[Cvengr]

When identifying “this generation”, what criterion do you use to exclude or include that generation?

[topcat54]

The criteria would be a) the analogy of faith, how is the phrase used elsewhere, esp. in the gospels, and b) grammatical-historical, how would the original hearers have understood the phrase given the historical setting and their knowledge of the OT.

In all the places where it is found in the NT we will discover by examining the context that it is referring to that 1st century generation of contemporary Jews, e.g.,

"The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here" (Matt. 12:41).

In fact one is hard pressed to find any verses which conclusively uses the greek word genea to means "race" as in "the entire race of Jews".

I'm afraid that if you examine the evidence objectively it is very difficult to make the case that "generation" means the Jewish race in general, and the setting and the detailed account by Jesus of what would take place makes it clear that it is not some far future generation of Jews.