Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
This generation means the people living just before Christ comes who see the predicted signs, who will remain until all things reaching to the end of the world's history are fulfilled within their lifetime. It was spoken in a discourse that joins the destruction of Jerusalem with Christ's coming and the end of the world, blending the two because the disciples could not yet see future events distinctly, with Jerusalem's destruction standing as a type of the world's final destruction by fire. The signs to that last generation are the sun darkened at the close of the great papal persecution, the moon withholding light, and the stars falling from heaven, and as leaves on the fig tree show summer is near, so seeing these things shows the coming of the Son of man is near, even at the doors. These signs have appeared and are now in unmistakable, fast-fulfilling accomplishment showing Christ's coming is at hand and the world's history will soon close, and the promise is certain because heaven and earth will pass away before those words fail, yet the day and hour remain unknown and the second coming did not take place at Jerusalem's destruction. Therefore its predictions must be studied, brought before all, and presented instead of matters of lesser consequence, calling Christians to consecrate themselves and be ready and sinners to seek Christ, to discern the signs of the times and warn the world that the end is near.
Meaning and Historical Setting
This generation means the people living on earth just before Christ comes, the people to whom the predicted signs come and who see them, and that generation will remain and not pass away within its lifetime until all the things described are fulfilled, which reach to the end of the world's history. The specific signs to that last generation are the sun darkened at the close of the great papal persecution, the moon not giving light, and the stars falling from heaven, followed by the coming of the Son of man in His kingdom with power and great glory to gather His elect. As tender branches and leaves on the fig tree show summer is near, so its budding and seeing these things show the coming of the Son of Man is near, even at the doors, and that Christ's coming is at the door. These signs have appeared, so the Lord's coming is certainly at hand. The signs do not reveal the day and hour of His coming, but they give threefold assurance of its nearness, and the promise is certain because heaven and earth will pass away before those words fail, so Christ's words will stand and His warning calls for readiness as those events draw near.
The verse belongs to a prophetic discourse that joins the destruction of Jerusalem with Christ's coming and the end of the world. Jesus blended the descriptions of these two crises because the disciples could not yet bear to see future events distinctly. The discourse was given both for them and for people living in earth's final scenes. The chapter foretells Jerusalem's destruction, which serves as a type of the world's final destruction by fire, and it gives the signs and events preceding the coming of the Son of man and leading up to that end. The prediction that the temple would be destroyed astonished the disciples because they thought its massive structure would stand forever, while the chapter's warnings of judgments on Jerusalem apply to impenitent cities in the present and call people to recognize that the end is near and to warn the world.
The chapter briefly covers the whole Christian dispensation. It presents the Lord's great prophecy concerning the course of the present age and its closing events. Those events lead toward the promised redemption of the church.
Signs Fulfilment and Certainty
Matthew 24 answers the question about the sign of coming and the end of the world by tracing great events from the first advent to the second. That outline moves from the destruction of Jerusalem to the great tribulation of the church under pagan and papal persecution, then to the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars, and then to the coming of the Son of man in His kingdom with power and great glory to gather His elect. Its closing picture of servants awaiting their master points to the church living in the last days and leads directly into the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. The outline itself does not by itself define the phrase this generation.
The signs given to that last generation are the sun darkened at the close of the great papal persecution, the moon not giving her light, and the stars falling from heaven. As the tender branches and putting forth of leaves on the fig tree show that summer is near, so seeing these things shows that the coming of the Son of Man is near, even at the doors. They are specific testimonies to that generation that He is nigh and that His coming is at the door.
These signs have appeared and are now in unmistakable, fast-fulfilling accomplishment. Their fulfilment shows that Christ's coming is at hand and that the history of the world will soon close, calling the church to arouse. The time of this fulfilment is now.
The assurance is certain, for heaven and earth will pass away before those words fail, and the words themselves will stand. That nearness is given with threefold assurance, yet the signs do not reveal the day and hour of His coming. The generation that sees the signs described will remain until all the predicted events are fulfilled. The signs show that the second coming is near, though its day and hour remain unrevealed.
