Matthew 24:34

MATTHEW—NOTE ON Matthew 24:34 this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Several interpretations have been offered as to what “this generation” refers to: (1) the disciples who were alive when Jesus was speaking, with “all these things” referring to the beginning but not the completion of the sufferings described in vv. Matthew 24:4; (2) Jesus’ disciples who see the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 and also those at the end of the age who see the events surrounding the “abomination of desolation” (v. Matthew 24:15); (3) people who display a certain quality, that is, either (a) “this generation of believers” throughout the entire present age, or (b) “this evil generation” that will remain until Christ returns (compare Matthew 12:45; Luke 11:29); (4) the “generation” or “race” of the Jewish people, who will not pass away until Christ returns; or (5) the generation that is alive when the final period of great tribulation begins.