With all the news circling around the Iran war there's a lot of debate or questions as to who’s in charge around here? Trump or the fifth string Mullahs… and with that…people always want to jump to the end of days discussion.

A few days back, the verse of the day on the My Bible App featured Mark 13:30 where Jesus said “truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away” before Jesus comes back at end times.

Did Jesus get it wrong? What generation is he referring to?

I found a great article online by Dr John Oakes who wrote a piece in Bible Interpretation which was posted on July 12, 2022.

Dr Oakes opens up his article with this intro. Mark 13:30 has bugged me for some time now. For context, in chapter 13 Jesus predicts the Temple’s destruction, then lists events that signal the end times, saying, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” (NIV)

This version, according to Oakes, assumes Jesus was speaking directly to the people alive during the end times. To which I say, “whose end times? Theirs or ours.” We have nations at war with one another just like they did in Jesus’ day.

Did Jesus make a mistake? Am I wrong to have doubts? Is this faith-shattering?

Thankfully Oakes has an answer for us to consider that has context and logic, so let’s take a look at it.

Here’s his answer.

If we look at Mark 13, but perhaps even more importantly, at Matthew 24, Jesus is prophesying concerning two different events. The prophecies cover the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, (AD meaning After Death of Christ), and also the second coming of Christ. For example, Matthew 24:15-21 is clearly and, I would say, unambiguously a prophecy concerning the coming destruction of Jerusalem under Titus in AD 70. In fact, Eusebius tells us that the Christian church did indeed flee to Pella at the time of the siege of Jerusalem, escaping the coming judgment on the Jews who had rejected their Messiah.

They did so because they understood Jesus to be talking about the events of AD 68-70. The abomination of desolation is a reference back to Daniel and Daniel 8 and the desecration of the temple in 167 BC, but it is also a prophecy of the abomination and the desecration of the temple by Titus when he offered pagan sacrifice to the god of Rome right on the temple site.

So, when Jesus says that the current generation would not all pass away before the events are fulfilled, he is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened almost exactly forty years after Jesus spoke those words.

Take a look at Matthew 24: 1-14. If we are being honest and know our bible…these signs that Christ mentions were happening during his day and they are no doubt happening in our generation. In fact, all generations since Christ coming the first time, have witnessed wars and rumors of wars. Nations have been fighting nations since the beginning of time. There have been many “various places” of famines and earthquakes…”but these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”

There will be tribulation, all that follow Christ will be hated by many because of his name. Many will fall away from the faith, betray one another and hate one another. Because lawlessness is increasing, most people’s love will grow cold.

Verse 13. BUT! The one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations….THEN the end will come.

Nonetheless I was able to walk away with a logical understanding with context that defined the generation he was addressing, Jesus’ generation.

Or did I? Isn’t it possible that our generation, this generation, your generation is witnessing biblical events today, all of

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