Jesus said “This Generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled”? What generation is he talking about? Are we that generation?

What does Jesus’s words regarding end times mean to us today? Are the end times near?
These questions and this article are intended to stimulate discussion and a diligent search of God’s word.

Matthew; Mark and Luke all quoted Jesus.
Matthew 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mark 13:30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
Luke 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

You need to read more than the four verses above to get the context of each. Only then can you understand. You should read through the verses leading up to the verses that I have quoted then come back and finish this article. It is not my intention to answer these questions but to provide some opinions and hope that you will leave comments so we can study and learn together.

One opinion provided by GotQuestions.org is as follows:

The things that Jesus spoke about, the rise of the Antichrist, the desolation of the Holy Place, and the darkening of the sun did not happen during Jesus’ time. Jesus was referring to a different generation when He spoke of “this generation.” The generation that Jesus speaks of “not passing” until He returns is a future generation, namely, the people living when the predicted events occur. The word generation refers to the people alive in the future when the events of Matthew 24–25 take place.

Will the generation that saw Israel re-formed as a nation still be alive for the Second Coming?

This concept is usually drawn from Matthew 24:34, “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” The previous verses, Matthew 24:1-33, describe end-times events in relation to Israel. As a result, some interpreters thought that the end times would begin when Israel was “reconstituted” as a nation (which happened in 1948). However, as more and more time passed from 1948, the time span of a “generation” began to lengthen and lengthen. It has now been more than 60 years – which is far beyond any standard definition of a generation.

The biggest problem with this teaching is that it completely misunderstands Matthew 24:34. What the context appears to say is that once the end-times events begin to happen, they will happen quickly. Further, Jesus’ prophetic words in Matthew 24 seem to have a “double fulfillment.” Some of the events occurred in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and Israel. Other events (24:29-31, for example) have clearly not yet occurred. Some of Jesus’ words occurred shortly after He spoke them (this generation will not pass); others have not yet occurred. To answer your question directly, no, it is not scriptural to teach that the generation that sees Israel become a nation will also see the second coming of Jesus Christ. This may be the case, but Scripture does not specifically say so.

Other opinions provided by Compellingtruth.org:

Many people wonder if the current generation of Israel will be alive at the second coming of Jesus Christ due to the statement in Matthew 24:34: “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Does “this generation” refer to those who saw Israel become a nation again in 1948? There are several reasons why this interpretation is unlikely.

First, Matthew 24 speaks of events that are yet future, even at the present time. Many interpreters understand events in Matthew 24 as taking place after the rapture during the seven-year tribulation. Given that chronology, “this generation” would apply to the generation alive during the tribulation, not the generation following the reconstitution of Israel in the twentieth century.

Verse 15 speaks of the “abomination of desolation.” This event occurs at the midpoint of the future tribulation period. At that time, the Antichrist will defile the temple and proclaim himself to be God. The people in verse 34, then, are living through intense persecution from the Antichrist following the desecration of the temple.

Second, 1948 was more than 60 years ago. For “this generation” to have seen modern Israel established, a generation would have to be more than 60 years in length.

Third, some have noted that the word generation can also mean “race” or “family.” If we accept this understanding of the word, then Jesus is teaching that the Jews will continue as an ethnic group until He comes.

Finally, the Bible is clear that no one will know when Christ will return. To say the second coming must take place within one generation of the founding of modern Israel places a time constraint on His return that the Bible does not suggest.

Taken together, these objections negate the idea that Jesus will return within a generation of modern Israel’s genesis. Jesus’ mention of “this generation” is more properly understood as the generation alive when “the abomination” of Matthew 24:15 occurs. Jesus’ point is that, once the end times begin, all His prophecies will be fulfilled in rapid succession.

In Matthew 24:34 Jesus taught, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (also Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32). Many interpretations exist regarding this passage. Which one is correct?

The most common understanding of this passage interprets “generation” as “race.” In other words, the Jewish race or people will not pass away until all of the end-times signs Jesus mentioned take place.

A second interpretation of this passage understands this phrase to mean “this type of generation,” referring to sinful humanity. Understood this way, the passage would refer to sinful people persisting until the return of Christ. While possible, this interpretation is unlikely as it assumes wicked people will no longer exist following this period though the curse of sin does not end until the new heavens and new earth in Revelation 21—22.

A third interpretation of this passage is that the generation Jesus mentioned is the generation experiencing the signs of the end of the age. In other words, once the signs Jesus mentions in Matthew 24 begin to take place, they will unfold quickly, within the lifetime of the same generation, meaning within a short number of years.

A fourth interpretation sees this passage as referring to a double fulfillment. In this understanding, some aspects were fulfilled historically, such as the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (Matthew 24:1-2), while other aspects are still future. Though possible, this is a more difficult view to support since one must show Jesus intended a double fulfillment to His words rather than a clear, single understanding.

The most likely scenario may be the third interpretation that connects the generation Jesus has in mind with those experiencing the signs of the end of the age. If a break is seen in Matthew 24:3, then all of the signs Jesus mentions take place during the same period of time, the seven-year tribulation period. This will be a time during which much judgment takes place (vv. 4-14), the abomination of desolation occurs during the midpoint of the tribulation (vv. 15-28), and the Son of Man (Jesus) will come at the end of these seven years (vv. 32-34).

These events are also discussed in the prophetic portions of Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation, and other biblical books regarding God’s plans for the last days. Seen together with the rest of Scripture, the best understanding may be that those who experience the judgments of the tribulation will be the same generation as those who experience both the abomination of desolation as well as the second coming of Christ.

So now let’s hear your opinion then we will study God’s word to find the truth.