At least twice Amos described how the Lord "relented," that is, changed his mind regarding what he had planned/predicted would come to pass (see Amos 7:3,6). Did this change on God’s part make Amos a false prophet any more than God’s change of mind regarding Nineveh make Jonah a false prophet? What’s going on here?

Much of the Protestant world believes with great earnestness that God is sovereign—that God’s decrees are eternal and thus changeless. Even to the extent that all human "decisions and destiny" are decreed from eternity! If you are fortunate, you are predestined to eternal life, but tough luck for those not on God’s list of earthly survivors.

However, Jesus gives us a different picture of God. He talks about his Heavenly Father who worked through his own earthly ministry in reconciling sinful humanity unto themselves. And that those who had faith in this Divine Transaction should tell the world that God had the front door wide open and the light always on. No penance, no trip to Mecca or Rome—just "Whosoever will, come home and be my sons and daughters."

OK, that gets God off the eternal-decree hook. But what about when God changed his mind about certain predictions?—and the Bible records a number of such instances. Does that mean we can’t really be sure as to when God means what he says and when he doesn’t? How would we know when prophecies are conditional and when they are not?

Conditional prophecy, or controlled uncertainty, is a biblical principle applied to statements of a predictive nature that concern or involve human responses. This principle grows out of the core principle noted earlier—when God reconciled the world unto himself, he gave everyone the opportunity to accept or reject his wide-open front door. Human choice is the mirror response to God’s love.

Because God is willing to wait until all the evidence is in regarding Satan’s charges in the great controversy, and because he will not force compliance to his side of the conflict, the principle of conditionality permeates his relationship with his created intelligences—he is willing to wait for his people to respond.

The incarnation of Jesus Christ involved a conditionality that beggars the human imagination—the possibility that Jesus could have failed in his confrontations with the Evil One.

The timing of the Second Advent depends, in part, on certain human conditions. The Advent is delayed, depending on the preparedness of God’s people to receive the latter rain and thus be equipped to help implement the "loud cry" that brings the world to decision. Why the divine command (Rev. 7) to "hold" the winds of human strife and satanic madness in the last days? God’s people are not ready. They do not yet understand their assignment. They have too long considered themselves spectators rather than active participants in the parade of last-day events.

For this reason Peter penned this unambiguous unconditional/conditional prophecy: "Therefore since all these things will be dissolved [unconditional], what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness [conditional], looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God" (2 Pet. 3:11,12 NKJV).

Ellen White saw the connection between this text and our highest assignment: "By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord’s return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God [2 Pet. 3:12, margin]. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory."1 On other occasions, she connected the spiritual preparedness of God’s people with the effective proclamation of the gospel witness that brings the world to its line in the sand, the close of individual and world probation.

The return of Jesus is an unconditional prophecy; that he could have come "ere this," is a conditional prophecy. The question that begs to be answered is: How long should we keep him waiting? What is most important, my gratifications or the honor of God?

Notes and References

1. Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages (Oakland, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1898), 633, 634.

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