Studies in the Prophecies
In our study last week we considered the first part of our Lord’s great prophecy, as recorded in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, and pointed out its fulfilment in the history of the generation in which it was uttered. We also noted the fact of a marked parallel between the experience of that generation which rejected the message of the first advent of Christ and of this generation which rejected the message of the second advent of Christ. Because of this similarity of experience Jesus blended the prophecy of the last generation with the prophecy of the first generation, but having replied to the inquiry, “When shall these things be?” he then described in few words the time of “great tribulation” through which the church would pass, and with the briefest reference to “false Christs and false prophets” he carried the minds of his disciples forward to “the coming of the Son of man.” Having thus connected the first and the last generation, Jesus foretold the signs which would mark the nearness of his coming and of the end of the world: “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” The record given by Mark furnishes such specifications as enable us to determine definitely the period when we may expect these signs to begin to appear. It will be “in those days, after that tribulation.” The time included in “those days” is that period of the acknowledged supremacy of the papacy over the nations [A. D. 538 to A. D. 1798], repeatedly mentioned in the books of Daniel and Revelation, during which millions of martyrs sealed their testimony with their blood. “For the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened,” said Jesus, and history shows that the persecution came to an end about a quarter of a century before the close of “those days.” In that quarter of a century the period of these special signs must begin in order to fulfil the prophecy. The time is located very definitely. And in exact fulfilment of the prophecy the sun was darkened on May 19, 1780, and on the following night the moon did not give her light. This was followed in November, 1833, by a remarkable falling of the stars, such as can best be described in the very words of another prophecy which refers to the same event: “The stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind.” In the record as given by Luke it is stated that “there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars.” The supernatural darkening of the sun and the moon and the remarkable falling of the stars constituted heaven’s notification to the inhabitants of the world that the period of time allotted to the last generation had begun, and that the great day of the Lord was nigh at hand. The falling of the stars, the last of these signs, took place in 1833. In that very year William Miller was licensed by the Baptists as a public preacher, and for the next decade he led the advent movement in this country. The work rapidly spread to other countries until the message of the Saviour’s soon coming was proclaimed in all parts of the world. The attention of the people everywhere was directed to the words of Jesus, “The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven,” and these remarkable occurrences were interpreted to the world as signs of the Lord’s coming. Some were then living who witnessed the darkening of the sun and moon, and who could therefore hear personal testimony concerning these things, but to all the people of that time, young and old, these supernatural phenomena were presented as signs, and looked at in the light of the predictions of Christ, they were all seen as signs by the people of that generation. To them the parable of the fig tree was spoken: “Now from the fig tree learn her parable: When her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.” Some of those who were living at the time of the falling of the stars in 1833, and who heard the preaching of the advent message in the decade which followed, would “remain unto the coming of the Lord.” “This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.” We must now return to a consideration of the very striking parallel between the generation to whom John the Baptist preached the message of the time fulfilled and the Messiah at hand and the generation who saw the “signs in sun and moon and stars,” and who heard the preaching of the message of the second advent. The work of John the Baptist attracted much attention from all classes of people, and even some of the religious leaders “were willing to rejoice for a season in his light,” but later they turned away from his message, and thus were prepared to reject Jesus when he entered upon his work. Step by step they went forward in this wicked course until under their leadership Jesus was brought before Pilate the governor. And when he inquired, “What then shall I do unto Jesus who is called Christ?” they answered, “Let him be crucified.” So Pilate “took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; see ye to it. And all the people answered and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.” But the Lord is very merciful, and before he permitted the results of their evil ways to be visited upon them and their children, he sent a message of forgiveness to all who would accept the good news of a crucified and risen Saviour. “And this gospel of the kingdom,” said Jesus, “shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.” But the end came in that generation, and upon them, according to the Saviour’s prediction, came “all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah.” All these things came upon that generation. But the children grew to years of understanding, and were given an opportunity to accept or reject for themselves the message of salvation through faith in Jesus the Messiah. After witness had been borne to Jesus and the resurrection throughout the whole world, then before that generation had passed away came the end of the Jewish nation. But those who believed in Jesus and obeyed his word were saved by fleeing to the mountains as he had instructed them. Let us now compare the experience of this generation with the experience of that generation. As a message was borne in that time, based upon the prophecies, to prepare the way of the Lord, so it has been in this time. As the message in that time was rejected by a large part of the religious leaders, so it has been in this time. As it was prophesied in that time that the generation which rejected the evidences of the coming Messiah should not pass away before the results of their course would be visited upon them in the downfall of Jerusalem and the overthrow of the Jewish nation, so it is also prophesied that the generation which rejected the signs of the second advent should not pass away before there would come the terrible results of disregarding the final message of warning,—the utter downfall of Babylon and the end of the world. As in that time, after the resurrection of Christ, the message was again sent forth, with the accumulated evidence of fulfilled prophecy, to all the world for a testimony, so after the disappointment of 1844 the command came, “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and5nations, and tongues, and kings,” and so with the clearer light of fulfilled prophecy the threefold message of Revelation 14 must be proclaimed “unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people” in this generation. And as in that time the children of those who rejected the light did not suffer the consequences of the wicked unbelief of their fathers until they had come to the years of understanding and had had the opportunity to choose for themselves, so in this time the children of those who first heard and scorned the evidences of the Lord’s second coming have been permitted to come to the years of understanding, and to hear the message for themselves before the end comes. And as the end of the Jewish nation came in A. D. 70, before that generation had passed away, so the end of the world will come before this generation passes away. And the same sign marks the end in each generation: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.” When we consider the fact that almost exactly threescore years have passed away since the disappointment of 1844, we are assured that the end must be very near. The children of that time are the white-headed men and women of this time. We do not know how many of those who heard the first preaching of the advent message will live until the Lord comes. We recall that of the generation which went out of Egypt only Caleb and Joshua lived to enter the promised land. But we do know that we are in the time of the promise, and that the glorious day can not be far off. “Not many years their round shall run,
Not many mornings rise,
Ere all its glories stand revealed
To our admiring eyes.” Such is the teaching of our Lord’s great prophecy concerning “this generation.” And in the light of this teaching there need be no difficulty in making a definite and clear application of the Saviour’s words, “This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.”