Matthew
Chapter Twenty-Four

Jewish view of non-occurrence re: "this generation" - "According to Mark and Matthew, Jesus expected the tribulation period to occur before the last of his generation died out. Thus, a limit is given within which the prophecies are to be fulfilled. It should be noted that these "tribulations" were not fulfilled in the events of the years 66-73 C.E., the period of the First Jewish-Roman War. Jesus' own statement shows that the culmination of the "tribulation period" was to see the parousia, the second coming of Jesus (Mark 13:26; Matthew 24:3, 30), which certainly did not occur during the war nor subsequently." (Jews for Judaism) | Bible Query on Preterism - "As a "red-herring", a one-letter manuscript change from genea to gonea gives the primary meaning of race. While the earliest manuscripts that contain these three verses are Vaticanus (325-250 A.D.), Sinaiticus (340-350 A.D.), and not early extra-biblical writings referred to these verses except Tatian’s Diatessaron harmony (written c.170 A.D.). However no manuscripts with gonea, and it is difficult to envision genea as the same manuscript error in all three synoptic gospels plus the Diatessaron."

Romans Surrounding Jerusalem

Copper engraving of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. 1729

Matthew 24:34

"Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." KJV

"amen dico vobis quia non praeteribit haec generatio donec omnia haec fiant"
Matthew 24:34 - Latin Vulgate

“Preterist” from Latin praeteritus, meaning "that which has past."
Praeteritus is past participle of praeterire, to go before

"It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible." C.S. Lewis

Generation / Genea | "Generation Means Race" Theory | Matt 24:34 and Genea: The Scholars | R.A. Torrey on Matthew 24:34: A Mistake About the Second Coming

Therefore He saith, they shall come not by themselves or at once, but with signs. For that the Jews may not say, that they who then believed were the authors of these evils, therefore hath He told them also of the cause of their coming upon them. "For verily I say unto you," He said before, "all these things shall come upon this generation," having made mention of the stain of blood on them. " (Homilies)

Clement of Alexandria (A.D.150-215)
"But our Master did not prophesy after this fashion; but, as I have already said, being a prophet by an inborn and every-flowing Spirit, and knowing all things at all times, He confidently set forth, plainly as I said before, sufferings, places, appointed times, manners, limits. Accordingly, therefore, prophesying concerning the temple, He said: "See ye these buildings? Verily I say to you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another which shall not be taken away [Matt. 24:3]; and this generation shall not pass until the destruction begin [Matt. 24:34]. . . ." And in like manner He spoke in plain words the things that were straightway to happen, which we can now see with our eyes, in order that the accomplishment might be among those to whom the word was spoken.63 (Clementine Homilia, 3:15. See Roberts and Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers, 8:241.)

Eusebius (A.D. 325)
"And when those that believed in Christ had come thither from Jerusalem, then, as if the royal city of the Jews and the whole land of Judea were entirely destitute of holy men, the judgment of God at length overtook those who had committed such outrages against Christ and his apostles, and totally destroyed that generation of impious men." (Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Ch. 5)

Arndt and Gingrich
"Basically, the sum total of those born at the same time, expanded to include all those living at a given time, generation, contemporaries." (Arndt and Gingrich Lexicon, p. 152)

G.R. Beasly-Murray (1954)
(Mark 13:30) "The meaning of 'this generation' is now generally acknowledged. While in earlier Greek genea meant 'birth,' 'progeny,' and so 'race,' in the sense of those descended from a common ancestor, in the LXX it commonly translates the term dor, meaning 'age,' 'age of man,' or 'generation' in the sense of contemporaries. On the lips of Jesus 'this generation' always signifies the contemporaries of Jesus, but at the same time always carries an implicit criticism. For Mark the eschatological discourse expounds the implication of the prophecy of judgment in verse 2, and so implies the perversity of 'this generation,' which must suffer the doom predicted.

"This generation is not to pass away until 'all these things happen' (tauta panta genetai). The first term, tauta, appeared previously in verse 29: 'When you see these things happening...' A clearer precedent for tauta panta, however, appears in the question of the disciples in verse 4: 'When will all these things be, and what is the sign when all these things will be completed?' The response to the request for a sign has been given, above all in verses 14-15; the question concerning the 'when' is answered in verse 30. In view of Mark's setting of the statement, however, it is difficult to exclude from 'all these things' the description of the parousia in verses 24-27" (pp. 333-334).

J.C. Fenton (1963)
"Although attempts have been made to interpret this generation to the Jews, or as the human race in general, it is more likely that originally it meant the generation living at the time of Jesus." (St. Matthew, p. 391)

Henry Hudson
"Many commentators play around with the word 'generation' (genea), and thinking to avoid embarrassment, project its application to the generation which will be alive during the last days immediately preceding the Second Coming of the Messiah. Others, expand its meaning to include the whole nation of Israel, which, in spite of the intensity of the great tribulation, will nevertheless be preserved as a nation right up till the end of the present age. However, if Scripture be compared with Scripture, such verbal games are soon exposed as being nothing but armchair gymnastics (cf. Matthew 11:16; 12:41-45; 23:36; Luke 11:50, 51; Hebrews 3:10). The word is generally used to signify a people belonging to a paticular period of time, or more loosely, to a period defined by what might be considered as an average life span of a man." (Echoes of the Ministry, Vol. 11, No. 2, p. 32)

Jack P. Lewis (1976)
"The meaning of generation (genea) is crucial to the interpretation of the entire chapter. While Scofield, following Jerome, contended that it meant the Jewish race, there is only one possible case in the New Testament (Luke 16:8) where the lexicon suggests that genea means race.  There is a distinction between genos (race) and genea (generation).  Others have argued that genea means the final generation; that is, once the signs have started, all these happenings would transpire in one generation (cf. 23:36).  But elsewhere in Matthew genea means the people alive at one time and usually at the time of Jesus (1:17; 11:16; 12:39,41,45; 23:36; Mark 8:38; Luke 11:50f.; 17:25), and it doubtlessly means the same here.  " (The Gospel According to Matthew, Part 2; Living Word Commentary: Sweet Publishing, p. 128)

Dr. E. Robinson (1843)
'The question now arises whether, under these limitations of time, a reference of our Lord's language to the day of judgment and the end of the world, in our sense of these terms, is possible. Those who maintain this view attempt to dispose of the difficulties arising from these limitations in different ways. Some assign to (genea) the meaning suddenly, as it is employed by the LXX in Job v. 3, for the Hebrew.  But even in this passage the purpose of the writer is simply to mark an immediate sequence -- to intimate that another and consequent event happens forthwith. Nor would anything be gained even could the word (genea) be thus disposed of, so long as the subsequent limitation to 'this generation' remained. And in this again others have tried to refer genea to the race of the Jews, or to the disciples of Christ, not only without the slightest ground, but contrary to all usage and all analogy. All these attempts to apply force to the meaning of the language are in vain, and are now abandoned by most commentators of note." (Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. 1 - 1843)

Translation and Textual Notes
Matthew 24:34 - "See Matt. 16:28; 23:36; Mark 13:30, 31; Luke 21:32, 33 A generation in those times was reckoned to be forty years. This generation shall not pass till these things be fulfilled = In no way will this generation pass away until all these things have occurred"

David Turner (1989)
"'This generation' applies to Jesus' contemporaries who lived to see the destruction of Jerusalem; 'all these things' (Matt. 24:34) is limited by the contextual fig tree analogy to the events marking the course of the ages, particularly the events of A.D.70." ["The Structure and Sequence of Matthew 24," Grace Theological Journal 10 (Spr 1989): 3-27, p.3]

Albert Barnes (1832)
"This generation, &c. - This age; this race of men. A generation is about thirty of forty years. The destruction of Jerusalem took place about forty years after this was spoken. See Notes on Mat. 16:28." (Notes, Matthew 24:34)

John A. Broadus (1886)
"The emphasis is on 'all.' All the things predicted in v. 4-31 would occur before or in immediate connection with the destruction of Jerusalem. (An American Commentary on the New Testament, p. 492)