The verse does not mean that the second coming took place at the destruction of Jerusalem. Rightly examined, the chapter refutes the view that Jerusalem's destruction was the promised second coming and shows that the second advent remains future. It belongs to prophecy of Christ's second advent, not to a prediction that He had already come at that destruction.
The same chapter warns of judgments on Jerusalem and applies that warning to impenitent cities in the present. It gives an outline of events to come upon the world and describes the perils of the last days, when calamities are coming upon wicked cities and people must be warned. Its warnings call people to recognize that the end is near and to warn the world.
Call to Study and Readiness
The predictions of Matthew 24 are to be studied and brought to the attention of all, and ministers and teachers are to present them instead of matters of lesser consequence, because their truths decide the eternal destiny of souls. They form a clear chain of truth on the coming of the Lord, given while Jesus was on earth to instruct those who would afterward believe and to help them prepare for the great conflict. The time of their fulfillment is now, and their unmistakable accomplishment shows that Christ's coming is at hand.
That nearness calls Christians to consecrate themselves and be ready, and calls sinners to seek Christ before His appearing, so that all may meet the Saviour with joy. Such joyful meeting requires the preparation needed to meet the Lord at His coming. The call is to arouse the church, to discern the signs of the times, and to reach a higher standard in this age of the world. The signs are fast fulfilling and show that the history of the world will soon close, that the end is near, and that the world must be warned, even as the chapter's warning of judgments on Jerusalem applies to impenitent cities in the present.
The teaching belongs to Christ's description of conditions just before His second coming, including that moral depravity would exist before He comes in the clouds of heaven. This generation is perverse and adulterous, held in common prevailing errors, and only the truth of God can make men savingly wise and keep them so unto immortal life. To gain entrance to God's presence and the society of heavenly angels a pure and holy character must be developed, with the mind in harmony with God's mind. True disciples in the school of Christ must therefore constantly learn and also teach, reflecting light and teaching upward away from the errors of this generation, with zeal for the Master and burning love for souls for whom Christ died.
This generation means the people living just before Christ comes who see the predicted signs, who will remain until all things reaching to the end of the world's history are fulfilled within their lifetime.
It was spoken in a discourse that joins the destruction of Jerusalem with Christ's coming and the end of the world, blending the two because the disciples could not yet see future events distinctly, with Jerusalem's destruction standing as a type of the world's final destruction by fire.
The signs to that last generation are the sun darkened at the close of the great papal persecution, the moon withholding light, and the stars falling from heaven, and as leaves on the fig tree show summer is near, so seeing these things shows the coming of the Son of man is near, even at the doors.
These signs have appeared and are now in unmistakable, fast-fulfilling accomplishment showing Christ's coming is at hand and the world's history will soon close, and the promise is certain because heaven and earth will pass away before those words fail, yet the day and hour remain unknown and the second coming did not take place at Jerusalem's destruction.
Therefore its predictions must be studied, brought before all, and presented instead of matters of lesser consequence, calling Christians to consecrate themselves and be ready and sinners to seek Christ, to discern the signs of the times and warn the world that the end is near.
Meaning and Historical Setting
This generation means the people living on earth just before Christ comes, the people to whom the predicted signs come and who see them, and that generation will remain and not pass away within its lifetime until all the things described are fulfilled, which reach to the end of the world's history. The specific signs to that last generation are the sun darkened at the close of the great papal persecution, the moon not giving light, and the stars falling from heaven, followed by the coming of the Son of man in His kingdom with power and great glory to gather His elect. As tender branches and leaves on the fig tree show summer is near, so its budding and seeing these things show the coming of the Son of Man is near, even at the doors, and that Christ's coming is at the door. These signs have appeared, so the Lord's coming is certainly at hand. The signs do not reveal the day and hour of His coming, but they give threefold assurance of its nearness, and the promise is certain because heaven and earth will pass away before those words fail, so Christ's words will stand and His warning calls for readiness as those events draw near.
