THIS GENERATION by John Norton Loughborough

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 25, 1862

THIS GENERATION.

By John Norton Loughborough

Question for Bro. Loughborough. Is the generation spoken of in Matt. xxiv, 34, the generation that lives to see the signs, darkening of the sun and falling of the stars, or the generation our Saviour was speaking to, his disciples, the righteous seed, which the Lord says shall be accounted to him for a generation, spoken of in Ps. xxii, 30.

REPLY.

I understand that the generation spoken of in this testimony is the one which can learn the parable of the fig tree, or, in other words, the generation which can see these signs (the three you mention) fulfilled, that is, can look back upon them as matters of history. And in support of this position I would assign the following reasons: First, the generation must mean what is commonly in Bible language meant by a generation, otherwise we are left in obscurity and doubt as to what the text means. If we are not to understand the term generation in its commonly accepted sense in the Bible, who shall tell us what it does mean? And who can tell us whether the Lord had reference to the fact that the Jews should not all pass off from the earth as some claim, or as you intimate, that there should be those who believe in Christ when he comes. The very text to which you refer to sustain the supposed position that a generation means the righteous seed, you will find by reading carefully, uses the term generation in a secondary sense. “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.” Then it is not actually what is commonly understood as a generation, but it shall be accounted so to the Lord. And why? Because all being brought into his service by the power of his truth and Spirit, they are not counted as successive generations, begotten one of another, but accounted to him as one generation. If you examine carefully the connection of the above text you will see very strong intimations that it applies to the state which is to ensue after the kingdom of the Lord is established. Should that be the case, it applies to a people who are “born at once.” Isa. lxvi, 8. And who are “made perfect” together. Heb. xi, 40. And as these are never to die and be succeeded by others, they may indeed be accounted to the Lord for a generation. But letting this text apply as it may, it certainly uses the term generation in a secondary sense.

If then we are to regard the Bible as a literal book, we are not to leave the first or primary use of words for a secondary, unless there is a just cause from the nature of the language to depart from its literal construction. But I shall try to show that in this case there is an actual necessity to abide by the literal or primary use of the word generation. I will suppose all to readily admit that this testimony of Matt. xxiv, is especially giving signs concerning Christ’s coming and the end of the world. With this view we will say Christ speaks of events to come, and gives signs of his coming as follows: Tribulation on the church, immediately after tribulation sun darkened, moon not give her light, stars fall. “Now learn a parable of the fig tree: when its branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye see all these things come to pass, know that it is near, even at the doors. This generation shall not pass,” &c. What generation? The one that can learn the parable. Who can learn the parable? The ones that can see the signs. Who knows that summer is nigh? Surely the one that can see the trees putting forth their leaves. The signs then correspond to the fig leaves. But you cannot see the fig leaves until they appear, neither can you see the signs as spoken of here until they are fulfilled and matters of history. Then as soon as the stars had fallen (third sign), we have what are compared to fig leaves and can learn the parable, but never before. Then the generation that shall not pass is the one that can thus learn this parable. What are we to learn? “Know that it [margin he] is near, even at the doors.” This certainly intimates that we are brought very near to the time of his coming, “even at the doors.” And to still further confirm the idea that this brings us very near the end, he says, “Of that day and hour knoweth no man.” This language shows that we are brought so near the time, that some will be striving to ascertain the day and hour. Now with this idea before us let us read the text, substituting the definition you give to the term generation. “God’s people shall not all pass off from the earth till all these things be fulfilled.” It is very true they will not all pass off, for if they did God’s word could not be fulfilled in other portions that present before us the coming of Christ. For instance, God’s people say in that day: “This is our God, we have waited for him.”

To claim that this expression means all God’s people shall not pass off, is passing from certainty to uncertainty. But admitting it to mean that the present race of active men and women who can look back and see these signs fulfilled are not to pass until Christ in all his glory comes, and then there is force in the text. But to say it means the people of God should not all pass would be equally true if it should not come for five hundred years after the signs, for every one knows that the Bible could not be fulfilled unless some of God’s people are on earth at the time of Christ’s coming. There being no prospect, then, that they would all pass off before the coming of Christ, it would furnish no clue whatever to the subject for which this chapter was written.

We say then in conclusion, that this chapter was written to show God’s people signs of Christ’s coming. But to give the term generation the secondary meaning you propose destroys the object for which the chapter was written. To give the term generation its common and Bible-accepted meaning, there is force in it, and the object of the chapter is carried out; therefore there can be no grounds to pass from the common acceptation of the term generation. The generation is now upon earth that is to witness the coming of Christ. Nearly thirty years of that generation are gone. Rapidly are we hastening to life eternal or a doleful death. May the Lord arouse us to a sense of these things is my prayer, and save us from anything that savors of a cry of peace and safety when sudden destruction awaits the world.