Abstract

The audience Christ was addressing in several of His most significant prophetic statements was “this generation” or “this wicked generation”. The Greek word for generation in all these phrases is genea [G1074]. This seemingly simple expression has been the source of much controversy. Each eschatological framework has their own way of interpreting these words. This post presents evidence supporting a view that Christ’s use of genea was not limited solely to his contemporaries but had a broader, overarching application to the distinction between two categories of people: the wicked and the righteous. The case will be made that Christ was referring to both His contemporaries as the immediate manifestations of these categories but also to all people, past, present and future who would identify with one of these classifications.

Brief Summary of Existing Views

It’s beyond the scope of this article to present a thorough comparison and analysis of these alternate interpretations. However, a brief and perhaps over simplified survey of each existing view will be helpful in demonstrating that while I am familiar with these views, I still find them unsatisfactory. The following is an attempt to summarize the existing views.

The most natural way to understand these words of Jesus is that “this generation” meant the people who were alive at the time He spoke these words. This understanding has lead skeptics to argue that Jesus was a false prophet because some of the things He said were so grandiose and cataclysmic that they obviously never came to pass in a literal sense. Such is the case in the context of “this generation” in Matthew 24:34 where Jesus appears to be describing the destruction of planet Earth via some major astronomical and sociopolitical catastrophes.

On the other hand, those who don’t see Jesus as a false prophet but still think “this generation” referred to His contemporaries, conclude that He must have been speaking of some very significant historical events using highly symbolic and apocalyptic terms. The most likely candidate of relevance to His contemporaries is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Another nuance that has been proposed is that some things that Jesus mentioned would happen for that generation (wars, rumors of wars, destruction of Jerusalem, etc.) while others (Christ’s visible coming on the clouds of heaven, the end of the age, the gathering of the elect, etc.) would happen for a later generation.

Still another view, is that Jesus was describing events that particular contemporary people groups like the Jewish and Roman leaders responsible for the death of Christ would understand as a sign from heaven while other events would be perceived as such only by other people groups.

There are perhaps other obscure and fringe views that could be mentioned, however, the above are some of the most common mainstream understandings. Each of these views has strengths and weaknesses. However, I do not critique those views here. Many works from various authors have been written to support or debunk each of the above theories. Readers unfamiliar with these views are encouraged to consult those works for more thorough coverage.

The primary purpose of this article is to present the case for my own understanding of the verses which differs significantly from the above perspectives. That view understands Jesus to be speaking of one of two general categories of people, with an immediate though non-exclusive focus on His contemporaries. This article will attempt to thoroughly demonstrate that this interpretation, though not the most natural interpretation, is by far to be preferred as the interpretation for which Christ intended.

A Hint from Those Being Avenged

In two locations where Jesus referred to “this generation”, He said that they would be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets since the beginning of the world, including the blood of Abel (Luke 11:50-51; Matthew 23:34-39). Aside from the apparent injustice of this judgment (if there is some element to this statement that is not hyperbole), the reference to Abel and the “beginning of the world” immediately captures our attention. These statements call to mind the descendants of Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve who murdered his younger brother Abel (Genesis 4-5). As is demonstrated in many of my other articles, there is immense prophetic significance to the line of Cain. Those articles demonstrate that significance quite clearly. However, another peculiarity of Cain’s line that I have not addressed in detail to this date is the messianic significance seen in the mirroring of names across lines descending from Seth and Cain. The following table makes clear the parallel nature of the names in both families.

Parallel Names in Lines of Seth and Cain

Parallel Names in Lines of Seth and Cain

Notice the similarities between the names in these six pairings. The existence of such pairings demonstrates the scriptural importance of words that bear an audible or visual similarity to other words. Such words are fodder for puns and word-plays, of which, Scripture capitalizes on a great deal. Many of my other articles explain how word-plays can serve as interpretive clues in many other prophetic passages and allude to dual-meanings. We also find a similar phenomenon occurring several times much later in other prophetically significant portions of Scripture:

Therefore, we should not be surprised to see such pairings of names so early on in Scripture as we do in the descendants of Seth and Cain.  As in the later examples given in the bullet points above, these pairings likely suggest that there is something of prophetic importance in these passages and they impress upon us some sort of duality as the significance.

Observe also that in the line of Seth, only Seth [H8352] and possibly his son Enosh are missing a unique counterpart in Cain’s line.  In the case of Enosh, perhaps the omission of a counterpart is meant to imply that he should be grouped opposite the Enoch of Cain’s line with the Enoch of his own line. This would give us the impression of a dual-Enoch in Seth’s line. This seems especially likely given the messianic significance of Enoch and his unique relationship to God:

  • the similarities between the divine abductions of Enoch and Elijah the prophet (Genesis 5:24; 2 Kings 2:1,11)
  • the tight coupling of the careers of the prophets Elijah and Elisha
  • Elijah being explained as a prefigurement of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14; 17:10-12; Mark 9:11-13)
  • John the Baptist being tightly coupled to Christ who was Himself taken by divine intervention similar to both Enoch and Elijah (Acts 1:9-10).

This would also make good sense considering that Enosh [H583] means ‘man’. We can see him as a sort of ‘double-man’. In fact, this name is the basis for the term used of both Adam [H376– man] and Eve [H802– woman] (Genesis 2:23) who had a unique relationship in that they literally shared the same flesh and would become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Compare also to Elisha’s request to inherit a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2 Kings 2:9).

In fact, one gets the distinct impression that these lines of early man represent a deliberate dichotomy in their generations. They appear to have been intended to be representative of the two polarized classes of man (i.e. righteous vs. wicked). Seth’s birth resulted in men calling on the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26) while his sequential counterpart – Cain – commits murder and would be avenged seven times over (Genesis 4:15). Enoch, seventh from Adam (Jude 1:14) “walked with God” (Genesis 5:22,24) while his sequential counterpart in Cain’s line – Lamech – committed a murder of his own to avenge himself seventy-seven times over (Genesis 4:24). Even Noah was found righteous in his generation [G1074] (Genesis 6:9; 7:1 LXX). There is a parallel and antithetical reflection between the lines of Seth and Cain.

This doubling aspect even appears to be recursive, repeating itself within the lineage of Seth as in the pair-within-a-pair example of Enoch covered above. Notice also that the firstborn son of Adam and Eve was Cain to whom Eve also referred as iysh [H376] (Genesis 4:1). Perhaps its no coincidence that these words applied to the first man, his bride, his firstborn, and a man parallel to his grandson Enoch all ultimately derive from anash [H605] meaning ‘incurable’ and ‘desperately wicked’.

