I Had The Opportunity But Did Not Take It

And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD the third day?” Then Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.” So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz. 2 Kings 20:8-11.

As I mentioned before, this was a great sign from God. Perhaps at that time,  there were no records kept as they are now but there were astronomers who noticed the changes and variations in the skys.

At that time Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 2 Kings 20:12.

The King of Babylon was amazed not only by the fact that King Hezekiah was healed but also by the great sign that God had made.

In the fertile valleys of the Tigris and the Euphrates there dwelt an ancient race which, though at that time subject to Assyria, was destined to rule the world. Among its people were wise men who gave much attention to the study of astronomy; and when they noticed that the shadow on the sundial had been turned back ten degrees, they marveled greatly. Their king, Merodachbaladan, upon learning that this miracle had been wrought as a sign to the king of Judah that the God of heaven had granted him a new lease of life, sent ambassadors to Hezekiah to congratulate him on his recovery and to learn, if possible, more of the God who was able to perform so great a wonder. *

The Lord used this amazing sign on earth to awaken the curiosity of these men to learn about Him.

The visit of these messengers from the ruler of a far-away land gave Hezekiah an opportunity to extol the living God. How easy it would have been for him to tell them of God, the upholder of all created things, through whose favor his own life had been spared when all other hope had fled! What momentous transformations might have taken place had these seekers after truth from the plains of Chaldea been led to acknowledge the supreme sovereignty of the living God! *

This is a warning to all of us. The world cries peace even in the midst of the big signs on earth that announce the end of everything. Earthquakes, are a cry of nature that soon this land will be destroyed and thus giving us a chance to warn everyone about the coming of Jesus.

But we are not doing so. We follow what the world says and do not watch and pray. The world sees God's people sleeping and instead to teaching these great truths, instead of hearing the loud voice of the third angel's message they see in us satisfaction, indifference, apathy.

Rest assured. The third message will be preached with great power! The Lord will soon return! The question is, what side will you be on?

JESUS IS COMING, AMEN, YES, COME LORD JESUS!

Prophets and Kings, "The Ambassadors From Babylon", Ellen G. White