An Alternate View of Jesus’ Use of the Phrase “This Generation” in Matthew 24:34.
The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel
Introduction
This paper represents an attempt to put to rest what many view as a "controversial" statement of Jesus. Namely, his apparent prediction of his return within the 1st century. This is a point of contention that may lead some to dismiss the faith and others to warp the statement or adopt the Full Preterist viewpoint which wrongly assumes that Jesus has already returned. Even C.S. Lewis has been quoted as saying he believed Jesus may have spoken in error due to his own limited knowledge while he was here on earth (see Essay "The World's Last Night" 1960) – found in The Essential C.S. Lewis. The statement of Jesus occurs in Matthew 24:34-35 where Jesus declares, "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." The "things" he refers to encompass many end-times predictions (including his glorious Second Coming) as well as some things that were at least prefigured at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. A quick search online suggests that there are at least three commonly held views of this passage, and one (heretical) fourth view:
1) That "all these things" refers only to the destruction of Jerusalem which already occurred and does not refer to his Second Coming.
2) That "This Generation" refers to the generation alive at the time that the end-times predictions begin to come to pass. In other words, "This Generation that I was just referring to in my last end-times statement will not pass away until all these things I am predicting take place."
3) That Jesus used the term "This Generation" to refer to the Jewish people. The Jewish people would continue to exist until his return.
4) Full Preterism (Heretical): Jesus has already come back and everything he predicted took place while the generation he was speaking to was still alive in the 1st Century.
The first explanation just doesn't seem very convincing because he really does appear to be referring to all of his Matthew 24 predictions, not just some of them. And, while I appreciate their honesty in trying to take Jesus at his word (as they understood it, or misunderstood it), I reject the fourth (Full Preterist) view. The notion that he has already returned is clearly unbiblical for many reasons that we will not get into here.
So, we are left with options two and three above. While these two appear to be satisfactory explanations, I do have some objection to them, and would like to offer an alternate view. It is similar to the Jewish people interpretation, but a bit more nuanced. Moreover, I believe it is an elegant solution that ties together all Biblically relevant uses of the term. This view developed as I read the many references that Christ made to "This Generation" throughout the gospels. However, it did not solidify until I discovered an Old Testament reference to “This Generation” (…in Deuteronomy of all places!).
As I read Jesus’ many utterances of the term “This Generation,” I was struck by the sense that this phrase held some special significance to Christ. Was he citing something his Jewish audience might have recognized? And, in any event, it seemed unwise to isolate Matthew 24:34 as though that were the only time he used the phrase. As we will see, there are many other notable examples of this phrase that others who have studied this passage have largely ignored. We would do well to examine these before making a final determination about Matthew 24:34.
Why Bother?
Why bother to spend so much time on this passage? Well, for starters, if Jesus wrongly predicted his first century return then the Bible itself would identify him as a false prophet and worthy of the death penalty. That is a serious matter!
Deuteronomy 18:20-22: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'--when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”
Furthermore, even if the two remaining interpretations are somewhat satisfactory, they left me with the feeling that something was missing. For example, when referring to the Jewish people in Luke 21:23, he states "there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people [laos]. If "This Generation" referred simply to Jewish people regardless of their place in the epoch or their state of belief, then perhaps he would have said "laos" instead of "genea." And, although I was impressed with the scholarship and arguments presented in one article I read on "This Generation" referring to the generation that is alive when all “these things” begin to take place, I could not shake the feeling that there was more going on here. As stated above, Jesus’ use of the phrase wasn’t limited only to Matthew 24:34, so shouldn’t we review his other references to it before making a final judgement? Also, if we accept that “This Generation” in Matthew 24:34 refers only to the generation alive during the Tribulation, it would be one of the few times that Jesus used the term in that sense, for he spoke this phrase to people and about people standing directly in front of him all the other times he used this term. In those cases, it was clearly directed to people he was interacting with in the first century. So, either these people are representatives of a larger group of people spanning an Age (as I have defined in this paper) or he is using “This Generation” in an entirely different sense in Matthew 24:34. Given the number of times he used this term, it seems unlikely that he would use it in a totally different way in Matthew 24:34. It is for this reason, I believe the definition of “This Generation” presented in this paper is more consistent with the entirety of its usage by Jesus throughout the gospels.
