Speaking of the time of Jesus’ coming, Jesus states:

³⁴ Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.

Matthew 24

What did Jesus mean by ‘this generation‘?

There are essentially 3 views that are commonly held:

Preterist view

Preterists hold that every reference by Jesus to “this generation” refers to the people alive in his time; the consistent rule of interpretation must mean that Jesus is referring to his contemporaries. They argue, rightly in my view, if “generation” is to be a literal understanding of time, then “this” should also be literal. Simply, they argue Jesus said “this generation” and did not say “that generation” which might see these events in the future.

There is some internally consistent evidence to back this up. The temple buildings and stones that would be thrown down, which Jesus referred to as a sign of his coming and end of the age, did in fact occur approximately 40 years later. If we take Jesus at his word, Jesus was referring to stones that were part of the temple at the time and not future stones in a future temple.

Included in Matthew 24’s things that happen to “this generation“, is Jesus’ claim his 2nd coming will be unmistakable, and the instruction to disbelieve claims he returned unnoticed. This is the fatal flaw of Preterism, although not its only flaw.

While preterists love to say they are taking Jesus at his word, they do not actually take everything in this passage to be literal. For example, in verse 9, Jesus says “….You will be hated by all nations because of my name….”. Clearly, the gospel not having gone very far by the time of the destruction of the temple in AD.70, it cannot be true that all nations hated his followers, as most of the world had not even heard of Christians. So preterists hold some parts of this passage to be literal, but not other parts.

When considering all the events Jesus describes as occurring to ‘this generation’ even the preterist requires more than 40 years: from AD30 at the death of Jesus to AD.70, the destruction of the temple, and alleged Abomination of Desolation, it ignores the time of the great tribulation and desolation and persecution that comes after this event. But, while there are possible explanations for a longer generation, Jesus did not return in the manner promised within that period of time, and so this is a fatal flaw of preterism.

This summary does not address the preterist’s misunderstanding of the Abomination of Desolation as AD.70 does not fit Daniel’s time as required by Jesus.

Futurist view

Futurists disparage preterist’s inconsistent literalism. However Futurists, while also claiming to hold to a literal understanding, also have inconsistencies in their treatment of this passage:

1. They do not believe it is “this generation”, instead prefer to understand it as “that generation”, without scriptural support (except perhaps Hebrews 3:10 which is often translated as “that generation”).
2. They ignore that Jesus was referring to stones and buildings in front of him, instead preferring to apply this to a future temple and its destruction.
3. The futurist assumes all the events of Matthew 24 will fit into the span of a generation.
4. Also ignored is the requirement that the Abomination of Desolation fit Daniel’s time frame fulfilled by the Dome of the Rock. Instead, they prefer to have a new Abomination of Desolation set up.

Spiritual view

This is called the spiritual view because of its understanding of specific terms.

Within Matthew 24, there is a list of events that must take place before Jesus’ return:

1. Destruction of the temple.
2. Wars, many wars, kingdom against kingdom
3. Many famines and earthquakes
4. The Abomination of Desolation set up
5. The Great Tribulation
6. Desolation
7. More persecution
8. culmination in the return of Christ wherein all nations will mourn.

To the Spiritualist, just the labour pains indicate that the time period that Jesus is referring to is much more than a single generation of 40 years.

Spiritualist interpretations do not agree with preterists that every use of “this generation” is a literal reference to Jesus’ contemporaries exclusively.

Matthew 24:34 uses the Greek word genea (G1074) which is used 42 times in 37 verses in the New Testament.

Let’s look at a specific verse that uses “this generation”.

¹² Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

Mark 8

Taking “this generation” literally, it is simply untrue that “this generation” received no sign of Jesus’ Messiahship. Jesus did many miracles and other signs (John 11:47; 12:37; 20:30), how can this claim be true?

The answer lies in Jesus’ repeated statements that it was an evil and perverse generation (Matthew 13:39; 16:4). Jesus spoke in parables to prevent people from understanding (Mark 4:10-12). To those whom the secret of the kingdom of God is being given, understanding would be given. This is also true of signs. If you see and recognise a sign, then it is for you. If you do not recognise a sign, it is just background noise. Just as the parables were for those who were being given the secret of the kingdom of God, so too were signs for those people being given the kingdom. This is essentially Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 14:22.

This is clear in the following passage:

For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Mark 8:38

Here the term “this generation” is given the adjectives adulterous and sinful. But it should be plain to all, these are characteristics (adulterous and sinful) are not exclusive to those alive at the time, nor that Jesus’ warning of his denial of them before the Father no longer applies to Christians because we were part of that generation in time.

The generation that Jesus was speaking to was not more wicked than previous generations who killed the prophets, nor more wicked than our own generation. Jesus was saying that the generation of the wicked will not be given a sign, and the generation of those being given the kingdom of heaven (the generation of the righteous) will have a sign. This is not an issue of Gen X, or Gen Y, but of a type of people. This is clear from many uses of ‘generation’ throughout the New Testament.

Such is the generation of those who inquire of him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Psalm 24:6

In the context of Matthew 24’s “this generation”, Jesus has just been saying how broad the persecution of believers would be, how they would be killed and betrayed etc., and how only those who persevere to the end will be saved and that except that the days are shortened, no one would be left alive. Jesus is saying that these terrible things are going to come on believers and then he states, “this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.“

Jesus is referring to believing Christians: believing Christians (aka, this generation) will remain in the world. Many will die and be martyred, but believers will always be there to bear witness.

This is more clearly understood if we include the previous chapter in our contextual understanding. In Matthew 23, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees saying:

³¹ So you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors’ sins!…³⁵ So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ Truly I tell you, all these things will come on this generation.”

Matthew 23

To whom was Jesus speaking? “This generation” or “that generation”? Or was he speaking of a type of people: the wicked?

God does not punish the sons for the sins of the fathers; the Pharisees are not more guilty of the blood of the prophets than their fathers who actually killed the prophets – to the point that Jesus told them to “fill up to the measure of their ancestors’ sins”. Despite the claim of Jesus, the Pharisees did not actually murder Zechariah; Jesus was speaking of the evil that the wicked generations/people will be charged with, and included the Pharisees in with the type of people who make up wicked generations. Jesus then contrasts the wicked generations with the saints in chapter 24, and speaking of believers, after all the persecution they will face, “this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.” Jesus is promising that believers will remain, in contrast to the “generation” of the Pharisees/wicked.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light…

1 Peter 2:9

Not a single Christian applies 1 Peter 2:9 to the saints of the first century alone, but to all Christians: they are the chosen generation, and according to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24, they will endure and they will witness all the things foretold.

APPENDIX

Use of generation in the New Testament

Uses of the word “generation” (genos– G1085) in scripture. It is translated as “generation” as well as “kind” (5x), “kindred” (3x), “offspring” (3x), “nation” (2x), “stock” (2x), “born” (2x), “diversity” (1x). A quick glance at how “genos” is used in the New Testament when it is not translated as “generation”.

Offspring

• Acts 17:28 & 29
• Revelation 22:16

Family/Kindred/Kind

• Matt 13:47
• Matthew 17:21
• Mark 9:29
• Acts 4:6
• Acts 7:13
• Acts 7:19
• 1 Corinthians 12:10
• 1 Corinthians 14:10

Stock/Race

• Mark 7:26
• Galatians 1:14
• Acts 13:26
• Philemon 3:5
• 1 Peter 2:9

Born

• Acts 18:2
• Acts 18:24

Nationality/Country

• Mark 7:26
• Acts 4:36
• 2 Corinthians 11:26