This GENERATION shall not pass away!
They will see ALL fulfilled
"TRULY I SAY To You, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place" (Matthew 24:34 Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32 NKJV). During the last l00 years, this has been one of the most controversial passages in Bible prophecy. Many prophecy teachers have used it to explain when they believe God will fulfill the prophetic events of the Olivet Discourse. What are the various views? EXAMINING THE VIEWS The Fig Tree View One major view is that "this generation" refers to those who see the rebirth of the nation of Israel, which occurred in 1948. This view teaches that within a generation (40 years) of Israel's becoming a nation again, the Lord would return. Adding 40 to 1948, the proponents of this view erroneously came up with 1988 as the year of Christ's return. More recently, others have suggested using 1967 (when Israel took full possession of Jerusalem) as the starting date. (AND THEY WERE WRONG ALSO! IT IS NOW 2009. The book from whence this article comes was written in 2004. They are all wrong on their date setting. Yes, I well remember many "fundamental" prophets in the early 1980s writing articles and whole books, teaching Jesus would return by 1988 or at least the Great Tribulation would start by that year - folly of the fundamentalists - Keith Hunt) This is based upon the belief that "the fig tree" in Matthew 24:32 is a symbol for the reconstitution of Israel as a nation. Thus, the generation that saw Israel become a nation would also see the second coming. Unfortunately, this view has several problems. First, Jesus never indicates that the fig tree actually represents Israel. In Luke 21:29, Jesus refers to "the fig tree and all the trees" in the same illustration. Second, this view takes Christ's illustration of the fig tree a step further than Jesus intended. In other words, Jesus used the appearance of leaves on a fig tree as an illustration about the signs of that time. Some have taken that illustration and turned it into a prophecy. The context clearly indicates that Jesus only intended to use the fig tree as an illustration and not to provide additional prophecy. (THAT IS VERY TRUE - Keith Hunt) The Preterist View Gary DeMar (pp.66-67) says, "The generation that was in existence when Jesus addressed His disciples would not pass away until all the events that preceded verse 34 came to pass." In contrast with fellow preterist Kenneth Gentry, DeMar believes that this passage requires that all of Matthew 24 and 25 must have been fulfilled in some way by A.D.70 through the Roman invasion and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. DeMar (p. 68) says, "Every time 'this generation' is used in the New Testament, it means, without exception, the generation to whom Jesus was speaking." But the phrase "this generation" does not have to refer to those who are alive at the time the term is used. For example, "this generation" in Hebrews 3:10 clearly refers to the generation of Israelites that wandered in the wilderness for 40 years during the Exodus. (Yes, guys like DeMar are WRONG! - Keith Hunt) FINDING THE CORRECT VIEW - The Context But how is it that almost all of the other New Testament uses of "this generation" are considered to refer to Christ's contemporaries, whereas the usage in Matthew 24:34 is not? We determine this by examining how each is used in its context. For example, Mark 8:12 says, "Sighing deeply in His spirit, [Jesus] said, 'Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.'" Why do we conclude that "this generation" in this passage refers to Christ's contemporaries? We know this because the referent in this passage is to Christ's contemporaries, who were seeking for a sign from Jesus. Thus, it refers to Christ's contemporaries because of the controlling factor of the immediate context. DeMar and many preterists incorrectly interpret the phrase "this generation" in Matthew 24:34 to mean exactly the same as it does in Mark 8:12. However, each passage must be studied individually as well as in comparison with other texts. Context is the most important factor in determining the exact meaning or referent under discussion. That is how one is able to realize that most of the other uses of "this generation" refer to Christ's contemporaries. Matthew 23:36 says, "Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation." (CONTEXT, yes context, as I give emphasis to on this Website, is the correct way to go - Keith Hunt) DeMar: To whom does "this generation" refer? In this context, this generation" refers to Christ's contemporaries because of contextual support. "This generation" is governed or controlled grammatically by the phrase "all these things," which refers to the judgments that Christ pronounces in Matthew 22-23. Each time the New Testament mentions "this generation," the meaning is determined by what it modifies in its immediate context. The Grammatical Relationship DeMar insists that the near demonstrative pronoun "this" always ties the time when something will take place to the speaker's present moment. This is not the case. Greek grammarian Daniel Wallace (p.325) says, "The near/far distinctions of 'outos' [this] and 'ekeinos' can refer either to that which is near/far in the (1) context, (2) in the writer's mind, or (3) in space of time of the writer or audience." Thus, Wallace notes that speakers can use a near demonstrative pronoun in at least three ways. Just because Jesus spoke the phrase "this generation" in the first century does not mean that He always had His contemporaries in mind, as preterists presuppose. Instead, the grammatical use of "this" allows Jesus to speak in the first century but prophetically look ahead to a distant time. The phrase "all these things" governs the meaning of "this generation." Since the evidence demonstrates that none of those things were fulfilled in the A.D.70 destruction of Jerusalem, then Christ was pointing to another time period. (AND I FULLY AGREE! - Keith Hunt) EXPLAINING THE CORRECT VIEW We know that "this generation" in Matthew 24:34 (see also Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32) does not refer to Christ's contemporaries because the governing referent to "this generation" is "all these things." Jesus is giving an extended prophetic discourse of future events, so one must first determine the nature of "all these things" prophesied in verses 4 through 33 to know what generation Christ is referencing. "All these things" did not take place in the first century, so Christ must be speaking of a future generation. He is saying that the generation that sees "all these things" occur will not cease to exist until all the events of the future Tribulation are literally fulfilled. Christ is speaking not to His contemporaries, but to the generation that witnesses the signs of Matthew 24. Darrell Bock (pp.691-92), in commenting on the parallel passage in Luke's Gospel, concurs: What Jesus is saying is that the generation that sees the beginning of the end, also sees its end. When the signs come, they will proceed quickly; they will not drag on for many generations. It will happen within a generation.... The tradition reflected in Revelation shows that the consummation comes very quickly once it comes .... Nonetheless, in the discourse's prophetic context, the remark comes after making comments about the nearness of the end to certain signs. As such it is the issue of the signs that controls the passage's force, making this view likely. If this view is correct, Jesus says that when the signs of the beginning of the end come, then the end will come relatively quickly, within a generation. The preterist argument reverses the interpretative process by declaring first that "this generation" has to refer to Christ's contemporaries and then insisting that "all these things" had to be fulfilled in the first century. "This generation" does not refer to first-century events, nor is it related to our own day. Christ used that statement to mean that the generation that sees the events of the seven-year (NOW WE HAVE A MISTAKE. The Bible teaches no such idea as a 7 year Tribulation period. The book of Revelation tells of 42 months, 1260 days, a time and times and half a time - THREE AND A HALF YEARS, which covers BOTH the Great Tribulation and the "day of the Lord." Daniel 12 adds an extra month or so. The "fundamentalists" get this idea of 7 years of Tribulation from Daniel 9. Elsewhere on this Website you will find an in-depth study of Daniel's 70 week prophecy. The "old" (2 and 3 hundred years ago) fundamental Bible guys like Adam Clarke, Matthew Henry and others, had the understanding of Daniel 9 correct! The newer fundamental prophets have it all wrong! - Keith Hunt) Tribulation period would be the same generation that sees His second coming. This understanding fits the grammar and context of the passage, and furthermore, harmonizes with the rest of biblical teaching related to the events of the coming Tribulation period. (Yes I agree - THIS GENERATION THAT SEES THE END TIME Keith Hunt THOMAS ICE ...... Bibliography Bock, Darrell L. "Luke 9:51-24:53." Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996. Carson, D.A. "Exegetical Fallacies." Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1984. ............................. |
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