Hi Patrick,
The "Day of the Lord" is a specific day that will happen at some (future) point in time but many of the other things that are written to "this generation" are written to the "7 Churches" which represent all the churches through every generation until the culmination of all things. Ray writes of this in; http://bible-truths.com/lake7.htmlHere is a portion from Lake of Fire Part 7 ALL OVERCOMERS RECEIVE ALL REWARDS
The whole book of Revelation is a book about the LIFE OF JESUS written for:
"He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To HIM [any individual member of the churches] that OVERCOMES will I give to eat of the tree of life" (Rev. 2:7).
Is this the sole reward of "HIM that overcomes?" NO!
There’s more; there’s MUCH MORE:
"He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death" (Rev. 2:11).
"To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it" (2:17).
"And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations" (2:26).
"He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raimnent; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels" (3:5).
"Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new name" (3:11).
"To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne" (3:21).
No, the overcomers in one congregation, in one generation, don’t get one reward, while the overcomers in a different congregation, in a different generation, gets a different reward. No, a thousand times, "NO"—the overcomers in ALL congregations, in ALL generations, get ALL these rewards. Therefore the prophecies to these churches are written for all the churches of God through all generations.
Perhaps ALL can rejoice over the good news concerning our grand rewards. However, there is a dark side to the Churches of God—darker than Darth Vader—darker than midnight! "What’s good for the goose is good for the gander" (I wonder how easily that translates into other languages).
Just as all the rewards are promised to all the overcomers in all generations of the Church, so likewise, do all the sins and shortcomings apply to all the churches throughout all generations. And the sins and shortcomings of God’s Church are monstrous! "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. For her sins have REACHED UNTO HEAVEN, and God has remembered her iniquities" (Rev. 8:5).
Yes, God is talking about His people, who are in His church, but … BUT, who must nonetheless, "REPENT" (Rev. 2:5 & 5, 16, 21, 22, 3:3, 19—seven times, COMPLETE REPENTANCE), and "COME OUT OF HER." Coming out of her is no small part of this "repentance."
His Peace and Wisdom to you,
Joe