All caps mine for clarification throughout. All scripture is from the NASB unless otherwise specified.

The longer we believe something, and the more times we hear it, the harder it is to question it and consider that maybe what we have been taught could be wrong. Whenever we discover a new truth, we also discover that our old belief was untrue. Making the transition from one belief to another can be a challenge. And People tend to cling to their old beliefs for various reasons. Love, honor, and respect for those that taught them the best that they knew, getting set in their ways and personal preferences, and lets face it, thinking can be work.

One would think that something as simple as "THIS GENERATION" would be pretty clear. "THIS GENERATION" refers to the people alive at this time, "THAT GENERATION" refers to people alive at that time.

Genesis 7:1 Then the Lord said to Noah, "Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in THIS GENERATION.

From this verse right here "THIS GENERATION" that the Lord was referring to was THAT GENERATION that was alive until the flood came.

Psalm 95:7-11 KJV 7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with THIS GENERATION, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

"THIS GENERATION" that God was referring to was THAT GENERATION that was alive when the children of Israel wondered in the wilderness.

Matthew 11:12-17 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been treated violently, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 The one who has ears to hear, let him hear. 16 "But to what shall I compare THIS GENERATION? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not mourn.'

"THIS GENERATION" that the Lord was referring to was THAT GENERATION that was alive when Jesus came the first time.

Matthew 12:39-42 39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and ADULTEROUS GENERATION craves a sign; and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40 for just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up with THIS GENERATION at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise up with THIS GENERATION at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Matthew 17:17 And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and PERVERSE GENERATION, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me."

Matthew 23:33-36 33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? 34 "Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon THIS GENERATION.

Matthew 24:33-34 33 so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to you, THIS GENERATION will not pass away until all these things take place.

Mark 8:11-12 11 And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, demanding from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. 12 Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, "Why does THIS GENERATION demand a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to THIS GENERATION!"

Mark 13:28-30 28 "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I say to you, THIS GENERATION will not pass away until all these things take place.

Luke 7:30-34 30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John. 31 "To what then shall I compare the people of THIS GENERATION, and what are they like? 32 They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not weep.' 33 For John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!' 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

Luke 11:29-32 29 Now as the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "THIS GENERATION is a WICKED GENERATION; it demands a sign, and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to THIS GENERATION. 31 The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of THIS GENERATION at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up with THIS GENERATION at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Luke 11:50-51 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against THIS GENERATION, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against THIS GENERATION.'

Luke 21:31-32 31 So you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I say to you, THIS GENERATION will not pass away until all things take place.

As we can see "THIS GENERATION" is not "THAT GENERATION" in 2024.

"THIS GENERATION" that the Lord was referring to was THAT GENERATION that was alive when Jesus came and spoke to them. When His disciples asked Him "WHEN will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your COMING, and of the END OF THE AGE" (Matthew 24:3). His answer was, "Truly I say to you, THIS GENERATION will not pass away until all these things take place. Matthew 24:34" All those things were fulfilled in THAT GENERATION. What things? The Great Tribulation and Him coming in the clouds over ancient Jerusalem. It is common knowledge that Jerusalem and the Temple was destroyed in 70A.D. Jesus told His disciples that a time of Great Tribulation was coming on THAT GENERATION and that there would never be another one like it either before or afterwards. The great tribulation was the worst thing to ever happen to Israel. The events were the biggest Israel ever saw or will ever see.

Conclusion: To cling to our "old way of thinking" of a future great tribulation is to ignore both the things He said to THAT GENERATION and the proof that we now have that contradicts that old teaching. The works of Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and Roman historians Cassius Dio, Tacitus and Suetonius are in English and on the internet. Anyone desiring to know the truth can research it for themselves to see if the words of Jesus were in fact fulfilled in THIS GENERATION or THAT GENERATION.