THE ISSUE
In his great prophecy of the sign of his presence, Jesus referred to a particular generation (genea) that should not pass away. The members of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses have published an interpretation of this prophecy. In my book, My Beloved Religion — And The Governing Body, chapter one, I have commented on this interpretation. However, several persons have written to me and questioned the interpretation of the Governing Body. Therefore, I will once again discuss this issue.
The Watchtower of January 15, 2010, page 31, says:
In his detailed prophecy about the conclusion of this system of things, Jesus said: “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things happen.” (Read Matthew 24:33-35) We understand that in mentioning “this generation,” Jesus was referring to two groups of anointed Christians. The first group was on hand in 1914, and they readily discerned the sign of Christ’s presence in that year.—Rom. 8:14-17.
The second group included in “this generation” are anointed contemporaries of the first group. They were simply alive during the lifetime of those in the first group, but they were anointed with holy spirit during the time that those of the first group were still on earth. Thus, not every anointed person today is included in “this generation” of whom Jesus spoke. Today, those in the second group are themselves advancing in years, Yet, Jesus’ words at Matthew 24:34 give us confidence that at least some of “this generation will by no means pass away” before seeing the start of the great tribulation. This should add to our conviction that little time remains before the King of God’s Kingdom acts to destroy the wicked and usher in a righteous new world.
The basic objection by those who criticize this interpretation is the claim that Jesus “was referring to two groups of anointed Christians.” How is it possible that “one generation” can include “the overlapping of two groups”? In my discussion, I argued that the idea of overlapping was excellent because it accords with the meaning of the Greek word genea and the corresponding Hebrew word dōr. However, some of the details in the interpretation of the members of the Governing Body need to be adjusted.
We find the context of the words in Matthew 24:32-35:
32 “Now learn from the fig tree as an illustration this point: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and it puts forth leaves, YOU know that summer is near. 33 Likewise also YOU, when YOU see all these things, know that he is near at the doors. 34 Truly I say to YOU that this generation (genea) will by no means pass away until all these things occur. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.
The disciples asked about the sign that would show that Jesus had returned and was present. In 24:4-22, Jesus mentioned several events that together would be the sign of his presence. The first event would be a situation where whole nations would wage war against each other, and the last event would be a great tribulation bigger than any previous tribulation.
Jesus used an illustration of a fig tree. When the leaves come, the viewers would know that the will be there or soon come. In a similar way, when the viewers see the events of the sign, they will know that all the events of the sign, including the great tribulation, will happen during “this generation.” So, the important question is: “To what does “this generation” refer?
THE MEANING OF THE WORD “GENERATION”
When I became a Witness in 1961, the words of Psalm 90:10 was applied to the word genea:
10 In themselves the days of our years are seventy years; And if because of special mightiness they are eighty years.
The Hebrew word dōr (generation) is mentioned in verse 1, and in our view, it was likely that the great tribulation would come within 80 years from the year 1914, when the first part of the sign was seen. But that did not happen. There were two errors in our reasoning:
- We had not made a thorough study of the words genea and dōr.
- We used “generation” as a specific time indicator to measure the time from the beginning of the presence of Jesus to the great tribulation.
THE WORDS GENEA AND DŌR DO NOT REFER TO TIME BUT TO PEOPLE
Just as is the case with English, Greek and Hebrew words can have different meanings, and they can refer to different things in the world. The Greek word genea and the Hebrew word dōr do not refer to time but to a group of people. One example is Daniel 9:1 (above) and Matthew 1:17 (below):
1 In the first year of Da·riʹus the son of A·has·u·eʹrus of the seed (zera‘, genea) of the Medes, who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chal·deʹans;
17 All the generations (genea), then, from Abraham until David were fourteen generations, and from David until the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon until the Christ fourteen generations.
In Daniel 9:1, the Hebrew text has zera‘ meaning “seed,” but the Septuagint has genea, showing that this Greek word refers to people. In Matthew 1:17, genea refers to one group of people that follows another group of people, and this is the same way that we use the word “generation” in English.
However, the basic definition of the words dōr and genea is “a large group of people whose life-spans are overlapping.” This means that a generation does not have a specific beginning and a specific end. But the beginnings and ends of those who constitute a generation set limits for its beginning and its end.
THE OVERLAPPING PARTS OF A GENERATION
The issue we are discussing is the contents of the words “this generation,” what is included in the word “generation” (genea, dōr) and what is the reference of the word.
“THIS WICKED GENERATION” IN THE DAYS OF MOSES
I will first consider the way Moses used the word “generation” (dōr), and I quote Deuteronomy 1:35, 36 (above) and Numbers 32:10-13 (below):
35 ‘Not one among these men of this evil generation (dōr) will see the good land that I swore to give to YOUR fathers, 36 except Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh. He will see it, and to him and to his sons I shall give the land upon which he trod, by reason of the fact that he has followed Jehovah fully.
10 Consequently Jehovah’s anger blazed on that day so that he swore, saying, 11 ‘The men who came up out of Egypt from twenty years old upward will not see the soil of which I have sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because they have not followed me wholly, 12 except Caʹlebthe son of Je·phunʹneh the Kenʹiz·zite and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have followed Jehovah wholly.’ 13 So Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel and he made them wander about in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation (dōr) that was doing evil in the eyes of Jehovah came to their end.