Take a step back and look at the way Jesus frames it: After making a series of dire predictions you can imagine him pausing, making eye contact with his audience, and then uttering the mysterious phrase: “Truly, I say to you, 'this generation' will not pass away until all these things take place." One who has read through the Gospels is instantly reminded of his comments about eating his body and drinking his blood (John 6:53), or to beware of the “yeast of the pharisees,” (Mark 8:15) or to destroy “this temple” and I will rebuild it in three days (John 2:19), or that one must be “born again” (John 3:4). These are all concepts that can be easily misunderstood unless we look at Jesus’ intended meaning when he uses a defined term - especially if that term is pulled from an Old Testament passage in its first usage.
Warning! Beware when Jesus introduces a concept by saying “Truly, I say to you!” for what follows will often be a spiritual mystery and may require spiritual insight and/or persistence to properly discern. See: http://jesuscentricchristianity.typepad.com/the_seven_mysteries/2007/03/the_rabbinic_te.html Jewish rabbis often employed teaching methods such as the Mashal and Nimshal: where a parable (Mashal) is told containing a treasure of wisdom that can only be understood rightly when you are presented with the Nimshal (key) to unlocking the meaning of the parable (an early example occurs in the parable told by Nathan in 2 Samuel 12 where David did not immediately grasp that the parable was about himself!). Similarly, these defined phrases of Jesus invite further examination. For example: the phrase "Son of Man" comes from the book of Daniel, and it would greatly impede our understanding of Jesus’ intended meaning if we ignored where it came from. In these instances, we can determine what Jesus was thinking when he uses a certain phrase by looking at all the times he uses the phrase in the New Testament and what (if any) Old Testament passages it may mirror. In addition, some of the Epistles may give a glimpse into what the Apostles thought he meant by certain things, and these should not be overlooked since the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and Jesus spent years explaining these things to them. Could “This Generation” then be viewed as one of Jesus’ defined terms to which he attached special significance? I believe so, and it is for that reason that I have capitalized the phrase throughout this paper.
So, What Did He Mean?
After careful study, I believe Jesus' use of the phrase "This Generation" is not merely a reference to the Jewish people, but rather it is defined as The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel. This Generation is thus characterized by Israel’s willful and crooked unbelief that began when Messiah was physically present on earth, and that will continue from that point until Israel finally accepts him (at the end of the current Age). His declaration in Matthew 24:34 could then be restated as follows, “Truly, I say to you, The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel will not pass away until all these things take place." That would flow and it would be an elegantly simple solution to all the strife, would it not? This also fits perfectly with a pre-tribulation Rapture. Who would be left behind at the Rapture? Unbelieving Israel. Who would need to heed Jesus’ watchfulness warnings in the Olivet Discourse? Israel (who is by that time converting to belief in their Messiah). These unbelieving descendants of Jacob will turn to Jesus after the Rapture and will be faithfully watching for the Second Coming. To be sure, those alive during the Tribulation will be the ones to see “all these things take place” but they are also part of the entire “Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel,” for they shared in This Generation’s “crooked and blind” nature until after the Rapture occurred. Once these End-Times Jews are saved and any remaining unbelievers are judged, then This crooked Generation (which spanned over 2000 years) will have finally “passed away.” So, this view does not directly contradict the “Jewish people” or the “alive when these future things take place” interpretations, but rather expands and clarifies them while also supporting a pre-tribulation Rapture. To further support this The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel interpretation, we will look at all of the relevant passages, starting with the Old Testament. Remember, Jesus was a Jew, speaking to Jews, so any defined term would likely come from the Old Testament. And indeed it does!