David Brown (1858)
"Does not this tell us plainly as words could do it, that the whole prophecy was meant to apply to the destruction of Jerusalem? There is but one way of setting this aside, but how forced it is, must, I think, appear to every unbiased mind. It is by translating, not 'this generation,' ...but 'this nation shall not pass away:" in other words, the Jewish nation shall survive all the things here predicted! Nothing but some fancied necessity, arising out of their view of the prophecy, could have led so many sensible men to put this gloss upon our Lord's words. Only try the effect of it upon the perfectly parallel announcement in the previous chapter: 'Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.. Wherefore, behold, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city... that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zecharias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation' ... Matt. xxiii. 32, 34-36). Does not the Lord here mean the then existing generation of the Israelites? Beyond all question he does; and if so, what can be plainer than that this is his meaning in the passage before us? (David Brown, p. 435)

" 'Many attempts,' says Dr. Urwick, 'have been made to anatomize this prophecy, and exhibit separately the parts which relate to the invasion of Jerusalem by Titus, and the parts which regard the judgment of the world at the last day. I have not met with any thing satisfactory in this way. If any man could have done it well, Bishop Horsley was the man: he had learning, ingenuity, power, and determination enough for it. Yet one cannot read the sermon in which he attempts to separate the prophecy of the 'coming' from the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, without feeling that a giant is grappling with a difficulty he cannot master. The statement of our Lord, 'Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till these things be fulfilled' puts it, I think, beyond question, that the whole range of the prediction was to have an accomplishment before the then race of human beings should all have died from the face of the earth ". (Christ's Second Coming, Will it be Pre-millennial?, p. 441)

30. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass fill all these things be done--or "fulfilled" (Mt 24:34 Lu 21:32). Whether we take this to mean that the whole would be fulfilled within the limits of the generation then current, or, according to a usual way of speaking, that the generation then existing would not pass away without seeing a begun fulfilment of this prediction, the facts entirely correspond. For either the whole was fulfilled in the destruction accomplished by Titus, as many think; or, if we stretch it out, according to others, till the thorough dispersion of the Jews a little later, under Adrian, every requirement of our Lord's words seems to be met." (in loc.)

F.F. Bruce
"The phrase "this generation" is found too often on Jesus' lips in this literal sense for us to suppose that it suddenly takes on a different meaning in the saying we are now examining. Moreover, if the generation of the end-time had been intended, 'that generation' would have been a more natural way of referring to it than 'this generation. (The Hard Sayings of Jesus, p. 227)

John Calvin
"The meaning therefore is: "This prophecy does not relate to evils that are distant, and which posterity will see after the lapse of many centuries, but which are now hanging over you, and ready to fall in one mass, so that there is no part of it which the present generation will not experience." (in loc.)

"For within fifty years the city was destroyed and the temple was razed, the whole country was reduced to a hideous desert, and the obstinacy of the world rose up against God." (Commentary on the Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol. 3, trans. by William Pringle (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1949), 151.

Geneva Bible Notes (1599)
"Matthew 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This {t} generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
(t) This age: the word "generation" or "age" is here being used for the men of this age." (in loc.)

"For within fiftie yeres after, Jerusalem was destroied: the godlie were persecuted, false teachers seduced the people, religion was polluted, so that the worlde semed to be at an end." (Matthew 24:34)

John Gill (1809)
"Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, etc. Not the generation of men in general; as if these sense was, that mankind should not cease, until the accomplishment of these things; nor the generation, or people of the Jews, who should continue to be a people, until all were fulfilled; nor the generation of Christians; as if the meaning was, that there would always be a set of Christians, or believers of Christ in the world, till all these events came to pass; but it respects that present age, or generation of men then living in it; and the sense is, that all the men of that age should not die, but some should live till all things were fulfilled; see Matt. xvi.27-28, as many did, and as there is reason to believe they might, and must, since all these things had their accomplishment, in and about forty years after this: and certain it is that John, one of the disciples of Christ outlived the time by many years; and, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, many of the Jewish doctors now living, when Christ spoke these words, lived until the city was destoryed; as Rabbi Simeon, who perished with it, R. Jochanan be Zaccai, who outlived it, R. Zadoch, R. Ishmael, and others: this is a full and clear proof, that not any thing that is said before, related to the second coming of Christ, the day of judgment, and the end of the world; but that all belong to the coming of the Son of man, in the destruction of Jerusalem, and to the end of the Jewish state." (vol 2, 1809, p. 240)

Abiel Abbot Livermore (1843)
"34. This generation shall not pass, etc. i.e., those then living would witness the fulfillment of Jesus' predictions; which was the case, for the destruction of Jerusalem took place about forty years after, and many then living were involved in the great catastrophe. John long survived the event, and Lightfoot speaks of some Rabbins who also outlived it. It is apparent from this verse, that Jesus has been previously speaking of the downfall of the Jews, not of future judgment. At the time Jesus uttered these words there was peace with the Romans, and no prospect of the Jews venturing to contend with them; or, if they did, of the temple, city, and nation being wholly destroyed. Yet forty years accomplished it all. What boundless confidence ought we ever to repose in the promises and warnings of Jesus, since he has so clearly established his claim of an unerring prophet!" (The Four Gospels: With a Commentary, p. 288)

Philip Mauro (1921)
"The Lord's own predictions and warnings concerning that event, which was then close at hand, were most explicit. And not only so, but He plainly said that "all these things shall come upon this generation." Besides all that, He specified the very sins for which that generation was to be thus punished beyond anything known before, or that should be thereafter, thus making it a simple impossibility that the "tribulation" and "vengeance" which He predicted could fall upon any subsequent generation."  (Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation)

Heinrich Meyer (1852)
"That the second advent itself is intended to be included, is likewise evident from v. 36, in which the subject of the day and hour of the advent is introduced."

Thomas Newton (1754)
"He proceeds to declare that the time of his coming was at no very great distance, and to show that he hath been speaking all this while of the destruction of Jerusalem, he affirms with his usual affirmation, ver. 34, 'Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled!' "It is to me a wonder how any man can refer part of the foregoing discourse to the destruction of Jerusalem, and part to the end of the world, or any other distant event, when it is said so positively here in the conclusion, "All these things shall be fulfilled in this generation." It seemeth as if our Saviour had been aware of some such misapplication of his words, by adding yet greater force and emphasis to his affirmation, v 35 - "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away'" (Newton, p. 426)

N.A. Nisbett
"Nor can I agree with him when he says, that our blessed Lord knew very well that he should not come, while that generation, to whom he preached, was alive, and that all his Apostles knew this, as well as he; for this is expressly contrary to our Lord's own assertion, in many parts of the gospels, that the Son of Man would come before that generation was wholly passed away." (An Attempt to Illustrate..)

Rev. William W. Patton (1876)
"With a perfect knowledge of all the prophetic warnings, with an unerring estimate of the moral character of the nation, and with a full knowledge of the massiveness of the temple, as well as the number and strength of the walls encircling the city, our Lord boldly uttered His most wonderful prediction. He seizes upon the destiny of a proud people, and fearlessly tells them of their certain and speedy overthrow. Although everything in the then political condition of the Jews, as well as in the structure of the temple and the city, forbad almost the possibility of the speedy fulfilment of this prophecy, still He fixed the time for its fulfilment as not distant, but near at hand, before that generation should pass." (FREE ONLINE BOOKS: The Judgment of Jerusalem (Chapter Three)

J.C. Robertson (1932)
"{This generation} (|hê genea hautê|). The problem is whether Jesus is here referring to the destruction of Jerusalem or to the second coming and end of the world. If to the destruction of Jerusalem, there was a literal fulfilment. In the Old Testament a generation was reckoned as forty years. This is the natural way to take verse #34 as of #33 (Bruce), "all things" meaning the same in both verses." (Robertson's Word Pictures, Matthew 24:34)

Thomas Scott (1817)
"Our Lord here answers the former part of the apostle's questions, concerning the time when these events would take place. In general he assured them, that their approach would be as certainly determined by the signs that he had mentioned, as the approach of summer was by the budding and the tender branch of the fig-tree, and that they would all be accomplished before the generation was passed away. This absolutely restricts our primary interpretation of the prophecy to the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place within forty years" (Thomas Scott, vol. 1).

