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I probably have this question since I'm very young. Here are some few sample answers that I've got:

  1. He's waiting for the right time
  2. Until the whole world bow knees and worship only God

IMHO, the longer God waits, the more people are going to hell. See how many people actually die each day without knowing Jesus. If God just ended the world now, wouldn't it be better?

So, what is God waiting for?

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  • I'd question your assumptions, 'Is God going to end the world', there are references to 'the end of the age' (Matt 28:20). Aug 24, 2011 at 1:55
  • 5
    If God would have ended the world 2 years ago, I wouldn't have my daughter in heaven with me (since she wouldn't have been conceived). Three years ago and I'm not sure I would have gone to heaven. I'm glad he's waiting. :)
    – a_hardin
    Sep 15, 2011 at 13:07
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    If Jesus himself doesn't know the answer to this one (Matt. 24:36), then no one on this site does :-)
    – gmoothart
    Sep 15, 2011 at 15:41
  • Of course we can't know exactly what reasons, or conditions God is waiting for, we can't even explain why did he send Jesus when he did. We do not even know why we were born the race we are born. One thing we could say is if God came before all the elect have been physically born, then he could not save those he planned to save from eternity as they would not exists. At a minimum therefore he will not return until he has gathered all the church so that it is a perfect bride with not one piece missing. On top of this he may have many other reasons for delay, all of which are incomprehensible.
    – Mike
    Aug 29, 2012 at 15:43
  • The longer God "waits", the more people are going to heaven, too. The question isn't asking about what the signs of His coming are, but about why it wouldn't be better if God ended the world right at this very moment. Only God knows.
    – Alypius
    Apr 6, 2013 at 5:48

8 Answers 8

30

Actually, the Bible does have quite a direct answer to the question What is God waiting for?

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.

Matthew 24:14 (KJV)

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  • Which nations are we still waiting for the gospel to be preached in? I thought we'd gotten them all at this point.
    – Richard
    Oct 7, 2011 at 16:06
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    @Richard that's a good question. In Finnish, this is translated all peoples instead of all nations, and I think that makes more sense. There are over 2000 living languages without even a partial Bible translation. Mostly living languages are related to a people, so there still are a lot of peoples that haven't heard the gospel. Oct 8, 2011 at 9:17
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    I've found this link to be helpful in terms of @Richard's question - joshuaproject.net
    – stringo0
    Nov 8, 2011 at 20:40
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I think a good reason lies in 2 Peter 3:9 NIV

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Some say that God won't return until all peoples of the earth have been reached by the gospel. As far as I know, all peoples of the earth have not yet been reached by the gospel -- there's still a few left.

In addition to this, I agree with Mason Wheeler that there are still prophecies to fulfill. There are a lot of them in the Book of Revelation. Still, there are a lot of different interpretations (e.g., will the rapture occur before the tribulation or the other way around?) and I don't have any particular knowledge in all this. However, I am sure that we live in the last of times.

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Unfortunately we just don't know. Many people have tried to figure out when he will come back, or what conditions are required for him to return, but quite frankly they aren't specified and we are to be ready for his return at any moment.

Matt 24:35-37 (NIV)

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Honestly there is no telling when he will come back, but I can guarantee that no one will expect it when it comes: Matt 24:41-44 (NIV)

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

All this to say we don't know when or under what conditions he is coming back. In fact its pretty clear that we cannot know and that we will not be expecting him.

As to the second half of your question, God knows what he is doing. Even though more people are going to hell every minute that the earth continues to exist, more people are also coming to Christ and more people are being born who will become followers of Christ. You are looking at the pessimistic side, but look at the good side God is saving more people every day the world continues to exist.

