Some Old NuLite

Coded Logic

The truth™ about generations.

"The length of time is indicated by him when he said, "Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur." (Matt. 24:34) The actual meaning of these words is, beyond question, that which takes a "generation" in the ordinary sense, as at Mark 8:12 and Acts 13:36, or for those who are living at the given period."

- Watchtower, July 1, 1951, p. 404

"The word "generation" at Matthew 24:34 is to be viewed in an ordinary sense, as at Acts 13:36 and Mark 8:12. Acts 13:36 speaks of David's very own generation, a literal generation. The generation of persons living in Jesus' time, person who sought a sign, according to Mark 8:12, was a literal generation. That a symbolic application to a "generation" of wicked persons is not meant at Matthew 24:34 is apparent when we read the preceding verse: "Likewise also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near at the doors." It is the generation of persons who "see all these things" to whom Jesus refers in verse 34, irrespective of whether such persons are righteous or wicked. Since Jesus was foretelling conditions prevailing now at the world's time of the end, the generation now living is the one to which he pointed forward in his prophecy of the last days."

- Awake! 1962 September 22 p.27

"Might it be, though, that the sign could occur over the span of many human generations? No. The sign is to occur during one particular generation. The same generation that witnessed the beginning of the sign will also witness its climax in "a tribulation such as has not occurred from the beginning of the creation." Three historians, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, recorded Jesus assurance of this.—Mark 13:19, 30; Matthew 24:13, 21, 22, 34; Luke 21:28, 32."

- Watchtower 1988 October 15 p.4

steve2

Coded Logic, very helpful statements about what the word generation means - and does not mean within the organization. You cannot get clearer than those 3 statements across several decades. The confidence is absolute.

Yet the ongoing passing of time forces a re-think which leads to contortions of meaning and the emergence of an unparalleled complicated concept, "over-lapping generations" - in marked contradiction to the earlier statements. And again, consistent with the tone of the earlier statements, the confidence is absolute.

Sigh: men and their desperate need to convey divine messages. What fools!

_Morpheus

Great quotes!

hoser

The problem with end times religions is that they run out of time.

notsurewheretogo

It would have been handy to then have included all the recent changes and flip-flop statements on the generation with this...it was the anointed generation, then it was the world people, then overlapping etc...

Phizzy

I wonder if in the 2nd century people were discussing a similar problem ? It is evident that Jesus' words, put into his mouth by the Gospel writer, are unequivocal.

And yet, that generation passed away, and the Parousia had not happened. So letters/books were written to explain this, 2nd Thessalonians, 2 Peter etc

The " Generation Prophecy" was an embarrassment then, and it is even worse now we are in the 21st Century.

As the Pop group 10cc pointed out in their lyrics "Two thousand years and he ain't shown yet".

konceptual99

Great quotes!

Coded Logic

The problem with end times religions is that they run out of time.

I would say the problem is they haven't run out of time. lol

Running out the clock is only a good strategy if there's a clock to run out.

steve2

Well Coded Logic, whilst a religion may have elastic ways of stretching out the "end", individuals within the religion don't. The end they experience is their own deaths.

So from a philosophical perspective, with or without "Armageddon", the end actually will be soon. We live such short, short lives and time extends infinitely beyond our blip-like existence.

Some Old NuLite

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