Last Generation Theology

[Gregory Matthews]

Three recent books have been published that deal with the doctrine commonly calle “Last Generation Theology" that is advocated by some SDAs.  It  should be noted that this doctrine is considered to have some major faults.  As I have been questioned as to this doctrine, I am metioning the following books that have addressed this doctrine to some degree:

NOTE:   I have not written the following descriptions of the books.  They have been written by others.

1   1)       George R. Knight,   End Time Events & the Last Generation.

Adventism has only one serious problem: TIME. Time that never stops. Time that moves on and on. All other challenges faced by the denomination flow out of continuing time. In this probing book George Knight explores the following:

•         Why does Jesus wait?

·         Does the last generation have anything to do with the delay?

*    What about the 1888 message of A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner?

*    What was the significance of Questions on Doctrine?

*    How have the 1950s shaped Adventism’s continuing journey?

Those questions, among others, form the heart of this important book.

Does our reliance on the sacrifice of Christ lessen the importance of our pursuit of holiness?

Is it possible to over emphasize the importance of our actions in hastening or holding back the Second Coming?

Is the realization of our moral frailty eroding our faith?

2    2)       Jiri Moskala & John C. Peckham, editors,  God’s Character and the Last Generation.

The second coming of Christ has been the topic galvanizing the establishment and identity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It remains the one true center of our eschatology, and the blessed hope of our lives. However, for a people so inspired by the divine solution to the conflicted journey of the human race, the fact remains that we may not always agree on how this knowledge should influence the lives of end-time believers. Could it be that our desire to live a holy life is displacing the joy of the gospel in our experience? 

God’s Character and the Last Generation is a serious attempt to review the relationship between the role of God’s salvation work and the human response. For a generation witnessing the closing act of the great controversy, we are called to reflect God’s character while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the “pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NIV). This book will help us understand the different positions regarding Christian living in the end time, the historical development of Adventist thought about this topic, and the theological issues involved.

3   3)       Reinder Bruiinsma, In All Humility, Saying No to the Last Generation Theology..

Reinder Bruinsma’s In All Humility: Saying No to Last Generation Theology is written specifically for an Adventist audience, although it will also be of interest to those who are trying to understand what makes Adventism tick. This book is for you if you take seriously what the Bible (and Ellen White) has to say about sin, the human nature of Jesus Christ, the possibility of perfection, the role of inspired writings, and how these themes connect with the second coming. Although Bruinsma doesn’t answer all of our questions—he refers to this as “humility”—there is more than enough depth here to challenge church members and church leaders to think or re-think.

[JoeMo]

I don't need a book to explain to me the falsehood of LGT and its predecessors. .  I've experienced it first-hand from some of the more assertive adherents; and I don't want to be as "holier-than-thou" or judgmental as they seem to be.  Maybe hypocritical is a better word?  Maybe I just haven't met the right ones yet.

[B/W Photodude]

On 8/20/2019 at 6:37 PM, JoeMo said:

I don't need a book to explain to me the falsehood of LGT and its predecessors. .  I've experienced it first-hand from some of the more assertive adherents; and I don't want to be as "holier-than-thou" or judgmental as they seem to be.  Maybe hypocritical is a better word?  Maybe I just haven't met the right ones yet.

Of the three authors mentioned in the OP, unfortunately, two of the three I do not consider to be reliable people to trust for writings to ponder due to their history of ideas promoted or unseemly behavior towards others. One I am unfamiliar with.

I tend to take a very different view of Last Generation Theology (LGT) and highly value the concepts as brought out in Scripture and in Spirit of Prophecy (SOP). I have read thru the idea, read many texts that support it and find none that do not support it, and every component of LGT I find in SOP. In fact, it is one of the most promising things I read in the Bible and SOP.

Unfortunately, you may have run into some combatants along the way who use the teaching to bludgeon others. Without needing to say it, it is just as wrong as some of the concepts on the other side. Those who would display such an attitude I would not be hesitant to say that likely they will not be part of that generation.

The name LGT widely gets attributed to M. L. Andreasen, an SDA theologian who wore many hats during his life of service to the church and in the end was shamefully treated by those in leadership. I find it no wonder that his ideas are also not accepted by many. Other theologians have also written books that further discuss the Last Generation and which I also value.

Scriptural support comes from many Bible verses. While I recognize than many believe we can sin right up to the moment that Jesus comes, I would submit that this is a very dangerous belief. Many claim you cannot ever be perfect, but then shall we call Jesus a liar when He said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt 5:48

Paul wrote much about having the mind of Christ and one of the most promising texts he wrote was, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you," Gal 4:19. John the Beloved wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." 1John 3:12 Study carefully having the mind of Christ.

