In Luke 21 the disciples asked Jesus what would be the signs of His coming at the end of the world. In verse 7 Jesus begins to identify the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Sister White says that as Jesus was identifying the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple to the disciples, He was at the same time illustrating the end of the world (The Review and Herald, November 5, 1889). If you carefully go through Luke 21, which we don’t have the time for in this interview, you will find that Jesus is being very specific to sequential history as he proceeds through Luke 21. He is not jumping here and there; it’s progressive history. If you look at Luke 21 verse 24 it says: “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” Jesus has been telling this sequential history, and when He gets to verse 24, He gets to the 1260 years of papal rule, because He is talking about Jerusalem being trodden down of the gentiles. If you keep your finger there and go to Revelation 11:2, which says: “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.“ The gentiles tread down the Holy City; they tread down Jerusalem for 1260 years. If we go back to Luke 21:24, it says: “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
That brings us to 1798. Remember what Jesus is answering. He is answering the disciples’ question about what the signs of the end of the world are and His second coming. In verse 24 it brings in the papal rule for 1260 years, and then in verse 25 it says: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon…”, and we know that the “signs in the sun and the moon” were on May 19, 1780. Now, in Matthew 24, which is the same sermon by Jesus, only recorded by Matthew, when Jesus is speaking about the 1260 years of papal rule in Matthew 24:22 He says: “Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.” There is three times in The Great Controversy alone, where Sister White comments on those days being shortened. She points out that persecution of the Dark Ages ended 25 years before 1798 (The Great Controversy, 306). Matthew 24 tells us that immediately after the tribulation of those days there will be manifestations in the sun and the moon. The persecution of God’s people ended by 1773 and in 1780 the manifestation in the sun and the moon. In Luke 21:25 it then says: “…and in the stars…”
The stars fell in 1833. “…and upon earth distress of nations…” It can be shown that the “distress of nations” in the Millerite history was the problems that Islam was bringing in the Middle East and verse 25 continues on: “…the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s heart failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are come on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” As Jesus is answering the disciples about the signs of the end of the world, He introduces them to the signs that usher in the Millerite history, the 1260 years of papal rule, the “dark day”, the “falling of the stars”, and the “distress of nations” identified in the 391 year and 15 day time prophecy represented in Revelation 9:15. He says, “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke 21:27.
Some Adventists don’t realize it, but the Millerites did see the “Son of man coming in the clouds“, for they saw October 22, 1844. According to Daniel 7:13, and Sister White agrees (Maranatha, 248), on October 22, 1844 Christ came with the clouds before the Ancient of Days as He began the investigative judgment. “It is the voice of Christ that speaks through patriarchs and prophets, from the days of Adam even to the closing scenes of time.” The Desire of Ages, 799. The whole prophetic testimony in the Bible is the voice of Christ. Christ is the One that designed the Millerite history to be repeated to the very letter in the history of the 144,000. When He is answering the disciples about the end of the world, He illustrates the signs for the Millerites, because the Millerites are the beginning of Adventism. Then He designs the sign for the end of Adventism, the 144,000. He identifies that sign through a parable. In verse 29 it says: “And He spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise. When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say into you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my word shall not pass away.” Luke 21:29-33.
When Jesus is focusing on the very end of the world in order to answer the disciples, He gives a parable. He says to look at the trees, the fig trees and the other trees. There are several passages in the Spirit of Prophecy, where Sister White identifies the fig trees as representing God’s people and the other trees the gentile world (Signs of the Times, February 21, 1878; The Review and Herald, January 11, 1881). He is making a distinction between God’s people and the people outside of Adventism. He says: “Look at the trees, when they begin to shoot forth, you know that summer is near.” Jeremiah 8:20 says: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” The harvest is the summer. Matthew 13:39 says the harvest is the end of the world. When Jesus says: “Look at the trees, when they begin to shoot forth, you know that summer is near,” He is saying to look at the trees, because when they shoot forth, you know that you are at the end of the world, because the summer is the harvest and the harvest is the end of the world.
Sister White comments on this in The Great Controversy, 308: “Christ had bidden his people watch for the signs of his advent, and rejoice as they should behold the tokens of their coming King. ‘When these things begin to come to pass,’ he said, ‘then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.’ He pointed his followers to the budding trees of spring, and said: ‘When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.’”
Adventists and anyone that studies knows that what causes the trees in the Middle East to spring forth in the spring time is the latter rain. What Jesus is saying to us in Luke 21 is that when you get to the time of the latter rain, according to verse 32, “This generation shall not pass, till all be fulfilled.” When the latter rain begins, you are in the last generation of earth’s history and as we read earlier on from The Review and Herald, July 5, 1906, that when the great buildings of New York City are thrown down, then the word of Revelation 18: 1-3 will be fulfilled. When the Twin Towers came down on September 11, 2001, the mighty angel of Revelation 18 descended, the latter rain began to sprinkle upon the wheat and tares of Adventism in an attempt by the Lord to awaken us in time that we might prepare for the coming Sunday law. The generation that was alive when this sign was fulfilled (2001), is the final generation of earth’s history. This generation does not pass until all is fulfilled (Luke 21:32).
We, as Christians, are to live with the expectancy of the Lord’s soon return. And in agreement with Christ’s character, “Surely the Lord our God will do nothing, accept he will reveal it through his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7. September 11, 2001 is the warning to God’s people that in the very near future our probation is going to close at the Sunday law. It is our sign, as Adventists, that the latter rain has begun to sprinkle and the trees are budding forth, and that we either prepare our characters for the seal of God or we are about to receive the mark of the beast. Our expectancy of the Lord’s return is now confirmed with a prophetic fulfillment. We are the final generation!
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