Thought of the Day !!

"Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
Luke 21:29-33 (NLT)

Verse 32 of this passage of scripture is one of the most difficult verses for me to understand in the whole bible. In it Jesus says that "this generation" will not pass away before he comes back. But wait a minute Jesus. Hasn't there been many generations to come and go since you walked this earth?

After checking out what some scholars have said, I will briefly paraphrase some different opinions.

1. Jesus (and Luke) believed that the end would come quickly –– within their generation. Jesus himself did say that no one knew the day or hour. But Luke writes this about 3 decades after Jesus' death and resurrection. Surely many people have been dying since then and Luke would have to wonder.

2. The word generation is imprecise. "The word can refer to a period of approximately thirty years or to a period of an indefinite number of years but characterized by a particular quality such as suffering or waiting or witnessing." (Craddock, Interpretation, 247)

3. This means "the evil generation of humankind", from Adam until the last man and woman who walk the earth.

4. Or, this might refer to the generation of the end. In other words, the end will occur within one generation; the same group that sees the start of the end will see its end" (This is my interpretation.)

It's clear that the interpretation of "this generation" is, at best, tentative. It's also clear that this issue is hardly the central theme of the scripture. So let's not get too bogged down with the issue of what this generation means and understand that the deeper meaning is that Jesus will come again.

Jesus concludes this section with "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever." --- A reason for hope. No matter how the earth changes…no matter how old it gets…we can be assured that the words of Jesus will still ring true for people. Nothing can stop the Word of God…not earthquakes or famines or floods or wars…and especially not Satan!

In the love of Christ,
greg