Jesus while on earth was subject to the lusts of the flesh like all of us, but never sinned. I wondered about this and how He ever could have accomplished this. But then reading one day, He did not have a natural inclination to sin as we have. His natural response to any temptation was to do right. Was it necessary for Him to have a tendency to do wrong in order for His life to be a success? I see nothing that suggests that. It was Satan's charge in heaven that no one could keep the law (the law is another wide wide field of study!). He was speaking to a sinless universe. So, the life of Jesus, even in the flesh was lived perfectly even with sinful temptations, but no inclination to go there.

But what has this to do with the last generation? I am sitting in my car at a red light one day contemplating end-times when it burst upon my thoughts that when Jesus stands up and declares the righteous would be righteous still, that there would be a transformation of mind to what Jesus lived when He walked the earth! You may be able to find this in SOP, but I haven't exactly yet, although I do not find anything to disagree with it. (You are not required to take my word on this!) But the idea of some regarding LGT is that finally God would have a people on this earth to demonstrate before the universe that the law of God could be kept perfectly. From end of probation to the Second Coming, the people of God will not be naturally inclined to violate God's law even when tempted by the flesh.

And what many have concluded that this is also part of the function of the Holy Spirit during the outpouring of the latter rain is to work in the people of God to not sin. While we may not have a Mediator any longer, we are not left alone. Jesus said, "I will not leave you nor forsake you." Heb. 13:5 Everything that was available to Jesus while He walked this earth will be available to God's people during the time of trouble. There is much to learn about the end-time events that will only be learned during the experience. What is to me a mystery, and many ideas have been put forth, is the amount of time between the close of probation and the Second Coming. Some have even hypothesized up to 3 1/2 years.

But I do believe that from the close of probation to the Second Coming, God's people will live sinlessly. I would be very afraid to adopt an attitude of tolerance for sin in that situation. God has said to be perfect and to not take Him at His word is to be in unbelief, a dangerous place to be.

[Kevin H]

5 hours ago, B/W Photodude said:

But then reading one day, He did not have a natural inclination to sin as we have. His natural response to any temptation was to do right. Was it necessary for Him to have a tendency to do wrong in order for His life to be a success? I see nothing that suggests that. It was Satan's charge in heaven that no one could keep the law (the law is another wide wide field of study!). He was speaking to a sinless universe. So, the life of Jesus, even in the flesh was lived perfectly even with sinful temptations, but no inclination to go there.

This is one of two powerful parts of LGT that both sides miss and where the Bible and Mrs. White differ from the popular view of LGT that is taught among us. We have no idea how important your above quote is B/W!!!!

The second part is that the popular view of LGT is that they have a different quality than any generation before, and see's last generation perfection as a list of dos and don'ts. There have always been a few people here and there in each generation that was so in love with Jesus that nothing could shake them from their love and friendship with Jesus. People like Job, Daniel, Joseph, John Wesley, many of the martyrs. The last generation is NOT of a different quality but a different quantity who reach this trust in Jesus. 

[JoeMo]

Back in the day when I was working so hard to keep every aspect of the Law, I was always worried that I wasn't trying hard enough.  It was a source of much guilt, stress, and anxiety.  No matter haw hard I tried, I would fail somewhere sometime every day.  I felt doomed.  Is that what LGT would feel like?  Most of the "saints" I knew in those organizations were not very nice people - always watching each other; ready to rebuke the slightest infraction - real or imagined.

[B/W Photodude]

On 8/22/2019 at 3:06 AM, Kevin H said:

The second part is that the popular view of LGT is that they have a different quality than any generation before, and see's last generation perfection as a list of dos and don'ts. 

Actually they do have a different quality. However, it does not come from within, but is one of the benefits of the latter rain. When Jesus stands up and declares the righteous will be righteous still, I believe the natural inclination to sin will be gone although they will still have the temptations of the flesh. Essentially, the people of God who  live thru the time of trouble after the close of probation will live as Jesus did when He walked this earth - sinlessly. These people are often referred to as the 144,000. But when you read Great Controversey, these people do not know this as they are still searching their hearts for anything that would offend God. This behavior is different from those who stand up and declare themselves to be perfect. The righteous will still be wondering if they can stand when they see Jesus coming. No self-sufficiency there.

People often tremble when they hear the words "stand without a Mediator." They are not abandoned, They will have every bit of spiritual help Jesus had when He walked this earth. Jesus said, "I will never forsake you or leave you."

[Kevin H]

I'm sorry B/W but I have seen many studies arguing for both views and the one that it is not a difference in quality but a difference in quantity is the one I find the most convincing. 

