Generation Of The Fig Tree
Matthew 24:33-35 has been turned more ways than it ever should. The passage states that this generation shall not pass away and everyone is trying to define who that generation is. In using some of my web tools I can see that they also often question who the generation of the fig tree is as they associate the two concepts.
The fig tree can be seen in verse 32 as a very short parable that Jesus is speaking of. He states when the branch is tender and putteth forth leaves you know the time is near. These two concepts do go together yet we need to look at the context of its application.
For any seminary students or pastors know I try to avoid common terms we would know but attempt to write in plain language for a broader audience. There is a lot that happens within this passage which impact different views we know all too well.
Context Is Everything
There are other books in the New Testament that you can find this same teaching by Jesus. I will refer to Matthew here for simplicity as there is not enough of a contextual difference to matter. If you would like to see those passages you can look at Luke 21:32 and also Mark 13:30 yet look at the full context.
We need to first define what is happening in this passage. Jesus has gone to the Mount of Olives and here begins teaching. The core audience is His disciples. Within His teaching is a list of events which will fall upon the world. Who are these events for? This is important.
Whoever it is that these events apply to will determine what this generation is. There is no other way to accurately discern its application. Defining how long a generation is or obsessing over who the fig tree is symbolic to and how to apply that will never alter the core context of who and when.
Digging Deeper: The Who And When
An assumption that has been made is that this generation involves the Church with a belief that we will either see the Tribulation or are presently living within it. Know this is not true. The timing of these events all do portend to the Tribulation period though and this is important to note. The problem today is that the broader Church has come to believe in views that are alternate to that of Scripture.
Each verse in Matthew 24 is speaking to the people of Israel. In verse 16 He specifically states that those living in Judea will flee into the mountains within this period. The place they will flee to is called Petra. You know the place by sight if you have seen the Indiana Jones Movies as it was a set in one of the scenes.
Verse 24 within Matthew 24 is speaking to the Trumpet Judgments, more specifically to the first four. Verse 31 has been claimed to be the Rapture of the Church within the Tribulation period yet this replacement theology completely ignores the entire book of Genesis and God’s promises to Israel. Verse 31 is speaking of the 2nd Coming not the Rapture, there is a huge difference in the two.
It is absolutely imperative to maintain the context of anything. Christ is speaking to a very specific people for a specific time with very specific events. No where in His teaching is there room to interchange meaning from one group of people to another.
In reading these verses we have thus far identified the who and when in terms of a basic construct being for the nation of Israel. This foundation will lead us in the right direction in being able to define what generation. One cannot simply insert a theory for symbolic reasons. Context can only be had if an understanding of the text is accepted from its literal view as it was meant to be read.
I wish to be emphatic on one point before continuing for some worry and there is no need of anxiety for those who are with Christ saved by grace. I seriously dislike alarmists and those who try to steal your money doing so.
We are not presently living within this period that Jesus is speaking of. The Tribulation is not a present reality but rather a future event. Certainly we do see what is called birth pains which will take us to our next topic. Just know that as of the time of this writing we are not there yet and ignore the alarmists. The Seals of Revelation with its other judgments have not begun. If you are saved by grace then you have nothing to fear.
A Language The Jews Understand
In going back to the context we again see Israel is who He is speaking to. Our goal is to discern what generation this passage is dealing with in a Scriptural way. This is absolutely possible and does not need to be a mystery. To accept this as truth first requires one to acknowledge that Israel has returned to their land as prophesied by Ezekiel 37.
Ezekiel does not stand alone with prophecies concerning the return of Israel. Nevertheless if one is in denial to the authenticity of the present day Israel then understanding this passage becomes impossible. There is no other way to apply it without breaking Scripture causing problems which will reach across each book of the Bible.
Going back as far as Exodus 32:9 God called Israel a stiff necked people. They were stubborn and still are. Not much has changed in that department but we love them anyway just like we do the rest of our family. As Jesus is speaking to the disciples He was conveying a message in a way that they would understand. Today we can look at the writings of Paul and understand things written for us which were penned near 2000 years ago.
How God chooses to speak to a people can be determined based upon what it takes for them to listen and understand. In the time of Jesus with unbelievers or those who had no education He used parables. He then taught the disciples differently in private with deeper truth. Later the foundations of the Church was laid and further expansion in depth and meaning that we hold dear to us and understand but the Jews do not as of yet.
The fastest way to get the attention of any Jew in the time of Jesus, and most certainly in the future with the 3rd Temple, is to bring the Temple into focus. That was the center of their universe and will be once again.
Language means something. There is a direct connection between Matthew 24:15 and verses 32,34. One could draw a line straight from one verse to the next as the rest of the passage is greater description in what happens. The core theme in defining this generation is found in verses 15, 32, 34. Yet there is a surprise hidden here for those who know prophecy deeply and for some it may be a problem. Allow me to elaborate further.