Moses used the words “this evil generation” in Deuteronomy 1:35. Which people were included in “this evil generation”? Numbers 32:11 says that “this evil generation” included all the men (’īsh) from twenty years upward who went out of Egypt. There were 600,000 able-bodied men that went out of Egypt. The end of the mentioned generation came during the 40-year sojourn in the desert. But what was the beginning. Several thousand of the 600,000 men were old, up to one hundred years or more, and all of these above twenty years belonged to “this evil generation.” This means that the beginning of “this evil generation” started at least 140 years before its end. Thus, “this evil generation” was at least 140 years long.
The definition of “generation” was “a large group of people whose life-spans overlap.” One important point here is that “this evil generation” consisted of thousands of overlapping life-spans of the 600,000 men, minus those below twenty years.
| Moses called all the Isrealites who wandered in the desert for 40 years for “this evil generation.” This generation was at least 140 years long. |
“THIS GENERATION” IN THE DAYS OF JOSHUA”
Joshua and Caleb and those below twenty years who came out of Egypt, were the only ones who entered the promised land. Joshua was the leader of Israel, and he served Jehovah and the people in an excellent way. In connection with his death, we learn something about the word “generation” (dōr), and I quote Judges 2:6-10 (above) and Joshua 23:1-4 (below):
6 When Joshua sent the people away, then the sons of Israel went their way, each to his inheritance, to take possession of the land. 7 And the people continued to serve Jehovah all the days of Joshua and all the days of the older men who extended their days after Joshua and who had seen all of Jehovah’s great work that he did for Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died at the age of a hundred and ten years.9 So they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timʹnath-heʹres in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, on the north of Mount Gaʹash. 10 And all that generation (dōr) too were gathered to their fathers, and another generation (dōr) began to rise after them that did not know Jehovah or the work that he had done for Israel.
1 And it came about many days after Jehovah had given Israel rest from all their enemies all around, when Joshua was old and advanced in days, 2 that Joshua proceeded to call all Israel, its older men and its heads and its judges and its officers, and to say to them: “As for me, I have grown old, I have advanced in days. 3 And as for YOU, YOU have seen all that Jehovah YOUR God did to all these nations on YOUR account, because Jehovah YOUR God was the one who was fighting for YOU. 4 See, I assigned to YOU by lot these nations that remain as an inheritance for YOUR tribes, and all the nations that I cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea at the setting of the sun.
Joshua was a part of the generation mentioned in Judges 2:10, and he became one hundred and ten years. In addition to him, the older men who are mentioned in Joshua 31:2 are included in this generation. If some elders were born 40 years before Joshua died and became just as old as he, the last one would die 70 years after the death of Joshua. This means that the mentioned generation could have been at least 180 years long because it ended when the last elder mentioned died. Again, we see that overlapping of a great number of life-spans is the basic meaning of the word “generation.”
| The writer of Judges mentions the generation of Joshua and the elders, and this generation was at least 180 years long. |
“THE WICKED AND ADULTEROUS GENERATION” IN THE DAYS OF JESUS
Jesus travelled around in the land of Israel, and he preached about the kingdom of God. But the accounts of the evangelists show that very few people believed in him. Because of the bad actions and lack of faith of the people, Jesus condemned them. He used the following words:
“Wicked generation”: Matthew 12:45 and Luke 11:29.
“Wicked and adulterous generation”: Matthew 12:39; 16:4.
“Wicked and sinful generation”: Mark 8:38.
“Unbelieving and perverse generation”: Matthew 17:17 and Luke 9:41.
Which people are included in the term “generation” (genea) mentioned by Jesus? I quote Luke 11:29-32:
29 When the crowds were massing together, he started to say: “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign. But no sign will be given it except the sign of Joʹnah. 30 For just as Joʹnah became a sign to the Ninʹe·vites, in the same way will the Son of man be also to this generation. 31 The queen of the south will be raised up in the judgment with the men of this generation and will condemn them; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solʹo·mon, but, look! something more than Solʹo·mon is here. 32 The men of Ninʹe·veh will rise in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; because they repented at what Joʹnah preached; but, look! something more than Joʹnah is here.
This wicked generation included the crowds that were massing together. Jesus did not know each one of these crowds, and his general expression of calling them wicked, shows that this “wicked generation” included all the Jews living in Israel. This is supported by the words “unbelieving and perverse generation” in Mark Matthew 17:17 and Luke 9:41. All the Jews in Israel, except a few were unbelieving, and therefore they belong to the “unbelieving and perverse generation” mentioned by Jesus. When I say “all the Jews,” I refer to the Jews in general. But there were also a few that did not belong to this “wicked and adulterous generation.”
The situation is exactly the same as the one quoted above from Deuteronomy 1:35, where Moses called the whole nation of those who wandered around in the desert for 40 years for “this wicked generation.”
What is the length of “this wicked and adulterous generation”? The prophetess Anna was 84 years when she saw the child Jesus in the temple. (Luke 2:37). And we must assume that there were persons in Israel that were older than Anna, one hundred years or more. Children who were born in the same year as Jesus, would have been 33 years when Jesus condemned this wicked and adulterous generation. If some of these lived for one hundred years or more, the length of “the wicked and adulterous generation” would be at least 200 years.
But how can the words of Matthew 23:29-36 fit into the conclusion that “the wicked and adulterous generation” is at least 200 years long?:
29 “Woe to YOU, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because YOU build the graves of the prophets and decorate the memorial tombs of the righteous ones, 30 and YOU say, ‘If we were in the days of our forefathers, we would not be sharers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Therefore YOU are bearing witness against yourselves that YOU are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Well, then, fill up the measure of YOUR forefathers.
