Notes for19 February 2020

Anyone who has read attentively the Bible, knows that, when it comes to "time and deadlines", one should handle God's words with a certain caution. As shows the experience of the Christian history, which extends already three millennium, His "soon" and our "soon" differ from each other, and moreover very considerably. But what means this difference? And to what is it connected? The apostle says that for God one day is as thousand years. But how lasting is the day of God? And with what measures do we measure the days of the One Who Himself is timeless? And thousand years - is it an exact figure? Or an allegory, as the one found in the English language, when we speak about something which was already "one thousand times said" or "known thousand years"? And if it is the case, while God waits? And why He says that already "soon"?

Probably, if He acted alone, without regard to man, everything could have really ended much faster, maybe, even sooner than we can imagine. But here is the problem, that He doesn’t want to act like that. Because, it is important for Him to engage us, men in His plans, but to engage the fallen man in something good, and even more in the work of his own salvation, - is not a simple task, especially, if we consider that it can be done only with our consent.

It seems that it is in particular here, that is the reason for which God's "soon" is so different from ours. Everything is close, the Kingdom is near, everything can end at any time, the ship is ready to sail, but it is absolutely necessary to wait for the travelers who are late, otherwise, those remained on the shore, which will become very fast unfit for life, will be condemned to perdition.

And the Captain waits, waits, as it may seem to some, wasting time in vain. But He knows better, and He waits. And how much it will be necessary to wait depends, among others, above all on us. For, without us the Kingdom is not complete. And when we shall become attached to its plenitude and how time (according to the earthly count) it will take, depends not only on God, but also on us.