Which is the actual generation that Jesus was referring to?

Question

The 1948 or 1967 generation? The generation that will see Jesus coming back on the clouds? If it's the 1948 generation, then 1948+40=1988 which has passed. If it's the 1967 generation, then 1967+40=2007 which is coming very soon. So we will see Jesus next year? 1948 is when Israel became a nation & 1967 is when Jerusalem returned to Israel fyi. 40 yrs is the span of a generation in the bible.

Answer 1

We are not to know the exact time, although I sense that it is soon. People often use 40 years as the length of a generation, but that is not necessarily so.

The actual scripture you are referring to is Matthew 24:34. You have to read this scripture in context.

"29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."

This is referring to a time after the tribulation. Most interpret the bible to indicate that the rapture of Christs church will occur before the tribulation (although not all Christians believe this).

I've seen an explanation of "this generation shall not pass..." as this, which I like....

"This means the generation of adult males who were living in the land of Israel on May 14, 1948, will not all die until after all the end-time events have taken place."

Adult males are 13 years and older in Jewish tradition I believe. So a 13 year old in 1948 would be 59 today. Surely, some of those people would live into their 80's, 90's, even hundreds?

But you can see us sliding downhill very rapidly.

Answer 2

The term generation can refer to different things. Often not to a specific lineage cycle but to a change cycle. i.e. Many virus' are generational. A new viral generation is defined by a mutation that affects the virus' effectivness or the effectivness of drugs on the virus. many lineal generation can occur in a defined viral generation. i.e. one cell producing multiple cells, they producing yet more and so on until a significant and detectable change occurs.

This being said, a broader view of the biblical text would define all generations of human kind in this fashion: Edenic (pre-fall, less than one human life time) Pre-Abrahamic(this could be broken into Pre-flood and Noahtic/Post-Flood) Abrahamic (this is usually broken down to Pre-Mosaic, Mosaic. The broader Abrahamic generation continues to this day since the majority of Jewish people can trace their heritage back to Abraham. The Abrahamic race still exists. Based on the definition of a generation end/beginning being due to a significant and detectable change, Moses and the Exodus is a defining line or generational marker. There are some Jewish sects that are still in the Mossaic generation. For most Jewish people the Mosaic generation ended at the destruction of the Temple. "The Scattering" would be an appropiate name for the generation following the temple's destruction which is the current Jewish generation. Tthe future generations would be Templeric [post rebuilding of the Temple] and Messianic, which will occur after Elijah's return and God/Messiah/Emmanuel is seated as ruller if Israel/the world. For Christians, the Mosaic Generation ended at the Birth of Christ. Some would argue that it actually ended later either ath the beginning of Jesus' ministry or at hte time Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of the Law. Now then it could be argued that the Mosaic generation did not officially end until the Resurection of Christ. If you take that view The prophesy has been fulfilled. There was an eclipsic occurance at His death with quakes that dammaged the Temple. Jesus did appear in ghostly (cloud form) and sent the Holy Spirit to gather the people to God. Most people believe that the above prophesy is still a future event. In that case starting with Jesus' resurection, the current Generation is the Christian generation and will be followed by the Post Apocolyptic aka New Jerusalemic/Second Comming)

Answer 3

Despite what one of the posters said about, it is the generation living and of the age of understanding at the time the prophesies of the second presence of Christ began being fulfilled. This was Wars and rumors of wars, and regardless of what you may think of JWs, the calculations from Ezekiel did point to 1914 as the time when this would start. Twenty years later, WWI started. The generation living was not to pass away until all the prophesies were fulfilled, so instead of looking at Bible interpretation, let’s look at that generation.

It is the first generation in over 1000 years that, as a whole, lived longer than an average of 46 years.

They survived the Spanish Flu Pandemic, which specifically targeted the young and healthy, instead of the old and affirmed. Of these meant to fight in WWI, over half died before ever seeing action, of the disease. Of note, the only reason it is named the Spanish Flu is because the Spanish Media was the only ones to report on it. All other countries, including the US, banned the reporting of it. In the U.S., or the Watchtower and Tract Society reported on it, but they were not consider a media source.

Twenty years ago, there was just over 5000 people living in the US older than 100 years of age.
Ten years ago, there was over 20,000 living in the US older than 100 years of age.
Today, there was over 75,000 in the US older than 100 years of age.

This generation has seen all the major changes in our society and our world in the last 100 years.
They have seen more wars, more disease, more disasters than any other generation.

FINALLY
THEY ARE DYING OUT FAST

Of interest, both atheists and those in Christendom are in agreement that they don’t believe that the generation living in 1914 is the one of Revelations. The Atheists because they don’t see as any of it meaning anything is being fulfilled, only that technology has helped life spans get longer. Their brethren in Christendom says that the signs cannot point to the second coming of Christ, as Armageddon didn’t start. Funny, that is the same argument the Jews gave about the first coming, 2000 years ago.

No, the JWs didn't know the date or time, only that the signs were being fulfilled.