The Birth of “This Generation” as a Defined Term of Significance to Christ
First, we must go all the way back to the book of Deuteronomy. In Deut 18:15-19 we have one of the earliest Messianic prophesies from Moses himself,
“15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you – from your fellow Israelites; you must listen to him. 16 This accords with what happened at Horeb in the day of the assembly. You asked the Lord your God: ‘Please do not make us hear the voice of the Lord our God any more or see this great fire any more lest we die.’ 17 The Lord then said to me, ‘What they have said is good. 18 I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command. 19 I will personally hold responsible anyone who then pays no attention to the words that prophet speaks in my name.” (emphasis added).
Since Deut. 34:10 confirms there has never been another prophet “like Moses” whom the LORD dealt with face to face, only Messiah could fit that description. And Jesus took up this mantle when he stated, “48 The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day. 49 For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak.” John 12:48-49 (emphasis added). Jesus was the prophet that Moses predicted would come and speak to the people of Israel the exact words of God. Therefore, not to listen would be an act of wickedness against God himself. Sadly, in the Song of Moses (what some would call the “National Anthem” of Israel) Moses also predicted what would happen when that prophet arrived. His people would “[pay] no attention to the words that prophet [spoke].” (Deut. 18:19). And so Moses warned them about their future rejection of Messiah: “His people have been unfaithful to him; they have not acted like his children - this is their sin. They are a crooked and twisted generation.” (Deut. 32:5). And, “He said, ‘I will reject them, I will see what will happen to them; for they are a perverse generation [dor h1755], children in whom is no faithfulness.’” (Deut 32:20). Keep those words, “crooked,” “twisted,” “faithless” (in the sense of being disloyal), and “perverse” in mind - we will come back to them soon. Similar to Moses, John tells us that he [Jesus] came to his own and his own did not receive him (John 1:11). You can hear the heartache and even exasperation of Jesus toward his own, “You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, 38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. 39 You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, 40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.” (John 5:37-40). And again in Matthew 23:37-39, (just prior to his end-times predictions!), “37 ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate! 39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’’”
Thus, we have identified two very important keys to understanding Jesus’ use of the term “This Generation”:
1) It is a reference to a disposition toward the crookedness, perversity, and willful blindness of Israel that Moses predicted in his Messianic prophecies.
2) And we also have a hint as to when the unbelieving state of Israel will end – i.e. when they say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Moses had given them covenant instructions to watch for and accept Messiah as he would be “a prophet like me,” speaking the exact words of God. And though the very Word of the God stood incarnate right in front of them, they had still rejected him! They were truly the crooked and perverse, prophet-rejecting generation Moses had spoken of.
Now we know from studying the book of Revelation that the unbelief of Israel ends in chapter 7 when Israel will turn to Jesus: 144,000 as from each Tribe of Israel will believe in him. If “This Generation” refers to The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel, then “This Generation” will necessarily persist until all of Israel accepts the Messiah during the midpoint of the tribulation and for a short time after that until all unbelievers are destroyed from the earth. At that point, “This wicked generation” will “pass away” as all the things Christ predicted (including his return) will have taken place – and the new generation (one could even say the “re-generation” of Israel) will no longer have a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26), but will finally accept Jesus! This reconciles the events of AD 70, the extended length of the church age, and all of the Great Tribulation predictions without the need for grammatical interpretations or to fret about the end times events not taking place while those individuals he originally spoke to were still alive. Paul echoed this in Romans 11:25 stating that “Israel has experienced hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in.”
