J. N. Loughborough The Last Adventist Pioneer, Part 1

In the Bible, dreams are one way that God communicates with people, from Pharaoh’s fat and lean cows (Genesis 41:18, 19) to Joseph’s orders to flee to Egypt with Mary and the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:13).

Born in 1832, John Norton Loughborough grew up in an era of religious reform. In his youth he struggled with devotion to God over his friends, but was finally convicted to dedicate his life to God and was baptized as a “first-day” Adventist. At the age of 17, he was called into ministry as a preacher, and at 20, he was married. To support his wife, Mary, he began working in retail, selling locks for windows, while preaching during the weekends.

Then, a series of meetings began to take place in nearby towns. They were given by Adventists who believed Saturday, not Sunday, to be God’s holy day of worship. There was great friction between the first-day and seventh-day Adventists, as many were being converted to believe in the seventh day.

One night, during the time these meetings were being held, Loughborough had a dream. In his dream he was attending a meeting which had two rooms, one dim, the other lit. In the bright room was a strange chart of the Jewish sanctuary and the two-horned beast of Revelation 13. Next to the chart was a tall man.

Several days later, Loughborough learned that some of his own congregation had been converted to the seventh day. He, as the minister, was urged to attend that night’s meeting and put the seventh-day believers in their place. So, armed with his list of proof texts, he marched into the meeting—and beheld not only the very same chart he had seen in his dream, but also the tall man.

The tall man, whose name was J. N. Andrews, began to speak, disclosing that while he had planned to speak on another topic, he had been impressed instead to preach on the Sabbath. He then proceeded to systematically go through each of the proof texts in Loughborough’s list, in the very same order, disproving from Scripture the first-day Adventist stance on the seventh day.

Not long afterwards, Loughborough became a “seventh-day” Adventist.

Reflect: What are the different ways that God has communicated His will to you? Three ways He speaks are through the Bible, providential leadings, and impressions from the Holy Spirit.

Key Bible Texts

It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Exodus 31:17 KJV)