“‘This Generation’ is Spiritual”

By John Young

“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” ~ Matthew 24:34

Many end times theologies use “this generation” in Matthew 24:34 as a physical generation because it works better that way with their end times theology. They present it as either the physical generation alive when Jesus preached these words or as a future physical generation that will live when the events would start to occur some time in the unknown future. Those who say the events were on those of the past are called Preterist (who believe the events partially or fully finished around 70 A.D.). Those who say some or all have not occurred are called futurist and are looking for the events to start in order to identify which “this generation” it will be. These two positions are generally read into the text from already formed viewpoints rather than the context itself.

Yet, contextually Matthew 24:34 is clearly connected to chapter 23 which states, in verse 33 “ Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” and verse 36, “Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.” When we study Chapter 23 we see “this generation” is referring to the spiritual generation who’s father is the devil (John 8:44) but they physically lived among and appeared outwardly as Israelites who claimed to follow God. The passage goes on to state in verse 35 that this generation was present to persecute the righteous generation from Able to Zacharias (about 4,000 years) and would continue to be present until the events of Matthew 24-25 comes to pass to rid them out of the land of Israel.

Contextually this means that both spiritual generations have been on earth from the time of Cain and Able (1 John 3:12) and will be in Israel, and in the world, until the end when Christ our deliverer returns to the land to purge out “this generation” of vipers and save us. In Matthew 13:30 He states of these spiritual generations, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Paul the Apostle also states of this time that God is waiting for the gentiles to fully enter in before this purging will take place. Romans 11:25-27 says “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” Matthew 23:38-39, in connection to Paul’s Passage in Romans 11, goes on to state that God is waiting for the Israel to repent of this generation and say “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” before He will fully complete the promise of deliverance form their evil generation. Christ says, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

In regard to end times, knowing “this generation” is the “Generation of vipers” of chapter 23 means the evil people will persecute righteous people “till all these things be fulfilled”. Seeing “this generation” is still with us means we are still waiting for the final Olevet fulfillment. This final fulfillment is waiting on several things to come to pass first as noted, 1. For the gentiles to fully come in (Romans 11:25), 2. For Israel the nation to repent and turn to Christ (Matthew 23:39), and 3. For their house (the temple in Jerusalem) to not be desolate (Matthew 23:38). Until then “this generation” will remain among us. As stated in Matthew 25:46 the final fulfillment will happen with their departure. “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”