Not Convinced? Let us Delve Even Further to Support this Hypothesis
Perhaps you are beginning to agree that defining “This Generation” as having an evil and unbelieving disposition makes sense (and I have more quotes from Jesus to support that below), but let’s say you are not quite on board with the concept of “This Generation” being an entire age of the world. For that, let’s look at Psalm 71:18. The Hebrew word for “This Generation” is "dowr" (which we also saw in Deut. 32:5). “Dowr” is defined as a period, age, or generation (period of time). In this Psalm David states "I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.” I use a Hebrew example because I believe Jesus would have been speaking in Hebrew or Aramaic, so it is possible he used a word like “dowr” which was later translated into Greek “genea” when the Gospels were written down. David parallels “This Generation” with “all who are to come” – confirming the interpretation of this Hebrew word as an “age.” For a first century Jew like Jesus, the use of a term for “generation” to mean an “age” would thus be established. Jesus also attributes the Pharisees’ demand for a sign in Mark 8:12 as a request by the entire generation. A few individuals ask for a sign and Jesus identifies this as an encounter with the whole “generation” – thus making the Pharisees who were alive at that time into an archetype of This Generation comprising an entire age of willful blindness. One could argue that those Pharisees only represented the generation alive at that time, but there is no reason view “This Generation” that narrowly. From an eternal perspective, every child of Israel from the time Jesus entered the world as God in the flesh till the end of the age who likewise rejects Messiah would be part of the same crooked generation Moses predicted, just as all children of Adam partake in Adam’s sin. In a sense, Israel may have also extended that rejection to the future when they said, “Let his blood be on us and our children!” (Matthew 27:25).
Now We Can Take a Look at Jesus’ other Uses of the Term “This Generation”
This section provides further support for the evil/faithless/blind disposition of “This Generation.” Jesus’ references to this phrase are literally everywhere! In Mark 8:12 the Pharisees have come to Jesus to argue with him. They were seeking a sign from heaven to test him. "And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.’" In the parallel passage in Matthew 16:1-4 Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for being blind to the signs already clear to those who were looking, and after he makes reference to an "evil and adulterous generation" he states flatly that the only sign he will give them is his resurrection from the dead (here cryptically referred to as the sign of Jonah). There were many signs of the times to which they were blind (The fulfillment of Daniel's prophesy of the weeks, the healings he had already performed, the star and possible other heavenly signs that heralded his birth to the wise men, the voice from heaven at his baptism and many others). And the fact that they missed the obvious signs seems to exasperate Jesus! - See Luke 12:54 “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?” These missed signs are a topic for another study, but for our purpose let us take note of the things that Jesus associates with "This Generation" in Mark 8:12 and Matthew 16:1-4
1) It exasperates Jesus, - makes him sigh deeply like a parent who has just found a child with his hand in the cookie jar for the 40th time this week.
2) It is characterized by evil and adultery
3) It is blind to the signs of the times. So, in a word, a "blind" (perhaps willfully blind) generation.
4) Faithless or unbelieving - a person who has already witnessed proof would only ask for additional proof when that person doesn't want to believe. It is this persistent commitment to unbelief that is evil, not necessarily the honest unbelief of a "doubting" Thomas.
Matthew 12:43-45
This is a very similar passage in which the Scribes demand a sign from Jesus to which he responds "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." He then goes on to state that the men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it… for something greater than Solomon is here. From this passage we can pull out the following definitions of "This Generation"
This Generation is...
1) Evil and adulterous
2) It is more stubborn in its refusal to repent or to believe and show the proper awe and respect for "Something greater" than the men of Nineveh or the queen of the South were. See also, Hebrews 3:3 "For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses - as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself."
3) This wicked generation will be condemned at the judgment for the above mentioned faults.
Note: this does not contradict the generation-is-an-age hypothesis since those Jews whom Jesus physically interacted with in the 1st Century are merely ambassadors for all who have lived after Christ’s incarnation. All of us who live in the post-incarnation age have benefitted from seeing the “sign of Jonah” i.e. Jesus death and resurrection. And we have the Bible as well as the testimony of multiple witnesses of Christ’s life and teachings to rely on (which the men of Nineveh did not have). So, this post-incarnation age has no excuse for stubbornly rejecting Christ even though his signs and his glory are greater than the wisdom of Solomon or the preaching of Jonah, or even the law of Moses.
Matthew 12:43
Here we have cryptic reference to what happens after an unclean spirit comes out of a man. It goes and brings with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter the man and dwell there, "and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation." Jesus point here appears to be that it would have been better for the Jews to have lived in ignorance than to see and understand that Messiah has come and yet remain willfully blind. Once again we see that This Generation is characterized not by its position in time, but by its wickedness: it is evil, and willfully blind. Compare II Peter 2:19-21, speaking of false teachers, “the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them”
Mark 8:38
"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." From this passage we can further define "This Generation" as follows:
1) This Generation is adulterous and sinful. This Generation is like a wayward wife, it has forsaken the true God and his Son for a false god of self-worship and worldly rewards.