I wish that I knew how to make copies of DVD's but there is a lecture from Atlantic Union College's "Spirit of Prophecy" class where this topic is discussed that I wish I could send to you.

As to standing before God without a mediator, too often we interpret that quote through Catholic or modified Catholic views. And LGT, as well as the "Former Adventist" view are all based on this view of mediation. 

Jesus' mediation is not to try to convince God to accept us, but to convince us to accept God. People like John Wesley so loved God that he reached a point where he did not need a mediator, nothing could have shaken his faith.  Every generation has had people who have had this love for Jesus. 

 

[phkrause]

8 hours ago, Kevin H said:

I wish that I knew how to make copies of DVD's but there is a lecture from Atlantic Union College's "Spirit of Prophecy" class where this topic is discussed that I wish I could send to you.

Does your computer not have a DVD burner? If yes you should be able to make a copy!

[JoeMo]

I have resisted the LGT movement because of my past unpleasant experiences with those whose theology preceded LGT.  Their judgmental, condemning, "we're watching you" attitudes totally turned me off.

I recently started reading a Book called "The Kingdom, Power, and Glory" by Chuck and Nancy Missler.  I'm not that far into it, but it's got me thinking.  Very briefly, it proposes that while justification is a one-time event in our lives, sanctification is the work of a lifetime (kinda what we as SDA's believe).  It proposed that the sanctification process is our training program in this realm that will determine our standing in the eternal Kingdom.  The further along we get in that training program in this realm, the greater our authority and responsibility we will have in the Kingdom as priests and Kings.  Those who overcome (i.e., are successful in their training here on earth) will be given authority and responsibility for people groups and nations.  Those who are overcome (i.e., fail in their training here on earth) will have lesser authority and responsibility in the Kingdom until they finish their training in reflecting Christ. But if they have put faith in their Redeemer - in spite of their failure to reflect His character - they are in the Kingdom.

I'm not sure this means attaining sinlessness in this life; but it sure has me wanting to redouble my efforts (through God's grace) to more perfectly reflect Christ's character in thought, word, and deed.  I've always been a good student; I want to be a good student in my Kingdom training as well.  I'd rather "inherit" the Kingdom rather than just be a subject in it.

[Kevin H]

Excellent post JoeMo. Jesus has promised us the victory. Mrs. White does talk about a last generation righteousness. The issue is that we have her view and the view that is popular. Now I will say that I do not understand Justification to be a one time event. I understand that Mrs. White sees Justification and conversion to mean the same thing. It is a moment by moment accepting what Jesus has done for us. It and Sanctification are two sides of a same coin where you never have the one without the other. Sanctification is the response to justification/conversion. 

When we look at the thief on the cross. People say that he did not have the time for a sanctification life, but isn't comforting a dying man a good work? Isn't preaching the gospel a good work? Who was the only one comforting Jesus when he was on the cross? Who was the only one preaching the gospel that day? He could not do much but he did all he could. Justification is an attitude of more more about Jesus, and Sanctification is what come out from learning more more about Jesus. 

Where I see Mrs. White disagreeing with  the LGT people is that Mrs. White has seen a few people of every generation who have become so in love with Jesus that there is nothing that can shake their faith. And she saw their perfection as a relationship they have with Jesus.  The LGT people look for a different quality than ever before. They see mediation and intercession as Jesus asking the father to forgive us. They can't see how there can be people of every generation who has reached this perfection. After all there were generations where the Sabbath was not kept, or where they were not vegans and a whole list of dos and don'ts. And as you said they are often judgmental and condemning.

Too often this theology attracts two and a little bit a third types of people: first those who are very controlling, who like to tell people what to do. In the letters I've read from Mrs. White and Willie wrote to the pastors who are very popular with the LGT people, they complained that they were using Mrs. White's words to force their view on to others. The second group are those who like to have some power over them, some one to think for them where they don't have to think but just obey. They are very willing to submit to the controllers.  It encourages a relationship of headship and submission. There is a third group, which has two sub groups. This third group are those who are looking for a deeper relationship with God, and they admire the relationship these people appear to have with God. This group often leaves. The first subgroup are those who are turned off by them being judgmental and condemning and go more towards a more moderate approach. The second subgroup is a very sad group that I've seen way too many people in. They have moments where there is a spiritual revival in their lives and they want to get their lives together and become fully devoted to Jesus and they join this group. Then they loose heart and sadly give up religion and get into smoking, drinking, drugs and very unreligious behavior. Then they might have another revival and just go back and forth between these two extremes. 