In light of these observations, it would not be unrealistic to expect that the generation to which Jesus was referring was symbolic of those who identified with either the murderous line of Cain or the righteous line of Seth. In fact, it seems as though God planted this early dichotomy in the early generations of man precisely because He knew that it would be prophetically played upon by the Messiah.  This also seems to fit well with the sharply delineated categorizations of people Jesus made in other circumstances:

Ears to Hear

Another prophetically significant distinguishing characteristic between the wicked and righteous generations appears to be having ears and eyes that serve their intended purpose. Jesus repeatedly admonished people who had “ears to hear” to consider carefully what He was saying. Highlighting the prophetic importance of this expression, Christ uses it seven times in His letter to the seven churches (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29,3:6,13,22). The following are most of the other places where the expression “ears to hear” is used.  Included with each is a summary of the other elements in these passages that also hint at their special prophetic significance:

  • Matthew 11:15-16: the generation [G1074] that had rejected both Jesus and John the Baptist, the Elijah who was to come
  • Matthew 13:9,43: no mention of “generation” but a stark distinction is made between those who have and those who don’t (Matthew 13:11-12), wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30,36-43), good and bad fish (Matthew 13:47-50). He also mentions that speaking in parables was a fulfillment of prophecy for the purpose of hiding the secrets of the kingdom from those who didn’t have ears to hear. Also, the Sign of Jonah which mentions the evil generation [G1074] comes right between this section and that in the above bullet point (Matthew 12:39,41-42,45)
  • Mark 4:9,23; 8:18: Jesus draws attention to the numbers seven (Mark 8:5-6,8,20) and twelve (Mark 4:10; 8:19); Several events are mentioned that occurred around the Sign of Jonah (calming of storm; lamp on a stand; reference to Christ’s resurrection after three days and three nights; wicked generation asking for a sign)
  • Luke 8:8; 14:35: Description of those who hear and respond in 4 different ways; speaking in parables so those who couldn’t hear would not understand is highlighted as a significant fulfillment of messianic prophecy; Jesus draws attention to the numbers seven (Luke 8:2 cf. Matthew 12:45; Luke 11:26 of the Sign of Jonah and the resurrection of Christ fulfilling the Sign of Jonah in Mark 16:9) and twelve (Luke 8:1,42-43); Several events are mentioned that occurred in connection with the Sign of Jonah (healing on the Sabbath; calming of storm; Legion into Abyss; mother and brothers of Jesus are those who hear; lamp on a stand)
  • Acts 7:51: hearts and ears still uncircumcised just like their ancestors who killed the prophets; forty is connected to Moses in 3 different aspects and calls to mind the generation who wandered forty years in the desert.
  • Acts 28:27: quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 (also quoted in Matthew 13:15; Luke 8:10; Mark 4:12 from the bullet points above); salvation would be sent to Gentiles who would listen

These observations all coincide with the prophetic phrase “ears to hear” and give us ample reason to suspect that Jesus was perhaps using the term “generation” in these eschatological passages to refer to His contemporaries but only within a broader, overarching context of two groups of people distinguished by their ability to hear and comprehend.  Following this evidence, we find some startling discoveries that further support this idea of duality in the phrase “this generation”.

Matthew’s Generations of Christ

The first occurrence of the bothersome word for generation [G1074] in the New Testament is in Matthew’s record of the genealogy of Christ. There, the word occurs 4 times in a tight cluster (Matthew 1:17). An interesting aspect of this genealogy is that the author of the book describes it as being broken down into three groups of fourteen individuals each. The sections are rooted in Abraham, David and Jesus (Matthew 1:1,17). Interestingly, the name David, the centerpiece of the middle group of fourteen has a numeric value of fourteen in Hebrew using the standard Mispar hechrechi method of gemetria [1][2][3]

Calculation of David's Numerical Value

Calculation of David’s Numerical Value

The messianic title “Son of David” also occurs ten times in Matthew. This is significantly more often than any other book of the bible uses this title and suggests that the messianic role of David was a key focal point of Matthew.

There are many who believe these are the primary reasons that the author of this gospel broke this genealogy of Jesus down into groups of 14. It’s also interesting to note that David’s name is symmetrical in Hebrew. Notice also that 14 is double of seven which has eschatological significance in the book of Matthew as well as the rest of the bible. The numbers seven and eight are particularly relevant concerning the line of Cain as I’ve demonstrated elsewhere in many ways.

A further interesting observation about this genealogy is that there are specifically 42 generations given for Christ’s advent. As I’ve also shown on numerous occasions, the number 42 has special significance in scripture as well. In many of those instances, it’s associated with the concept of doubling. It’s also associated with the career of the 8th King Beast of Revelation 17 which I demonstrate to be a counterpart to the Queen of Seven in the judgment depicted in the Sign of Jonah. Forty-two months, being another way of representing 3.5 years or 1,260 days (using 360 day years) is exactly half of 7 years (eighty-four months). Forty-two also occurs in a bizarre location shortly after the laborious but finally successful separation of the prophetic duo Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:2,4,6,24). Just prior to this forty-two, Elisha asks to inherit a double-portion of Elijah’s spirit (2 Kings 2:9). Interestingly, in Luke’s gospel (which we discuss in the next section), just after the conjoined conceptions and births of John the Baptist (i.e. the Elijah to come) and Jesus (who would be taken to heaven like Elijah), there is an occurrence of two times forty-two (i.e. eighty-four). This was during the circumcision of Jesus on the 8th day in conjunction with a woman from the tribe of Asher (8th son of Jacob and linguistically related to the Hebrew word for the number ten [H6235]) is associated with the number seven and the number eighty-four (Luke 2:21,36-38) and a sacrificial pair (Luke 2:22-24).

In the Old Testament, this sacrificial pair was prescribed in the Levitical law as a means of purification of women after child birth (Leviticus 12:1-8). Interestingly, the period of the woman’s uncleanness lasted seven days for the birth of a male child and twice that for the birth of a female. The entire period for purification was 40 days for a male child and twice that (eighty) for the birth of a female. In connection with the concept of generation, we might recall, that from the perspective of Abraham, a generation was 40 years (Numbers 14:33-34; 32:13).

There is even a case to be made that Matthew’s forty-two generations of Christ are based on similar patterns of dividing history in other ancient texts (e.g. 2 Baruch 53-74 and Exodus Rabbah 15:26) [4][5][6]

A detailed section on my personal research into the number forty-two and its significance in Scripture can be found in my article “Finding Satan in the Kings of Tyre and Babylon”.  In that article, the duality implied by the number forty-two is demonstrated more thoroughly. We will have occasion to discuss some other interesting connections between Matthew’s genealogy and the number forty-two later in this article as well.

