Q: Who is Jesus
referring to when he says, "...this generation shall not
pass, till all these things be fulfilled"?
Now learn a
parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender,
and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
So likewise ye,
when ye shall see all these things, know that it is
near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto
you, This generation shall not pass, till all these
things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day
and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven,
but my Father only. -Matthew 24:32-36
This passage has given
rise to more conjectures and still stimulates much
confusion even today.
Israel as the
Fig Tree?
It has been popular to
presume that the "fig tree" is a reference to Israel.
That view was further popularized by Hal Lindsey's best
seller, The Late Great Planet Earth,1
and Ed Weisenant's 88 Reasons that Jesus would
return in 1988. The idea was that since Israel was
restored to statehood on May 14, 1948, and that a
generation can be defended as 40 years, that 1988 was
the year to watch.
(Hal Lindsey's book
remains a classic in its field; Weisenant's book, I
suspect, is available at rather deep discounts.)
Jerusalem as the
Fig Tree?
Some have further
suggested that the vine was the symbol for
Israel, and that the fig tree refers to the city of
Jerusalem. Around this conjecture, some suggest that
June 6, 1967, is the key year when, as a result of the
Six Day War, the Old City of Jerusalem returned to
Israeli control. This would make the year 2007 a year
to watch. (That may well be true for other reasons.)
Terminus A Quo?
The starting point for
"this generation" is a key part of the enigma. The
presumption that the idiom of the "fig tree" uniquely
refers to either Israel or Jerusalem seems specious.
The parallel account in Luke includes, "...and all the
trees," which would seem to dismiss any specific
metaphorical significance to the fig tree itself.2
Attempts to identify any really consistent specification
of the fig tree as a denotative metaphor seems rather
fanciful.
The direct clue to the
real issue is the immediately following verse:
But of that day
and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven,
but my Father only. -Matthew 24:36
That would seem to
have in view the Harpazo, or "rapture" of the
church,3 which is the
principal event that is distinctively without precedent
prerequisite events. It appears to be the trigger to
the entire scenario. The removal of the church is also
the event which removes the present blindness of Israel:4
For I would not,
brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,
lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that
blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the
fulness of the Gentiles be come in. - Romans
11:25
This would also seem
to be consistent with apparent "Jewish-ness" of the
entire Olivet Discourse, of which this parable is a
part. 5 The mutual
exclusiveness of Israel and the Church is intrinsic to
the structure of Gabriel's Seventy Weeks prophecy to
Daniel. 6
(Much of the confusion
among prophecy buffs is over ecclesiology rather than
eschatology.)
The "Second Coming" is
preceded by a "week" of seven specific years which even
include a "mid-course" correction in the midst of the
week. 7 From a careful
exegesis of 2 Thessalonians 2, we learn that the removal
of the church is a prerequisite condition to
the appearance of the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition.
8 Thus, the sequence
appears as follows:
1. The
Harpazo, or "rapture," of the church;
9
2. The
public appearance of the Man of Sin.10
3. His
coming to power sufficient to "enforce the covenant"
with Israel for seven years;11
4. The
Second Coming of Christ, which terminates the seven
years. 12
Conclusion
The Parable of the Fig
Tree seems to indicate that the generation which sees
the beginning of these things will see them all.
But the triggering event may well be the Harpazo,
the only prophetic event that is distinctively both
unspecified and imminent.
Since there is a
definite seven-year period immediately preceding the
Second Coming, it would seem that there could
be up to as many as 33 years (40 - 7) between the
Harpazo and the beginning of the seven-year period
for the Man of Sin to appear, rise to power, and
position himself to enforce the covenant that Isaiah
calls the "Covenant with Hell." 13
These intervening
years could also include the rebuilding of the Temple,
the rebuilding of Babylon, and other anticipated
positionings for the final climax.
To the extent that
there are geopolitical and other signs on the horizon
which suggest that the circumstances anticipated for the
seven-year period are moving into position, these
certainly support the view that the Harpazo is
getting closer and may be on our very immediate
horizon.
This should, indeed,
intensify our priorities to immerse in the Word,
reexamine our commitments to our Coming King, and
seriously address each day which remains with a high
degree of urgency.
Therefore be ye
also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son
of man cometh. -Matthew 24:44
Are you really
ready? Do you really take Him seriously?
Prove it.
* * *