2) Christ will be ashamed of those in This Generation who are ashamed of him. Here there is a hint of the contrast in Jesus mind between A) the present state of Israel (evil generation) and B) the future state of Israel when Jesus comes in the glory of his Father.
Mark 9:19
"O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?" Again, we see that This Generation is defined by being “faithless.” Jesus asked this question directly after he was told that his disciples were not able to cast out an evil spirit. In this context, at first it appears Jesus is referring to the lack of faith of those on earth during his ministry. But, once again we will see that this can be expanded to the entire Age. He defines This Generation as those that he is "with," and "bearing with" and he alludes to the fact that his time is short and there will come a time when he is not "with" This Generation (on earth). For some background, see John 16:28: “I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” It is important to understand that Jesus was always cognizant of the fact that his physical time here on earth was limited and that he would only bear with This Generation for a while. His title Emmanuel "God with us" applies here literally. But notice that the timespan that is temporary here is the time Jesus was allotted on earth, however, his statement does not in any way indicate that "this faithless generation" is of the same limited time span. Jesus implies that while he will choose to "bear with" this faithless age of Israel for only a short while longer, then this faithless generation will be deprived of his physical presence and "This Generation" (by contrast) will continue on without him for an unspecified amount of time. See Figure 1 below for an Eternal Perspective on how God interacted through Jesus with an entire Age during his short time on earth.
Eternal Perspective: Figure 1
Luke 11:50-51
"so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation." So, now we see that this is a murderous generation. And, although he was speaking foremost to willfully blind Jewish leaders it is not limited to their position, or their specific time. It appears his accusation that they are just like their fathers who killed the prophets was confirmed when, following in their father's footsteps the unbelieving chief priests and the elders of the Jewish people of Jesus day delivered Jesus to Pilate demanding his crucifixion in Matthew 27. They state in Matthew 27:25 "His blood be on us and on our children!" By putting to death the final and perfect prophet of God, they confirm that they are of the same evil spirit as their fathers who killed the prophets and by calling down the blood curse upon themselves and their children, they are in essence making themselves and all succeeding offspring guilty of the murder of all of the prophets since the foundation of the world! The original prophet killers may not have been as guilty because of their ignorance, but “This Generation” (epitomized by the Jewish leaders) knows the full truth, has seen the Light and has rejected it! Hell is the second death, and death is the penalty for prophet murderers. So by suffering the second death, “This Wicked Generation” including the Jewish leaders and all those in this age who cling to its evil (refusing to “save themselves from this wicked generation” by believing in Jesus) will be held accountable for the murder of the prophets. Jesus confirmed this in Matthew 21:33-44 in the parable of the tenants. He tells the story of a master of a house (God) who planted a vineyard (the vineyard representing the Kingdom of God and all of his revelation of himself etc. to bless the earth) he leases it to tenants (God entrusted his law and revelations/the Kingdom of God to Israel, and more specifically to the chief priests and teachers of the law) but instead of yielding to God and producing fruit, the tenants kill all of the Master's servants (the prophets) that he sends to get his fruit. Finally, after killing all of the servants, they kill the son and heir in an attempt to steal the inheritance for themselves. The result is that the tenants are destroyed, and the vineyard is given to other tenants (the Disciples of Christ). Matthew states that the Pharisees perceived that he spoke this parable about them (not against all Jews) and lest we jump to the conclusion that all Israel has been excluded and the “other tenants” are Gentiles, Paul sets us straight in Romans 11. Paul concludes that Israel stumbled in order that the Gospel would be spread to all the world (Gentiles), but that God has not rejected them. "A partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. " (Rom 11:25). Their unbelieving state will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Jesus said the Gospel will be preached to all the world and then the end will come. After the time of the Gentiles is complete, Paul quotes an Old Testament passage: "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob" so that Israel will be grafted back into the Kingdom of God and in the end will be saved. So from this I will conclude that although it appears at first that “This Generation” is meant to apply only to the Jewish leaders in Jesus' day who persist in unbelief, it's definition is not limited to their time, or their position as leaders. This Generation can continue to be understood to apply both to the Pharisees of Jesus day, and to their children (by their own blood curse and by virtue of the fact that they represent the entire Age). Indeed, punishment came in AD 70 and has resulted in other terrible judgements which will culminate in the destruction of any remaining unbelievers during the tribulation. But when he banishes ungodliness from Jacob, then “This Generation” will pass away.
