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Riverside Apostolic Church.
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This Generation

 

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Matthew 24:32-36

We have heard of Generation X which is the children of the so-called Baby Boomers.
born between 1946 - 1965 - The baby Boomers
born between 1966 - 1982 - Generation X (Baby -Busters)
born between 1983 - date - Generation Y

Generation by definition:
the average span of time between the birth of parents and that of their offspring

The Lost Generation was a term originally used to identify a group of American literary expatriates living in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s; it is now used more generally to describe the generation of young people who came of age in the United States during and shortly after World War I.
The Silent Generation was the generation born between the two World
Wars, who were too young to join the service when the war started. Many had fathers that served in World War I. (1925-1945)
The Greatest Generation is the worldwide generation of Allies that served in World War II. This group overlaps with the G.I. Generation, the generation of Americans that fought and won World War II, later to become the Establishment, and the parents of children who would later become the Baby Boomers.
"The Greatest Generation" by Tom Brokaw catalogs the stories of men and women of a generation, America's citizen heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War.
The Baby Boomers were the generation born during or just after WWII; there was a worldwide increase in birthrate for about 14 years (1945-1965).
The Baby Busters were born during the time period in which the birthrate caused by the baby boomers began to decline (1953-1965).
Generation Jones is the group of people born in between the Baby Busters and Generation X (1964-1970). Many in this group share a pop culture knowledge common to both groups.
Generation X (born 1964-1970) is the generation born after the Baby Boomers, excluding the Baby Busters and the Second Lost Generation. Most of this generation are children of Baby Boomers. They tended to grow up with video games and MTV, and spent most of their teen years in the 1980s. (1969-1982)
XY Cusp, also known as the MTV Generation or Doom Generation, was caught between the end of Generation X and start of Generation Y, mainly living out their childhood through the 80s and teen years in the mid-90s. This generation was influenced by the launch of MTV, and the remainder of Generation X. (1975-1985).

Boomerang Generation, also known as the Generation Why?, was a sub-group of Generation Y, growing up in the '90s and early 2000s, whose emergent experiences straddled the Cold War/Space Age and Internet eras.

In many ways more connected to the G.I. Generation than other recent generations, this group came of age in the period directly following the September 11th attacks. (1982-1985)

Generation Y, also known as the Echo Boom, Millennium Generation or Generation Xbox, grew up with many world-changing events including the rise of mass communication and the Internet. (1976-2001 widest possible definition commonly cited)
iGeneration, the Internet generation, is a subgeneration for the latter half of Generation Y (1985-1999) and the first half of Generation Z (1995-2005).
Generation Z, youngest of the generations thus far, is likely to live in a stricter world than their Generation X or Y counterparts, due to Generation Y's experiences with school shootings and the September 11th attacks. (1995-?)

Jesus make reference in Matthew 24:34 to "this generation". He says "this generation"
will not pass away until all these things are fulfilled.

Will Occur In This Generation: MT 23:36; 24:34; LK 17:25

A) Generation: Gr: Genia,
  1. Translated 42 times, "generation(s)"; 1 time, "kind": Luke 16:8
  2. Examples of usages: Mt 1:17; Eph 3:5; Mt 12:41-42; Mt 23:36; Mk 8:12; Lk 11:29
B) It Is Quite Obvious That Jesus Refers To 30 Ad Generation:
  1. In the parallel of Lk 17:25 He says, "First Christ must be rejected by this generation"
  2. Jesus said this generation will be held especially responsible for his crucifixion
    Mt 23:34-36 You will crucify prophets I send, guilt will be on this generation
    Lk 13:31-35 it cannot be that a prophet perishes outside of Jerusalem, Oh Jerusalem...
C) Three Basic Interpretations Of Generation In Mt 24:34:

Three interpretations
Comments
1
-About 40 years
-Average age of first time fathers
-Time between generations in genealogy
Agrees totally with Bible's usage: Lk 17:25
To Greeks, generation was 30-33 years
(Herodotus 2:142; Heraclius Ch 11)
2
-Generation refers to the entire "race" of Jews Where does Bible use the word this way
"This race is a wicked race?" Lk 11:29
3
-"This generation" In Mt 24:34 refers to some distant future 40 year period, (ie.1990's) Jesus' hearers did see signs & did flee city!
Why apply it to any other generation?

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." (Ex. 3:14, 15)

You will remember that God said to Abraham that after 400 years He would deliver Israel, "...in the fourth generation." A generation in the Bible is normally 40 years long.

However, here a generation is 100 years (4 x 100 = 400 years). Since Abraham had his promised child when he was exactly 100 years old, it is evident therefore that the age of a man when he has his first child is here taken for a generation. Nevertheless, notice that the full number (400 years) is exactly times 10 of a regular generation of 40 years.

Both 100 years and 40 years are accepted as a generation in the Bible.

What can we say about "this generation"?

The word generation occurs 206 times in the Bible.

Jesus referred to the generation he addressed in His day as "generation of vipers".

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Matthew 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Not much has changed!
Jesus compared His generation in this manner:

Matthew 11:16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

Jesus rebuked His generation as an adulterous generation that sought after signs.

Matthew 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Matthew 12:41 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.

Jesus said a wicked and an adulterous generation seeks signs:

Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

Mark's gospel records the fact that NO SIGN will be given to this generation.

Mark 8:38 also records Jesus as referring to "this generation" as a sinful generation.

When Ninevah repented of their sins they did not have a sign but rather repented at the preaching of Jonah.

Jesus said His generation was given the sign of His death, burial and resurrection
and yet failed to repent.

Matthew 12:42 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.

Jesus also referred to His generation as a faithless and perverse generation:

Matthew 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

Jesus gives a scathing attack on His generation in Matthew 23, against the Scribes,
Pharisees and hypocrites.

When Jesus said in Matthew 24:34 "this generation" shall not pass until all of these things be fulfilled, what are these things Jesus was referring to?

Matthew 24 was the Olivet Discourse. It was Jesus' response to the 3 questions the
disciples asked Him about the end of time.

Luke 17:25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

Peter on the Day of Pentecost:

Acts 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;