The verse belongs to a prophetic discourse that joins the destruction of Jerusalem with Christ's coming and the end of the world. Jesus blended the descriptions of these two crises because the disciples could not yet bear to see future events distinctly. The discourse was given both for them and for people living in earth's final scenes. The chapter foretells Jerusalem's destruction, which serves as a type of the world's final destruction by fire, and it gives the signs and events preceding the coming of the Son of man and leading up to that end. The prediction that the temple would be destroyed astonished the disciples because they thought its massive structure would stand forever, while the chapter's warnings of judgments on Jerusalem apply to impenitent cities in the present and call people to recognize that the end is near and to warn the world.
The chapter briefly covers the whole Christian dispensation. It presents the Lord's great prophecy concerning the course of the present age and its closing events. Those events lead toward the promised redemption of the church.
Signs Fulfilment and Certainty
Matthew 24 answers the question about the sign of coming and the end of the world by tracing great events from the first advent to the second. That outline moves from the destruction of Jerusalem to the great tribulation of the church under pagan and papal persecution, then to the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars, and then to the coming of the Son of man in His kingdom with power and great glory to gather His elect. Its closing picture of servants awaiting their master points to the church living in the last days and leads directly into the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. The outline itself does not by itself define the phrase this generation.
The signs given to that last generation are the sun darkened at the close of the great papal persecution, the moon not giving her light, and the stars falling from heaven. As the tender branches and putting forth of leaves on the fig tree show that summer is near, so seeing these things shows that the coming of the Son of Man is near, even at the doors. They are specific testimonies to that generation that He is nigh and that His coming is at the door.
These signs have appeared and are now in unmistakable, fast-fulfilling accomplishment. Their fulfilment shows that Christ's coming is at hand and that the history of the world will soon close, calling the church to arouse. The time of this fulfilment is now.
The assurance is certain, for heaven and earth will pass away before those words fail, and the words themselves will stand. That nearness is given with threefold assurance, yet the signs do not reveal the day and hour of His coming. The generation that sees the signs described will remain until all the predicted events are fulfilled. The signs show that the second coming is near, though its day and hour remain unrevealed.
The verse does not mean that the second coming took place at the destruction of Jerusalem. Rightly examined, the chapter refutes the view that Jerusalem's destruction was the promised second coming and shows that the second advent remains future. It belongs to prophecy of Christ's second advent, not to a prediction that He had already come at that destruction.
The same chapter warns of judgments on Jerusalem and applies that warning to impenitent cities in the present. It gives an outline of events to come upon the world and describes the perils of the last days, when calamities are coming upon wicked cities and people must be warned. Its warnings call people to recognize that the end is near and to warn the world.
Call to Study and Readiness
The predictions of Matthew 24 are to be studied and brought to the attention of all, and ministers and teachers are to present them instead of matters of lesser consequence, because their truths decide the eternal destiny of souls. They form a clear chain of truth on the coming of the Lord, given while Jesus was on earth to instruct those who would afterward believe and to help them prepare for the great conflict. The time of their fulfillment is now, and their unmistakable accomplishment shows that Christ's coming is at hand.
That nearness calls Christians to consecrate themselves and be ready, and calls sinners to seek Christ before His appearing, so that all may meet the Saviour with joy. Such joyful meeting requires the preparation needed to meet the Lord at His coming. The call is to arouse the church, to discern the signs of the times, and to reach a higher standard in this age of the world. The signs are fast fulfilling and show that the history of the world will soon close, that the end is near, and that the world must be warned, even as the chapter's warning of judgments on Jerusalem applies to impenitent cities in the present.
The teaching belongs to Christ's description of conditions just before His second coming, including that moral depravity would exist before He comes in the clouds of heaven. This generation is perverse and adulterous, held in common prevailing errors, and only the truth of God can make men savingly wise and keep them so unto immortal life. To gain entrance to God's presence and the society of heavenly angels a pure and holy character must be developed, with the mind in harmony with God's mind. True disciples in the school of Christ must therefore constantly learn and also teach, reflecting light and teaching upward away from the errors of this generation, with zeal for the Master and burning love for souls for whom Christ died.