R.C. Sproul Jr.
"Thankfully, God in his mercy has done a great work in waking up many people to their condition. The rapid spread of the doctrine of preterism has been a welcome tonic. No more visits to the chiropractor after making "some of you will not sleep" and "this generation shall not pass" stretch out into two millennia." (Foreword to The End of All Things, p.9)

This position, known as preterism, takes seriously the time frame references of Jesus and the apostles regarding Christ’s return. While all others, especially the most hard-core dispensationalists, are practicing exegetical yoga with Jesus’ promises that "some of you will not sleep" and "this generation will not pass," preterists read and understand without contortion or embarrassment." (Foreword to The End of All Things, p.9)

C.H. Spurgeon (1868)
"The King left his followers in no doubt as to when these things should happen: "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." It was just about the ordinary limit of a generation when the Roman armies compassed Jerusalem, whose measure of iniquity was then full, and overflowed in misery, agony, distress, and bloodshed such as the world never saw before or since. Jesus was a true Prophet; everything that he foretold was literally fulfilled." (The Gospel of the Kingdom, p.218)

Rudolph Ewald Stier (1851)
"(this refers) to the generation living in that then extant and most important age." (Reden Jesu, in loc.)

John Wesley (1754)
"This generation of men now living shall not pass till all these things be done - The expression implies that great part of that generation would be passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was; for the city and temple were destroyed thirty-nine or forty years after."

 Norman Geisler and "This Generation"

John Brown (1866)
"It is quite plain that in our Lord's prediction the expressions "the end," and probably "the end of the world," are used in reference to the entire dissolution of the Jewish economy. The events of that period were very minutely foretold, and our Lord distinctly stated that the existing generation should not pass away till all things respecting "this end" should be fulfilled, This was to be a season of suffering for all; of trial, severe trial, to the followers of Christ; of dreadful judgment on His Jewish opposers, and of glorious triumph to His religion. To this period there are repeated references in the apostolical epistles. "Knowing the time," says the Apostle Paul, "that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand." "Be patient," says the Apostle James; "stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." "The Judge standeth before the door." Our Lord's predictions must have been very familiar to the minds of Christians at the time this was written. They must have been looking forward with mingled awe and joy, fear and hope, to their accomplishment: "looking for the things which were coming on the earth;" and it was peculiarly natural for Peter to refer to these events, and to refer to them in words similar to those used by our Lord, as he was one of the disciples who, sitting with his Lord in full view of the city and temple, hears these predictions uttered." (Expository Discourses on 1 Peter, vol. ii. pp.292-294 ; vol iii, pp. 84-86)

David Chilton (1985)
"Some have sought to get around the force of this text by saying that the word generation here really means race, and that Jesus was simply saying that the Jewish race would not die out until all these things took place. Is that true? I challenge you: Get out your concordance and look up every New Testament occurrence of the word generation (in Greek, genea) and see if it ever means 'race' in any other context. Here are all the references for the Gospels: Matthew 1:17; 11:16; 12:39, 41, 42, 45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:36; 24:34; Mark 8:12, 38; 9:19; 13:30; Luke 1:48, 50; 7:31; 9:41; 11:29, 30, 31, 32, 50, 51; 18:8; 17:25; 21:32. Not one of these references is speaking of the entire Jewish race over thousands of years; all use the word in its normal sense of the sum total of those living at the same time. It always refers to contemporaries. (In fact, those who say it means "race" tend to acknowledge this fact, but explain that the word suddenly changes its meaning when Jesus uses it in Matthew 24! We can smile at such a transparent error, but we should also remember that this is very serious. We are dealing with the Word of the living God.)." (The Great Tribulation, p. 3)

Adam Clarke (1837)
"it is literally true in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem. John probably lived to see these things come to pass; compare Matthew 16:28, with John 21:22; and there were some rabbins alive at the time when Christ spoke these words who lived till the city was destroyed, viz. Rabban Simeon, who perished with the city; R. Jochanan ben Zaccai, who outlived it; R. Zadoch, R. Ismael, and others. See Lightfoot." (Adam Clarke's Commentary On Matthew 24)

Gary DeMar (1997)
"First, "this generation" always means the generation to whom Jesus is speaking.  It is the contemporary generation, the generation alive at the hearing of Jesus' words...  Those who deny that 'this generation' refers to the generation to whom Jesus was speaking in the Matthew 24 context must maintain that "this generation" means something different from the way it is used in other places in Matthew and the rest of the New Testament!" (Last Days Madness, p. 33)

"There is a logical problem if genea is translated “race.” Since “race” is a reference to the Jewish race, Matthew 24:34 would read this way: “This Jewish race will not pass away until all these things take place. When all these things take place, then Jewish race will pass away.” This doesn’t make any sense, especially for a premillennialist like Geisler who believes the Jews will reign with Jesus for a thousand years after the period described by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse." (Norman Geisler and "This Generation", 2007)

Ken Gentry (1989)
"We must not miss the clear references to the contemporary expectation. Enclosing the relevant portion of the discourse, we have Christ's own time-element designation. In 23:36, he dogmatically asserts 'all these things shall come upon this generation.' He closes the relevant portion of the prophecy by repetition of the time frame: Matthew 24:34 says, 'Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.' And just forty years later Jerusalem was destroyed! Contextually the 'this generation' of Matthew 24:34 must speak of the same idea as that of Matthew 23:36" (Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., He Shall Have Dominion, p. 162).

"A simple reading of Matthew 24:34 lucidly reveals that all of the things Christ the Great Prophet mentions up to this point -  that is, everything in verses 4 through 34 - will occur in the same generation of the original disciples: "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things are fulfilled." (The Great Tribulation is Past: Exposition, p. 65)

KEN GENTRY / THOMAS ICE
"Ice tries to distinguish Jesus' use of "this generation" in Matthew 23:36 from the same phrase in 24:34 on the basis that 23:36 is "historical" while 24:34 is "prophetical." Bute note: (1) Both are prophetic.  In Matthew 23 Jesus prophesies future persecution for his own disciples (23:34) and the catastrophic calamity to befall the Pharisees in A.D.70 (23:35).  Declaring future events in advance is, by definition, "prophetic." [Ice and Gentry,  The Great Tribulation Past or Future (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1999), 182.]

Thomas Ice (1999)
"While it is true that other uses of "this generation" refer to Christ's contemporaries, that is because they are historical texts.  The use of "this generation" in the Olivet Discourse in the fig tree passages are prophetic texts.  In fact, when one compares the historical use of "this generation" at the beginning of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 23:36 (which is an undisputed reference to A.D.70) with the prophetic use in 24:34, a contrast is obvious." [Ice and Gentry,  The Great Tribulation Past or Future (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1999), 103-104.]

J. Marcellus Kik (1971)
"It is my contention that Matthew 24:34 gives the key to the understanding of the entire chapter.  If we accept the ordinary sense of that verse the chapter becomes understandable."   (An Eschatology of Victory, Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, p. 30)

John Lightfoot (1859)
"This generation shall not pass, &c. Hence it appears plain enough, that the foregoing verses are not to be understood of the last judgment but, as we said, of the destruction of Jerusalem. There were some among the disciples (particularly John), who lived to see these things come to pass. With Matt. xvi.28, compare John xxi.22. And there were some Rabbins alive at the time when Christ spoke these things, that lived till the city was destroyed, viz. Rabban Simeon, who perished with the city, R. Jochanan Ben Zaccai, who outlived it, R. Zadoch, R. Ishmael, and others." (A Commentary of the New Testament, vol 2., p. 320).

