This Generation Will By No Means Pass Away....

"Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur." Matthew 24:34

It seems like a simple enough statement. But to attempt to understand exactly what a generation is, let's first look at a dictionary definition.

1) group of contemporaries: all of the people who were born at approximately the same time, considered as a group, and especially when considered as having shared interests and attitudes
"the younger generation"
2) stage in descent: a single stage in the descent of a family or a group of people, animals, or plants, or the individual members of that stage
"three generations down the line"
3) time taken to produce new generation: the period of time that it takes for people, animals, or plants to grow up and produce their own offspring, in humans held to be between 30 and 35 years
"after three generations of war and conflict"
4) particular generation in sequence: a particular numbered stage in the sequence of generations of a person being identified with a particular characteristic ( usually used in combination )
"a first-generation immigrant"
"a third-generation graduate"

It is easy to see here that a generation is defined as a group of people that are identified as aging within the same time period.

Now let's see how the bible views a generation.

Judges 2:10--After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.

All that generation - i. e. the main body of those who were grown-up men at the time of the conquest of Canaan.

Exodus 1:6--In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation.

Self explanatory.

Matthew 1:17 "So all the generations from Abraham to David [are] fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon [are] fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ [are] fourteen generations."

This lists successive members of a genealogy.

Now compare that with the latest attempt from the Jehovah's Witnesses at explaining what a generation is.

"John Barr made clear that the gathering wound not continue indefinitely. He referred to Matthew 24:34, which says: "This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur." He twice read the comment: "Jesus evidently meant that the lives of the anointed ones who were on hand when the sign began to be evident in 1914 would overlap with the lives of the other anointed ones who would see the start of the great tribulation." We do not know the exact length of "this generation," but it includes these two groups whose lives overlap. Even though the anointed vary in age, those in the two groups constituting the generation are contemporaries during the part of the last days. How comforting it is to know that the younger anointed contemporaries of those older anointed ones who discerned the sign when it became evident beginning in 1914 will not die off before the great tribulation starts!" (jwfacts.com)

Nowhere in the bible can this definition be found. If I am mistaken, I hope someone is kind enough to show me. What would lead them to draw this conclusion? Reread the last sentence in the above quote. It comforts them to know that younger anointed contemporaries will not die off before the great tribulation starts. I find that statement very revealing. Why? All one needs to do is examine the old claims.

"A "generation" might be reckoned as equivalent to a century (practically the present limit) or one hundred and twenty years, Moses' lifetime and the Scripture limit. (Gen. 6:3.) Reckoning a hundred years from 1780, the date of the first sign, the limit would reach to 1880 Or, since the Master said, "When ye shall see all these things," and since "the sign of the Son of Man in heaven," and the budding fig tree, and the gathering of "the elect" are counted among the signs, it would not be inconsistent to reckon the "generation" from 1878 to 1914--36 1/2 years-- about the average of human life today." Studies in the Scriptures Series IV - The Day of Vengeance 1897 ed. pp.604, 605

After 1914 came and went, they changed to the next view.

"The irresistible conclusion therefore is that Jesus referred to the new creation [the anointed] when he said: “This generation shall not pass until all these things be fulfilled.” This then would be a strong indication that some members of the new creation will be on the earth at the time of Armageddon."”

The idea that a generation could last about 1900 years was changed to this--

"So it was on “this generation” that the accumulated judgments were to fall. (Matt. 23:36) This therefore means that from 1914 a generation shall not pass till all is fulfilled, and amidst a great time of trouble." Watchtower 1951 Jul 1 p.404

"The length of time is indicated by him when he said, "Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur." (Matt. 24:34) The actual meaning of these words is, beyond question, that which takes a "generation" in the ordinary sense, as at Mark 8:12 and Acts 13:36, or for those who are living at the given period." Watchtower 1951 July 1 p.404

Interestingly enough, they must have questioned their own view, since it changed again. But let's continue viewing their claims for now.


"Jesus was obviously speaking about those who were old enough to witness with understanding what took place when the 'last days' began. ... Even if we presume that youngsters 15 years of age would be perceptive enough to realize the import of what happened in 1914, it would still make the youngest of 'this generation' nearly 70 years old today." Awake! 1968 October 8 p.13

"According to available statistics, in 1980 approximately 250,000,000 of those who were alive in 1914 were still living. That generation is not yet gone. Interestingly, however, of those born in 1900 or earlier, figures published by the United Nations indicate that only an estimated 35,316,000 were still alive in 1980. So the number drops quickly as individuals reach their seventies and eighties. When considered along with all the details of Jesus’ prophetic sign, these facts strongly indicate that the end is near." Survival into a New Earth (1984) p.28 How Long Will the Present System Last?

And then came this little gem.

"Eager to see the end of this evil system, Jehovah's people have at times speculated about the time when the "great tribulation" would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914. However, we "bring a heart of wisdom in," not by speculating about how many years or days make up a generation, but by thinking about how we "count our days" in bringing joyful praise to Jehovah. (Psalm 90:12) Rather than provide a rule for measuring time, the term "generation" as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics. In line with the above, professor of history Robert Wohl wrote in his book The Generation of 1914: "A historical generation is not defined by its chronological limits . . . It is not a zone of dates." Therefore, in the final fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy today, "this generation" apparently refers to the peoples of earth who see the sign of Christ's presence but fail to mend their ways Is anything to be gained, then, by looking for dates or by speculating about the literal lifetime of a "generation"?... Does our more precise viewpoint on "this generation" mean that Armageddon is further away than we had thought? Not at all! Though we at no time have known the "day and hour," Jehovah God has always known it, and he does not change. (Malachi 3:6) Obviously, the world is sinking further and further toward terminal ruination. The need to keep awake is more critical than it has ever been. Jehovah has revealed to us "the things that must shortly take place," and we should respond with an absorbing sense of urgency." Watchtower 1995 November 1 p.20

Wait a minute. Who was speculating again?

There are numerous quotes that can be pulled up to show that the JWs had no idea how to define what a generation is. It seems as if they would attempt to entice the public to believe that there was not much time remaining for them to decide. It also kept current members hopeful that the end was near.

Anyone with a reasonable mind has to wonder how a religious group that claims to be getting directed by God's holy spirit, could continuously error in their assessment of a generation. Whenever one explanation doesn't seem to attract the attention of outsiders, a change is made to stimulate interest once again. And apparently they will not openly state they were mistaken, as once more, it was Jehovah's people that were doing the speculating. But then again, they had to. If anyone decided to speak up and say that these ever-shifting views were in error, they would have been disfellowshipped on the spot.

This latest attempt at what defines a generation has to be the worst one yet. It is a far cry from the following quote,

"If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the "last days" in 1914, Jesus foretold: "This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur."
Awake! 1969 May 22 p.15

How much longer will people continue to trust the statements given?