Our study begins with Christ's
disciples asking Him an
important question about the
end of days.
"Teacher, but when will these
things be? And what sign will
there be when these things are
about to take place?"
(Luke 21:7)
To answer their question, Jesus gave them a brief synopsis of what would happen at the time of the end - which included a description of His Second Coming.
And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately."
Jesus continues...
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven." (Luke 21:8-11)
Note: As of this writing all these things have happened - and are still happening with increasing intensity. But, then Jesus describes how things will look at His Second Coming - that immediately follows these signs ...
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." (Luke 21:25-28--Important Note: The rapture (or "catching away") of the Church takes place around 7 years before this event.)
He then told His disciples
when it would happen...
"LOOK AT THE FIG TREE, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation (or the generation that sees these things occur) will by no means pass away till all things take place." (Luke 21:29-32)
We get a clearer description of
this same conversation between
Jesus and His disciples in
Mark 13:28-33 ...
"NOW LEARN THIS PARABLE FROM THE FIG TREE: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it (Christ's Return) is near–at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation (or the generation that sees these things occur) will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is."
As we see in Christ's words from both Luke 21:29-32 and Mark chapter 13, having a correct understanding of the timeline - and the lateness of the hour - depends on knowing at least two important truths.
FIRST: We need to know what major event marks the final stage of the timeline.
SECOND: We need to know the length (in the number of years) of a generation.
The entire timeline of the Bible involves a 6000 year period - from creation until the present day. However, the final part of the timeline Jesus speaks about - started at a specific point 'near the end' - and concludes a number of years later at His Second Coming. This is a period of time that Jesus said would be less than a generation.
A simplified graphical version
of the entire 6000 year
timeline is available HERE
A more detailed timeline
in textual format is
available HERE
We won't discuss all the Biblical proofs at this time - but the "fig tree" Jesus speaks about is the symbol for the nation of Israel. Yet, after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple in 70 A.D., Israel ceased to exist and its people (the Jews) were dispersed throughout the world (Theologians call this "the Diaspora"). According to Scripture, Israel (the fig tree) would not reappear until shortly before all of the signs that Jesus had just described to His disciples in Luke chapter 21 and Mark 13:28-33.
This means that the reappearance of Israel in its original "Promised Land" in the Middle East is the one major event that launches the last days ... with the Second Coming of Christ occurring approximately one generation later.
Against all odds, Israel reappeared
as a nation on May 14th, 1948 - and
the fig tree has been "budding" and
growing ever since - with the signs
Jesus warned about, also appearing
and increasing.
This means we might know when
the 'last days' officially
started ... and need only to
figure out the length of a
generation to discover the
nearness of Christ's return.
However, many Bible prophecy teachers tend to disagree on this subject. Just because Israel reappeared in 1948 doesn't necessarily mean that it immediately reached the stage of "putting forth its leaves", which usually occurs some time after any tree is planted. As a result, some claim that Israel did not reach the stage of "putting forth its leaves" until its government was fully established - and the migration of Jews who were previously scattered during "the Diaspora" had started in earnest (some 1-2 years later). This means that the real start date for the "last days" may have been around 1950 instead of 1948.
To address some of the controversy, various Bible scholars direct us to Psalms 90:10, which seems to answer this all-important question - along with a possible reference to the rapture :
The days of our lives are seventy
years; and if by reason of strength
they are eighty years, yet their
boast is only labor and sorrow;
for it is soon cut off, and we
fly away.
Here's the problem: This Scripture (and any other writings of the Bible for that matter) fails to give us the exact length of a generation ... only that it runs from a minimum of 70 to a maximum of 80 years. To be safe, the following presentation, used by various Bible teachers, applies the longest possible duration for a generation to their calculations ... which is 80 years. As a result, if it was more like 1950 that Israel (the fig tree) "put forth its leaves", then the Second Coming of Christ will likely occur sometime in 2030.
[Important Correction: We previously used a start date for the "last days" as being 1948 - the year Israel became a nation once again. Many Bible prophecy teachers still use this date. But, we now think 1950 may be more accurate as the time the fig tree (Israel) "put forth her leaves", which actually started "the last days".]
The Messianic timeline also confirms the year 2030 for Christ's return. It is a well-established fact that Jesus was born in 3 B.C. (not 0 or 1 A.D. as many believe ... actually there is no such thing as 0 A.D.). This places His crucifixion at 30 A.D. (33 years later). The Bible strongly suggests that Christ's Second Coming is closely linked to the date of His crucifixion - and many Bible scholars believe this to be a period of exactly 2000 years (Note: God always does things "in the fullness of time" and never "approximately"). According to the Apostle Peter, 1000 earth years is equal to 1 day from God's perspective. So, "2 God days" (or exactly 2000 earth years) would have elapsed from Christ's crucifixion ... to the year 2030 and Christ's Second Coming.
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward [c]us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9)
Most students of the Bible realize that God - the author of the Bible - uses something called "progressive revelation", when communicating His truths. This means that He doesn't "give us everything at once", which could easily overwhelm. Instead, God releases truth "progressively" - as each one can receive it. Progressive revelation also conforms to a "Divine timeline", where the closer we get to Christ's Second Coming - the more information God releases to those who are watching.
Using this 'worst case time frame' places Christ's Second Coming at around the fall of 2030 ... if our understanding of what Jesus said is correct.
But, we should also remember that Jesus said His Coming would occur "before a generation would pass" (a time period 'less than a generation').
Here's another thing to keep in mind: The entire Tribulation period (with the last half - 3 1/2 years - being "the great Tribulation" that Jesus referred to in Luke chapter 21) - begins 7 years before His physical Second Coming to earth. That likely places the beginning of the Tribulation period sometime in 2023. The New Testament also reveals that the "catching away" (or rapture) of the Church occurs just before the 7 year Tribulation begins. As of this updated writing (May 2023) the Tribulation has not started and those who are watching for their Lord's return expect the rapture to occur sometime this year. This also means that all the time slots for a generation being 70-79 years in length (according to Psalms 90:10) has now expired - with only 80 years remaining.
In this excellent video presentation,
C.J. Lovik of Rock Island Books speaks
about a mystery timeline revealed by
Moses and the prophet Daniel - which
also points to the year 2030. All
Christians that follow Bible prophecy
should watch this presentation.
Important Note: Contrary to the critics, we are not date-setting. We are only drawing attention to a possible "season" based on the time period given by our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel
reported what God said to him
concerning the desolation of
Israel during the Diaspora and
the nation's miraculous end-time
restoration...
Then He (God) said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it," says the Lord.'" (Ezekiel 37:11-14)
The Prophet Isaiah made a similar
comment about the sudden
reappearance of Israel on the
world stage...
"Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children." (Isaiah 66:8)
Yet, this is what happened on
May 14th 1948. Israel became a
nation once again.
Something major is about to
happen on God's timeline.
However, if these signs
prove to be wrong, we will
re-examine the Scriptures
and continue to watch.
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