Luke’s Genealogy of Christ

As if what we’ve already observed isn’t suspicious enough, David also has an incredible connection to the number 42 in the genealogy of Christ that the gospel of Luke presents. First, if we count Jesus Himself, there are 77 fathers and sons in this genealogy. This number 77 alone hearkens back to Cain’s line in the 77-fold self-vengeance that Lamech achieved by murdering a man (Genesis 4:23-24). Contrast this with the 77-fold forgiveness Christ prescribes for similar offenses (Matthew 18:22).

However, there are 76 occurrences of the phrase “the son of” which allows the list to be broken down into four groups of 19 names each.  This list excludes Jesus who is really not biologically related to anyone in the genealogy, as Matthew is careful to point out. The table below shows the sequence of names as delineated by this phrase. We notice at once that David is forty-second in this list. King David’s name just happens to fall at the ordinal position that demonstrably has eschatological significance regarding symmetry, is three times the number of his own name, and just happens to be the number of generations in Matthew’s independent and vastly different genealogy centered around the same name!

Luke's Genealogy of Christ

Luke’s Genealogy of Christ

Motivation of this sort of organizing genealogies to highlight specific individuals is not unique to Matthew and Luke. There is an interesting case to be made that even the genealogy of Genesis 46:8-27; 29:31-30:24 was constructed around multiple sevens, with specific attention being given to Gad whose value using gematria is seven. [7]

As incredible as that sounds, there is far more evidence that supports the idea that, like Matthew’s genealogy, there is also a deliberate structure to Luke’s genealogy. Further, that structure demonstrates other intentional though veiled connections between the generations given by Matthew and Luke. We’ll first take a look at that structure and how it connects to Matthew’s genealogy. Then we’ll explore what that means regarding the term Jesus used for his “generation”.

Matthew and Levi

David’s name isn’t the only peculiarly positioned name in Luke’s genealogy. We’ve mentioned the prophetic connection between forty-two and seven already. Interestingly, the name at position number seven in Luke’s list is Joseph, repeated from the first name in the list, the father of Jesus. In fact, Joseph also occurs at position thirty-five as well – another multiple of seven.

Joseph’s name isn’t the only name to repeat in the list. Of all the names in Luke’s list, there are more related to the name Matthew [G3156] than any other. Six of the names in this list are related to Matthew and mean “Gift of God”. These are at positions 3,8,14,31,40,41. It’s tempting to also see the name at position 13 as a variant of Matthew. This would in fact bump the total to seven. However, while the name is somewhat similar to Matthew, they don’t bear a direct relationship etymologically. Though, compare it to the notes in the above table regarding Joktan, father of Shelah at position 62 in Luke’s genealogy.

Another name that is repeated in the list is Levi. It occurs twice and curiously, in each case, it’s paired with one of the variants of Matthew. Levi is also at position 4 which is right in the middle of the first seven men bounded by the name Joseph. We might recall at this point that the apostle Matthew was also called Levi (Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:13-15; Luke 5:27-29).

If we count Levi as a variant of Matthew, that brings the total number of direct allusions to Matthew in Luke’s genealogy of Christ to eight (seven if we don’t count Nathan which technically only means ‘given’, not “Gift of God”). Whichever number we choose to accept, the count has eschatological significance.  There is even a variant of Matthew at position eight in the list. Levi also occurs at position 4 and 32 which is 4 x 8.

After the section of seven men demarcated by Joseph, there is another section of seven men demarcated by the same variants of Matthew from positions 8 through 14. The last man in this list is paired with another variant of Matthew at position 13.

After these first two blocks of seven men, fourteen later at position 28 (7x4) we have Joshua, another pre-figurement of Christ whose name is actually the basis for Jesus [G2424] (cf. H3091). Interestingly, like the numeric value of David, the numeric value of the name Jesus as it occurs most often in the original Greek of the New Testament has obvious significance. This value is 888. [8]

Calculation of Numerical Value of Jesus

Calculation of Numerical Value of Jesus

Compare to the 666 mark/name of the 8th King-Beast from the Sea in Revelation 13 thought by many to be related to the numeric value of Nero’s name [9].

After Joshua there is another block of seven men, again, ending with Joseph at position 35. This is then followed by another block of seven men ending with David at position 42 – the end of the sixth group of seven. David himself is here preceded by a pair of names related to Matthew at positions 40 and 41.

In Luke’s genealogy, we are left with the impression that our attention is being deliberately drawn to the doubling, repetition, and cycles of seven as having some sort of messianic significance. A similar theme runs throughout Matthew’s genealogy as well. In fact, we find that Luke’s genealogy actually points us directly toward Matthew via the repetition of variants of his name that we just covered. That both Luke and Matthew choose to make this point in the “generations” [G1078] of Jesus is more than a little curious. It’s also interesting that Luke and Matthew are the only places in the New Testament where we even find a genealogy of Jesus.

Cainan and Jared

After David, there is no real distinct pattern to the names in Luke’s list. Neither Levi nor variants on Matthew have further repetitions in the list. Nor is there a similar focus on doubling.  That is, after the 42nd position in this division of the genealogy, the elements that characterized the first block of 42 names suspiciously stops.

It is however, as further evidence that the ordinal position of names in Luke’s genealogy carries interpretive significance, worthwhile to briefly discuss the positions of two other figures in this list. Cainan [G2536/H7018] occurs at position 63 (7×9) the end of the ninth cycle of sevens. If we begin counting the names in the list with Jesus to arrive at the count of 77 total names as mentioned earlier, Cainan is actually at position 62.  This is important as we’ll see in a moment.  Also, in the grouping of names depicted in the table above, Jared occurs at position 70 (7×10), the end of the tenth cycle. Both the names Cainan and Jared and the numbers 62 and 70 have some interesting eschatological connections.

Cainan is a reflection of Cain and Tubal-Cain. These were both pre-flood men in the same line of descent which was characterized by murder and associated with the numbers seven and eight on many different levels as I’ve discussed elsewhere. The biblical significance of the numbers seven and eight are rooted in the generations of Cain and Tubal-Cain. As mentioned earlier, the seventy-seven fathers and sons in Luke’s genealogy as well as Jesus’ own words regarding the vengeance of Abel on the “wicked generation” draw our attention straight back to these men in Genesis.

Beyond these observations, Cainan is the same name as the son of the pre-flood patriarch Enosh and the antithetical counterpart to Cain [H7014] of the wicked line from Adam. Enosh himself has both a positive and negative counterpart named Enoch. The positive Enoch was born to Jared when he was 62 years old according to the Samaritan version of the Pentateuch. Most Western bibles are based largely on the Masoretic Text manuscripts and therefore report the age of Jared as being 162 when Enoch was born. Though the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and even the Septuagint manuscripts disagree considerably on the milestone ages given for the pre-flood patriarchs, there is a compelling case to be made that at least the figures given for Jared in the Samaritan Pentateuch are the original and correct ages [10][11]. The negative/antithetic Enoch was the father of Irad who was himself the antithetical counterpart to Jared.