James Stuart Russell (1878)
"These are all the examples in which the expression 'this generation' occurs in the sayings of our Lord, and they establish beyond all reasonable question the reference of the words in the important declaration now before us. But suppose that we were to adopt the rendering proposed, and take genea as meaning a race, what point or significance would there be in the prediction then ? Can any one believe that the assertion so solemnly made by our Lord, 'Verily I say unto you,' etc., amounts to no more than this, 'The Hebrew race shall not become extinct till all these things be fulfilled '? Imagine a prophet in our own times predicting a great catastrophe in which London would be destroyed, St. Paul's and the Houses of Parliament levelled with the ground, and a fearful slaughter of the inhabitants be perpetrated; and that when asked, 'When shall these things come to pass ? ' he should reply, 'The Anglo-Saxon race shall not become extinct till all these things be fulfilled' ! Would this be a satisfactory answer ? Would not such an answer be considered derogatory to the prophet, and an affront to his hearers ? Would they not have reason to say, 'It is safe prophesying when the event is placed at an interminable distance ! ' But the bare supposition of such a sense in our Lord's prediction shows itself to be a reductio ad absurdum. Was it for this that the disciples were to wait and watch ? Was this the lesson son that the budding fig- tree taught? Was it not until the Jewish race was about to become extinct that they were to 'look up, and lift up their beads '? Such a hypothesis is its own refutation." (The Parousia)

R.C. Sproul Sr. (1998)
"The most critical portion of this text is Jesus' declaration that 'this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place." (The Last Days According to Jesus, p.16)

Milton Terry (1898)
"But we can find no word or sentence which appears designated to impress anyone with the idea that the destruction in question and the parousia would be far separate as to time. The one, it is said, will immediately follow the other, and all will take place before that generation shall pass away" (Biblical Apocalyptics, p. 439)

"On what valid hermeneutical principle, then, can it be fairly claimed that this discourse of Jesus comprehends all futurity? Why should we look for the revelations of far distant ages and millenniums of human history in a prophecy expressly limited to the generation in which it was uttered? (Biblical Apocalyptics, p. 443)

"The affirmation of v. 34, however, does not exclude the fact that no one knows the day and hour when the second advent, with its accompanying phenomena, is to take place. It is to occur during the life-time of the generation then existing, but no one knows on what day or at what hour within the period thus indicated."  (Quoted from Biblical Apocalyptics, p. 220).

MATTHEW 24:34 FROM NON-PRETERIST PERSPECTIVES

Gleason Archer
"Obviously these apocalyptic scenes and earth-shaking events did not take place within the generation of those who heard Christ's Olivet discourse. Therefore Jesus could not have been referring to his immediate audience when He made this prediction..." (Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, pg 338).

"...genea ('generation') was used as a synonym of genos ('race', 'stock', 'nation' , 'people'). This would then amount to a prediction that the Jewish race would not pass out of existence before the Second Advent." (ibid, pg 338-339)

John Calvin
"Though Christ employs a general expression, yet he does not extend the discourses to all the miseries which would befall the Church, but merely informs them, that before a single generation shall have been completed, they will learn by experience the truth of what he has said. For within fifty years the city was destroyed and the temple was rased, the whole country was reduced to a hideous desert, and the obstinacy of the world rose up against God. Nay more, their rage was inflamed to exterminate the doctrine of salvation, false teachers arose to corrupt the pure gospel by their impostures, religion sustained amazing shocks, and the whole company of the godly was miserably distressed. Now though the same evils were perpetrated in uninterrupted succession for many ages afterwards, yet what Christ said was true, that, before the close of a single generation, believers would feel in reality, and by undoubted experience, the truth of his prediction; for the apostles endured the same things which we see in the present day. And yet it was not the design of Christ to promise to his followers that their calamities would be terminated within a short time, (for then he would have contradicted himself, having previously warned them that the end was not yet;) but, in order to encourage them to perseverance, he expressly foretold that those things related to their own age. The meaning therefore is: “This prophecy does not relate to evils that are distant, and which posterity will see after the lapse of many centuries, but which are now hanging over you, and ready to fall in one mass, so that there is no part of it which the present generation will not experience.” So then, while our Lord heaps upon a single generation every kind of calamities, he does not by any means exempt future ages from the same kind of sufferings, but only enjoins the disciples to be prepared for enduring them all with firmness (Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol.3, tr. William Pringle, Eerdmans, 1949, pp. 151, 152).

Craig Keener
"Matthew uses genea here for the 10th time, so his use of the term has a range of emphases -- it consistently refers to the time span of a single generation. All the alternative senses proposed here (the Jewish people, humanity, the generation of the end times signs, wicked people) are artificial and are based on the need to protect Jesus from error. This generation is Jesus' generation of contemporaries." (A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew,  Eerdman's)

C.S. Lewis (1960)
"It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible." (Essay "The World's Last Night" (1960), found in The Essential C.S. Lewis, p. 385)

The New Jerome Commentary
"This is a troublesome verse." (p. 667)

B.W. Johnson (1891)
" 34, 35. This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Some hold that "all these things," in verse 33 and 34, refer only to what was said of the fall of Jerusalem, ending with verse 28. Others have contended that the phrase includes the second coming, but refers directly to the end of Jerusalem, which was a type of the end of the world. I believe, rather, that "all these things" embraces all thus far predicted, and that "this generation" means the Jewish race, instead of only those then living. The Greek word so rendered is used in the sense of race in the Greek classics, and as examples of such use in the New Testament, Alford points to Matt. 12:45, and Luke 16:8, as examples of such use in the New Testament. Christ has described the awful end of the Jewish state; after such a destruction and scattering of the remnant to the ends of the earth, all the examples of history would declare that the Jewish race would become extinct. Christ, however, declares that, contrary to all probability, it shall not pass away until he comes. They still exist, 1850 years after the prediction, distinct, but without a country."

J.W. McGarvey (1914)
"34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, ^buntil all things be accomplished. [Commentators differ widely as to the import of these words. Godet is so perplexed by them that he thinks [631] they refer to the destruction of Jerusalem, and have been misplaced by the Evangelist. Cook straddles the difficulty by giving a dual significance to all that our Lord has said concerning his coming, so that our Lord in one narrative speaks figuratively of a coming in the power of his kingdom before, during, and right after the destruction of Jerusalem, and literally of his final coming at the end of the world. But this perplexing expression under this theory refers exclusively to the figurative and not to the literal sense of the passage. The simplest solution of the matter is to take the word "generation" to mean the Jewish family or race--and the word does mean race or family--Luke xvi. 8. Thus interpreted, the passage becomes a prophecy that the Jewish people shall be preserved as such until the coming of Christ. The marvelous and almost miraculous preservation of the racial individuality of the Jews, though dispersed among all nations, might well become the subject of prophecy, especially when Jesus had just spoken of an event which threatened their very extermination.]"

W. Robertson Nicholl (1956)
"What is said therein is so perplexing as to tempt a modern expositor to wish it had not been there, or to have recourse to critical expedients to eliminate it from the text." (The Expositor's Greek Testament, p. 294)

Origen
"the uninstructed refer the words to the destruction of Jerusalem, and suppose them to have been said of that generation which saw Christ's death, that it should not pass away before the city should be destroyed. But I doubt that they would succeed in thus expounding every word from that, "one stone shall not be left upon another," to that, "it is even at the door;" in some perhaps they would succeed, in others not altogether."

Chrysostom
"All these things therefore mean what was said of the end of Jerusalem, of the false prophets, and the false Christs, and all the rest which shall happen down to the time of Christ's coming, That He said, "This generation," He meant not of the men then living, but of the generation of the faithful; for so Scripture uses to speak of generations, not of time only, but of place, life, and conversation; as it is said, "This, is the generation of them that seek the Lord." [Ps 24:6]

St. Jerome
"By "generation" here He means the whole human race, and the Jews in particular. And He adds, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away," to confirm their faith in what has gone before; as though He had said, it is easier to destroy things solid and immovable, than that aught should fail of my words."

"ALL BE FULFILLED"

The Christian Observer and Advocate (1806)
"CONCERNING THE PROPHECY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. MUCH has been written, by diligent searchers of the Holy Scriptures, concerning the most awful prophetical words of our BLESSED LORD, relating to the destruction of Jerusalem, and HIS second coming; which important prophecy, is contained in the 21sh chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel;—in the 13th chapter of St. Mark's;—and in the 21st chapter of. St. Luke's;—and may certainly be best understood, by considering all the three separate accounts of the tremendous words, in one comprehensive point of view.

Some persons have apprehended them to relate only to the destruction of Jerusalem ; though, in truth, that dread event, (notwithstanding its being unquestionably a fulfilment of one great part of the prophecy) could hardly be considered properly as any coming of our Lord;—and though several other peculiar circumstances are mentioned in the prophetical words of those chapters, which cannot possibly be supposed to relate to that catastrophe, in the least degree. And whilst other persons have understood the words of our Lord to have related to three great and separate events;—namely, 1st, the destruction of Jerusalem ;—2dly, the second coming of of Lord on earth;— and 3dly, the final end of the world as to be brought to pass, at three very different successive times;— yet it has been objected to such conclusion, that our Lord expressly says, (Matt. xxiv. ver. 34.) This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled-,— and that, therefore, the words must be confined to the destruction of Jerusalem. pushed, before that very generation should pass away. _ But there is one point of view, in which the words (to the best of my knowledge) have never yet been considered, that may perhaps throw more light upon the whole; which is, that they do not seem to have been sufficiently closely translated.

