We shall heretofore attempt to exegete all those headache-inducing passages about “this generation” in the Gospels!
As a bonus, we shall also exegete that time the Lord said, “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
[Note – this first section was revised 4 hours after being published. -Joel]
The Sign of Jonah
(Matt. 12:40-42; Luke 11:30-32)
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Mat 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. Mat 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.
The sign of Jonah “was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” The Lord’s death and resurrection will be that one big, epic sign to that generation of wicked unbelievers at the time in Israel. Just as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so too, the Messiah will spend “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Jonah was a type of Christ in that respect and proof that the Son of God had come to fulfill prophecy.
In Mat 12:41, the Lord said, “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.” The people of Nineveh will be condemning people after being resurrected? So, wait. The people of Nineveh got saved? How? By faith. When did they get saved? They believed what God said to them through Jonah, and they got saved.
In vs. 42, the Lord also speaks of the queen of the south. He says, “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.” He is talking about the Queen of Sheba (1 Ki 10:1-13; 2 Ch 9:1-12). She came from the farthest coast of Arabia. She traveled nearly a thousand miles just to hear the wisdom of Solomon. She came from the uttermost parts of the earth.
The Queen of Sheba must’ve also gotten saved by faith after she met Solomon, and she will likewise be taking part in a resurrection in which she will condemn this generation of unbelievers who were in the presence of the Son of God and refused to believe.
When will a resurrection take place in which they will verbally condemn this generation?
Notice that the Lord says of the queen and the people of Nineveh that they shall rise up in the judgment WITH this generation. They will rise up. This generation will see them. And these risen saints will be condemning them for their unbelief.
When will that happen?
When the Lord is crucified.
Remember all the saints who came out of the graves?
Mat 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, Mat 27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Some of those saints who came out of the graves were the people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba. They confronted and condemned that generation of unbelievers.
Can you imagine someone being resurrected only to condemn you for your unbelief?
Some Standing Here Shall not Taste Death Till…
(Matt. 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)
The Lord told His disciples about how “the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matt. 16:27). He then says, “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.”
Did Christ make a promise that was never fulfilled? How is that possible?
In Mark’s account, the Lord says, “Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power” (Mar 9:1). In Luke’s account, He says, “But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God” (Luk 9:27).
If we compare all three verses, we should note He told His disciples standing right in front of Him that some of them will not taste death until they see 3 things:
- Till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
- Till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
- Till they see the kingdom of God.
I’ve heard some grace teachers basically say, “Yes, the Lord was talking about the Tribulation, but He didn’t know that the age of grace was going to happen. So the Lord said what He thought was true, but He didn’t know about the mystery.”
That doesn’t pass the sniff test. A misstatement out of ignorance is not something we would expect from a member of the triune Godhead.
Let’s not forget – these are not the Lord’s words. These are the Father’s words. The Lord spoke the words of the Father to the people. He said, “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things” (Joh 8:28). He also said, “I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (Joh 14:10). He was speaking the words of the Father to all of them, and the Father had always known about the age of grace (Eph. 1:4,9).
What happens after this verse? The transfiguration.
Thus, another view sometimes articulated is that the transfiguration was a fulfillment of what the Lord just said, which makes no sense. I once articulated this view many years ago to my great annoyance now. (Don’t try to look it up on YouTube. I’ve already made that sermon private. No one will see it again. Ever.) How does the transfiguration fit the idea they’re seeing the Son of man coming in his kingdom? Plus, they didn’t actually see the kingdom at His transfiguration. What they saw was a vision (Matt. 17:9).
So how do you explain these verses?
I would suggest to you that all these verses will be fulfilled exactly as the Lord had said, every last jot and tittle, which means there is only one solution to this problem.
Despite what John Foxe tried to convince us in the “Book of Martyrs,” some of the disciples could not have died physically. Some had to have been translated like Enoch (Heb. 11:5) or Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). They did not taste death, as the Lord said, and the disciples will be returning to the Earth to fulfill everything the Lord told them about everything they will be experiencing IN the Tribulation, including seeing His return.
Let’s not forget – everything the Lord said in the Olivet Discourse was TO the disciples about what THEY will be personally experiencing IN the Tribulation. Don’t take my word for it. Study Matt. 24:1-25:46 and Mark 13, and Luke 21:5-38. Take note of the fact that the Lord is telling the disciples specifics about what THEY will personally be experiencing during the Tribulation from the beginning all the way to the end.
In Luke 12:35-40, the Lord talks to the disciples about His Second Coming and being like the servants who watch for their Master to return. Peter asks Him, “Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?” The Lord’s response, which lasts from verses 42-48, was, essentially, that everything He had said was meant for them only. How do we know this? Because the Lord talked about taking one and making him ruler over his household (Luke 12:42,44). The disciples were already designated to be rulers of Israel (Matt. 12:27; 19:28). Only one could be head. He would end that discourse by saying, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” The disciples had been given much, and much shall be expected of them, especially during the Tribulation.
