This Generation

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Oct 10, 1878

"What shall be the sign of thy coming and the end of the world?" He glances down the stream of time, passing over the great events of the world which should occur between his first and second advents. Coming down to the last days he gives a sign which shall mark the end of the world. Then he says that "this" generation, that is, the generation that shall see these signs, this generation shall not pass until I shall come. That is the generation that shall not pass away. To illustrate: I am traveling on a strange road. I inquire the way to the village. A man tells me that I must first cross a certain bridge, go on a short distance, take the second road to the right, pass a red schoolhouse and finally I will come to a meeting-house. "Now," said the man, "the next thing after the meeting-house is the village." He says, "this meeting-house." Now suppose there were a meeting-house near where we were talking. I would be very foolish to think he meant this one when the one we were talking about was nearly fifty miles away. We must take the last one mentioned. Just so with Jesus. When he says "this generation shall not pass away," he does not mean the generation there to whom he was talking. The generation that he was speaking of was the one that should see the signs. In illustration of this fact, notice the language of David. He is speaking of the generation who came out of Egypt five hundred years before his day. He says, "Forty years was I grieved with this generation." Ps. 95:10. Was it the generation living at the time David wrote this? No, anybody knows better.

Take another illustration. The psalmist in foretelling the coming of the Saviour at the first advent says, "Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee." So the Saviour was born the day that this was penned was he? No indeed. It was more than a thousand years before he came. Yet the Lord said, "This day have I begotten thee." The simple truth is, the mind of the prophet was carried down to the time of the first advent. Then he exclaims, "This day have I begotten thee." Just so the Saviour in the scripture under consideration, carries the minds of his disciples down to the time of the second advent and the signs that shall mark the end of the world, and then declares, "That this generation shall not pass away until he shall come." Notice that we have this blessed truth taught, that when the last generation shall come, God will give signs indicating the fact—signs by which the saints then living will positively and certainly know that the last generation is come. Dear reader, this is just what the Bible says about the subject. This is just what we can and should know about it. These signs have appeared and the last warning has been sounding to the world for the past quarter of a century.

Now if the saints will know this much about the second advent they will not be in the dark concerning it. Nor will they be overtaken by that event; as by a thief in the night. This is very plainly declared in many other scriptures. Thus the apostle says to the Thessalonians: "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." 1 Thes. 5:1, 2.

"There" say our opponents, "That is just what I believe. The day of the Lord is to come as a thief in the night, and if it comes as a thief certainly we cannot know anything about it. Then it is of no use to worry our heads concerning it. These scriptures show us conclusively that what you are teaching concerning the coming of Christ is entirely contrary to the Scriptures." So reason our opponents; but if they will read the next verse it will entirely overthrow their position and overwhelm them with shame, for it is expressly declared that all who are overtaken as by a thief by the coming of the Lord will be destroyed.

Yes, here it is. Only those persons who know nothing about the coming of the Lord will be overtaken as a thief. When they are saying, peace and safety then will the Lord come to them as a thief in the night, and then says Paul, "Sudden destruction shall come upon them, and they shall not escape." Now see what he says of those who are watching. A very different statement he makes about them. See how plain it is. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." Here we have it. The brethren, then, are not in darkness that that day should overtake them as a thief. This should forever silence our opponents. Not one of God's waiting saints will be overtaken by the day of the Lord as by a thief. They will be watching, looking, and expecting his appearing.