For whereas the words are generally taken, as they stand in our English translation, "in St. Matthew's Gospel (chap. xxiv. ver. 34) this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled;—and in St. Mark's, (chap, xiii, ver. 30 ) till all these things be done;— and in St. Luke's, (chap. xxi. ver. 34. ) till all be fulfilled ; — yet it deserves well to be attended to that in the original Greek, the words do in a fair translation, rather imply, simply, This generation shall not pass till these things shall begin to come to pass;—or shall have begun to be accomplished ; for the word (Greek), in its very properest meaning signifies nascor; gignor ; and orior;—and does much rather imply, to begin to be;— or, to begin to be produced;—or, to arise, and come forth; than to be completed, or to be entirely fulfilled ;—and indeed can hardly bear to have the latter meaning given to it, or to be used in that wise at all." (5th Edition, 1806 pp. 145-146)

Five Greek Lexicons: genea.

(1) The interval of time between father & son... from thirty to forty years those living in any one period; this present generation.

(2) A generation of mankind, a step in genealogy.

(3) A generation, an interval in time.

(4) The whole multitude of men living at the same time--Mt xxiv.34... used esp. of the Jewish race living at one and the same period.

(5) The sum total of those born at the same time... all those living at the same time... contemporaries... Mt. 24:34.

Twenty-Five Bible Dictionaries: genea.

(1) Those born at the same time constitute a generation... contemporaries.

(2) Thus Herodotus says that "three generations of men make an hundred years."

(3) It is used of people living at the same time, and by extension... of the time itself... 40 years.

(4) Of the 43 references to genea in the NT... 25 (are) of its occurrences to the Jewish people in the time of Jesus.

(5) The whole multitude of men living at the same time. A period ordinarily occupied by each successive generation, say, of thirty or forty years.

(6) It mostly denotes "generation" in the sense of contemporaries... Mt. 24:34. This generation is to be understood temporally.

(7) The age or period of a body of contemporaries.... The generation lasts as long as any of the members survive.

(8) ... from thirty to forty years....

(9) ... the sum total of individuals forming a contemporary group.

(10) The period of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their children... most biblical writers seem to consider thirty to forty years a normal generation.

(11) ...the period from a man's birth to that of his son--and collectively the people who live in that period.

(12) ...the period of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their children... the term simply refers to all people living at a particular time.

(13) A body of people who live at the same time in a given period of history.

(14) ...from thirty to forty years... contemporaries.

(15) Used in the general sense of a period of time, the span of one human life, or those who live at a particular period of time.

(16) The "circle" of life, spanning from a man's birth to that of his son... forty years.

(17) Mt. 24:34--"This generation" equals the persons then living contemporary with Christ.

(18) The age or period of a body of contemporaries....

(19) Mt. 24:34--"This generation" equals the persons then living contemporary with Christ.

(20) ...about 25 years. A generation is all the people living at about the same period of time, Mt 24:34.

(21) In general, the word generation in the Bible refers to any contemporary group.

(22) It was fixed by some at 100 years, by others at 110, by others at 33, 25, and even at 20 years.

(23) Of all men living at any given time... Mt 24:34... a period of about 30 to 33 years.

(24) Matt xxiv.34, "This generation shall not pass...."   All who are at present living shall not be dead when this shall come to pass. There are some at this day living, who shall be witnesses of the evils which I have foretold shall befall the Jews.

(25) We must adhere to the ordinary usage, according to which dor signifies an age, or the men living in a particular age.

Six Bible Encyclopedias: genea.

(1) Genea refers to a period of time loosely defined as the time between a parent's prime and that of his child.... Those living at a given time in history are referred to as a generation.

(2) Matt. 24:34, genea means the generation or persons then living contemporary with Christ.

(3) Genea: It has the concept of the sum total of those born at the same time--contemporaries.

(4) Genea means the generation of persons then living contemporary with Christ.

(5) Matt. xxix.34, genea means the generation or persons then living contemporary with Christ.

(6) "The present generation" comprises all those who are now alive. Matt xxiv.34, some now living shall witness the event foretold. Our Lord uses the term to express a period of about 36 or 37 years... say about A.D. 70.

Sixteen Bible Commentaries: genea.

(1) ...verse 34 solemnly promises that Jesus will return while some of his contemporaries are still alive (a reprise of 16:28).... The gospel testimony provides strong support for this view: Jesus did not know all things.

(2) (This generation) can only with the greatest of difficulty be made to mean anything other than the generation living when Jesus spoke.

(3) "This generation" clearly designates the contemporaries of Jesus.

(4) The statement in verse 34 is a difficult one. If generation is to be taken in this strict sense, then "all these things" must be limited to the events culminating in A.D. 70.... The majority of the best scholars today insist that generation be taken in its strictest sense.

(5) Jesus was quite certain that they would happen within the then living generation.

(6) [Matthew] probably believed, however, that the end could come before all of Jesus' hearers had died.

(7) Further, he [Jesus] insists that his words are infallible, and that they are more certain than the material universe itself....

(8) This verse recalls 16.28, and affirms that some of the disciples would live to see the Parousia. This would presuppose a relatively early date for the event.... Was Jesus in error in his prediction of the nearness of the end?

(9) In the Old Testament a generation was reckoned as forty years. This is the natural way to take verse 34.... He plainly stated in verse 34 that those events would take place in that generation.... One may, of course, accuse Jesus of hopeless confusion.... It is impossible to escape the conclusion that Jesus, as Man, expected the end within the lifetime of his contemporaries.

(10) The hard fact still remains that if Jesus spoke the sayings of St. Mark xiii and St. Matthew xxiv... he misjudged the extent of his own knowledge and uttered a definite prediction which was not fulfilled.

(11) The Synoptists fell into the contradiction... of making Jesus declare at one moment that He did not know the time of the glorious Advent, and at another that it would infallibly happen within that generation.

(12) The affirmation that "all these things" will happen in this generation is clear, and there is no reason to alter the meaning of the word generation from its usual sense except a fear that the Scriptures may be in error if it is not so altered.

(13) Indeed, the fulfillment will take place before this present generation has passed away.

(14) Did Jesus expect the end within the lifetime of those who heard him speak? It seems quite certain that the early church so understood him.

(15) Matthew made it clear that some of the first disciples would live to see the Parousia.

(16) ... v. 34; there are those now alive, who shall see Jerusalem destroyed.

Good News "Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died. Matthew 24:34" - Good News

Amplified Bible "Truly I tell you, this generation (the whole multitude of people living at the same time, in a definite, given period) will not pass away till all these things taken together take place." (Amplified Bible, Matthew 24:34)

King James: "Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."

New English Bible: "I tell you this: the present generation will live to see it all."

Today's English Version: "Remember this! All these things will happen before the people now living have all died."

Moffatt's Translation: "I tell you truly, the present generation will not pass away, till all this happens."

Weymouth's Translation: "I tell you in solemn truth that the present generation will certainly not pass away until all this has taken place."

Other Passages Using the Word genea

Mt 1:17 So all the generations <1074> from Abraham to David are fourteen generations <1074>; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations <1074>; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations <1074>.

Lu 1:50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation <1074> to generation <1074>.

Lu 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation <1074>;

Lu 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation <1074>.

Ac 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation <1074> by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation <1074>, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

Matthew 24:34

What The Scholars Say

Mark Smith  July 2000

Truly I say to you, this generation [Greek: genea] will not pass away until all these things take place.

Matthew 24:34 NASB

Return for a moment to your pre-teen days. Every neighborhood had one of them, the kid whose sole goal was to win the game at all costs. This kid, if in the middle of a game and losing, would make up his own rules, or redefine words, whatever it took to ensure that he'd win the game. As we all moved up into high school, many of our games acquired referees, we matured enough to follow the rules, and these childish antics were halted.

