This Generation Shall Not Pass Away

There can be no doubt, that when Jesus referred to “this generation,” He intended that current generation of Jews. This cannot apply to some future generation of men.

When we look at each instance where this phrase is used, it ALWAYS designates that current generation, living at the time of Jesus and His Apostles. Below is every instance of the use of this phrase in the NT. As we will see, it always referenced the generation living then.

• But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, [Mat 11:16 KJV]
• The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here. [Mat 12:41 KJV]
• The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here. [Mat 12:42 KJV]
• Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. [Mat 23:36 KJV]
• Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. [Mat 24:34 KJV]
• And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. [Mar 8:12 KJV]
• 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. [Mar. 8:38 KJV]
• Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. [Mar 13:30 KJV]
• And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? [Luke 7:31 KJV]
• For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. [Luke 11:30 KJV]
• The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here. [Luke 11:31 KJV]
• The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here. [Luke 11:32 KJV]
• That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; [Luke 11:50 KJV]
• From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. [Luke 11:51 KJV]
• But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. [Luke 17:25 KJV]
• Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. [Luke 21:32 KJV]
• Another verse which says the same thing as those above, is the following.
  Matt. 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

There were some of His disciples standing with Him there in the coasts of Caesarea Philippi[vs. 13], who would not die before they saw Jesus, the Son of man, coming in His kingdom. This is an identical saying to, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.”

Jesus is quite emphatic

When Jesus made this prediction of that present generation not passing away, before all that He had said came to pass. He did not stutter, nor make an educated guess. It was not a wishful or hopeful thought. He could not have been more sure or emphatic in what He said. Below is the Greek of Matt. 24:34, with its English translation

34 Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη, ἕως ἂν πάντα ταῦτα γένηται.
34 Truly I say to you, in no way shall this generation pass away, until all these things take place.

Some have made a deal of the fact that both “pass way” and “take place” are verbs in the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive is a verbal mood that expresses either possibility or probability. Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) renders this verse in this way, “Verily I say to you, this generation may not pass away till all these may come to pass.”

This translation denies the force of the double negative οὐ μὴ, supplanting it with the force of the subjunctive mood of the verb. Are you scratching your head yet? Okay, lets break it down, because this is important.

“The subjunctive mood is the mood of mild contingency; the mood of probability. It is the first step away from that which is actual in the direction of that which is only conceivable, and, therefore, properly leads the list of potential moods.” (Dana and Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 1955. p. 170)

If Jesus had expressed Himself only using the subjunctive mood of these verbs, then it could mean what YLT says it means. However, the use of the double negative cannot be ignored. It will overcome any thought of doubt or possibility expressed by the subjunctive.

Again, Dana and Mantey informs us of the weight of importance which this double negative, οὐ μὴ, expresses.

Both οὐ μὴ are negative particles in their own right, and can be used alone to express some degree of negation. With regard to οὐ, it “Denies the reality of an alleged fact. It is the clear-cut, point-blank negative, objective, final.” With regard to μὴ, it “Is just the negative to use when one does not wish to be too positive. Mὴ leaves the question open for further remarks or entreaty. οὐ closes the door abruptly.” (ibid., p. 265)

With regard to the double negative, οὐ μὴ, Dana and Mantey states,

“With the light that the papyri have thrown upon this doubling of the negatives we can now say unreservedly that the negatives were doubled for the purpose of stating denials or prohibitions emphatically. (ibid., p. 266)

From Thayer’s Lexicon, we read,

“The particles οὐ μή in combination augment the force of the negation, and signify not at all, in no wise, by no means.”

Another helpful quote regarding this double negative, is this,

These two words are also often used together in the form, ou me, (οὐ μὴ). Unlike the double negative in English, in Greek, the effect is to intensify the meaning. It is sometimes translated as "never" in the NT, but it is also usually translated as a "no" or "not". The sense is "no, you don't even want to think that”. (https://www.christswords.com/main/content/greek-no-and-not-two-different-negatives)

As we can see, Jesus could not have been more sure of His words. Using these two negatives together, He says in essence,

“I am speaking to you in all truthfulness and reliability, There is no possibility that this generation will pass away, before and until all these things I just told you about comes to pass.”

So, was Jesus mistaken in what He said? Did He mislead His apostles, to expect something that was not going to happen? God Forbid! Whenever we superimpose our own understanding on a verse, a phrase, or a word in the Bible, we are going to get it wrong. When we don’t allow the Bible to interpret itself, we will come out on the wrong side of things.

This is what Mr. Lewis, Mr. Russell, and many others have done. They have placed their own understanding upon what Jesus said, instead of allowing the Bible to explain it for them.

If we are honest with what we see above, there can be no real doubt that when Jesus said "this generation," He was refering to the generation which was alive at that time. Accepting that in the Scripture, a generation was often figured as 40 years. It is interesting that from the time Jesus spoke this prophecy on the Mount of Olives, to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, was exactly 40 years, a generation. For those who heard Jesus on that mount, it would have been their present generation.i.e, "this generation."