Like 42, the number 62 can also be shown to have prophetic significance. This number shows up in the following Scriptural contexts:

  • Obed-Edom, a musician and doorkeeper to Solomon’s temple who had 62 descendants and messianic allusions. Also has intimate connections to the number 8.
  • The mysterious Darius the Mede of Daniel 5 was 62 years old when Babylon fell
  • The 62 ‘sevens’ of Daniel’s Seventy-Weeks prophecy is wrapped in 8 “sevens” (seven weeks on one side and one week on the other)
  • Josiah, the righteous prophesied king anticipated throughout the books of Kings and Chronicles was eight years old when he became king and he reigned for 31 years (i.e. half of 62)

I discuss some of the significance surrounding these points in my article Revelation’s 8th Scarlet Beast-King and the Octavii Rufii in the section titled “Scarlet, Crimson and Redness”. We’ll have more to say about this connection with Enoch and Jared later on in the section “Levi/Matthew in the Context of Duality”.

Two further points to notice about Luke’s genealogy is its context and how it also has elements with eschatological allusions. We saw how the gospel of Luke opened with the dual conceptions and births of John the Baptist/Elijah and Jesus. This was followed by Luke’s genealogy of Jesus. Immediately following this, we have the forty day temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-12). Compare this to the 40 years of desert wandering of Israel and the implications this has on the definition of a “generation” from the passages in Numbers cited earlier.

Immediately after the temptation of Jesus, Luke gives the account of Jesus being rejected in his hometown (cf. Matthew 13:54; Mark 6:1-4; John 4:44). In this account Jesus makes reference to both Elijah and even more significantly, Elisha who is mentioned nowhere else in the New Testament (Luke 4:24-27). Jesus also quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2 here which alludes to the year of Jubilee (Luke 4:18-19). Again, our attention is whisked back to the first hint at such a concept which is found in the eighth generation of Adam through Cain in Tubal-Cain’s brothers Jabal [H2989] and Jubal [H3016] – both names being related to the Hebrew for Jubilee [H3104]. This all occurs in a synagogue [G4864 cf. G4863] which is literally a place to assemble or gather.

To emphasize the deliberate focus on gathering here, immediately after this, we have an account of Jesus driving out an evil spirit from a man in a Capernaum synagogue that recognizes Him and speaks to Him (Luke 4:31-35; Mark 1:21-28). The next account where this happens in the same location is in the account of the Legion [G3003] of demons exercised (Luke 8:30; Mark 5:9,15). Incidentally, Legion [G3003] comes from the Latin words legō and lēgō which mean to “collect, gather“. lego [G3004] also exists in Greek and is related to the Latin meanings above (e.g. to gather) according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon. It also means ‘to speak’. This is probably significant as this Legion actually  is the first demon that Jesus allowed to speak since the demons He drove out at the synagogue at Capernaum. See the section “Eight-Legged Kingdom Killers” in my article “The Great Tribulation of Full Preterism: Condemned by the Queen of ‘Seven’ and an ‘Eighth’ King” for further connections of the Legion to the number seven, eight and particularly, the Sign of Jonah where a significant number of New Testament occurrences of generation [G1074] are found.

Consistent with the evidence directly within Luke’s genealogy, these observations demonstrate that even the context in which the genealogy itself is found alludes to established eschatological themes and events.

Matthew in the Old Testament

The above observations leave us with the distinct impression that our attention is being deliberately drawn to Matthew/Levi by Luke’s genealogy.  In turn, Matthew’s genealogy creates a strong connection between the Greek word for ‘generation’ as it’s used by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse and the prophetic number 42 which alludes to the concept of duality and the messianic figure David.  Luke repeats this allusion to both David and the number 42, and like Matthew, these allusions take place in an alternative genealogy (i.e. list of “generations”) of Christ.

At this point, we might wonder about the context in which other names like Matthew show up in Scripture. Not surprisingly, nearly all of them occur surrounded in indicators of their messianic significance. I don’t discuss these in detail but the key messianic indicators are mentioned below.

Hebrew Names Corresponding to Matthew (i.e. gift of God):

  • Nathan [H5416] – 42 times in Old Testament. Brother of Solomon born to Bathsheba; Also mentioned in Zechariah 12:12 along with David as one who would mourn when they looked on Him who they pierced; Just two verses earlier in Zechariah 12:10 is a verse quoted in John 19:34-37 and alluded to in Revelation 1:7-8 referring to Christ’s coming on the clouds.
  • Johnathan [H3129] – 42 times in Old Testament. Son of Saul and friend of David; Son of High Priest Abithar and was the last recorded descendant of Eli; Levite and father of Zechariah; one of David’s mighty warriors
  • Mattanai [H4982] – one of seven sons of Hashum, two Israelites by this name put away foreign wives
  • Mattathah [H4992] – one of seven sons of Hashum
  • Elnathan [H494] – 7 times in Old Testament
  • Mattaniah [H4983] – 1 Chronicles 25:16 – one of twelve sons; became Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17); 2nd of 14 sons of Heman; one of eight sons of Pahathmoab paired with Maaseiah; one of seven sons of Hashum paired with H4992
  • Nethaniah [H5418] – one of twelve sons, one of twelve priests,connected with Gedeliah of Jeremiah’s time
  • Mattan [H4977] – priest of Baal; connected with Gedeliah in Jeremiah’s time
  • Jonathan [H3083] – an uncle of David (the name David [H1732] is actually derived from the Hebrew for uncle [H1730]); a nephew of David who slew a giant of Gath similar to Goliath; Descendant of Gershom and priest to tribe of Dan; Alternate name for many people with name H3129 from above.
  • Mattithiah [H4993] – 8 times in Old Testament; worked with Obed-Edom
  • Nethaneel [H5417] – one of Obed-Edom’s eight sons
  • Nethinims [H5411/H5412] – name given to the children of Solomon’s servants after the exile
  • Mattanah [H4980] – Numbers 21:16-18 – first stop after Beer, the well of Moses after singing a song (cf. Exodus 15:1; Deuteronomy 31:22-30; 32:44; Revelation 15:3); occurred shortly after the account of fiery serpents and the bronze serpent (cf. actions of good king Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18:4; also Benaiah  discussed in the later section titled “The Dual-Generation of Jesus”)

The “Gift of God” and Generations

Aside from the above names like Matthew that mean “Gift of God”, the actual phrase “Gift of God” only occurs in the Old Testament in two places. These are in Ecclesiastes chapters 3 and 5.