33 “Serpents, offspring of vipers, how are YOU to flee from the judgment of Ge·henʹna? 34 For this reason, here I am sending forth to YOU prophets and wise men and public instructors. Some of them YOU will kill and impale, and some of them YOU will scourge in YOUR synagogues and persecute from city to city; 35 that there may come upon YOU all the righteous blood spilled on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zech·a·riʹah son of Bar·a·chiʹah, whom YOU murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I say to YOU, All these things will come upon this generation.
Some of the scribes and the Pharisees had bloodguilt, and they would be punished for this. Jesus said that “all these things” (including the punishment) would come upon this generation, and it came when Jerusalem was destroyed in the year 70 CE. If Jesus spoke these words in the year 33, the punishment came 37 years later. Would not this show that “the wicked and adulterous generation” was much shorter than 200 years?
The answer is No. I have stressed that the definition of a generation is “a large group of people whose life-spans overlap each other.” In the situation with “the wicked and adulterous generation” in the days of Jesus, there were tens of thousands of life-spans that overlapped each other. So, this generation could not have been 37 years long. However, the point is that the judgment Jesus said would come within this generation occurred 37 years after he uttered his words, not at the end of “this generation.”
It is true that a great part of the Jewish population was killed when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE. But a great number of “this wicked and adulterous generation” was still living. So, this event would not shorten the length of this generation that I have calculated to at least 200 years.
| Jesus called all the inhabitants of Israel in his day for “this wicked and adulterous generation” and “this unbelieving and perverse generation,” except the few believers. The length of this generation was at least 200 years. |
“THIS GENERATION” IN THE GREAT PROPHECY OF JESUS
I am now reaching the climax of this discussion, what Jesus meant by his words about “this generation” in Matthew chapter 24:34. I quote Matthew 24:32-36:
32 “Now learn from the fig tree as an illustration this point: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and it puts forth leaves, YOU know that summer is near. 33 Likewise also YOU, when YOU see all these things, know that he is near at the doors. 34 Truly I say to YOU that this generation (genea) will by no means pass away until all these things occur. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. 36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.
I will now analyze these words.
THE DEMONSTRATIVE WORDS OF MATTHEW CHAPTER 24
One side of Matthew chapter 24 that is of great help for our understanding of the words of Jesus are all the demonstrative markers in the chapter. The demonstrative adjective or noun ekeinos (“this, that”) occurs ten times, and the demonstrative particle houtos (“this, that”) occurs eight times. When a demonstrative word is used together with a noun, we know that this noun already has been mentioned directly or indirectly. So, we must look at the context and find the antecedent of this noun, that is, what the noun refers back to.
The antecedent can be lexical or semantic. When the antecedent is the same word that previously is mentioned, the situation is lexical, and when the antecendent is the same idea but not the same word, the situation is thematic.
Two lexical antecedents: The antecedent of “that (ekeinos) slave” in 24:46 is “the faithful and discreet slave” in verse 45, and the antecedent of “this (houtos) good news of the kingdom” in 24:14 is “the good news of the kingdom” that Jesus preached. Peter, John, Paul, and others preached about a kingdom that would come in the future, but Jesus preached that the kingdom is here, it is in your midst. And this good news of the kingdom —the kingdom is here — should be preached as a part to the sign of the presence of Jesus.
Two thematic antecedents: The antecedent of “all these (houtos) things” in 24:2 is “the buildings of the temple” that are mentioned in verse 1. The antecedent of “those (ekeinos) days” in 24:22 is “the great tribulation” in verse 21 because the tribulation consists of days.
THE IDENTIFICATION OF “THIS GENERATION” MENTIONED IN MATTHEW 24:34
Jesus said that “this (houtos) generation (genea)” will by no means pass away. There is no lexical antecedent because the word genea is not previously used. So, the antecedent is thematic. The word genea refers to a large group of people whose life-spans overlap each other. This means that while genea does not refer to time, a certain time is implied, because all the overlapping life-spans are related to the time each one and all these are living.
The antecedent of “this generation” is also a situation where time is implied. Verse 32 has the clause “When you see all these things,” and “this generation” must be the antecedent to the pronoun “you” — this generation to which you belong, in which your life-spans overlap.
There is also an implied beginning and end to “this generation,” namely “all these things” that the members of “this generation” will see (verse 33) and that will occur while this generation exists (verse 34). The important question, therefore, is: What is the antecedent of “all these things”? This antecedent is not lexical but thematic. And the antecedent to “all these things” is all the events of the sign mentioned by Jesus that are listed in 24:4-22, the first event being the hearing of “wars and reports of wars” (verse 6), and the last event being the great tribulation (verse 21). So, this generation would exist all the time the events of the sign occurred, and because of all the overlapping life-spans it had to start before the first event and last after the last event.
In order to fully understand the generation that we are now identifying, we must understand the frame of the great prophecy of Jesus. The disciples asked about a sign that he had returned and was present, and they associated this with the future destruction of the temple. The events of the sign that Jesus described would, on a smaller scale, happen during the first century CE, until the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. But the greater fulfillment would happen during the presence of Jesus. This is shown by the words in 24:21 that the great tribulation is greater than any previous event and any event that will come, and verse 30 that the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven. These things did not happen in the first century CE.
