Hi mrsnacks,
Here is an email concerning the scripture in question.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,4095.0.html ------
Dear Robert:
You dogmatically state that Jesus certainly meant: "THIS generation," and not "THAT generation,"
proving that all the things He mentioned or prophesied HAD to happen in His day and generation
or "Was Jesus WRONG?"
Jesus gave prophesies in this chapter that absolutely did not occur in the first century AD regardless of all the unscriptural nonsense the Preterists teach. Did, for example, verse 31of this 24th chapter of Matthew occur in the first century AD: "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other?"
No, no it didn't occur even as yet (2000 years later). But when it does occur, then "THIS" generation (the ONE which "shall see ALL THESE THINGS") will not pass until all things in this prophecy are completed.
Next consider your "this or that" argument. The word "This" in verse 34 is translated from the following Greek:
G3778
οὗτος, οὗτοι, αὕτη, αὕται
houtos houtoi hautē hautai
hoo'-tos, hoo'-toy, how'-tay, how'-tahee
And here is what Dr. Strong says it means: "...this or THAT..." ! As in "this or THAT generation."
God be with you,
Ray
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Well it is a personal decision if someone wants to attended a church building. I do not dislike people that attend church, many of my own family do. But it is, what it is. Here are acouple of emails.
http://bible-truths.com/putout.html --------------
I can certainly identity with your situation. I have personally, as have ALL who eventually come to the Truth, gone through numerous "harlots of the Great Whore" before God opened my mind up to His spiritual Truths. There is a line in a hymn that goes: "Where could I go but TO THE LORD?"
When you find GOD, your search for the right "church" will be over!!!
I do not belong to, nor do I attend, ANY institutionalized church of men. I am, however, a member of The Body of Christ--The Church of THE LIVING GOD. And those of us that I am aware of, have to travel many hundreds of miles to occasionally fellowship together (as I did this past weekend, traveling a total of fourteen hundreds miles to gather with others of like mind for the weekend).
Sometimes our fellowship is only with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father, but that's okay.
http://www.forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,1304.0.html ----------
Neither would I have success at such an impossible task. People ask me about "where to go to church" almost on a daily basis. They know that their church and all other churches that they know of, do not teach the truth (worse: they teach lies and heresy). And so they think that maybe I know of a church a few blocks from where their from or a few miles from their home that does teach all of the truths of God. Sorry, there is not such thing that I am aware of.
If there were churches scattered through BABYLON THE GREAT WHORE, then there would be no need for God to admonish those whom He is choosing, to "COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE" (Rev. 18:4). Are we to just come out of her spiritually, but remain good social friends with them on a weekly basis?
Church is not now and never was, a physical building to congregate in to worship God. Could all the hundreds of thousands of Israelites congregate inside the tiny little tabernacle in the wilderness? Could ALL JUDEA congregate in the tiny Temple in Jeruslem every sabbath? The synagogues became corrupted and the churches today are corrupted. So where do you want to go? If you want fellowship why not foin a social club and keep the false religion out of your fellowship.
Jesus taught us that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth, not in this mountain or in Jerusalem, or in a building, or another other "place" that is corrupted. I can't tell people what to do. If "christian fellowship" means more to them than "godly worship," then I guess they just have to keep looking.
Being a follower of Jesus Christ was never designed to be a "feel good religion" as many christian churches promise if you join their particular tents on living a worldly life for Jesus. I trully never miss, "CHURCH"! I "go to church" every time I open my Bible."
God be with you,
Ray