Often in this group they are constantly pointing out failures in the church and seem to believe that the gospel as the good news that the church is going to hell in a hand-basket. I remember reading this one news letter where there was an article on the importance of the color red is to the Roman Catholic church. The next article was an announcement that Loma Linda University was going to call attention to red ribbon week. This gives them the encouragement that they are the chosen few. They see heaven as being so narrow that this gives them some hope. The Pentecostals feel this hope in their speaking in tongues, we find it in keeping a list of do's and don'ts and seeing how others are way below us in their growth. Sadly this feeds our sinful nature, or a disposition in us to think we are for ourselves by making less of the outside world, to esteem ourselves more highly than others, to serve self to seek the highest place. They are trying to reach a point on their dos and don'ts that Jesus no longer needs to ask the father to forgive us because we are not doing anything that needs forgiveness. 

Mrs. White's view does not leave room for these. Mrs. White is looking for people who, and it was noticed that she seems to describe John Wesley. Jesus' intercession and mediation is not asking the father to forgive us, but asking us to accept the father's love. We can stand before God without a mediator or intercessor because Jesus has totally won us over and no longer needs to try to win us over, but only love him more and more. 

We are going to find very hard times in last day events. Before falling to total chaos there will be a short time where it appears that the toes have joined together. There will be a time of peace and prosperity as never before with very expensive goods from all over the world being available. However this system will either cause us to either have to sacrifice something that goes against our conscience, or else tempt us to want to force others to give up something that goes against their conscience. Mrs. White says that among Christians the issues of Sabbath and Sunday will bring the test to us, and this also indicates that she sees similar but other tests outside of the Christian world. We read "Sunday laws" into everything at this time. But to Mrs. White Sunday laws are only a part of the issue. The true issue is liberty of conscious. Will we follow our conscience and will we allow others to follow their conscience, or will we want to force them to go against their conscious for the greater good. 

During this time Satan will be impersonating Jesus saying some of the same words that Jesus said. He will be encouraging us to go along with this system. And when we say "I'm sorry but Jesus is really Satan" what will we do when we hear him say to us with tears in his voice "How can Satan cast out Satan?" All of our senses will convince us that this is Jesus and the demons impersonating our loved ones will be a perfect copy. We are going to feel like we are lost in rejecting this being to follow our understanding of the Bible and to follow our conscience. 

Meanwhile that book we choose to follow, the Bible, it has the same problems that Walter Rea pointed out with Mrs. White. A lot of copying, not as perfect as the fundamentalists would like it to be. What we saw in our church when the Walter Rea book came out we are going to see on a much larger scale as Christians can no longer close their eyes about these problems in the Bible. The Bible will be seen as untrustworthy, and why should we accept this book with errors and contradictions and a lot of copying. And why do we need to deal with this book when we have Jesus and the Bible writers here among us, we can turn to them instead of this book. And we will look crazy for holding on to this book. We will be going through the time of Jacobs trouble.

Jesus thought that he was giving up life eternally by bearing our sins to the cross. We will think we are giving up eternal life by holding on to the Bible and following our conscious and allowing others to follow their conscious  and rejecting this beautiful being who our senses say is Jesus. As things fall apart, probably as we are dealing with global warming and maybe some limited nuclear warfare, the blame will fall on those who did not go along with the system. But God's people will be delivered. 

[JoeMo]

WhileI don't put as much faith in the writings of EGW as others, she had a lot of great things to say.  While I'm not committed to her idea that the RCC is the beast/antichrist, I do believe that a resurgence of a worldwide "mystery religion" will either result in or br the result of a one-world government prior to the antichrist declaring himself to be God.  We are constantly at war with evil spiritual forces in dark places whether we want to be or not. We must choose to be soldiers in the fight or we will be casualties. If we are to be soldiers, we should train to be effective fighters.  

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." (1 John 3:8b)

If we are to reflect the character of Christ, isn't that our calling as well - to destroy the devil's work?

Concerning justification to be a single event, I do have a little cognitive dissonance with that.  If everyone who claimed belief in Jesus - even for a while - were "locked" into Kingdom existence, it seems to me that there would be some who had long ago lost their faith and have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the Kingdom.  I don't think God would do that ( but He is God; so He can do as He pleases).  However, what about the one who dies believing and depending on Jesus to save Him, even though He led a wretched life right up to His death (like the thief on the cross)?  Scripture seems to say those will be in heaven.  I am seriously considering that people's progress though the sanctification process here on earth will determine their position in the human hierarchy of heaven.  As much as I'd love to be among those at the wedding feast of the Lamb, (the 144,000?) I think I'd be happy to just clean up the banquet hall afterwards for the privilege of being in the Kingdom.