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  • I would agree with your last sentences. But there are people being born everyday too, and it bugs me a lot.
    – Sufendy
    Aug 24, 2011 at 2:11
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    Remember that God knows the number of the Elect already. He has already got it figured out. He is waiting for a predestined date not just some random conditions. He also is in total control of who comes to him (thank goodness). (At least thats what I believe the Bible says).
    – wax eagle
    Aug 24, 2011 at 2:16
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    I disagree that "we will not be expecting him" in the general sense. While no man knows the day nor the hour, Jesus did say that there would be signs. Further, Jesus told parables of people who were prepared and who were not for an imminent arrival (the bridegroom). Aug 24, 2011 at 2:32
  • @Anthony I have always taken that to mean people who believed (were let into the feast) and did not (were kept outside)
    – wax eagle
    Aug 24, 2011 at 2:45
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I believe that the best that we know is that He's waiting for the perfect time. According to Romans 11:25-27 though, we know that He will not return until "the fullness of the Gentiles is come in."

"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”" -- Romans 11:25-27

As far as "Wouldn't it be better if God ended the world now?", I would only have to ask "How do you know what's better?" You could say instead of "more people are going to hell" that more people are given the opportunity to choose not to go to hell.

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  • But what then means luke.21:24, because Jerusalem shall be trodden down( until 1967, when Israel took the city) until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. I think these two concept must be different from each other; I mean "the fullness of the Gentiles" in rom.11:25 and "times of the gentiles" in luke.21:24.
    – alvoutila
    Apr 24, 2014 at 8:55
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The obvious converse to your observation is that the longer God waits, the more people will be saved as well. That alone could probably justify it, but in addition to that, I'd point out that there are still plenty of prophecies left to fulfill.

To choose just one of the more obvious ones, even with all the turmoil in the Middle East, we still haven't seen Jerusalem besieged as part of a war that drags on for three and a half years, during which time Israel manages to hold out due to heavy doses of divine assistance provided by two prophets living among them...

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  • I believe that that war is after the rapture, during the tribulation, and that all of the prophesies are already fulfilled until then. Aug 24, 2011 at 3:14
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    You should share some of the references from Revelations that discuss the events you mentioned.
    – user23
    Sep 15, 2011 at 14:23
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God is waiting for the fullness of time, a time when all the appointed righteous have been saved.

Until that appointed time, God is being patient:

2 Pet 3:3 ff

3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

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Oh, there is still some stuff that sould be fufiled before the End of times.

Before the Judgement Day could happen, there must be 144,000 people sealed from all tribes of Israel who were the servents of God. 12,000 for the 12 Tribes.

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  • How do we know that they haven't already been sealed? Is it possible that they will be sealed because the world is about to end rather than the cause of the world ending? (In other words, is it possible that them being sealed isn't what's stopping the world from ending? Also, is it possible that them being sealed is just another event as part of the world ending?) What does "sealed" mean? Is it possible that this number isn't a literal number but a metaphor? Please expand this answer.
    – Richard
    Oct 7, 2011 at 16:05
  • @Richard because, world WILL end once the number is sealed. Whether it is a metaphor or not, we can discuss our opinion on chat. Oct 7, 2011 at 18:48
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    I'm trying to prompt you to improve your answer. I personally don't care, but as it is, this is a low quality answer. It raises an idea without supporting it. My comment is attempting to show you the weaknesses in your answer so that you can improve it to make it better.
    – Richard
    Oct 7, 2011 at 18:50
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The devil was the first creature / agent of free will to question the sovereignty of God. God has given the devil time to attempt to prove that agents of free will do not need God in their lives. This time is given because God is righteous. God could have killed the devil but then the question of sovereignty would still be on the table being that the entire heavenly body is witness to these events. So by allowing the devil time to prove his point God continues in his righteous nature. Nothing however will ever work and the devil is ultimately doomed as mankind was designed to have God in our lives and we are designed to live the way he has ordained. No other way will work.

I personally believe the end will be closest once the devil has had the time to try a one world goverment without the presence of the church. In these dark hours, because by then we will have almost destroyed the planet with pollution and the love of the greater will have finally cooled off. That is when god will shut the book, so to speak, on the devil and end the question of sovereignty once and for all

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