Smoodock's Blog

In the Olivet Prophecy Jesus told us that everything he told the Apostles would take place in a single generation (Matthew 24:34). Often when studying prophecy Christians assume many of the things the scriptures foretell are for our own day in the 21^st century. Yet, most of the prophecies written in the New Testament, including the Olivet Prophecy are intended for that generation in the first century AD that rejected Jesus as the Messiah. The Olivet Prophecy has meaning for us today only in that context. Jesus spoke of an evil generation that would not die out, until all the things he predicted would come true. The problem is that folks today assume he meant the final generation of mankind, just before his return. This is simply not true, and I hope to show why this could not be true in this post.

The Greek word genea (G1074) is used 42 times in the New Testament and is translated: generation, nation, age or time in the KJV. The most common New Testament use of genea is in the phrase this generation. Jesus described his generation as: “adulterous, wicked, unbelieving, perverse, and sinful.” Paul spoke of his own life among a crooked and depraved generation (Philippians 2:15). This is clearly a metaphorical use intended to characterize and classify those who heard Jesus’ message and rejected him. This generation is that group of people whose hearts remained hardened toward God (Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, page 302). Below is a chart listing all the places in the New Testament where the words: this generation can be found. Consult the Scriptures and prove to yourself that Jesus was speaking of his own generation when he pronounced his judgment.

Can it be more clearly stated in scripture that the generation of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 23 and 24 was the generation in which he lived, preached, taught, and performed so many signs and wonders? Yet in all of this, this same generation rejected him and crucified him! Not only so, but would not repent though given an opportunity when the same preaching, teaching and healing was done through his apostles. They, too, were persecuted from city to city, hunted down like criminals and killed to silence the message that God loves us and sent his Son to save us from our sins. Any attempt to cause the words: this generation to mean our own in the 21^st century or any other but the one in which Christ lived out the days of his flesh is not only pure conjecture but very misleading and not Biblically sound, and, to be quite frank, it is a lie!