Certain Christians, however, never matured enough to play by the rules, and instead, to save their savior from being a FALSE PROPHET, create out of thin air new definitions for old words. They try to change the standard definition of the New Testament word generation (from Matthew 24:34) from what it actually is into something else; a group of people that have things in common, and maybe a half dozen other variations- all equally bogus, and all designed to get their savior off the hook. For example, by one of these bogus definitions, Julius Caesar and I are of the same generation, as we both have "things in common" (eating, breathing, sleeping, etc.). The other bogus definitions are just as ridiculous. 

Because of this intellectually  dishonest abuse of language, some Christians need to have a "referee" curb their creativity in making up rules and definitions, which they make up solely to win arguments. Dictionaries already exist, scholars already have done the dog work, rules are already in place. These are our referees. And as you will see from what follows below, the vast majority of Christian scholarship shows that there is little doubt as to what the word "generation" (Greek: "genea") really means. 

The consensus of the referees will be stated below without comment, because no comments are necessary. Readers who want to know the sources of the quotations can match the numbers before the quotations with the numbers in the listings of translations, commentaries, lexicons, etc. at the end of the article. Enjoy!

Nine Christian Scholars & Authors: genea & Matthew 24:34.

(1)  Rev. Chuck Smith:    As a rule, a generation in the Bible lasts 40 years.

(2)  Dr. David Friedrich Strauss:    ...the word genea... was put to the torture....

(3) George Murry:    If the saying relates to the parousia, it sets the end time within the bounds of the first generation church. The phrase "this generation" should cause no difficulty for interpreters... It always signifies his [Jesus'] contemporaries.

(4)  Dr. Albert Schweitzer:    And He [Jesus] was to come, moreover, within the lifetime of the generation to which He had proclaimed the nearness of the Kingdom of God.

(5)  Gary DeMar:    No future generation of Jews is meant here.

(6)  Rev. Stuart Russell:    Next, our Lord sums up with an affirmation calculated to remove every vestige of doubt or uncertainty, "Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." One would reasonably suppose that after a note of time so clear and express there could not be room for controversy. Our Lord Himself has settled the question. Ninety-nine persons in every hundred would undoubtedly understand His words as meaning that the predicted catastrophe would fall within the lifetime of the existing generation. Not that all would live to witness it, but that most or many would. There can be no question that this would be the interpretation which the disciples would place upon the words.... His coming... would come to pass before the existing generation had wholly passed away, and within the limits of their own lifetime.

(7)  Edward Gibbon:    [Members of the primitive church] were obliged to expect the second and glorious coming of the Son of Man in the clouds before that generation was totally extinguished which had beheld his humble condition upon the earth.

(8)  Rev. Milton Terry:    The words immediately preceding them show the absurdity of applying them to another generation than that of the apostles: "When ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors." The teaching of Jesus was emphatic beyond all rational question that that generation should not pass away before all those things of which they inquired should be fulfilled.

(9) Dr. William Lane Craig:    Two generations past the time of Jesus lands you in the 2nd Century.

Thirteen Scholars: The "Race" Argument.

(1) Douglas Hare:    Some have argued, for example, that "this generation" refers not to Jesus' contemporaries but to the Jewish nation or to the church. The linguistic evidence in favor of such proposals is not impressive.

(2) Alan Hugh M'Neile:    "This generation" cannot mean the Jews as a people, believers in Christ, or the future generation that will experience these things. It must be the particular generation of Jews to whom, or of whom, the words were spoken.... It is impossible to escape the conclusion that Jesus, as Man, expected the End within the lifetime of His contemporaries.

(3) Clifton Allen:     The meaning of "this generation" is much disputed. Efforts like those of Jerome, to make it mean the Jewish race, or of Origen and Chrysostom, to refer it to all Christians, are arbitrary, and are to be rejected. "This generation" refers to the contemporaries of Jesus.

(4) Heinrich Meyer:     Ver. 34. Declaration to the effect that all this is to take place before the generation then living should pass away. (It is) well-nigh absurd (the) manner in which it has been attempted to force into the word genea such meaning as: The Creation, The Human Race, The Jewish Nation, The Class of Men Consisting of My Believers, The Generation of the Elect Now in Question, The Future Generation Which is to Witness Those Events... (The Second Coming) is to occur during the lifetime of the generation then existing.

(5) R.T. France:     (Genea) has been taken to mean The Jewish Race, or Unbelieving Judaism. It is unlikely that such an improbable meaning for the noun would have been suggested at all without the constraint of apologetic embarrassment...! Jesus was wrong.

(6) Floyd Filson:     The end... will come within a generation. Attempts to translate genea as: Human Race, Jewish Race are misguided; the word refers to the generation living when Jesus spoke.

(7) P. Davids, F.F. Bruce, M. Brauch:      This has been regarded as a hard saying.... Plainly the idea that the human race is meant cannot be entertained; every description of (the end of the world) implies that human beings will be around to witness it.... Nor is there much more to be said for the idea the Jewish race is meant; there is no hint anywhere in the New Testament that the Jewish race will cease to exist before the end of the world. In any case, what point would there be in such a vague prediction? It would be as much as to say, "At some time in the indefinite future all these things will take place." Jesus' hearers could have understood him to mean only that "all these things" would take place within their generation.... The phrase always means the generation now living.

(8) Bible Commentary:      ...seems to require us here to translate the word genea as meaning "generation," not, as it is sometimes rendered, race or people. (Generation) is the usual meaning.

(9) Rev. Patrick Fairbairn:     It has been maintained by some that... our Lord identified generation with the Jewish race.... But that is a very forced explanation; and not a single example can be produced of an entirely similar use of the word. Whatever difficulties may hang around the interpretation of that part of Christ's discourse, it is impossible to understand by "the generation that was not to pass away" anything but the existing race of men living at the time when the word was spoken.

(10) Bruce Chilton:     Some have sought to get around the force of (Mt. 24:34) by saying that the word generation here really means race, and that Jesus was simply saying that the Jewish race would not die out until all these things took place. Is that true? I challenge you: Get out your concordance and look up every New Testament occurrence of the word generation, and see if it ever means "race" in any other context.... Not one of these references is speaking of the entire Jewish race over thousands of years; all use the word in its normal sense of the sum total of those living at the same time. It always refers to contemporaries. In fact, those who say it means "race" tend to acknowledge this fact, but explain that the word suddenly changes its meaning when Jesus uses it in Matthew 24! We can smile at such a transparent error ....

(11) Dr. Albert Schweitzer:     These words (Mt. 24:34) must be strained into meaning, not that generation, but the Jewish people. Thus by exegetical art they are saved forever, for the Jewish race will never die out.

(12) Rev.  Milton Terry:     The various meanings which, under the pressure of a dogmatic (crisis), have been put upon the phrase "this generation" must appear in the highest degree absurd to an unbiased critic. It has been explained (away) as meaning: The Human Race [Jerome], The Jewish Race [Dorner], The Race of Christian Believers [Chrysostom].

(13)  Rev.  Stuart Russell:     It has been contended by many that in (Mt 24:34) the word genea should be rendered "race" or "nation...." But we think... without any shadow of doubt that the expression "this generation" so often employed by our Lord, always refers solely and exclusively to His contemporaries, the Jewish people of His own period.

References

References for 52 Translations of Matthew 24:34.

1) New American Standard Bible, 2) The Holy Bible [Knox], 3) Concordant Literal New Testament, 4) The Modern Reader's Bible, 5) The Complete Bible: An American Translation, 6) The New Testament [Cunnington], 7) The Emphasized New Testament, 8) The New King James Bible, 9) The New Testament in Modern English, 10) The New International Version, 11) New Revised Standard Version, 12) Revised Standard Version, 13) The New Testament [Anderson], 14) Young's Literal Translation, 15) American Standard Version, 16) King James Version, 17) Bible in Basic English, 18) Darby Bible, 19) International Standard Version, 20) 21st Century King James Version, 21) A Literal Translation of The Bible, 22) Green's Modern King James Version, 23) The Bible in Living English, 24) The New Jerusalem Bible, 25) The New Testament [Revised Rheims], 26) The New World Translation, 27) The New American Bible, 28) An American Translation, 29) The Riverside New Testament, 30) The New Testament [Wesley], 31) The Good News According to Matthew, 32) The New Testament in Basic English, 33) The Authentic New Testament, 34) The Corrected English New Testament, 35) The Four Gospels: A New Translation, 36) The New Testament According To The Eastern Text, 37) [A pre-published translation from the Aramaic by Alexander], 38) God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation, 39) Tyndale's New Testament, 40) The Twentieth Century New Testament, 41) The New Life Testament, 42) Centenary Translation of the New Testament, 43) The Holy Bible in Modern English, 44) The Bible: A New Translation, 45) The New English Bible, 46) The New Testament in Modern Speech, 47) The Berkeley Version, 48) The Scholar's Version, 49) Holy Bible: Contemporary English Version, 50) The Amplified New Testament, 51) The Everyday Bible, New Century Version, 52) Today's English Version.