In my book My Beloved Religion — And The Governing Body, chapter 1, and in several articles, I have argued that the presence of Jesus and the time of the end began in the year 1914 CE[1] This matches the words of Matthew 24:6, 7 of wars because World Wat I began in 1914. As I have stressed, the word genea does not refer to a time period with a particular beginning and end. But because of all the overlapping life-spans it implies time. If the first event that Jesus mentioned refers to the great war in 1914, “this generation” would from that year last beyond the last event mentioned by Jesus, which is the great tribulation.
We cannot know the exact length of this generation. According to Matthew 24:33, Jesus said, “When you see (horaō) these things, you will know.
But we can use the information from the Bible regarding what the Hebrew word dōr and the Greek word genea refer to. The generation in the days of Moses was at least 140 years long, the generation in the days of Joshua was at least 180 years long, and the generation in the days of Jesus was at least 200 years long. The Hebrew and Greek words meaning “generation” refer to a large group of people whose life-spans overlap, and the length of the generations that specially are mentioned in the Bible is between 140 and 200 years. This means that that the last event mentioned by Jesus that will occur while “this generation” still is standing, namely, the great tribulation, will occur at the latest 140 to 200 years, or even more, after the year 1914.
| According to the length of the generations that are mentioned in the Bible, “this generation,” that is mentioned in Matthew 24:34, can be between 140 and 200 years long, or even longer. |
There is another important antecedent in Matthew 24:36:
36 “Concerning that (ekeinos) day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.
The Greek words for “day and hour” are not previously mentioned. So, the antecedent must be thematic. Verse 33 has the words “he (the Son of man) is near at the doors,” and verse 30 refers to his coming at the doors, namely, that “they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds.” This “coming” must be the antecedent of “that day and hour.” This is supported by verses 38-42 where the coming of the Son of Man is compared to the coming of the great flood in the days of Noah, and of the use of “the end” (telos) in verse 14, which refers to the great tribulation.
If we now return to the context of “this generation,” Jesus said that the coming of the Son of man and the end the great tribulation would come with a limit of between 140 and 200 years, or even more, from the year 1914. But the date of the end, of the great tribulation, was only known by Jehovah God.
THE GENERATION THAT WILL NOT PASS AWAY
When we read the Word of God, it is important that we carefully read the text, doing our utmost to understand the details.
THE REFERENCE OF THE PRONOUN “YOU”
I start by quoting Matthew 24:32-37:
32 “Now learn from the fig tree as an illustration this point: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and it puts forth leaves, YOU know that summer is near. 33 Likewise also YOU, when YOU see (horao) all these things, know that he is near at the doors. 34 Truly I say to YOU that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. 36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.
To whom does the pronoun “you” (plural) refer? Firstly, it refers to the disciples who asked the questions, persons who were pupils of Jesus, who had not been baptized and anointed with holy spirit. Secondly, the pronoun refers to all the anointed followers of Jesus who lived in the first century CE before the destruction of Jerusalem. Thirdly, it refers to followers of Jesus who live during his presence and the conclusion of the system of things. These are primarily persons who look forward to live in the earthly paradise and secondary, the few anointed followers of Jesus who live during this time.[2]
| The pronoun “you” in Matthew 24:33 refers to all disciples of Jesus who live during his presence. It includes the followers of Jesus with the hope of living in the earthly paradise and the few anointed disciples with the hope of reigning together with Jesus in the heavens. |
THE PREACHING OF THE KINGDOM HELPS PEOPLE TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND
Jesus did not say anything about the lengths of the lives of those to whom the pronoun “you” is addressed. But he said something about their eyes and their minds — they should see and understand. How could that occur? The prophecy of Jesus is written in the Christian Greek Scriptures. But most ordinary persons who read this prophecy will not “see and understand.” The reason is that to understand the prophecy, a time frame is needed to put the prophecy into (the appointed times of the nations), and knowledge about the kingdom of God and the reign of Jesus is necessary.
WITHOUT PREACHING, THERE IS NO SEEING AND UNDERSTANDING
The important point is that no one can “see and understand” if they do not get the right help. Paul stresses this point in Romans 10:12-15.
11 For the Scripture says: “None that rests his faith on him will be disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for there is the same Lord over all, who is rich to all those calling upon him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”
14 However, how will they call on him in whom they have not put faith? How, in turn, will they put faith in him of whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? 15 How, in turn, will they preach unless they have been sent forth? Just as it is written: “How comely are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”
16 Nevertheless, they did not all obey the good news. For Isaiah says: “Jehovah, who put faith in the thing heard from us?” 17 So faith follows the thing heard. In turn the thing heard is through the word about Christ.
Who are those who are preaching? Daniel 7:27 speaks about “the people who are the holy ones” and 12:7 speaks of “the holy people.” The only people who are preaching the good news of the established kingdom worldwide today are Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is impossible “to see and understand,” or as Paul said, “How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach?” if we do not learn from these people. This means that we can only see the sign with the help of the literature of the Watchtower Society.
One point to keep in mind is that Daniel 12:9-10 says that important parts of Daniel would be sealed until the time of the end. Then, the ones having insight will understand. Any attempt to understand the sealed portions of Daniel before the time of the end would fail. And the angel says that the understanding will come in the time of the end, not necessarily at the beginning of the time of the end. One example that can illustrate the situation is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3:
1 However, brothers, respecting the presence (parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we request of YOU 2 not to be quickly shaken from YOUR reason nor to be excited either through an inspired expression or through a verbal message or through a letter as though from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here.