I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)

So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? (Ecclesiastes 3:22)

“Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God give any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is the gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20)

The passages cited from chapter 3, are suspiciously placed to say the least. Immediately before them in verses 1-11 we find the famous passages that formed the basis for the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” released in 1965 by The Byrds. The significance of these passages and their relationship to the “gift of God” has some interesting parallels to the genealogy of Christ presented by Matthew.

First and foremost, these passages contain 14 pairs of the word “time” and ideas that are opposites to one another. Counting the introductory phrase “a time for” brings the total count of the word “time” to 29. This just happens to be the same number of times the phrase “under the sun” occurs in the book. This explicitly associates the “Son of David” with the messianic theme of the Sun and the passage of time. The book of Ecclesiastes even opens with a reference to toil “under the sun” and introduces us to the Teacher/Leader of the Assembly (ekklesiastes cf. ekklesia [G1577]) as the son of David (Ecclesiastes 1:1-3). Just as Jesus, “The Teacher” constantly referred to antithetical entities as allies and enemies, “The Teacher” of Ecclesiastes constantly refers to the righteous vs. the wicked, wise vs. fools, living vs. dead.

One overarching message of Ecclesiastes is that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10;3:15).  Everything comes in cycles.  Even in regards to judgment, God will call the past to account (Ecclesiastes 3:15).    The book also opens with these very themes of repetition in cycles.  Cycles of the sun, cycles of the wind from south to north, the water cycle, and particularly, cycles of generations (genea [G1074] in LXX) all occur in the opening verses of the book (Ecclesiastes 1:4-11 cf. 6:10).

Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning to its course (Ecclesiastes 1:4-11)

Another theme is the contrast between righteous and the wicked (e.g. Ecclesiastes 5:17; 7:15-18; 9:2). Also, there is a contrast between the wise and the foolish (Ecclesiastes 2:12-16).

Like the sun, wind recurs throughout Ecclesiastes a total of 14 times. Three of those times, its paired with the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:11,17). “The Teacher” also tells us we do not know the path of the wind and Jesus seems to draw on this in reference to those born of water and the Spirit (Ecclesiastes 11:5 cf. John 3:3-5,8; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; Acts 1:5; Matthew 11:14). We are also told that no one has power over the wind which Jesus also defies in His calmings of the Sea of Galilee  (Ecclesiastes 8:8 cf. Matthew 8:27; Mark 4:41; Luke 8:25). The sea calmings of Jesus are parallel to Jonah’s calming of the storm and are arguably to be seen as extensions to the Sign of Jonah where Jesus makes one of the references to the vengeance for Abel that opened this post. For more information on the extensions to the Sign of Jonah, see the section titled “Sea Calmings” in my article “The Great Tribulation of Full Preterism: Condemned by the Queen of ‘Seven’ and an ‘Eighth’ King”. Even Matthew/Levi, the tax collector and sinner who embraced the “Gift of God”, is connected to the Sign of Jonah via the unique phrase “mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13; Matthew 12:7). In fact, the calling of Levi/Matthew occurred right after a calming of the sea and the casting out of demons near this sea (Matthew 9:9-11; Mark 2:14-16; Luke 5:27-30 cf. Matthew 8:23-34; Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37). Mark’s gospel even places his calling just prior to the clarification Jesus gave regarding the purpose of the Sabbath which leads directly into the Sign of Jonah (Mark 2:23-28 cf. Matthew 12:1-14).

Another subject of the book of Ecclesiastes is straightening twisted and crooked things (Ecclesiastes 1:15; 7:13). Compare this to the task of Elijah/John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:3; 45:13; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:3; 11:10; 21:32; Mark 1:2-3; Luke 3:4; 7:27; John 1:23). Jesus said the Pharisees and experts in the Law rejected their lot in life by not being baptized by John, alluding to their rejection of the “Gift of God” (Luke 7:29-30; Matthew 11:14 cf. Ecclesiastes 5:19; 9:7-10). These very passages in Luke 7 and Matthew 11 also allude to Ecclesiastes in these additional ways:

In connection with messianic justice, judgment is mentioned on the righteous and the wicked and an acknowledgment that God will call the past to account (Ecclesiastes 3:15-17). Chapter 3 opens and closes with a description of this same “Gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26; 3:22). And right before this last bookend for the chapter, the opening chapters of Genesis are brought to mind regarding the parallels between the lives of men and the lives of animals (Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 cf. Genesis 1:30; 2:7; 6:17; 7:15,22; 9:5).

In the passages mentioning the “Gift of God” in Ecclesiastes 5, right after them comes a recollection of the opening to chapter 3 and the futile gathering of the wicked whose fruits are left to the righteous to enjoy (Ecclesiastes 6:1-2 cf. 2:26). Careful structuring of these passages is evident and Christ likewise skillfully orchestrates His allusions to these passages.

Even in the New Testament, this phrase “Gift of God” is rare. Of the few occurrences, a couple in particular are worth mentioning with regard to the words of Christ. Jesus mentions the “Gift of God” in John 4:10 to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well (John 4:10-42) near Sychar [G4965/H7941]. In addition to the “Gift of God” reference here, Jesus draws our attention to the previously mentioned passages from Ecclesiastes in this context. He speaks of the ripe harvest for which His disciples hadn’t worked (John 4:37-38 cf. Ecclesiastes 2:18-19,21,26; 6:2). In Ecclesiastes, the allusion to profits enjoyed by those who didn’t toil for them immediately precedes the 14 antithetical pairs and the “Gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 3:13).

Peter refers to the “Gift of God” in Acts 8:20 in reference to Simon the Sorcerer who wanted to purchase his power to give people the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9-25). This again, was in Samaria in territory that was obtained from Shechem the Hivite by Jacob. The typology surrounding Shechem is impressive. Due to limited space, a comprehensive study cannot be presented here. However, a few interesting observations may suffice to make the point that even these two mentions of “Gift of God” in the context of Samaria are prophetically significant.

Sychar [G4965/H7941] means drunken. Interestingly, Samaria [H8111,H8115,H8118,H8114] means dregs/lees also referring to the sediment that precipitates out of aging wine. Compare also to the names Shimrith [H8116] and Shimath [H8088] which are also related to dregs and were dual servants who killed King Joash who had himself repaired the temple (2 Kings 12:21). Compare further to the concepts of Jonah and Javan which are both related to the word for wine (See my article The Great Tribulation of Full Preterism: Condemned by the Queen of ‘Seven’ and an ‘Eighth’ King).

