Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
This Generation Will Not Pass!
The Preterists are always claiming "This generation" in Matthew 24 had to refer to the current generation at that time and could not be about a future generation. I would have to ask why?
Was God not powerful enough to give a prophesy for a future generation? That was already proven wrong by Daniel 9 70 weeks prophecy. That was made hundreds of years before even the Preterist claims it was fulfilled.
If I told you a bunch of things that would happen far into the future and then ended it with "This generation will not pass before all things are fulfilled". Would "this generation" be referring to the current generation when I said it, or the generation that sees all those signs happen?
You see, Preterists try to claim that "this generation" must refer to the current generation, but they completely ignore the simplest fact that what generation it refers to solely depends on what generation the prophecy is for. If the prophecy was for a future generation, then "this generation" would be referring to the future generation and not the current one.
Preterists will then try to argue that Jesus would have deliberately made it confusing if it is a future generation. Why didnt Jesus just say "a future generation will not pass"? The answer is very simple.
At the time He gave the prophecy, Jesus had no idea when He was returning. He even says Himself that no man knows the hour. Not even He did. Only the Father in heaven.
As far as Jesus knew, His return could very well possibly be in that very generation, or it could be 6,000 years into the future. He had no idea!
His disciples asked some very specific questions. Three of them to be exact.
1) When would these things happen? (pertaining to Jesus saying the city would be destroyed.)
2) What are the signs of His return?
3) What are the signs of the coming of the end of the age?
Those are the only three options for what these signs were for. The city being destroyed, His return and the end of the age. But since Jesus did not know when He would be returning, He could not possibly have known all these signs would happen in that current generation. So "This generation" could ONLY possibly be for whatever generation witnesses all the signs happening.
Preterists will try to claim all of the signs were witnessed in the first century, but that simply is not true.
1) There is no evidence at all that there were many who claimed to be the Christ and led many astray.
2) Because the Roman Empire and Egypt had control of most all of the land, we certainly did not have nations rising against nations.
3) Jesus was to return "immediately after the tribulations of those days" and the scripture clarifies those days are the Great Tribulation. And there is no chance, that Jesus has already returned.
Since only some of the signs Jesus gave fit the first century and not 'all' of the signs, then 70 AD could not possibly be the Great Tribulation, and "This generation" must be referring to a future generation. Since Jesus did not know when He was coming back, He could only have been referring to whatever generation sees all of those signs.
To say it had to mean the current generation of the first century, is to call Jesus a liar and believe He really did know when He was coming back.
Was God not powerful enough to give a prophesy for a future generation? That was already proven wrong by Daniel 9 70 weeks prophecy. That was made hundreds of years before even the Preterist claims it was fulfilled.
If I told you a bunch of things that would happen far into the future and then ended it with "This generation will not pass before all things are fulfilled". Would "this generation" be referring to the current generation when I said it, or the generation that sees all those signs happen?
You see, Preterists try to claim that "this generation" must refer to the current generation, but they completely ignore the simplest fact that what generation it refers to solely depends on what generation the prophecy is for. If the prophecy was for a future generation, then "this generation" would be referring to the future generation and not the current one.
Preterists will then try to argue that Jesus would have deliberately made it confusing if it is a future generation. Why didnt Jesus just say "a future generation will not pass"? The answer is very simple.
At the time He gave the prophecy, Jesus had no idea when He was returning. He even says Himself that no man knows the hour. Not even He did. Only the Father in heaven.
As far as Jesus knew, His return could very well possibly be in that very generation, or it could be 6,000 years into the future. He had no idea!
His disciples asked some very specific questions. Three of them to be exact.
1) When would these things happen? (pertaining to Jesus saying the city would be destroyed.)
2) What are the signs of His return?
3) What are the signs of the coming of the end of the age?
Those are the only three options for what these signs were for. The city being destroyed, His return and the end of the age. But since Jesus did not know when He would be returning, He could not possibly have known all these signs would happen in that current generation. So "This generation" could ONLY possibly be for whatever generation witnesses all the signs happening.
Preterists will try to claim all of the signs were witnessed in the first century, but that simply is not true.
1) There is no evidence at all that there were many who claimed to be the Christ and led many astray.
2) Because the Roman Empire and Egypt had control of most all of the land, we certainly did not have nations rising against nations.
3) Jesus was to return "immediately after the tribulations of those days" and the scripture clarifies those days are the Great Tribulation. And there is no chance, that Jesus has already returned.
Since only some of the signs Jesus gave fit the first century and not 'all' of the signs, then 70 AD could not possibly be the Great Tribulation, and "This generation" must be referring to a future generation. Since Jesus did not know when He was coming back, He could only have been referring to whatever generation sees all of those signs.
To say it had to mean the current generation of the first century, is to call Jesus a liar and believe He really did know when He was coming back.