3 Let no one seduce YOU in any manner, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction.
The members of the congregation in Thessalonica believed that the presence of Jesus was a reality or would happen instantly. Paul had to correct their viewpoints. Sincere people who read the Bible will not be able to identify all the events of the sign, but they need someone to preach to them and direct them. The situation in Thessalonica suggests that even those who preach may occasionally err and need to adjust their viewpoints. The points that follow will show how true Christians have gradually understood different sides of the sign of Jesus’ presence
GOD’S KINGDOM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED
The sign was related to “the appointed times of the nations.” (Luke 21:24). The year 1914 was an important year for the Bible students. They believed that the appointed times of the nations would end, and that there would be a great upheaval of the human society with the thousand-year reign of Jesus following shortly thereafter. This was understood as early as the year 1876,[3] three years before the first Watchtower was published. It is clear that people who read the Bible could not calculate the appointed times of the nations on their own. The same was true with other events of the sign. Bible readers could not, on their own, see the composite sign mentioned by Jesus.
Let us now see the truth in Paul’s words, “How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach?” in relation to seeing and understanding the sign.
I quote The Watchtower of March 1, 1920, page 76, (above) and The Watchtower July 1, 1920, pages 195, 196 (below):
The long period of chastisement, twenty-five hundred and twenty years, began when the crown was taken away from King Zedekiah, in B. C. 606.[4] (Ezekiel 21:25-27). During all this time, Israel was not an independent nation. As the Lord had declared through his prophets, Zedekiah was the last of the line of David who should rule until the Messiah’s kingdom should be established. The end of the Gentile times in 1914, then, marks the beginning of the Messiah’s kingdom.
Five days before the crucifixion of the Master, while he sat on the side of the mount of Olives, his disciples approached him privately and inquired: “Tell us. . . what shall be the sign [proof ] of thy coming [presence ] and of the end of the world?’’ (Matthew 24: 3)…the second presence of the Lord…
We find that the events which actually transpired agree exactly with the calculation as set forth in Biblical chronology, and prove definitely that the Gentile times legally and chronologically ended in the fall of the year 1914, at which time the nations did become angry and God’s wrath began to be visited upon them. Jesus answered that nation would rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and this we find had the beginning of its fulfillment in the year 1914 in the great world war. Then would come, he said, “famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes [revolutions], in diverse places”. (Matthew 24:7)
There are several important points in these quotations from the year 1920. The appointed times of the nations (gentiles) ended in the year 1914, and the world war started in that year as proof that the calculation of the 2,520 years was correct. Previously, the Bible students had looked for a fulfillment of the events of the sign before 1914. But these quotations show that the sign would be seen from 1914 onward. And most important, the world war, as the first part of the sign, and the other events showed that God’s kingdom was established. This was stressed in several articles after 1920, including the article “Birth of a Nation” in The Watchtower of March 1, 1925.
Persons who read the Bible could view the World War and the Spanish Flu in 1918 and 1919 as a fulfillment of the sign. But they could not put these events into a chronological frame, and they would not conclude from these events that God’s kingdom had been established in heaven. To understand this, people had to rely on “someone to preach” — in this case, The Watchtower.
THE ABOMINATION THAT CAUSES DESOLATION
Another part of the sign is expressed in Matthew 24:15:
15 Therefore, when YOU catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place, (let the reader use discernment,)
How could sincere Bible readers use discernment? In the first century CE, this war relatively easy, because Jesus had, as it is expressed in Luke 21:20, 21, identified the abomination as the Roman armies that surrounded Jerusalem and stood on the holy ground of the temple. So, the followers of Jesus simply had to look for these armies. In modern times, this would be more difficult. There was a need for “someone to preach.”
I will now show how the leaders of the people of God wrestled with this issue and made different efforts to understand this part of the sign. The entity that would fulfill 24:15 would be a disgusting thing that stood in a holy place. And at some time, it would cause desolation of another entity. It turned out to be the League of Nations, and I will describe how the people of God gradually came to this conclusion.
The peace conference that laid the groundwork was in Paris in January 1919, and the League came into existence on January 10th, 1920. During the years 1919 and 1920, the Watchtower criticized the attempts to establish the League and the League itself on several occasions. The basic reason for this is seen in The Watchtower of January 1, 1921, page 15 (above) and The Watchtower 1. November 1922, page 335 (below):
That this is the thought of those who formed the League of Nations is clearly shown by their words. For eclesiasticism hails the League as the “political expression of the kingdom of God on earth”. Members of the peace delegation designated it as the savior of the world; and the one selected as its first President, Mr. Woodrow Wilson, loudly proclaimed that the people must accept the League of Nations as man’s last and only hope.
The financial princes and the mighty rulers of earth assembled in Paris for a peace conference, and the clergy of nominal Christendom joined with them; and the result was the bringing forth of the League of Nations, the devil’s final substitute for the kingdom of Messiah.
The appointed times of the nations ended in 1914, and the kingdom of God was established. Instead of accepting this kingdom, the nations of the earth established the League of Nations. Some clergymen called the League “the political expression of God’s kingdom on earth” and the American president Woodrow Wilson called it “man’s last and only hope.” On this background, The Watchtower concluded correctly that the League was “the devil’s final substitute for the kingdom of the Messiah.”
The first time a prophecy is applied to the League of nations is in The Watchtower of January 1. 1921, page 11:
The Revelator [13:11] continues: “And he [the other beast, Great Britain] had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed”. In other words, Great Britain, in a lamblike manner, exercised her power to give life to the unholy alliance, the League of Nations—the combined elements of financiers, politicians, and unfaithful clergy—and in a beastly manner to cause all who would not conform to its dictates to be rendered hors de combat—made useless, without ability to exercise power.