Jacob bought this land from the sons of Hamor (Genesis 33:18-19) and apparently gave it to Joseph (Genesis 48:21-22 where, in the original Hebrew, “ridge of land” is identical in written form to “Shechem”). It’s immediately after Jacob purchases this land that the account of Simeon and Levi is found where they are avenging the violation of Dinah [H1783– judgment] by Shechem. Immediately prior to this, Jacob was reunited with his twin brother Esau/Edom. Joseph ended up being buried in Shechem (Joshua 24:32 cf. Genesis 50:22-26). The death of Eleazer the son of Aaron is mentioned immediately after this. The death of Joshua is mentioned immediately before it. Shechem was the place Joshua renewed Israel’s covenant with God and setup a stone under an oak as a witness against them (Joshua 24). Shechem is also where Joseph was sold by his brothers (Genesis 37). In Genesis 12:6, this was the first place God spoke to Abram after his initial call out of Haran.

Some additional comments regarding the eschatological significance of Dinah may be helpful as well.  In Revelation 7:7, Levi is the eighth tribe listed in the 144,000, Asher who was the eighth son of Jacob is fourth in the list – half of eight. Also, the tribe of Dan is missing from the list as many commentators have noticed. This is significant because both Dinah [H1783] and Dan [H1835] mean ‘judge’.  Dinah, though not a son, was also the seventh child born to Jacob by Leah (Genesis 30:20-21).  Dan [H1835] is also a homograph in the original Hebrew for ‘this’ [H1836] (which may have some significance concerning the judgment language Jesus used against “this” generation).

After the birth of Dinah, Joseph was born to Rachel, the 12th child (counting Dinah) of Jacob. He was the firstborn of the only two sons of Rachel (cf. Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18). With the birth of Benjamin, Jacob had 12 natural sons and 6 (i.e. 1/2) of those were Leah’s natural sons. In the account of the sexual violation of Dinah, it was Simeon and Levi who avenged her three days after the culprits of Shechem had been circumcised (Genesis 34:25-26). This whole account of Dinah begins right after the account of Jacob’s purchase of the land that is referenced in connection with the “Gift of God” and the encounter of Jesus with the woman at Jacob’s well (Genesis 33:18-20 cf. John 4:6,12). These actions of Levi and Simeon were cursed by Jacob in Genesis 49:5-7. The fulfillment of this curse on Levi was brought about in Joshua 21:41; Numbers 35:6 where Shechem was one of the six cities of refuge given to the Levites, leaving them with forty-two regular towns.

Again, the methodical structuring of these accounts is very evident once it’s pointed out and it appears to be done to highlight the messianic significance of events that took place in connection with Shechem.

Levi/Matthew in the Context of Duality

We observed earlier the pair of pairs of Levi and names related to Matthew in Luke’s genealogy of Jesus. However, Levi/Matthew has some other peculiar involvement with duplicates. We’ve mentioned that Matthew is also connected to the Sign of Jonah via the rare phrase “mercy, not sacrifice”. As mentioned in my article on the Queen of Seven and the 8th king of Revelation 17, the Sign of Jonah is laden with allusions to the numbers seven and eight. While both the 8th king and Queen of Seven are executors of what appear to be judgments on the generation of Jesus, I argue that these judgments can’t be contemporary. The Queen of Seven is actually shown to be the judge of the 8th king. Therefore, the Sign of Jonah encompasses two distinct judgment events, even though only one is mentioned.

Similar to the Sign of Jonah, the “wicked generation” occurs between 7 and 8 times in the book of Matthew (7 if we exclude Matthew 24:34 which is ambiguous). Similarly, in the four lists of the twelve apostles given in the New Testament, oddly, Matthew only occurs in positions 7 (Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16) and 8 (Matthew 10:3; Acts 1:13). Perhaps even more interesting is that Matthew is always mentioned in these lists paired with either Thomas/Didymus and James the son of Alpheus [G256]. The significance of these observations isn’t immediately obvious, however, both names bolster the idea that Levi/Matthew carries a deliberate allusion to duality in some unexpected but undeniable ways.

Regarding Thomas [G2381] and Didymus [G1324], both names mean ‘twin’. In fact, Didymus is also likely a word-play on certain inflections of the Greek word for give [G1325], an action in which the name Matthew is rooted.  It’s also instructive to note that the call of Levi/Matthew by Jesus at the opening of His public ministry was preceded by a miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:2-10 cf. Matthew 4:18-19; Mark 1:16-17) that also has a significant parallel at the end of Christ’s earthly ministry (John 21:1-14). In the final miraculous catch recorded by John, the specific number of fish is mentioned as being 153 in total. This particular number has struck many commentators as odd and there have been several attempts at understanding what it may have symbolized. Some have noticed that the gematrial value of the Hebrew for “children of God” is 153 and occurs only seven times in scripture[13][14][15]. Others have argued that the gemetrial values of En-Gedi and En-Eglaim form the basis of this number (Ezekiel 47:10 cf. Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17)[16][17][18][19]. My own contribution to these theories is the observation that this number 153 just happens to be the number of years by which Jared, (the seventieth member in Luke’s genealogy covered earlier), missed the 1,000 years of dominion that all the other pre-flood patriarchs also failed to achieve (Genesis 5:20 Samaritan Pentateuch; see Dillman and Segal above concerning the reliability of the Samaritan Pentateuch on the ages of Jared)[12]. This is paralleled in the 1,000 year reign of Christ of Revelation 20 as I demonstrate in my article “The Second Death and the 1,000 Years of Revelation (Part 1) ”. Compare also to the double thousand of Ecclesiastes 6:6 (the messianic significance of chapter 6 in Ecclesiastes was covered earlier). Also, the contrast of man and woman of Ecclesiastes 7:27-29. A key point to note here in connection to the duality surrounding Matthew/Levi is that even in this miraculous catch, just as in all the lists of the names of the apostles, a disciple named Nathanael [G3482] “Gift of God” is paired with Thomas/Didymus (the twin and gift) even though Matthew/Levi is not mentioned. Significantly, there are seven total disciples in the account.

We see a similar association of a name involving a twin associated with the number forty-two in the book of Judges. There, the Ephraimites (i.e. twin-lands) engage in double-talk for salvation in connection with the forty-two thousand who were slain after the initial judgment of Jephthah, the eighth judge of Israel. Jephthah was raised up to rid the land of worship being done to the gods of Sidon (Judges 10:5) whom the tribe of Asher, the eighth son of Jacob had failed to drive out of the promised land (Judges 1:31-32). In the times of the kings, these same gods were being worshiped and promoted by Jezebel, the Sidonian queen of Israel (1 Kings 16:31). After the demises of Jezebel, her husband Ahab, his seventy sons and Ahaziah, we then see that the killing of forty-two of Ahaziah’s own relatives is recorded (2 Kings 10:13-14). These executions were in fulfillment of prophecies by the dual prophets Elijah (1 Kings 21:20-24,29) and Elisha (2 Kings 9:6-10) against the house of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Kings 10:10). Jehu, a king chosen by God and anointed by Elisha (2 Kings 9:6) is the messianic character who carried these executions out.  It cannot be mere coincidence that Thomas/Didymus means ‘twin’, sounds like inflections of Greek for gift and often adjoins Matthew/Levi who is so closely associated with the “Gift of God” and the numbers 7, 8 and 42.

