'This Generation'

I always thought when Jesus said that he truly believed "this generation" meaning the ones his disciples were living in.

Think about it, they thought the world was horrible, there was no way it could get worse, all the things he talked about were already happening. They lived with the belief that he was going to come back within their lifetimes.

over two thousand years later people are still waiting for Jesus to return. I am not saying that people should give up their faith, if that is what they want to believe, but how about the idea that the end isn't coming, how about living your life with the idea that life is meant to be lived and not lived with the mindset that everything is going to be gone tomorrow.

I think that the bottom line, fairchild, is that the things the NT records Jesus as saying about "the generation" are obviously applicable only to the people Jesus directly addressed, and that many of the things that Jesus expected simply did not happen. Many Christians know this perfectly well, and so, like the JWs, rationalize the failure by claiming that, because not everything Jesus said would occur occured in the 1st century, there must be a further and greater future fulfillment. Such rationalizations are common when prophecy fails -- which it always does. Look at the history of the Millerite movement and of the religions that sprang from it, such as the JWs. Nothing but rationalizations about why this or that prophecy or expectation failed.

AlanF

Fairmind...The phrase "this generation" occurs frequently in the gospel to refer to the people who heard Jesus and who would likewise be judged by him. The gospel clearly expected the coming of the Son of Man to occur in the first century before that generation had passed away, before all those who heard Jesus would "taste death," and before the Christians were able to go to all the towns in Israel:

"For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom" (Matthew 16:27-28).

"When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes" (Matthew 10:23).

"They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other...Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place" (Matthew 24:34).

As for the phrase "this generation," it first occurs in Matthew 11:16-19 and it clearly refers to those who were alive at the time of Jesus, who witnessed both Jesus and John the Baptist: "But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates, 'We piped to you and you did not dance, we wailed and you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a glutton and drunkard.' " Then the "scribes and Pharisees" asked Jesus for a sign, and Jesus said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah....The men of Ninevah will arise 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" (Matthew 12:38-41; cf. 16:4). Again, "this generation" refers to those present with Jesus just as the men of Ninevah witnessed Jonah. Similarly, "the queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it...So shall it be with this evil generation" (Matthew 12:42, 45). See also Matthew 17:17 and 23:36 ("Truly I say to you, all this will come upon this generation"). All this makes it very clear that "this generation" referred not to a generation in the distant future but to the one alive in the first century.

Just about every generation for 2,000 years has thought he would return during THEIR generation. Today is no different.

I agree with the others. There is nothing in the Bible to indicate these scriptures have any relevance to our day, specifically to the 1914 generation.

The math done to arrive at 1914 is astonishingly skewered and based on twisted logic, incorrect numbers, and adding to the scriptures meaning that just isn't there.

The original Bible Students actually believed that Jesus returned invisibly in 1874. Today Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the invisible presence began in 1914.

As to the writers of the New Testament, they certainly believed that Christ would return in their own time. But they were mistaken. Faced with his own death, even the Apostle Paul, had to re-consider the notion of the imminent second coming. See 2 Thess. 2 and 2 Cor. 5:6-10

Okay, thank you all for taking the time to reply. The replies have been very helpful so far.

So let's say that 'this generation' refers to the generation alive during the time when Jesus was on earth.

(pennycandy) I agree with the others. There is nothing in the Bible to indicate these scriptures have any relevance to our day, specifically to the 1914 generation.

If we don't consider that there might be a future fulfillment, then it does make perfect sense. Jesus looked at the temple and said that no stone would be left upon the other. The temple was destroyed during 'that generation'. But now we do have a problem, when we think about that some more....

(Alan F) I think that the bottom line, fairchild, is that the things the NT records Jesus as saying about "the generation" are obviously applicable only to the people Jesus directly addressed, and that many of the things that Jesus expected simply did not happen. Many Christians know this perfectly well, and so, like the JWs, rationalize the failure by claiming that, because not everything Jesus said would occur occured in the 1st century, there must be a further and greater future fulfillment. Such rationalizations are common when prophecy fails

How on earth can it be that many of the things that Jesus expected did not happen?? This just doesn't make sense to me. So, if 'this generation' ONLY entailed the generation living in Jesus' time, this means that we HAVE to conclude that Jesus was wrong, and that some of the things he expected didn't happen. Since it seems totally unlikey that Jesus could have been wrong, don't we have to conclude then that there should indeed be a greater future fulfillment?

Matthew 24:3 confuses me. While he was sitting upon the mount of olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?"

According to that question, His presence and the conclusion of the system of things are tied together. Note that Jesus only gave one answer. He didn't say THIS will be the sign of my presence, and THAT will be the sign of the conclusion of this system of things. So, since He answered both questions with ONE answer, doesn't that mean that He considered His presence as well as the conclusion of the system of things to occur somewhat together, in the same period of time? That takes me right back to where I started. If 'this generation' referred to the generation that was living back in His day, then the conclusion of the system of things did not occur as He had said it would, which again, does not make sense.

And then, where does Matthew 24:14 fit in?

I am SO lost.

The original Bible Students actually believed that Jesus returned invisibly in 1874. Today Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the invisible presence began in 1914.

As to the writers of the New Testament, they certainly believed that Christ would return in their own time. But they were mistaken. Faced with his own death, even the Apostle Paul, had to re-consider the notion of the imminent second coming. See 2 Thess. 2 and 2 Cor. 5:6-10

Kenneson, what do you personally believe, if I may ask?

Fairchild,

It seems your original concern, that the passing away of the 1914 generation might prove the Bible wrong, was based on the assumption that Jesus correctly foretold World War I. So it would then be proposed that he was right about the world war and succeeding events, but wrong about the generation! Now the friends, trying to be helpful, have pointed out that Jesus was speaking about his own generation, which would also suggest that he may have been "wrong." So now we have three items on the table: (1) was Jesus referring to his own generation, (2) to a later generation, and (3) was Jesus wrong? It would seem that the third item hits the panic button, and as I suggested in another thread, not everyone who asks a Bible question is prepared to receive a "critical answer" - though in this case the question naturally led to such an answer. That is why I suggested that some would be better off using older commentaries.

You know, Matthew 24 has been around for a long time. What did commentators think was meant by "this generation" before 1914? True enough, the prophecy needed to be explained once Jerusalem was destroyed and nothing else happened. But I don't think the explanation was to latch onto every succeeding generation as being the terminal generation.

If you don't want Jesus to be "wrong," it behooves you to take a fresh look at the prophecy as a whole and consider other explanations - not just the one that has been drummed into your head. As a start, I suggest reading Great Prophecies of the Bible by Ralph Woodrow, which may be ordered from the Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association, Inc., P.O. Box 21, Palm Springs, CA 92263-0021. Ralph Woodrow has helped many (including members of the Worldwide Church of God) to arrive at a more "balanced" view of prophecy without subverting their faith in the Bible.

Link: http://www.ralphwoodrow.org/books/great.htm