The League of Nations was identical to the image of the beast. This is something Jehovah’ Witnesses still believe, but they do not believe all the details of the quotation. The next identification is found in The Watchtower of July 15, 1926, page 215 (above), and The Watchtower of November 15, 1927, page 341 (below):
LEAGUE FORETOLD
God foretold the seven world powers, to wit, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and the British Empire, and also foretold that out of the seven would grow the eighth. The latter is also symbolized as a “beast” [in 17:3], because its purpose is to rule and control the peoples of the earth. The Lord foretold its birth, its short existence, and its everlasting end.—Revelation 17:10,11; Isaiah 8: 9, 10.
The British Empire is therefore the seventh world power; and the League of Nations, which is combined Christendom, including of course the British Empire, which is the real life-giver to the League, is the eighth; and both the seventh and the eighth function at one and the same time and both seem destined for the same fate.
The League of Nations is identified as the eighth world power that is mentioned in Revelation 17:10, 11. This is also the view today. Revelation 13:1, 2 describes a wild beast that is identical with the wild beast in 17:3, except that the last-mentioned beast is scarlet-colored. This scarlet-colored beast can be viewed as an image of the wild beast in 13:1, 2. The present understanding is that the scarlet-colored wild beast, which is an image of the wild beast in Revelation 13:1, 2, symbolizes The League of Nations and The United Nations. In 1926, only the League of Nations existed.
The first time the League of Nations is identified as the abomination that causes desolation is in The Watchtower of August 15, 1931, page 245:
Today God’s “ faithful servant” class sees “the abomination that maketh desolate”, spoken of by Daniel the prophet and by the Lord Jesus Christ, standing in the holy place. (Matt. 24:15) It is the Devil’s product, his organization, and it is “the image of the beast”, the League of Nations. It has its seat in the holy place of organized religion which calls itself by the holy name of God and claims to be the favored one of Jehovah God; and thus the name of Jehovah is reproached and desecrated. Its prime promoters and chief supporters are the nations which call themselves “Christian nations.”
This identification means that The League of Nations, is the abomination that causes desolation, mentioned in Matthew 24:15, and the image of the wild beast in Revelation 13:1-2, which is the scarlet-colored wild beast in Revelation 17:3. This is also the present view of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they also include The United Nations.
Let us return to the words of Paul in Romans 10:14: “How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? How can we apply these words?” It would have been impossible for any sincere reader of the Bible to use discernment and identify “the abomination that causes desolation.” The reason the leading brothers could make this identification was that they had identified the people of God, understood the chronological frame for Jesus’ presence, and recognized that the kingdom was established in 1914. In relation to this information, the leading brothers could make the mentioned identification when they combined their knowledge of the Bible with current world history.
There can be no doubt that individual sincere humans need someone to preach to them, in order to identify the abomination causing desolation.
[1]. See the three articles on the appointed times of the nations and the prophetic year 1914 CE:
[2] See my article, The Sign 9: “Cutting short the days of the great tribulation on account of the chosen ones.” This article shows that “the chosen ones” mentioned in Matthew 24:22 are not anointed Christians but those who will survive the great tribulation and enter the new system of things.
[3]. This is expressed in The Watchtower of February 15:1925, page 54.
THE PREACHING OF THE ESTABLISHED KINGDOM
On the last day of the Bible Student’s convention in Cedar Point in the USA between 5-13 September 1922, J.F. Rutherford gave a talk, and his last words were, “Advertise, advertise the king and his kingdom.” This was the start of the fulfillment of one part of the sign that is expressed in Matthew 24:14.
14 And this(houtos) good newsof the kingdomwill be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end (telos) will come.
Please note that this did not refer to any preaching of any good news of the kingdom. The demonstrative pronoun houtos (this) shows that this is special kind of good news of the kingdom. A demonstrative pronoun must refer back to something, so to what does “this” refer? It refers to the same message that Jesus preached, “The kingdom of God has drawn near,” “the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Not only are Jehovah’s Witnesses the only ones who preach that the kingdom of God was established in 1914, but they are also the only group where all members are preachers and spread this good news of the kingdom to all nations. This worldwide preaching has occurred in the 20th and 21st centuries, but not in previous centuries. This is a fulfillment of the sign of the presence of Jesus and the time of the end. Seeing and understanding the nature of this sign can only be achieved through the preaching of others.
In what follows I will show the true nature of this event of the sign
We note that the good news of the kingdom that would be preached as a part of the sign is determined by the demonstrative pronoun houtos (this). A demonstrative pronoun must refer back to something, so to what does “this” refer? There was a difference between the preaching of the kingdom of Jesus and his disciples when he was on the earth and the preaching of the kingdom after he had ascended to heaven.
Matthew 4:17 tells that Jesus preached that “the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near, and he instructed his apostles to preach the same message. As I have already shown, Luke 17:21 shows what the reason for this preaching was that Jesus, the king in God’s kingdom, was in their midst.
Matthew 4:17
17 From that time on Jesus commenced preaching and saying: “Repent, YOU people, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.”
Matthew 10:7
7 As YOU go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.’
Luke 17:20, 21
20 But on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them and said: “The kingdom of God is not coming with striking observableness, 21 neither will people be saying, ‘See here!’ or, ‘There!’ For, look! the kingdom of God is in YOUR midst.”