Further, like his other “partner” James the son of Alpheus, the father of Matthew was also named Alpheus (Mark 2:14 cf. Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). James and Matthew do not appear to have been brothers so their fathers are two different men.  Yet, they are the only two men named Alpheus in the entire New Testament. That two apparently unrelated men, each having a father with such a name are paired with one another under already suspicious circumstances is an astonishing observation that must carry some major interpretive significance. Interestingly, the Hebrew words from which the Greek name Alpheus derives [H2501,H2500,H2498] mean ‘exchange’, ‘renew’ or ‘pass away’.  These are words that characterize the transition to the Messianic Age.

Use of ‘genea’ by Jesus

We’ve taken several tedious though informative detours in our discussion of the prophetic significance of the term ‘genea’ as used by Jesus and the gospel writers. At this point, it’s probably helpful to take stock of all the places Jesus uses the term genea in a condensed and categorized list. Notice that they all occur in the context of three major subjects which have all come up in other connections discussed earlier:

Sign of Jonah

  • accountable for blood of all the prophets from foundation of the world, also Abel – Luke 11:29-32,50-51
  • Matthew 12:39-45; 16:4; Mark 8:12,38
  • faithless generation, how long shall I be with you; John the Baptist the Elijah to come; Jesus predicts his death and resurrection in terms similar to sign of Jonah; first vs. last; for us vs. against us; salt; transfiguration – Matthew 17:17; Mark 9:19

Judgment on Jerusalem

  • all righteous blood shed on the earth from Abel onward; descendants of those who murdered the prophets; follows 7/8 woes; pursue from town to town (cf. 42 Levitical cities opposite the 6 cities of refuge for avenging the death of their father Satan) – Matthew 23:36
  • Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30
  • Luke 17:25
  • final judgment – Luke 21:32

John the Baptist

  • dishonest steward, wisdom praised, children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light; God vs. mammon; Jesus addresses the Pharisees who loved money – Luke 16:8
  • Tax Collectors vs. Pharisees and experts in the Law; eating drinking, wisdom proved right by her children; John the Baptist the Elijah to come, a prophet to prepare the way for God, both alternatives/opposites rejected’ judgment on Bethsaida. Chorazin, Capernaum; ears to hear – Matthew 11:16-19; Luke 7:29-35

Though not spoken by Jesus, even the narrative of Luke mentions that all generations (i.e. genea) would call Mary blessed (Luke 1:48). As discussed earlier, this is followed by an allusion to the significant numbers 7, 8 and a double of 42 via prophetess Anna at Christ’s presentation at the temple (Luke 2:21,36-38).

The Dual-Generation of Jesus

We’ve seen that there is an obvious structure to both Matthew and Luke’s “genea-logy”. Luke’s genealogy obviously draws our attention to the name Matthew and some peculiar eschatological connections of his own. These genealogies are saturated with repetitions and cycles. They are in fact the very generation [G1078– genesis] of Jesus (Matthew 1:1). The word “genesis” also derives from ganea [G1074]. We’ve seen that numbers 7, 8, 42, 62 are all significant in these genealogies. We’ve also seen that gematria even plays a significant role in the organization of these genealogies. It’s also been observed that the “Gift of God”/Matthew draws our attention to the repeating cycles of generations lusting after earthly pleasures described in Ecclesiastes and the meaninglessness of life apart from God’s purposes. Significant focus on duality in connection with the above numbers is also readily apparent. All these observations may now lend some credibility to some other unlikely numbers that occur in connection with the concept of a generation:

  • genea occurs 42 times in the entire New Testament (Textus Receptus)
  • genea also occurs 180 times in LXX (half of 360. Note that the 360-day year is the basis for the biblical relationship between 42 and 7 – 42 months being 1,260 days which is half of seven 360-day years according comparisons of Luke 4:25; James 5:17; Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6; 13:5 )
  • gematrial value of genea [G1074] is 64 (8 multiplied two times over or two multiplied six times

Calculation of Numerical Value of genea

Calculation of Numerical Value of genea

  • in connection with the gematrial value of genea, Levi [H3878] occurs 64 times in the Old Testament.
  • genos [G1085] occurs 70 times in LXX
  • ginomai [G1096] – fulfilled is the root word for both G1085 and G1074

Also, similar to genea and two of the names related to Matthew [H5416 & H3129] noted earlier, two other names with messianic significance occur forty-two times in the Old Testament:

  • Jesse [H3448] – father of David, youngest of his eight sons
  • Benaiah [H1141] (from section above titled “Matthew in the Old Testament“)
    • like Zadok and Nathan [H5416] (related to Matthew), a man by this name remained faithful to David during Adonijah’s attempt for the throne.  He was also present at Solomon’s anointing. He killed Adonijah for having Bathsheba request Abishag the Shunamite be given to him in marriage. This Benaiah eventually killed and replaced Joab as commander of Solomon’s army. He was described as being as famous as of David’s top three mighty men, had higher honor out of David’s prestigious “Thirty”, and was put in charge of David’s personal bodyguards.
    • another man named Benaiah was twelfth in the list of David’s mighty men
    • a Benaiah was seventh son of Nebo [H5015– prophet]
    • another Benaiah was a brother of a Mattithiah
    • Pahathmoab had eight sons, one of whom was named Benaiah and was paired with Maaseiah [H4641– מעשיה – work of Jehovah. Also related to Esau; compare to H4899– messiah – משיח] just as Mattaniah was
    • Parosh had seven sons the last of whom was named Benaiah
    • a man named Benaiah was listed eighth out of the ten musicians appointed by David to play lyres according to the alamoth [H5961– hidden, virgin, young woman] accompanied by Obed-Edom and Mattithiah who played harps according to the sheminith [H8067– eight] (1 Chronicles 15:19-21; 16:5)
    • two leaders named Benaiah of the 3rd and 11th divisions (difference of eight) of 24,000 in the 288,000 men of the military to be on duty monthly throughout the year.  Note that 144,000 is half of 288,000 (1 Chronicles 27 cf. Revelation 7:4; 14:1,3).  The 144,000 of Revelation are said to have come out of the great tribulation which was to last for 42-months  (Revelation 7:14; Matthew 24:21; Daniel 12:1,7,11-12; Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6,14; 13:5).  After this period of tribulation and defeat of the beast, this army of 144,000 sang the Song of Moses (Revelation 14:3; 15:2-3 cf. the typological 288 temple musicians of 1 Chronicles 25:7)
    • Benaiah was tenth of the twelve men king Hezekiah appointed to bring the tithes into the storerooms of the temple which he had restored (2 Chronicles 31:13). Tithe also just happens to mean one-tenth suggesting that the positioning of this Benaiah was more than coincidental in this context. This all happens just before the Assyrian king Sennacherib threatens Jeruselam at the exact same, very specific location Isaiah was to give the king the Sign of Immanuel and cited by Matthew as a prediction of the virgin birth of Christ (2 Chronicles 32:9-19; 2 Kings 18:17; Isaiah 7:3; 36:2 cf. Isaiah 7:14; 8:8; Matthew 1:23). This took place at the “aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field”, a place that has obvious allusions to purification and spiritual cleansing written all over it.  Compare also to the musical term alamoth from the above bullet point.

