This Generation Will Not Pass Away (1)

“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place”

This verse and its context are probably the most misunderstood among Christians. We have become entrenched in an eschatology that reads backward to the first century, rather than reading forward from the first century. Additionally newspapers and all other sensational news items are read into Scripture to fit some eschatological scheme. Newspaper advertisements even appear announcing the day when Jesus is going to return. This, despite the fact that Jesus says no one knows “that day and hour” (Matt. 24:36). The prevailing view of eschatology posits that Matthew 24 is speaking about the Second Coming of Jesus in its entirety. But is this the case?

Matthew 24 is prompted by the first two verses. The disciples point out the great buildings of the Temple, only to have Jesus say that not one stone would be left upon another, but all would be thrown down. But what prompted the disciples to draw attention to the Temple buildings? It was Matthew 23. In Matthew 23, Jesus denounced the Jewish leaders in a series of seven woes and concluded his denunciation with Mathew 23:37–39, in which he laments and mourns over the hardness of Jerusalem and states that Israel’s house would be left desolate. The desolation of Jerusalem is something beyond the comprehension of the disciples (due to the greatness of the buildings), but it seems cataclysmic, which is why they draw attention to the greatness of the buildings. What cataclysm can reduce these buildings—look how great they are? And then when Jesus states that they will be destroyed, the disciples ask him as they get to the Mount of Olives when this will happen. Their question is verse 3, which says: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Notice that their question is actually two questions. The first one is about the destruction of the Temple and the second is about the coming of Jesus. The second question comprises two parts. The first is about signs connected to Jesus’ coming and the second is about the end of the age. These two questions are of paramount importance in understanding Jesus’ reply in the rest of Matthew 24. From Matthew 23:37–39 we deduce that the desolation of Jerusalem is a judgment upon those who killed the prophets and stoned those sent to the city and nation.

Behind Matthew 23 rests the great passage of chapter 21:33–44. This is the parable of the wicked tenants and the vineyard. The tenants represent the Jewish leaders who kill the beloved son (vs. 38, 39). As a result the master punishes the tenants with a miserable death which the Jewish leaders cannot comprehend. The vineyard is, of course, the kingdom (or nation). Verse 41 says that the vineyard will be taken away from the tenants and given to a people producing fruits (vv. 41–43). This people will ultimately comprise the Church (made up of Jewish and Gentile believers). Nothing can stand against the “stone” either by attacking the stone or the stone falling on the attacker (vs. 44). Verse 44 is the fulfillment of verse 42 which is the prophetic statement (Ps. 118:22, 23) about the rejected stone which has now become the cornerstone stone. Jesus is the rejected stone who is now the cornerstone. This passage is so crucial to Matthew 23 and 24. At the conclusion of Jesus’ diatribe of seven woes in chapter 23, Jesus promises that judgment was going to come upon the current generation for their persecution and murder of the prophets and all righteous men sent to them (vv. 31–36).

There can be no doubt that “this generation” in Matthew 23:36 is the generation who were listening to Jesus speaking. Every usage, by the way, of “this generation” is a reference to contemporaries alive at that time. More to the point is how would the disciples have understood Jesus? In both Matthew 23:36 and 24:34, they would have realized that Jesus meant their own generation. They could not fail to have understood this any other way. Judgment was coming upon Jerusalem and the Temple, and according to Jesus, it was coming upon that generation.

Now the rest of Matthew 24 (vv.4–51) is taken up with answering the disciples’ two questions. These verses are divided into two sections because they are Jesus’ answer to the initial two questions. The first section (vv. 4–35) deals with the first question: “when will these things be,” and the second section (vv. 36–51) with the second question of the two parts: “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”Without explaining every verse in particular (which I have done elsewhere—“The Eschatology of Jesus” in my Mark 13 sermons), I think we can look broadly at the passage because certain things stand out. I will deal with some of the difficult verses in my second part (i.e., vv. 15, 27, 29–31).

In verses 4–36, Jesus provides his disciples with visible signs that point to the nearness of the destruction of the Temple. These signs are: false Christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes, persecution, false teachers and teaching, and the proclaiming of the gospel. All of these are significant. Jesus tells his disciples to not be alarmed (vs. 6). All of these signs are not the end (vs. 6), but the beginning of birth pains (vs. 8). This leads only to tribulation and death (vs. 9), to falling away and hatred (vs. 10), and to the increase of wickedness (vs. 12). The preaching of the gospel to all nations must take place before the end comes (vs. 14). Things heat up in verse 15 with the “abomination of desolation” standing in the holy place. People should flee, Jesus says (vv. 16–20). They should flee because it will be “great tribulation” (vs. 21). The disciples must not follow false prophets or Christs (vv. 23–6). Verses 27–31 describe cataclysmic events of cosmic significance. These are all signs to be seen by the disciples. We know this because Jesus says in verse 33: “So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.” Notice his words “when you see all these things.” The certainty of these things happening is found then in verses 34 and 35: “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Notice that “these things” in verse 34 should be coupled with “these things” in verse 33.

Jesus goes from speaking in certain terms (vv. 4–35) to speaking in uncertain terms (vs. 36). In verse 36 he suddenly makes the startling announcement: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Jesus is now going to deal with the disciples’ second question. In the first section (vv. 4–35), the disciples would know “these things” because they would observe them, but in the second section, no one knows. When will Jesus come and when will the end be are answered from the negative perspective. Jesus says no one knows. This makes all prognostications about when Jesus is coming utterly foolhardy and presumptuous. Indeed, we could say it is sin to say that we know when even Jesus (speaking in his humanity) says he does not know (vs. 36). Only God knows. The angels don’t know and certainly no man knows.

All Jesus asks from his disciples in this section is that since they do not know when he is coming again, they should simply be ready. Every day will be an ordinary day as in the days of Noah when people carried on their business, got married, ate and drank (vs. 37, 38). The suddenness of destruction happened without warning. (Part 2 is coming— sudden like).