Answer 4

Matthew 24:34. That passage reads: “Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.” What did Jesus mean by “generation,” both in his day and in ours?

Many scriptures confirm that Jesus did not use “generation” with regard to some small or distinct group, meaning only the Jewish leaders or only his loyal disciples. Rather, he used “generation” in condemning the masses of Jews who rejected him. Happily, though, individuals could do what the apostle Peter urged on the day of Pentecost, repent and “get saved from this crooked generation.”—Acts 2:40.

In that statement, Peter was clearly not being precise as to any fixed age or length of time, nor was he tying the “generation” to any certain date. He did not say that people should get saved from the generation that was born in the same year Jesus was or the generation that was born in 29 C.E. Peter was speaking about the unbelieving Jews of that period—some perhaps being rather young, others being older—who had been exposed to Jesus’ teaching, had seen or heard of his miracles, and had not accepted him as Messiah.

That evidently is how Peter understood Jesus’ use of “generation” when he and three other apostles were with Jesus on the Mount of Olives. According to Jesus’ prophetic statement, Jews of that period—basically, Jesus’ contemporaries—were going to experience or hear of wars, earthquakes, famines, and other evidences that the end of the Jewish system was near. In fact, that generation did not pass before the end came in 70 C.E.—Matthew 24:3-14, 34.

There is a tendency for imperfect humans to want to be specific about the date when the end will come. Recall that even the apostles sought more specifics, asking: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”—Acts 1:6.

For instance, one line of reasoning has been that a generation can be 70 or 80 years, made up of people old enough to grasp the significance of the first world war and other developments; thus we can calculate more or less how near the end is.

However well-meaning such thinking was, did it comply with the advice Jesus went on to give? Jesus said: “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. . . . Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”—Matthew 24:36-42.

Answer 5

Ok lets lay it out here.
Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh:
Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

(Here is the answer)
Mat 24:36 (((( But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only)))))).
(That was the answer)

Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:41 Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Answer 6

Generation also means "race" or "people" He was speaking about the Jews not passing away before this time had come. Look at other Bible verses that speak of generations... you will see many dont mean 40 yr generations.

Answer 7

He was talking about the generation that was sitting there with him at the time. The idea that he meant the modern nation of Israel is completely unfounded. His prophesies were fulfilled within 40 years of the Olivet Discourse.

Answer 8

Matt.28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. GO YE THEREFORE AND TEACH.

THE WORD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

KJV Bible 1611 after Christ published plus 303 years to 1914 after Christ an excepted translation by law of God and man for the last days. Bible has another 150 years.

1994 GENERATION LEARN PAST AND FUTURE TO TELL ALL FAMILY

Dan.8:12-14 [ 2300 after Babylon Empire #3, 606 before Christ is 1694 after Christ is truth in circulation in the world plus 300 years is 1994 this generation to tell all ];
Dan.7:25 [ 2300 to 2500 MATH NO LESS ]; Dan.8:12-14 [ 2300 the WORD to world ];
Dan.12:1-7 [ 2500 Michael and the Word ];
Dan.12:8-10 [ 2520 1. WORD. 2. End time, Satan down [2 sources say ] 150 years.
Dan.12:11 [2x 1290 = ] 2580 less 2520 is 060 years [ to 1974 ];
Dan.12:12 [2x 1335 = ] 2670 less 2520 is 150 years for Satan's short time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2670 less 606 is 2064 after Christ.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2670 after Babylon #3, we are 2612 after Babylon #3.
1994 GENERATION LEARN PAST AND FUTURE AND TELL ALL FAMILY

Rev.9:1-5 [ 5 x 30 = 150 ];
Pit open for Satan, THE SEALED OF GOD ARE THERE.
Rev.9:12-16 Euphrates angel prepare 391 to Rev.16:12-16; Euphrates Angel trouble.
KJV Bible 1611 after Christ Published plus 395 years is 2006, Euphrates trouble is.

Eph.2:7; 3:21; The world with Jesus is without end. John 3:16;

BIBLE TIME LINE
#01.
Flood 1656, Abraham 427, Moses 430, Joshua ends 40, Solomon 480, 36, Judah kings 391st at 606 before Christ [ 2520 + 150 ] now 2006 after Christ, 2612 after Babylon Empire #3. Matt.24:3,7,14,15,22,34,36-38 [ Only God knows the day and hour ];
#02.
Flood 1656, Abraham 427, Moses 430, Solomon 480, 36 and Judah kings 390, at 607 before Christ, now 2006 after Christ and 2613 after Babylon Empire #3.

Answer 9

We do not know the time or the day. Watch for signs and wonders. Well its happening. That's why today is just as good as any day to accept Christ as your savior.

Why wait? I believe we are close, but it is merely my interpretation of the signs that have occurred. When exactly I don't even know if we will know the year that is why I say keep the faith and get ready!!

God Bless

Answer 10

It matters not. If you truly believe this is going to happen you need to go check into a mental institution. There will be no return of mythical supermen of any kind. Except in movies.