Evidence for God from Science

Does "this generation" mean that the prophecy had to be fulfilled during the time of the apostles, or does the grammar allow it to refer to a future generation?

You can't understand the sense Mt 24:34 in isolation. The context for verse 34 starts at the beginning of chapter 24 and runs to verse 39.

Annonymus wrote:
Does "this generation" mean that the prophecy had to be fulfilled during the time of the apostles, or does the grammar allow it to refer to a future generation?

''This generation'' refers to the generation of people alive when these things will happen. In other words, the prophecies of Matthew 24 will all take place within one generation.

FL

It could be both present and future, in compassion for the disciples for what they had to face, and for instruction of future generations - plural. At any time (in history) the faithful can know that God rules - especially those living before Christ returns. It is the Spirit who defines what, when and who it is applied to, in the same way that certain texts of the Bible flash into our awareness when most needed.

Starhunter wrote:
It could be both present and future, in compassion for the disciples for what they had to face, and for instruction of future generations - plural.

I guess you could say that because - to some extent - this is a multivalent* prophecy. Mt 24:3 clearly establishes the prophecies to follow as being about ''...the sign of [Jesus'] coming and the end of the age'' (NIV). There follows through to verse 8 a very general prophecy that could apply to any age since; this is the only part I see as multivalent.

Verses 9 to 12 resemble a little (or a lot) what we see today, and verses 13 & 14 are a promise. Verses 15 to 29 are clearly in the future from our perspective because everything described there has yet to happen. Verses 30 &31 describe the actual coming of Jesus at the end of the age; this event is also future because nothing like it has come about since the prophecy was spoken. Verses 32-33-34 help believers identify the closeness of the ''end of the age.'' Verses 34 & 35 are a promise and a guarantee of fulfillment.

FL

*Multivalent in the sense that there is a soon-to-come partial fulfillment, followed by a later total fulfillment.

Here is an excellent paper by a man named J.B. Hixon on this passage. It reviews all the common responses and defends the view FL has suggested. The "this" in "this generation" refers to the generation alive when the signs begin to take place.

Welcome to the forum Starhunter

(I guess you are Christian though your profile says no)

Thanks. One more question. Does Matthew 10:23 mean that Jesus would come back before the apostles visited every city in Jerusalem? Please answer, I'm really stumped on this one.

You may want to have a look at other translations when a particular passage seems equivocal. Here are just 3 versions of Mt 10:23b,

-I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (NIV)

-I assure you that you will not finish your work in all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Good News)

-Before you run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived. (The Message)

The verse in question doesn't say, ''Visit each town in Israel and check it off your list, then move on to the next town. The Son of Man will be back before you've finished checking off all the towns in Israel.'' If it said that, Jesus would have already come back and we would have missed him. Not to mention that such an interpretation would make Jesus a liar in Matthew, chapter 24.

From the three translations I've provided above, which is most understandable and best fits the context?

FL

Annonymus wrote:Thanks. One more question. Does Matthew 10:23 mean that Jesus would come back before the apostles visited every city in Jerusalem? Please answer, I'm really stumped on this one.

Did Jesus mean "Don't waste time!" ?

1over137 wrote:Welcome to the forum Starhunter

(I guess you are Christian though your profile says no)

Thanks, my confession is that I took up reading the Bible before learning to spell, and as it turned out, I have no focal energy to read anything else. I found Uni to be a collection of naming things in a dead language - Latin, and a mingling of vain philosophy.
The name Christian as you know, has a criteria which is best judged by someone other than myself, however it is usually applied to people affiliated with an established denomination.

Starhunter wrote:

1over137 wrote:Welcome to the forum Starhunter

(I guess you are Christian though your profile says no)

Thanks, my confession is that I took up reading the Bible before learning to spell, and as it turned out, I have no focal energy to read anything else. I found Uni to be a collection of naming things in a dead language - Latin, and a mingling of vain philosophy.
The name Christian as you know, has a criteria which is best judged by someone other than myself, however it is usually applied to people affiliated with an established denomination.

Simple question: do you believe in Jesus being our Saviour?

1over137 wrote:

Starhunter wrote:

1over137 wrote:Welcome to the forum Starhunter

(I guess you are Christian though your profile says no)

Thanks, my confession is that I took up reading the Bible before learning to spell, and as it turned out, I have no focal energy to read anything else. I found Uni to be a collection of naming things in a dead language - Latin, and a mingling of vain philosophy.
The name Christian as you know, has a criteria which is best judged by someone other than myself, however it is usually applied to people affiliated with an established denomination.

Simple question: do you believe in Jesus being our Saviour?

Yes, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world.