However, when Jesus had ascended to heaven, his followers could not preach that the kingdom of God had drawn near because he was not among them. However, as seen from the five quotations from Acts below, after Jesus’ death, his followers preached about the coming kingdom of God. What did they preach?
According to 2. Timothy 4:1, they knew that the kingdom of God would come in the future because the coming kingdom is connected with the future manifestation of Jesus. Second Peter 1:11 shows that one important aspect of preaching the kingdom of God was that persons who repented and began to serve God could gain entrance into the kingdom of God. I quote seven passages showing the preaching of the kingdom of God, but not that the kingdom was near.
Acts 8:12
12 But when they believed Philip, who was declaring the good news of the kingdom of God and of the name of Jesus Christ, they proceeded to be baptized, both men and women.
Acts 19:8
8 Entering into the synagogue, he spoke with boldness for three months, giving talks and using persuasion concerning the kingdom.
Acts 20:25
25 “And now, look! I know that all of YOU among whom I went preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.
Acts 28:23
23 They now arranged for a day with him, and they came in greater numbers to him in his lodging place. And he explained the matter to them by bearing thorough witness concerning the kingdom of God and by using persuasion with them concerning Jesus from both the law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.
Acts 28:31
31 preaching the kingdom of God to them and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with the greatest freeness of speech, without hindrance.
2 Timothy 4:1
1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is destined to judge the living and the dead, and by his manifestation and his kingdom.
2 Peter 1:11
11 In fact, thus there will be richly supplied to YOU the entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Now we can understand the determination “this” of “the good news of the kingdom.” It was Jesus who gave the sign. This good news of the kingdom, the good news of the kingdom that Jesus preached: “the kingdom has drawn near”; “the kingdom is in your midst” should again be preached as a part of the sign of his presence and the conclusion of the system of things. And, as we have seen, this is supported by Luke 21:31:
31 In this way YOU also, when YOU see these things occurring, know that the kingdom of God is near.
When the followers of Jesus saw all the events that together constituted the sign, they would know that the kingdom of God was near. And this message was what they would preach. The only ones who preach the same message as Jesus preached — the kingdom is here, the kingdom has been established — are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
THE SIGN CAN STILL BE SEEN
Jesus said that “nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” This happened for the first time with World War I in 1914, and it happened for the second time with World War II in 1945. When this war began, many followers of Jesus wandered if this great war would lead to the great tribulation.
On September 18-20, 1942 “The New World Theocratic Assembly” were held in Cleveland, Ohio and other cities. On the last day, N. H. Knorr gave the talk “Peace — can it last.” He took the identification of the League of Nations as his point of departure, and showed that the war would end, and that there would be a period when the good news of the kingdom should be preached before the great tribulation. I quote Revelation 17:8-11:
8 The wild beast that you saw was, but is not, and yet is about to ascend out of the abyss, and it is to go off into destruction. And when they see how the wild beast was, but is not, and yet will be present, those who dwell on the earth will wonder admiringly, but their names have not been written upon the scroll of life from the founding of the world.
9 “Here is where the intelligence that has wisdom comes in: The seven heads mean seven mountains, where the woman sits on top. 10 And there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet arrived, but when he does arrive he must remain a short while. 11 And the wild beast that was but is not, it is also itself an eighth [king], but springs from the seven, and it goes off into destruction.
Knorr pointed out that the wild beast (the eighth king) — The League of Nations — was now dead in the abyss. But the prophecy shows that the wild beast would ascend from the abyss and again be present. This requires that the War will end, that the League will again start to function, and that there will be a period of peace.
During the 21st century, there have been at least 150 armed conflicts every year, and seven million people died from Covid 19 during the pandemic from 2020 to 2024. Since 1914, there has also been many great earthquakes, which also is a part of the sign.
But how long will we see events that are connected with the sign of Jesus’ presence?
THE TIME LIMIT OF “THIS GENERATION”
Because the Hebrew word dor and the Greek word genea, both being translated as “generation,” refer to overlapping lifespans of a great number of unidentified people, it seems that we cannot place a time limit on “this generation.” Let us take a closer look at the issue.
THE WRONG INTERPRETATION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY
The present members of the Governing Body have sought to put a limit on the length of “this generation that will not pass away.” I quote The Watchtower of 15 January 2014, page 31, one time more:
In his detailed prophecy about the conclusion of this system of things, Jesus said: “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things happen.” (Read Matthew 24:33-35) We understand that in mentioning “this generation,” Jesus was referring to two groups of anointed Christians. The first group was on hand in 1914, and they readily discerned the sign of Christ’s presence in that year.—Rom. 8:14-17.
The second group included in “this generation” are anointed contemporaries of the first group. They were simply alive during the lifetime of those in the first group, but they were anointed with holy spirit during the time that those of the first group were still on earth. Thus, not every anointed person today is included in “this generation” of whom Jesus spoke. Today, those in the second group are themselves advancing in years, Yet, Jesus’ words at Matthew 24:34 give us confidence that at least some of “this generation will by no means pass away” before seeing the start of the great tribulation. This should add to our conviction that little time remains before the King of God’s Kingdom acts to destroy the wicked and usher in a righteous new world.
