attended the Anniversary or Foundation Day `Gatherings' at the Chapel of the

Opened Book, for which we are grateful.

Generations.  In Matthew 1:1, `The book of the generation of Jesus Christ', the

Greek word used is genesis, so that just as the creation of heaven and earth in

the beginning is the `Genesis' of the Old Testament, the birth of the Saviour

at Bethlehem is the `Genesis' of the New Testament.  In Matthew 3:7; 12:34 and

23:33, where we meet the dreadful title `generation of vipers', the word

gennema means progeny, produce or offspring.  In 1 Peter 2:9 the `chosen

generation', we have the word genos in the original, a word meaning a race or

descent.  The one other word, and the one mostly used, is genea, and `denotes

an age or generation from the point of view of race (as aion does from that of

duration)' (Dr. E.W. Bullinger).  Metaphorically, genea indicates `a race of

men very like each other in endowments, pursuits, character; and especially in

a bad sense, a perverse race (Matt. 17:17; Acts 2:40)' (Grimm -Thayer).  The

note of time is sounded in such passages as Acts 15:21, `For Moses of old

time', and in Ephesians 3:5,21, `other ages', `all ages'.  Our special interest

in this analysis is with a passage in Matthew, and one or two in Ephesians and

Colossians.  First, the passage in Matthew.

`This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled'

(Matt. 24:34).

The difficulty that such a statement creates in view of the contextual

reference to the second coming is removed by drawing attention to the

untranslated particle an, and to the employment of the subjunctive mood, which

indicates uncertainty, an uncertainty that arose by reason of the fact that all

was conditional upon the repentance of the nation (see The Companion Bible).

`This generation shall not pass till (that is, provided that the

conditions are fulfilled) all these things be fulfilled'.

Thayer's note on an says: `It is a particle indicating that something can or

could occur on certain conditions ... sometimes the condition is not expressly

stated, but is easily gathered from what is said: Luke 19:23 and Matthew 25:27

(I should have received it back with interest, if thou hadst given it to the

bankers)'.  This is but one of many examples that illustrate the `gap' theory,

a principle acknowledged by the Lord in Luke 4:16 -20, and more fully

considered under the headings Lo -Ammi (p. 297), and Right Division4.

Three occurrences of genea found in Ephesians and Colossians are

important, especially as the connection between Ephesians 3:5 and Colossians

1:26 is veiled in the A.V.

`Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men' (Eph. 3:5).

`Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations'

(Col. 1:26).

Where it is `the mystery of Christ', the apostle is content to show that

this particular aspect of Divine truth is more fully revealed today, than it

had been in other generations, using the lesser of the two words employed in

Colossians 1:26.  Where, however, as in Colossians 1:25,26, Paul is speaking of

`The Mystery' and not `the mystery of Christ', he uses two words, `ages and

generations', and while we today may not limit the term `generations' to

Israel, a survey of the occurrences of genea in the New Testament  will show

that, with one exception, that is the case.  The `ages' are vaster in their

sweep, going back to the beginning of the world, and as Paul, in Colossians