Acts Chapter 2 – This Generation Defined Outside the Gospels
In Acts Chapter 2, Peter addresses the "men of Israel (vs 22) and calls them "brothers" (vs 29), saying "let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified" and he exhorted them saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." - (vs 40). In this passage it would appear that Peter is defining "This Generation" much the same as Jesus did. Peter identifies "This Generation" as "crooked" and calls his Jewish "brothers" to save themselves from it by repenting and being baptized into the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. The promise, says Peter is for you and for "your children," suggesting that the crooked generation that they can save themselves from will continue into the lives of their offspring for an undefined amount of time. Hebrews Chapter 3 Echoes Peter’s sermon. In Hebrews 3:13 the writer declares “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” And in Heb 3:9-10 he states "...your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.” The author of Hebrews exhorts his brothers not to behave like “that generation” which was characterized by their ignorance of God and propensity to go astray. The “day” we are currently in (called “today”) is the “year of the Lord’s favor” as proclaimed by Jesus when he read from Isaiah 61:2 in the Synagogue (Luke 4:21) at his first visitation to earth. This day will continue until God brings in the Day of the Lord’s vengeance at the end of the age when Jesus returns to carry out God’s wrath as the rest of Isaiah 61:2 indicates. In Heb 4:7 the author states that God "...appoints a certain day, 'Today,' saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’" So both Peter and the author of Hebrews call on their brothers in Israel to save themselves from This Generation by believing in Jesus. In Heb 9:8-9 "the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section [of the holy places in the temple] is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age)." Thus, when Jesus died for our sins and the curtain in the temple that separated us from the Holy of Holies was torn in two, we were granted a doorway from the fate of “This evil Generation” into the very presence of God.
So, to Piece it all Together, “This Generation” is Described Below
In Character:
1) faithless,
2) evil,
3) adulterous,
4) sinful,
5) blind,
6) similar to a twice demon possessed man who is worse off than if he had never been delivered of the original demon,
7) exasperating to Jesus.
In Time:
An age of Israel contrasted in time against the men of Nineveh and Queen of the South (past), but which will continue after Jesus is removed from it for an unspecified amount of time (current) and will pass away when he returns again (future). The distinguishing factor between the two time periods is the appearance of Jesus (something greater than Jonah) – separating Israel’s time into two eras: Before Christ and After Christ (with the “After Christ” portion being known as “This Generation”).
Represented by certain archetypes including:
1) Chief priests
2) Elders, Pharisees, Teachers of the Law and leaders of the 1st Century Jewish people (and by the blood curse extended to their offspring),
3) Jesus’ own Disciples (on at least one occasion when they acted faithless).
An Unrelated but Confusing Passage
Before moving on to some other passages outside the Gospels, we should examine one more scripture: Mark 9:1. Initially this appeared to be another reference to This Generation, but most troubling to me was the fact that Jesus made it absolutely plain that he was talking about those 1st century people who were standing there with him, and not about a time or age of Israel. However, after further study it is clear that the passage in Mark 9:1 is NOT a “This Generation” passage, nor is it a reference to his Second Coming. In Mark 9:1 Jesus says, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. Note the words "come" and "power." This should not be confused with his "This Generation" phrase. This passage never uses the term "This Generation" and in the very next verse Jesus is transfigured and glorified in the presence of some of his disciples. The Transfiguration literally happened while "some here" had not tasted death. (Isn’t it interesting that when Jesus wants to refer only to those standing around him, he uses different terminology altogether?) Jesus is the King, so when he was glorified, those standing with him on the Mount of Transfiguration had seen the Kingdom come in power. Peter himself was there and describes this event in II Peter 1:16-17 "…we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is my beloved Son, which whom I am well pleased,' we ourselves heard this very voice…"
So, Peter indicates that the Transfiguration was an event that demonstrated the power and coming of the Kingdom (Jesus). In essence the Kingdom of God had come in power.