References for 5 Greek Lexicons: genea.

1) Greek & English Lexicon of the New Testament [Robinson], 2) The New Analytical Greek Lexicon, 3) The Analytical Lexicon To The Greek New Testament [Mounce], 4) Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 5) A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament, Vol. 1 [Arndt & Gingrich].

References for 25 Bible Dictionaries: genea.

1) The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 2) The Imperial Bible Dictionary, 3) New Bible Dictionary, 4) Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 5) An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, 6) Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [Kittel], 7) The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, 8) Smith's Bible Dictionary, 9) Harper's Bible Dictionary, 10) The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary, 11) The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, 12) Mercer Dictionary of the Bible, 13) Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 14) Peloubet's Bible Dictionary, 15) Concise Dictionary of The Bible, 16) The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary, 17) Easton's Bible Dictionary, 18) Davis Dictionary of the Bible, 19) Today's Dictionary of the Bible, 20) A Dictionary of the Bible and Christian Doctrine in Everyday English, 21) Dictionary of The Bible, 22) A Biblical and Theological Dictionary, 23) A Dictionary of the Bible, 24) Cruden's Dictionary of Bible Terms, 25) The New Unger's Bible Dictionary.

References for 6 Bible Encylopedia: genea.

1) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 2) The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopaedia, 3) Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, 4) Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, 5) The Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature, 6) The Comprehensive Critical & Explanatory Bible Encyclopaedia.

References for 16 Bible Commentaries: genea.

1) Matthew [Hare], 2) The Expositor's Bible Commentary, 3) Commentary on the Gospel of Mark [Wm Lane], 4) The Wesleyan Bible Commentary [Earle], 5) The Expositor's Greek Testament [Bruce], 6) The Interpreter's Bible, 7) The Gospel of Matthew [Robinson], 8) New Century Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, 9) Word Pictures in the New Testament [A.T. Robinson], 10) Primitive Christian Eschatology [Dewick], 11) The Eschatology of Jesus [Muirhead], 12) The Jerome Biblical Commentary, 13) The Interpreter's Bible [vol. 7], 14), The Interpreter's Bible [vol. 8], 15) Peake's Commentary, 16) The NIV Matthew Henry Commentary.

References for Nine Christian Scholars & Authors: genea & Matthew 24:34.

1) Future Survival, Chuck Smith, The Word for Today, Costa Mesa, CA 1978, page 17

2) The Life of Jesus Critically Examined, Dr. David Friedrich Strauss, Sigler Press, Ramsey, NJ  1994, page 587

3) Jesus and The Last Days, George Murray, Hendrickson Pub., Peabody, Mass. 1993, pages 443-444

4) The Quest of the Historical Jesus, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Macmillian, NY, 1968, page 240

5) Last Days Madness, Gary DeMar, American Vision Inc., Atlanta, GA 1994, page 114

6) The Parousia, Stuart Russell, T. Fisher Unwin Pub., London, 1887, page 84

7) The Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, Penguin Books, NY  1985, page 276

8) Apocalypse of The Gospels, Milton Terry, (1819), chapter 18 reprinted and its pages renumbered in 1992 by John Bray, PO Box 90129, Lakeland, FL  33804, pages 34 & 38

9) Dr. William Lane Craig lecture attended by Mark Smith, given at Hope Chapel, Hermosa Beach, CA, 1-11-99, statement @ 8:33 PM

 

References for 13 Scholars: The "Race" Argument.

1) Matthew, Douglas Hare, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1993, p. 281

2) The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Alan Hugh M'Neile, Macmillan & Co., London 1949, p. 354-355

3) The Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 8, Clifton Allen, ed.,  Broadman Press, Nashville, TN  1969, p. 221

4) Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book To The Gospel of Matthew,  Heinrich Meyer (1883), Alpha Pub., Winona Lake, IN  1980, p. 426

5) The Gospel According to Matthew, R.T. France, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 1985, p. 346

6) A Commentary on The Gospel According to St. Matthew, Floyd Filson, Adam & Charles Black Pub., London,  1960, p. 257

7) Hard Sayings of the Bible, W. Kaiser, P. Davids, F.F. Bruce, M. Brauch, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Ill, 1996, pp. 445-448

8) Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, Charles Scribner's Sons, NY  1901, p. 144

9) The Imperial Bible Dictionary, Vol. II, Rev. Patrick Fairbairn, Blackie & Son, London, 1885, p. 352

10) The Great Tribulation, David Chilton, Dominion Press, Ft. Worth, TX  1987, p. 3

11) The Quest of the Historical Jesus, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Macmillian, NY, 1968, p. 22

12) Apocalypse of The Gospels, Milton Terry (1819), chapter 18 reprinted and its pages renumbered in 1992 by John Bray, PO Box 90129, Lakeland, FL  33804, p. 34

13) The Parousia, J. Stuart Russell, T. Fisher Unwin Pub., London, 1887, p. 85

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Date:

04 Dec 2003

Time:

07:28:08

according to matt 24:36 not even the Son nows about that "day". obviously Jesus had no inkling what his father had intended. so, Matt23:34 was unreliable. like a mistake on Jesus' part, after all Jesus was part human .

Date:

12 Jan 2004

Time:

19:32:13

Comments

Praise God for the truth!

Date:

01 Mar 2004

Time:

11:30:30

Comments

Amos 3:7 "Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets." Malachi 3:1,2 "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, "He is coming," says the Lord of hosts." But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderers' soap." Malachi 4;5,6 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." Matthew 17:11 & Mark 9:12 "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things." Sir: These citations tell of an end-time prophet coming before the return of Christ, likened to John the Baptist in the spirit and power of Elijah, who is to restore all things. Although Malachi 3:1 was partially fulfilled by John the Baptist, the prophecies cannot exclusively refer to John the Baptist, because by the time of Matthew 17:11 & Mark 9:12, John had already been beheaded (Matthew 14:1-12 & Mark 6:14-29). Therefore, when will these prophecies be fulfilled? Yours in Christ, George Fitt g.fitt@charter.net

Date:

22 Mar 2004

Time:

22:23:18

Comments

The building of doctrine based on one verse is spurious at best. There are many things in the Bible not fulfilled... so you either need plausible literal explanations for them (not allegories) or you need to find another interpretation. For instance, Matthew 24:9 has not been fulfilled v23 and v27 has also not happened. And when did "all the tribes of the earth mourn" (v30)? Where are the multitude of false prophets showing false signs and wonders? Were they in the first century? No.. how about our century? When was the sun darkened and the moon diminished and stars falling from heaven? "... in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying 'Where is the promise of His coming?'... (2 Peter 3:3-4)

Date:

31 Mar 2004

Time:

