"This generation shall not pass away"

[neen273]

Luk 21:29 ¶ And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
Luk 21:30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
Luk 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Luk 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

What does Jesus really mean by "generation"?


First of all, I went into the blueletter bible and did a search on the phrase -
http://blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?word=this+generation

There are many verses containing this phrase. Not all of them mean the same thing, diffrerent Greek words are translated as "generation" and in the instances that I checked, they meant "this period of time." I looked up what Greek word is translated as "this generation" (shall not pass away) in Luke 21:32 and it is "genea."

Definitions given for Genea:
1) fathered, birth, nativity

2) that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family

a) the several ranks of natural descent, the successive members of a genealogy

b) metaph. a group of men very like each other in endowments, pursuits, character

1) esp. in a bad sense, a perverse nation

3) the whole multitude of men living at the same time

4) an age (i.e. the time ordinarily occupied be each successive generation), a space of 30 - 33 years

Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 42
AV - generation 37, time 2, age 2, nation 1; 42

I think we can effectively discard #4 as a correct literal interpretation because we are still here. Everything was not fulfilled within a lifespan of anyone listening to Jesus speaking at that time.

Taking the rest of the definitions, we can interpret genea in this verse to mean "a cultural multitude of people" if you will. To which culture was Jesus speaking to? The Jews.

Now then, is "Israel" or "The Jews" a valid interpretation of "genea" in other verses in which "genea" is used?

Yes.

16 "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying:

'We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not lament.'

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her *children."

The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign
(Luke 11:29-32)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'
31 "Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Jesus Laments over Jerusalem
(Luke 13:34, 35)
37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'

Luke 17:22 Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them. 24 For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

That last sentence really makes me pay attention: who rejected Him? The Jews. So this generation in that context means the Jews. So also I think Jesus means Israel as a nation will not pass away before everything is fulfilled. I'm understanding it as Israel will be no more after the Millennium. During the Millenium, they play a pivotal role as enjoying the fulfillment of God's promises to them. :

 

[Chris]

Very good question. This is one of the most important passages and one that is subject to alot of debate. Luke 21 is one of the 3 different Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) that goes over the "Olivet Discourse" which was basically a private prophecy briefing that the Lord had with Peter, James, John and Andrew on the Mount of Olives. I'm going to provide a few links below from a good 4 part commentary provided by Jack Kelley. He does a good job of explaining things and he is easy to follow. I hope it helps.

http://www.gracethrufaith.com/ikvot/the-end-times-according-to-jesus-part-1

http://www.gracethrufaith.com/ikvot/the-end-times-according-to-jesus-part-2

http://www.gracethrufaith.com/ikvot/the-end-times-according-to-jesus-part-3

http://www.gracethrufaith.com/ikvot/the-end-times-according-to-jesus-part-4

 

[Chris]

Here is another good article by Jack Kelley where he touches on the generation question. I hope folks find it informative.

http://www.gracethrufaith.com/ikvot/the-terminal-generation

 

[BuzzardHut]

Also the generation that sees Antichrist enter the Third Temple and declare himself 'God' will witness the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

 

[Chris]

Also the generation that sees Antichrist enter the Third Temple and declare himself 'God' will witness the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Yep, they will only have to wait 3.5 years at that point. :up:

 

[LivnForChrist]

Thanks for those links Cris. Jacks commentaries are very interesting and informative.

 

[Chris]

Thanks for those links Cris. Jacks commentaries are very interesting and informative.

Your welcome. He is a very good Bible teacher and I enjoy reading his writings. I'm glad you enjoy them, too.