Some Other Biblical Insights from Scriptures Outside the Gospels
Let’s examine a few other scriptures to back up the position that “This Generation” represents an age of Israel.
In Genesis 6:9-12 - Noah was "blameless in his generation" vs. "all flesh" on earth which was "corrupt." It is interesting that the Ark of Noah prefigures the salvation of Christ and Noah was found blameless in his generation, quite literally saving himself from his crooked generation by his faith and obedience to simply step into the ark. Jesus indicates the current corrupt state will continue until his return: see Matthew 24:37-As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. In this analogy, we gain insight again into the implied identity of This Generation. Although Jesus does not use the phrase here, through the implied affinity with the pre-flood era, we understand that this "wicked generation" is similar to Noah’s era because his return will be unexpected to those who belong to This Wicked Generation of the Israel, and by extension to all unbelievers. Although not explicitly stated, it is interesting to note that the current state of “all flesh” on earth in “This Generation” has been repeatedly described by Jesus in other verses as evil or "corrupt" (which Paul confirms in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” ). I believe the similarity continues: As in Noah’s Age, we have been provided an “Arc” of salvation from the coming destruction and God, in his mercy, delays the coming wrath not wanting any to perish (2 Peter 3:9). This delay was not overlooked by Jesus; in fact, it was vehemently anticipated and was the subject of Jesus’ warnings (Matthew 24:44 “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”) Jesus knew many would view the delay as a license to become complacent. If he anticipated such a delay, why would some people assume his “This Generation” statement to be an incorrect prediction of his 1st Century return?
1 Cor 2:5-8 – More Support for the Generation-is-an-Age Hypothesis
The following is a quote from 1 Cor 2:5-8. I am placing my commentary on this verse in brackets to highlight how This Generation is used as a synonym for this age: "that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age” [Note the word ‘aion’, is used but we can insert “This Generation”] “...or of the rulers of this age [Pharisees/teachers of the law/chief priests and Pilot of the Gentiles were archetypes of the entire Age/Generation], who are doomed to pass away [evil generation along with its representatives and demonic overlords will pass away with the current heaven and earth as Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:34]. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God [The Gospel], which God decreed before the ages [anticipated for all eternity] for our glory. None of the rulers of this age [Archetypes of this evil generation] understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Note that this passage uses the same terminology as Jesus used about “This Generation” when it states that this age will “pass away.” This enforces the idea that “This Generation” can be viewed as an age of the earth. If those who put Christ to death are “rulers of this age” then it follows that any statement or rebuke Jesus directed toward them was a statement spoken to an entire age of the earth. Also, the “rulers of this age” may refer more broadly to the satanic principalities pulling the strings of the earthly rulers. Those satanic rulers are behind the evil of “This Generation” and will also pass away when Christ’s kingdom is established.
Galations 1:3-4
"Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age [aion]." Here, Paul uses a phrase reminiscent of the description of "This Generation" that Jesus often used. He calls it an "evil age" and uses the word "present" as if to imply that there will be a future age that is not evil. Although the word used is "age," it seems similar in usage to “generation” both in the context of being evil and in terms of being present vs. future. It mirror’s Peters use of “This Generation” in Acts Chapter 2, and Jesus also mirror's this understanding in Matthew 12:32 "And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age [aion] or in the age to come"
Luke 19:11
To those who would accuse Jesus of wrongly predicting his first century return, he even told a parable to make sure we were not misunderstanding him: “As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” In this parable Jesus likens himself to a nobleman who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Since he told this specifically to combat the belief that the kingdom was to appear immediately, and because he would be like one going to a “far country” it would be absurd to assume that “This Generation” was limited to the life span of his audience. Also, see Luke 21:24 where Jesus declares, “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” The first century destruction of Jerusalem was clearly only the beginning of the Time of the Gentiles not the end of it.