01:28:01

Comments

I would like to add at least a short comment concerning the post on 22 March, 2004. I can only assume that you have not actually read any or much of the preterist or partial preterist views. Also, I fear that your understanding of OT language is also lacking at least in this area. While I by no means am a spokes person for preterism, I can at least comment on this: Matthew 24:9 was perfectly fulfilled in the acts of the apostles. That is, the people whom Jesus said would be persecuted, were persecuted. Much of the NT and NT history is based on it. External sources also tesitify to the persecution of beleivers int he first century. v.23 was easily fulfilled (and do not make the mistake of assuming that some or all of these things cannot also happen to other people in history. However, this is a prophecy about these disciples and these things were prophecied to happened to them and their contemporaries). Again, this is not a critical response, but you will easily find all the references you need to these comments throughout this site if you look. You can also read much of the NT where references are made to false teachers, etc. and you can also read Josephus and other historians of the period and find this information. v.27 Verse 27 is simply saying that what is going to happen is going to be as obvious and clear to everyone as lightning flashing across the sky would be. Not all language is to be taken literally. If you are to write a prophecy about someone in the year 3006 who will do a bunch of stuff and then "kick the bucket" and in that day someone does all of the things but for some reason he died before he ever kicked a bucket, are they interpreting yourp rophecy wrong? Of course they are. They are guilty of not taking language usage into account. You get the idea. v.30 While there is debate about this verse, I do not believe it is saying that every person in the world is going to mourn when Jesus comes back. First, futurist often hold that this is the case. But are we to assume that every person alive on the entire earth is going to mourn or cry when Jesus comes back in some yet future time? I would be happy! After all, isn't this what you are looking forward to?? Of course, and just as such all inclusive language is used even today (we say that Everybody hates me, or the world is going crazy! or when the Yankees win the Penant the whole world will celebrate, etc.) the same language was used then to refer to all the people who were taking part or witnessing the event. Again, if you are going to suggest that this passage is yet future because not everyone in the world was mourning, then you have to explain why literally everyone in the world would mourn when Christ returns. There is more to this but like i keep saying, this is just meant to encourage you to look around before you make such dogmatic comments. Sun moon and stars? Read the OT. They were "darkened and fell" often. Do you really think this means that starrs are going to fall to the earth? How could anything take place on earth after even one star hit it? Everything would be destroyed. And if you want to suggest they are asteroids, etc. as some try to do, then frankly you have the same problem. First, the earth could not stand many asteroids hitting it. Second, even if they were the tiniest asteroids, it a multitide hit the earth as to compare to the number of stars in the sky, well, you see what I mean. There are a lot of stars up there. If that many grains of sand hit the earth we would be in trouble. False teachers, etc.? See above and read NT and First Century historians. The reference to 2 Peter 3 will also be demonstrated if you read through the information on this site. However, let's look at this in another way. When has there NOT been a time of people saying "Where is the promise of His coming?" I mean, for 2000 years, people have been trying to predict the return of the Lord, yet all of their predictions have failed. Each of those people and the people who trusted them and listened to them have said, Where is he? Just as clearly, people int he first century asked such questions. Finally, although you obviously believe that the passage refers to some yet future event, if you would read the discourses in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, you would find that our Lord Jesus, while speaking directly to his disciples and responding to questions that they asked him, told him that these things would happen to them. To THEM. I know the debate about whether THEY were the ones referred to, however, jusr sit down and read it. If Jesus came to you and told you such things what would you think he meant? If he told you such things but was not referring to you at all, that would just be silly. Just read Matthew 24.1-12 and try to find a point where you can refocus the attention on some yet future event and not on the disciples to whom he said: See that no one misleads YOU.

Date:

31 Mar 2004

Time:

01:42:07

Comments

Sorry, I always say short, then I go on and on. I have still not read it for spelling erros, etc. forgive me if it is messy (the above comment) I just want people to be fair and learn about what they intend to criticize. Therefore, let me make another comment about the first post! : ) 04 Dec 2003Time: 07:28:08 First, to suggest that mt 24.34 is unreliable is moving toward flat out dangerous exegesis. In fact, I have to ask whether you are a Christian or not. Either way, but my point is that such a comment is dangerous for a Christian to make. Besides that it is wrong. To suggest that mt 24.36 says that Jesus "had no inkling what his father had intended" is poor interpretation. Obviously Jesus had "some inkly" as to his fathers intentions, because he is telling them right now! You admit that you believe and appeal to the scripture when it says that Jesus did not know the "day" (actually day and hour), so why do you not appeal to the scripture and admit that he did know the "generation"? Reference is also made early on comparing all of this to child birth, as the beginning of these things ar the beginning of birth pains. We can be pretty confident that the delivery of the child will take place in about 9 months, but we do not necessarily know the day and hour. (and certainly they did not know such things as they did not have the medical advances we have today whereby we can often predict down to a day or two sometimes.) Also, while this needs more working out and discussion than one can give here, the fact that Jesus was part human (as you put it, though the actual theological understanding of his divinity and humanity might be better understood as being fully each of these) does not mean that he was given to making mistakes. That statement looks more like an excuse we make today as we justify sin in our lives by saying that we're only human. That Jesus was part or fully uman does not mean that he made mistakes in general or mistakes of this nature (eg. those given in prophecy) Might he have accidentally called someone by the wrong name, mistaking them for someone else? I suppose. But would the Lord God omnipotent give such a solemn prophecy concerning what was obviously such a significant event to him (the destruction of the temple or the final coming depending on your view) and then make mistakes? I do not believe this is so. No, more naturally is the interpretation that he did know that these thigns were going to happen sometime soon but simply did not know the exact day and hour.

Date:

10 Jan 2005

Time:

15:30:55

Comments

I think you guys are all going to hell and your sending people to hell. A comment, from me to you.

Date: 02 Nov 2005
Time: 08:28:53

Comments:

The difficulty in understanding this passage is complicated by those who would cram their own interpretation into the passage. The Bible is consistent. When "genea" refers to that present generation in all other passages, it cannot change meaning to suit the futurists.

So many try to insert their own thoughts into Scripture rather than letting Scripture speak for itself. These people are afraid to walk by faith based on the fact that they cannot comprehend that this is the Kingdom era. To look around at the earth and explain it by experience rather than Scripture is to commit a serious error. "That which is seen was created by that which is not seen."

Christ Jesus is reigning now. He finished the work completely. It would be easy to justify my sinfulness by waiting on a future kingdom where I will be perfect. Colossians says "ye are complete IN HIM."

John Bateman
Pastor

Date: 08 Sep 2006
Time: 20:12:33

Comments:

Matthew 24:34 is a clear and explicit expression done by the Lord to clarify all the context to his audience. He wanted to close any door to doubts about the completion of the events so that the same could be understood in the prophetic and historical point of view. The redemption time was a very relevant matter for the diciples to be aware of.
Juan C. Peña Marrero - Pastor juanka567@hotmail.com

Date: 09 Sep 2006
Time: 12:06:07

Comments:

I think the word in contention here is "ALL". As He often did, Jesus spoke both in present tense and in future tense. He told the disciples of things that were going to happen to them and to the present generation. He also told them of things that were going to happen after that IF the Father's timetable provided for it. He made it clear He did not know what that timetable was.

I have a real difficult time accepting anybody (Scholar or not) who says Jesus made a "mistake" attributable to his humanity. Just think where that takes you. Jesus (the infalable) spoke the truth. The problem is with the falable human's who wrote down what He said.

It's a lot more plausible to think that the writers of the Gospels or more likely someone later on translated the wrong word or that Jesus never said ALL these things as some bible translations state.

In all due respect to Pastor Bateman, I don't see how he could possible see this world as being the one ruled by Jesus.

Date: 02 Oct 2006
Time: 05:05:20

Comments:

matt. 24 v-34
in my opinion this verse means that the generation that see's these things come to pass on the earth will not pass (not "away"!!)kjv. before Jesus returns with his bride, who went to meet the Lord in the air (rapture)3 1/2 or 7 years earlier. The word "pass" here I think refers to the rapture. Just as it was the younger generation that God allowed to cross the Jordon river to take possession of the promise land and to celebrate the feast of Tabanacles ,It will be the older generations that will experinence the fulfilment of Tabanacles first. God cannot be accused of making unsaved children of raptured parents orphan's. This fits in with Rev.ch 7 v.1-3 which suggests that the seals have already been put on the heads of His servants for the millenial age now that the earth is being devastated by wind, and waves and the trees destroyed. 2 Tim.ch2,v.11-12. I am of the opinion that this started in 1967, the six day war being the sign post.
Dictionary definition of "pass"- to go onwards, to go through,to go beyond,to transfer , to undergo change or transition etc.
doufin@dodo.com.au

Date: 14 Dec 2006
Time: 12:11:24

Comments:

Revelation 21:3 is the promise (fulfilled) of his coming : NOW , NOW , NOW the kingdom of God is With Men... THE HOPE IS FULFILLED. Hope is no longer hope when that hope has been fulfilled.

Date: 09 Apr 2007
Time: 07:27:56

Comments:

Why would Jesus used race when he told them to go
to lost house sheep of isreal he new there race.The problem goes back to matt,24-3 the temple
is gone so how are the people today work with these
verse here,He used This Generation He could just
have said your not this Generation it's for an verily verily long time to come