, tongue and people; that God was going to "cut short" this age of sin. BUT Paul and Isaiah are saying that the people of God, ALL Christians, will be cut short (judged, separated and ONLY the righteous, the smaller percentage, will be saved). Accordingly then, the work of God (HIS WORK IN THIS CONTEXT) is not the power to preach the gospel, but the judgment of His people.

It would appear as if it were a trivial issue; but what it means is that whereas the rest of Christianity is doing the work of God and looking forward to the end, SDA are instead sleeping and resting on the pillow of false prophecy. How do SDA answer this?

///

You comments are very confusing.

How is the rest of Christianity doing the work of God and looking forward to the end?

Yet you say the "work of God" is not the power to preach the gospel but is instead His judgment of His people?

There is very little talk of "judgment of His people" in the "the rest of Christianity" .

While I agree that many SDA's are sleeping and not out there warning the world of what is about to come upon the world, and urging people to commit themselves fully to Christ and HIS righteousness,

yet
it is the rest of Christianity that is resting on the pillow of false prophecy thinking no judgment will come to them, if they only have an intellectual "belief" they are OK -- and many don't even think they need a specific "belief" but any "belief will do" as long as it isn't "fundamental" or "dogmatic".
Then there are a good number of Christians who think they'll be raptured out of the world before the tribulation starts (during which time the un-raptured ones will supposedly have another chance if they missed out) and then the raptured ones come back and supposedly rule with Christ in Jerusalem for a 1000 years.


BUT none of that is "true" prophecy,
FOR yes, God will make a determined end -- a complete end. At Christ's coming the world as we know it will be in a state of destruction for 1000 years not an on going place of converting people.

And Matthew 24 does tell us that this gospel must be preached in all the world before that end will come.
That IS the work to be done NOW

24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

It also mentions persecution will come there in Matt. 24 and that is expanded in Revelation.

But the promise is there -- God will cut short the final crises. That is a wonderful promise, especially when one reads of all the trouble prophesied to come upon the world.

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counselor? or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever." {AA 378.2}

Thus Paul shows that God is abundantly able to transform the hearts of Jew and Gentile alike, and to grant to every believer in Christ the blessings promised to Israel. He repeats Isaiah's declaration concerning God's people: "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: for He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma and been made like unto Gomorrah." {AA 379.1}

At the time when Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple laid in ruins, many thousands of the Jews were sold to serve as bondmen in heathen lands. Like wrecks on a desert shore they were scattered among the nations. For eighteen hundred years the Jews have wandered from land to land throughout the world, and in no place have they been given the privilege of regaining their ancient prestige as a nation. Maligned, hated, persecuted, from century to century theirs has been a heritage of suffering. {AA 379.2}

Notwithstanding the awful doom pronounced upon the Jews as a nation at the time of their rejection of Jesus of Nazareth, there have lived from age to age many noble, God-fearing Jewish men and women who have suffered in silence. God has comforted their hearts in affliction and has beheld with pity their terrible situation. He has heard the agonizing prayers of those who have sought Him with all the heart for a right understanding of His word. Some have learned to see in the lowly Nazarene whom their forefathers rejected and crucified, the true Messiah of Israel. As their minds have grasped the significance of the familiar prophecies so long obscured by tradition and misinterpretation, their hearts have been filled with gratitude to God for the unspeakable gift He bestows upon every human being who chooses to accept Christ as a personal Saviour. {AA 379.3}

It is to this class that Isaiah referred in his prophecy, "A remnant shall be saved." From Paul's day to the present time, God by His Holy Spirit has been calling after the Jew as well as the Gentile. "There is no respect of persons with God," declared Paul. The apostle regarded himself as "debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians," as well as to the Jews; but he never lost sight of the decided advantages possessed by the Jews over others, "chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God." "The gospel," he declared, "is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." It is of this gospel of Christ, equally efficacious for Jew and Gentile, that Paul in his epistle to the Romans declared he was not ashamed. {AA 380.1}

When this gospel shall be presented in its fullness to the Jews, many will accept Christ as the Messiah. Among Christian ministers there are only a few who feel called upon to labor for the Jewish people; but to those who have been often passed by, as well as to all others, the message of mercy and hope in Christ is to come. {AA 380.2}

In the closing proclamation of the gospel, when special work is to be done for classes of people hitherto neglected, God expects His messengers to take particular interest in the Jewish people whom they find in all parts of the earth. As the Old Testament Scriptures are blended with the New in an explanation of Jehovah's eternal purpose, this will be to many of the Jews as the dawn of a new creation, the resurrection of the soul. As they see the Christ of the gospel dispensation portrayed in the pages of the Old Testament Scriptures, and perceive how clearly the New Testament explains the Old, their slumbering faculties will be aroused, and they will recognize Christ as the Saviour of the world. Many will by faith receive Christ as their Redeemer. To them will be fulfilled the words, "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. {AA 381.1}

Among the Jews are some who, like Saul of Tarsus, are mighty in the Scriptures, and these will proclaim with wonderful power the immutability of the law of God. The God of Israel will bring this to pass in our day. His arm is not shortened that it cannot save. As His servants labor in faith for those who have long been neglected and despised, His salvation will be revealed. {AA 381.2}

"Thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he seeth his children, the work of Mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine." Isaiah 29:22-24. {AA 382.1}