Summary

The wicked generation would be judged for the murder or all the prophets and righteous starting with Abel. This reference to Abel and all the slain prophets from the foundation of the world suggests that He was ultimately speaking of the antithetical generations brought forth by Cain and Seth. Other contexts suggest that a proclivity for or against murder is the distinguishing trait of the “generation” of which Jesus was speaking. The first occurrence of generation in the New Testament is in Matthew and is in the context of the “generations” of Jesus (i.e. his genealogy). There are forty-two of these generations, suggesting that there is eschatological significance to these generations. Particularly, that they represent only half of the messianic picture. Likewise, Luke’s generations of Jesus connect David with the number 42 by placing him at the 42nd position based on the phrase “the son of”. Like the numbers 42 and 14 (the numeric equivalent of David) which formed the basis for how Matthew and Luke arranged the genealogies of Jesus, other symbolic uses of these and other numbers became apparent using gematria and word counts. Luke’s genealogy also exhibits signs of repetition and doubling, especially regarding Matthew/Levi. Jesus uses the term “generation” in only a handful of contexts – the judgment on Jerusalem, the Final Judgment, John the Baptist, the Sign of Jonah. All these subjects overlap in some regard and have their own indicators suggestive of duality.

Just like Abel and all the prophets, John the Baptist was killed by the “wicked generation” (Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9), Jesus saw His own death as being parallel to that of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:12; Mark 9:13). In the Sign of Jonah, the “wicked generation” would be judged by the Queen of Seven for just such murders, epitomized in the murder of Christ. This is in contrast to the Harlot of Revelation 17 which is judged by an Eighth king. Even significant events that surround John the Baptist occur in the context of the Sign of Jonah as Jesus calms the sea in much the same way as Jonah did. Matthew/Levi himself is connected to the Sign of Jonah via the phrase “mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13; 12:7). As with the Sign of Jonah, Matthew and Levi are intimately connected with the numbers seven and eight and cycles of repetition, particularly those described in the book of Ecclesiastes in relation to the “Gift of God”. Just as the Sign of Jonah encompasses two judgments, Matthew and Levi have many unusual connections with duality and the generations of Jesus. To top it all off, the actual words for “generation” have numeric connections to halving and doubling right from the pages of Scripture. In fact, ginomai [G1096], from which the word for ‘generation’ [G1074] derives, occurs exactly seven times in both Matthew 24 and the parallel in Mark 13. This also suggests that these words were being used in an unusual typological manner where a secondary reference was intended.

By all indicators, the term “generation” as used by Jesus was not merely a reference to his own contemporaries. It had eschatological implications extending backward to the very beginning and forward to the very end of time. In passages like Matthew 24 then, when Jesus said “this generation” would not pass away until all these things are fulfilled, He was speaking simultaneously from two perspectives. From one perspective, there would still be people contemporary to Him alive when the things He spoke of took place. These were things pertaining to 70 AD. However, from another perspective, He was saying that in a more general sense, people of the same stock as murderous Cain would exist until Christ came with His perfected Queen of Seven to fully and finally remove their recurring influence (i.e. the eighth king) from the physical universe. Christ was using the word genea typologically to simultaneously refer to an immediate subset of mankind as well as mankind in general.

1) Zacharias, H. Daniel (2016) “Matthew’s Presentation of the Son of David” p. 50
2) Davies, W.D.; Allison, D.C. (2004) “Matthew 1-7: Volume 1 (International Critical Commentary)” Volume 1 p. 165
3) Nolland, John (2005) “The Gospel of Matthew (The New International Greek Testament Commentary)” pp. 86-87
4) Nolan, Brian M. (1979) “Royal Son of God: The Christology of Matthew 1-2 in the Setting of the Gospel”, p. 60
5) Novakovic, Lidija (2003) “Messiah, the Healer of the Sick: A Study of Jesus as the Son of David in the Gospel of Matthew”, pp. 40-41
6) Waetjen, Herman C. (1976) “Genealogy as the Key to the Gospel According to Matthew” Journal of Biblical Literature Issue 2 pp. 210-215
7) Sasson, Jack M. (1978) “A Genealogical ‘Convention’ in Biblical Chronography”, Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Volume 90 Issue 2 p. 171-185
8) Chilton, David (1987) “The Days of Vengeance” p. 346
9) Ibid. pp. 350-351
10) Dillman, August (1897) “Genesis Critically and Exegetically Expounded.” tr. by WM. B. Stevenson, B.D. Edinburgh pp. 218
11) Segal, Dr. Michael (2007) “The Book of Jubilees: Rewritten Bible, Redaction, Ideology and Theology.” pp. 127
12) Wenham, Gordon J. (2015) “Rethinking Genesis 1-11: Gateway to the Bible” p. 58
13) Zacharias, H. Daniel (2016) “Matthew’s Presentation of the Son of David” pp. 48-49
14) Romeo, Joseph A. (1978) “Gematria and John 21:11, the Children of God, Journal of Biblical Literature” Volume 97 pp. 263-264
15) Bullinger, E.W. (1967) “Number in Scripture: Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Significance” p. 275-276
16) Grigsby, Bruce (1984) “Gematria and John 21:11 – Another Look at Ezekiel 47:10”, Expository Times Volume 95 pp. 177-178
17) Emerton, John A. (1960) “Gematria in John 21:11” The Journal of Theological Studies Volume 11 pp. 335-336
18) Ackroyd, Peter R. (1959) “The 153 Fishes in John XXI. 11-A Further Note” The Journal of Theological Studies Volume 10 p. 94
19) Klein, R.W. (1974) “Archaic Chronologies and the Textual History of the OT” Harvard Theological Review 67 pp. 255-263