The interpretation of the Governing Body is that “this generation” refers to two groups of Jesus’ anointed followers: One group lived in the year 1914, and they saw the first part of the sign, World War I. The lives of the other group of anointed ones overlapped the lives of the first group. And the great tribulation will come when some of this second group of anointed ones still live on the earth. This interpretation is wrong for two reasons,
- The Greek word genea does not refer to the overlapping lives of two persons or two particular groups of persons. But the word refers to the overlapping lives of all the billions of humans who live at a certain time.
- When Jesus speaks of “you,” he does not only refer to the anointed Christians but to all his followers who will see all the events of the sign.
I have already discussed point 1, and in what follows I will discuss point 2). I start by quoting Matthew 24:32-37:
32 “Now learn from the fig tree as an illustration this point: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and it puts forth leaves, YOU know that summer is near. 33 Likewise also YOU, when YOU see (horao) all these things, know that he is near at the doors. 34 Truly I say to YOU that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. 36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.
I repeat the answer to the question to whom does the pronoun “you” (plural) refer. Firstly, it refers to the disciples who asked the questions, persons who were disciples of Jesus, who had not been baptized and anointed with holy spirit. Secondly, the pronoun refers to all the anointed followers of Jesus who lived in the first century CE before the destruction of Jerusalem.
Thirdly, it refers to followers of Jesus who live during his presence and the conclusion of the system of things. These are primarily persons who look forward to living in the earthly paradise and, secondly, the few anointed followers of Jesus who live during this time.[1]
This means that the argument of the members of the Governing Body that “this generation” includes two groups of anointed Christians, and the time is short because the members of the second group are advanced in age, definitely is wrong
THE TIME LIMIT BASED ON THE JUBILEE CHRONOLOGY
I have shown that because a generation represent the overlapping of life spans of all who live at a certain time, and that because of this, generations in the past could be 200 years or more. The first part of the sign mentioned by Jesus that was connected with the generation that “will by no means pass away” before the great tribulation comes was World War II, which started in 1914.
Does this suggest that “this generation” can span as much as 200 years? The answer is No!
The chronology of the Jubilee puts some restrictions on the length of “this generation.” In my article, “The appointed times of the great Jubilee — The importance of the year 1975 (Part III)” I demonstrate that the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ is the antitypical sabbath, which is the seventh period of Jehovah’s 7,000-year-long day of rest. On the sixth day, Jehovah created Adam, and later he created Eve. According to this Jubilee chronology, the thousand-year reign of Jesus will start 6,000 years after Jehovah made his last creation, which was Eve.[2]
We know that in the year 1975 there had elapsed 6,000 years from the creation of Adam. However, since we do not know how much time elapsed between the creation of Adam and Eve, we cannot determine the day and hour when Jesus comes as the judge during the great tribulation. (Matthew 24:36)
But what do we know? There is a limit on the time that elapsed between Adam and Eve, as we see in Genesis 4:25 (above) and 5:3 (below):
25 And Adam proceeded to have intercourse again with his wife and so she gave birth to a son and called his name Seth, because, as she said: “God has appointed another seed in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.”
3 And Adam lived on for a hundred and thirty years. Then he became father to a son in his likeness, in his image, and called his name Seth.
Because Set was born when Adam was 130 years, Eve was created less that 130 years after Adam’s creation. This means the thousand-year reign will come less than 130 years after 1975. This can be further restricted.
Today, 50 years have passed since 1975. Because the thousand-year reign has not begun, we know that at least 50 years passed between the creation of Adam and Eve. This opens a window of 80 years (to the birth of Set) during which Eve was created.
What happened after Eve’s creation and before the birth of Set? Cain and Abel were born, they grew up and became adults, and then Cain killed Abel. The time for this to happen must be subtracted from the mentioned 80 years to find the time period in which Eve was created.
The conclusion is that the year 1975 is the last certain year we know of in the stream of time — 6,000 years after Adam’s creation. Because of this, we know that the Jubilee sabbath, which is the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ, will start much less than 80 years from now. And this means that the generation “that by no means will pass away” before the Jubilee sabbath begins also ends in much less than 80 years from the present.
| We know that the limit of “this generation” is 130 years from the year 1975 or 80 years from this time. Because of the chronological information in the Holy Scriptures, we know we can expect the beginning of the antitypical Jubilee, the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ, in much less than 80 years from the present. |
CONCLUDING REMARKS
When people who speak English use the word “generations,” they often refer to a father who gets a child, and this child who gets a child — these are three generations. This is a natural way of using the word “generation,” and the Hebrew word dōr and the Greek word genea are also used in this way in the Bible.
A more common use of “generation” in the Bible is “a large group of people whose life-spans overlap.” Three examples from the Bible where this definition is used have been discussed, and I have shown that the length of “generation” in these accounts was between 140 and 200 years.
Because of the chronology of the antitypical Jubilee, “this generation” mentioned in Matthew 24:34 will be less than 200 years, even less than 140 years. We know that the year 1975 represents 6,000 years from the creation of Adam, and we also know that “this generation” will end less than 130 years from 1975.
We do not know the time an hour for the coming of Jesus as the judge and for the beginning of the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ. But because of the limit of less than 130 years from 1975, we know that “this generation” end in much less that 80 years from now on.
[1] See my article, The Sign 9: “Cutting short the days of the great tribulation on account of the chosen ones.” This article shows that “the chosen ones” mentioned in Matthew 24:22 are not anointed Christians but those who will survive the great tribulation and enter the new system of things.
[2]. https://mybelovedreligion.no/2025/06/23/the-appointed-times-of-the-great-jubilee-the-importance-of-the-year-1975-part-iii/