Closing Thoughts
The time of the Gentiles has been a long period (from our limited perspective). However, it may be drawing to a close. Over the past 2,000 years we have always had earthquakes and wars, (and we are seeing even more of them), but we have not had Jews back in Israel until recently. It appears that we are very near the end of This Generation. The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel will soon close and all of God’s people will then have his laws written on their hearts. I hope that you have found this deep exploration edifying and that it presents a viable explanation for Jesus’ often misunderstood statement in Matthew 24:34.
Epilogue
One final interesting way of approaching this passage that I have not seen discussed. This is rather cerebral, but Jesus is brilliant so read on!
The statement in Matthew 24:34 would say something like this, “This Generation Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel will not pass away until all these things [that my WORDS have predicted] take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Careful examination of the structure of Jesus Matthew 24:34 statement may provide another compelling argument for the Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel interpretation. As I studied the passage, it became clear that, like a riddle, Jesus may have hidden the answer within the statement itself! Let me explain: this entire sentence could be similar to a Hebrew Poetic device known as synonymous parallelism. This passage is not a poem or psalm, but given the parallel structure, I am theorizing that it perhaps it is a rabbinical device similar to a synonymous parallelism. A synonymous parallelism is a Hebrew Poetic device used to drive home a point. With poetic rhythm, a thought is stated and then elaborated. A parallelism may be described as the recurring of symmetrically constructed sentences, the several members of which usually correspond to one another. In this poetic device, logical rhythm is distinguished from rhythm that is merely verbal. Psalm 71:18 listed above is a perfect example where the thought in the first line “your strength” is paralleled in the second line by “your power” and “This Generation” in the first line is parallel to “all who are to come” in the second line. [see http://www.bible-researcher.com/hebrew-poetry.html]. So, going back to Matthew 24:34, “This Generation” corresponds to “Heaven and Earth” - thus implying that This Generation extends to the end of the Age. And “all these things” which Jesus predicted correspond to “my words.” But it is even more profound, for Jesus has also buried something like an Antithetic Parallelism in the phrase in which the second member of a line (or verse) gives the obverse side of the same thought, e.g. Proverbs 10:1: “[i] A wise son gladdens his father, But [ii] a foolish son grieves his mother”
So, “gladdens” is the opposite of “grieves,” and “father” is the opposite of “mother.” And “Wise” is the antithesis of “foolish.” Similarly, our Matthew 24:34 passage contrasts what “will pass away” with what “will not pass away.” In the first line, Jesus is telling us that This Generation WILL NOT pass away until his words/predictions WILL take place, and in the second line, it is reversed but has the same meaning in an antithetical way. Now we see that… his words WILL NOT pass away, but heaven and earth WILL.
In other words: “This Generation” [Concept A] is related to “Heaven and Earth [Concept A-expounded] which WILL [positive form] pass away [Concept C]. And “all these things” [Concept B] is related to “my words” [Concept B-expounded] which will “NEVER” (antithetical negative) pass away” [Concept C]. This is in line with John’s revelation of the end times, see Rev 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” There is also an implied question and answer in this statement. It is as though Jesus is telling us in the first line that This Generation will not pass away until all his words are fulfilled, and then anticipating a question, “why would your words outlast This Generation?” and the answer is that This Generation of heaven and earth may seem like it is lasting a long time, but that this age is indeed temporary, while his words (in contrast) are permanent and certain to be fulfilled. His predictions will be fulfilled, and his teachings will still be true in the New Heaven and New Earth. This very concept of his words being permanent, even more permanent than heaven and earth itself, both enforces the certainty of his predictions and the implied length of the time span of This Generation (which will last until the end of the age and then pass away while his words remain). Of course there will be a 1,000 year millennial reign starting at the end of the age before heaven and earth finally pass away, but “This Generation” will cease when that millennial kingdom begins and that kingdom will last forever.