--Did God break his promise to Abraham about the land of Canaan?
Jos 21:43 Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. Jos 21:44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Jos 21:45 Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. Jos 23:14 "And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. Jos 23:15 But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you, Jos 23:16 if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you."
--What about the events with Jonah and Nineveh? False prophesies?
If God's prophesy to destroy Nineveh was "absolute" with no way out as some would have it, then there was no point in giving the Ninevites 40 days to "believe" God. Clearly the threat of impending doom and the 40 days "grace" period was a means to that end. Jon 3:4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" Jon 3:5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
--And when Jesus said (Matthew 24:36)that the end would come in "this" generation, he couldn't have meant that generation alive at that time, could he?
Mat 24:33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Mat 24:34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.Most of the older commentaries believe this prophesy refers to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD. I'm inclined to believe that this is probably correct. We need to keep the original audience in mind when we determine what "this" means. First, notice that Jesus says in vs. 33, "when
you see all these things." Second, the Greek word "houtos" translated "this" (plural "these") is used of things in close proximity. If Jesus had a future generation in mind he would have used the word "ekeinos" meaning "that" (plural "those") not "this."
A distinction that some find helpful is that between the "near" and "far" demonstratives. The near is "this/these" and the far is "that/those." The idea is that "this/these" refers to something in relative proximity, and "that/those" to something relatively far away. William D. Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, p. 107, footnote #1The other thing to keep in mind is that we're careful not to push Hebrew apocalyptic imagery beyond its intended meaning--which is easier said than done.No, I'm not a heretical "full preterist" nor are the commentaries I consult. Also, I'm not here to debate eschatology. I merely offer this as a very plausible solution to a problem that many critics have rightly observed regarding Jesus' use of "this generation."