What the Lord said to the disciples about what they will experience in the Tribulation will come to pass exactly as He said it. The disciples will be on the Earth for the Tribulation.
Consider that in Rev 10:11 the angel told John, “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” When did that happen in the book of Acts? Never. When will this prophecy be fulfilled? In the Tribulation.
The disciples are coming back for the Tribulation. This means that some were translated like Enoch or Elijah. They did not taste death, as the Lord promised, and they will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom with great power.
The words of the Lord will be fulfilled perfectly, every single letter of it.
The Blood of the Prophets Shall be Required of This Generation
(Luke 11:49-51; Matt. 23:35-36)
At a dinner party with some Pharisees (which imploded faster than a deck of cards in a hurricane), the Lord had just pronounced three woes upon some lawyers. Then he says:
Luk 11:49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: Luk 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; Luk 11:51 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.
What is this talking about? When He says that the blood of the prophets shall be required of this generation, He means judgment will come upon the wicked unbelieving generation that existed at the time, and they will pay for ALL the innocent blood perpetually shed over time in Israel. This is a corporate judgment upon the nation of Israel. The Lord says “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.”
I would argue that this was, in fact, fulfilled in the book of Acts.
There was after Pentecost a season of judgment in Israel. Let’s not forget that there was a major famine that took place after Pentecost. Luke wrote that a prophet of Jerusalem named Agabus went to see Paul and the Christians at Antioch and told them all, which was signified by the Spirit, that there “should be great dearth throughout all the world” (Acts 11:28). The fact that Agabus said “great dearth” tells us this new famine would be on a par with the famine in Egypt, which Stephen referenced only as a dearth in Acts 7:11.
Let’s not also forget that in Acts 12:20-25 God killed Herod. Why did God kill Herod in Acts 12 if the age of grace already began in Acts 9?
I’d suggest that his death hinted at a broader season of judgment taking place in Israel at the time, which was also very much a transition period.
Plus, I’m reminded of some of the seven letters to the seven churches. I think those churches existed at the time. I think that is also the reason why the Holy Spirit prevented Paul from entering Asia during his second apostolic journey in Acts 16:6, because all those seven churches existed in Asia. Paul wasn’t prevented from entering Asia simply because John’s book was being distributed to those seven churches. He was prevented because of the season of judgment the Jews were going through in Asia.
God was fulfilling these very prophesies the Lord spoke in Luke 11 and Matt. 23 about judgment coming upon this generation. God wanted to carry out judgment in Asia first before Paul entered that region proclaiming the gospel of grace.
That’s why Paul couldn’t go into Asia.
In some of these seven letters to the seven churches, the Lord speaks of immediate judgment coming upon specific people. Consider this section of the letter to Thyatira.
Rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Jezebel was a wicked lady. Judgment was coming upon her and her children in the near future along with everyone else associated with her carnality unless they repented.
If this church existed at the time, and I think it did, this would help us understand that they were in the midst of a season of judgment upon egregious sinners in Israel.
That’s why Paul couldn’t go into Asia at the time.
I think God was carrying out His judgments all the while Paul spent those three years in Arabia and these judgments continued during the dawn of the age of grace when Paul’s new message was being disseminated and gaining traction among the Gentiles.
I would point out, as well, that Pentecost was also a time of judgment evidenced by Peter carrying out capital punishment upon Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5.
I say, “Decide for yourself!” “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind!” But I would suggest that the Lord’s prophecy about judgment upon this generation was fulfilled in Acts, evidenced by the great famine, Herod’s death, Ananias and Saphira, and the references to immediate judgment in the letters to the seven churches.
Plus, there were resurrected saints, including resurrected Gentiles, walking around condemning that generation for their unbelief!
Parable of the Fig Tree
(Matt. 24:32-35; Mark 13:28-31; Luke 21:29-33)
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.
The context to this parable is that the Lord had just finished describing the end of the Tribulation and His own Second Coming in His Olivet Discourse.
He tells the disciples that when they see the signs He just revealed to them in vs. 29-31, then they shall know that His coming is near at hand, just as they would know summer is coming by observing new leaves on the tender branches of a fig tree. Of course, the fig tree represented Israel’s religious life, the very heart and soul of the nation, their covenant relationship with God. New leaves is new life, just as the closer they’re getting to the arrival of Christ means a new life on this Earth and a new covenant with Israel.
Then the Lord says, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” I think the meaning is simple. If you’re part of that generation of believers who made it that far and you’ve survived going into the final seven judgments, then you made it. You shall not die. You will see the Lord fulfill everything He said He is going to do. That generation of believers will see all those signs in Heaven during the great tribulation, and they will live to see Christ’s return.
SUPPLY OF GRACE 