What Does This Generation Mean?
Let me put this simply. Jesus was giving the Jews who would face this time a message. He gave a marker early on in the passage to know the midpoint of the Tribulation by the Antichrist who would defile the Temple. He then told them to flee. Daniel told us to know the beginning of this time by a peace accord which would be brought by a man we call the Antichrist in Daniel 9:27. Yet we have a problem.
For those who accept the literal view of the Bible we have taught for too long that once the Rapture takes place the Tribulation begins. This is how I was taught as a child. It was an assumption that things would just move right along down this path like dominoes falling into place.
This is not what Daniel 9:27 says. Furthermore Christ said to look for that midpoint to know for certainty the time they were within. I believe for the Jews it will take that midpoint for them to come to the realization of what is actually happening to them. I believe this for it will take those events to shock them into reality where they begin to recognize Christ.
For those who accept the literal view I wish to ask a question. How much time exists between the Rapture and the start of the Tribulation according to Daniel 9:27? Please do not just rattle off an answer. Find it in Scripture. If you find it then email me. I say that because the answer in Scripture doesn’t exist. That is not given to us.
There is an unknown blank space between those two events. I do not believe that this period of time is long yet you cannot start the seven year count on day 1 after the Rapture. This is why Jesus said to them that THIS generation shall not pass away.
It is for those who see the beginning of those events pertaining to the Tribulation. He did not mention a mass disappearing of people or the fulfillment of the Gentiles. The passage is not speaking to any other generation and especially not the generation of the Church Age.
Literal View Skew Of Time
For inquiring minds I will drop something here that I will expand on later for it is relevant to the main topic at hand in the end.
In reading this very passage from Matthew you should go and correlate this with other passages to really twist your brain. I truly have come to believe that over time replacement theology has crept into some points we have missed. Let’s look at one Preterist view we reject in the literal reading and build into my point and its influence.
We know that Preterist have issues with Revelation 11 and their claims that this vision John has is a measurement of the Temple predating 70 AD. Yet even they will agree that Ezekiel was told to do the same as John and the Temple did not exist in Ezekiel’s time. The problem the Preterist have is that the writing of Revelation was after the Temple was destroyed. Nevertheless we believe Revelation shows that the 3rd Temple is standing in Revelation 11. All of this is common knowledge to those who accept the literal view.
As for their view on Matthew 24 the Preterists have done a number just denying everything.
I believe there are other issues which the Preterist’s have held influence with in history in how we view certain passages in Daniel. As they hold to a pure historical view I believe some of that has snuck into our literal views of interpretation over time. I do know that some passages and prophecies can have dual fulfillment. Yet I would encourage you to revisit Daniel 7 with a correlation between Revelation 13 after you finish reading this article. I will say no more for now about this.
Let’s add another layer I believe is more isolated to fundamentalist teaching but helps hide something we miss in this same period of time. If we turn a blind eye to potential Preterist influence we should have caught this one but did not.
Daniel 9 gives us the 70 weeks prophecy. Within it the last week is the specified Tribulation period where he details how the Antichrist will defile the Temple. We have multiple passages in Scripture to this event we all should know. Issues arise surrounding events which take place or rather are assumed to take place in or around this period of time.
In the literal teaching we often have associated Ezekiel 38 and 39 with this mid point of the Tribulation. You can find commentaries dedicated to this idea. Some have associated it with Revelation 20:8 although this is less of a problem today. Here is your challenge.
- Identify the attacking Nations In Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20
- Identify who is impacted. Is it Israel or the Saints in one or both?
- Identify who as in Nations which oppose the conflict in one or both passages.
- After the battle what happens next? Compare Ezekiel 39 here.
- Would Israel have need to take the enemies spoils for 7 years into the Millennial Kingdom or the Saints moving into eternity as stated in Ezekiel 39:9?
- Would there be a valley for the graves of the dead within the Millennial Kingdom or Eternity as stated in Ezekiel 39:14-15?
This is just the beginning. If you do due diligence you will find other discrepancies. If one is honest in the reading then one will see that there is overwhelming evidence that this event within Ezekiel does not fit within the Tribulation nor the Millennial Kingdom. So then where does it fit? I contend that this is part of the transition period between the Rapture and the Tribulation.
Here is where it is relevant to the present topic. It is a huge part of the reason why Jesus is giving the Jews a way to measure time using the words This Generation. We do not hold God’s day planner yet He did give us enough information to frame the outside of the puzzle. This future generation of Israel will not have the knowledge that we possess in such a short frame of time.
They will be looking foremost at Christ by the midpoint in coming to that realization that they missed the point of Christ. This is part of the promise God made to Abraham and He will hold true to it. In the words of Jesus they will be able to identify the time within which they live knowing it is their generation.