06 March 2011: This post is being made just case my exegetical view on this subject has not been made clear previously.
God Incarnate, our Lord Jesus Christ, spoke an inerrant prophecy in Matthew 24:32-35, which was repeated by Mark 13:28-3 and by Luke 21:29-33, which shall be fulfilled as inerrantly as it was spoken. (Emphasis added)
"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 all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation 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."
This inerrant prophecy was exclusively for and about a single future generation of Jews living in Eretz Israel.
According to Matthew 23:13-16, a template of the prophecy of Daniel's 70th Week (Daniel 9:24-27) was fulfilled with respect to a single generation of Jews who experienced those events over a period of 7 literal years between 66 and 73 AD.
The future generation of Jews of whom God Incarnate prophecied is alive and living in the State of Israel right now. The final seven years of that generation will be marked by the coming Antichrist's confirming of a covenant (treaty) among many nations.
The length of time for that generation is 70 or 80 years according to Psalm 90:10, and also as confirmed by Matthew 1:17 with the application of some simple mathematics.
This prophecy has no relation to the Bride of Christ or its prophecied Harpazo; for the Bride of Christ will not be on this earth upon its fulfillment and therefore will not be witness to the final things of Daniel's 70th Week that take place.
i agree almost totally with a few slight variations, I athink the generation span is simply to mean people alive in 1948 will still be alive at the second coming. could be from 70 years to maybe 90. ( I could be wrong)
ReplyDeleteif Jesus was saying the generation that saw the abomination of deselation would not pass away ... then would that not be redundant since they were well aware of the 70 week prophecy? and furthermore the disciples asked "what is THE (singular )sign...?" and after stating tribulation events he answers the question by mentioning the fig tree as THE sign
ReplyDeletehey I'm sorry to ramble but there is one more point to make to back what you (scripturally) wrote. when someone accusingly says"are you setting a time for the lords return" we can tell them that's exactly what Jesus did in this passage. he was VERY CLEAR a certain generation would know theirs was the last one
ReplyDeleteI have always understood it to mean that the nation Israel shall not pass rather than to a literal generation of people. A generation in the Bible was 40 years.
ReplyDeleteit has been taught since the 3rd century in the apocalypse of Peter ( not Scripture but a commentary and not inspired ) that the fig tree represented Israel's rebirth
ReplyDeleteSean,
ReplyDeleteThanks for restating this crystal clear prophecy from Jesus. There are some prophecy teachers whom I really respect out there right now saying things that have made this passage fuzzy by implying that "all of these things must come to pass" and that somehow that involves the church, (and by extrapolation the rapture). Obviously, we could never be here for all of these things to occur. The Olivet discourse has to be solely for the Jews. Susan
Anonymous,
ReplyDeletePsalm 90:10 tells us a generation usually lives for 70 years or 80 years with strength.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteThank you! I felt the need to post this declarative statement for the same reason as you cite - the apparent "fuzziness" of some teachers on this subject.
I believe these "fuzzy" teachers have yet to be fully illuminated by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and therefore do not understand all of the things of a spiritual nature within The Word.
They believe they received the Holy Spirit upon their salvation in confessing Christ as Lord and savior --- and they did.
What they do not realize is that receiving of the Holy Spirit upon redemption IS NOT a baptism in the Holy Spirit.
So I felt the need to post what I did to clarify what I know to be true through the Holy Spirit.
This knowledge was never learned in my walk with Christ, it was injected in the Baptism by the Holy Spirit which I had asked the Father for in Jesus name in the presence of others a few years after I accepted the Lord as my Savior.
Being saved is one thing. Being baptised in the Spirit is truly another experience entirely. It is precisely as described in Acts on the Day of Pentecost.
Yet, sadly, many of these "fuzzy" teachers reject this knowledge of the baptism, which is how I know they have yet to experience it because they have yet to ask the Father for it.
Sean,
ReplyDeleteThank you for responding to my post. You know much more than I about who has received this extra blessing of the baptism of the HS or not. (Maybe that's what's wrong w/ my husband's understanding! Seriously, I never made this connection)
But now, in reading through your Revelation posts for the first time I have another question. Maybe you answer it in later parts but I am only through the first 2 parts. You state that through exegesis you know that the 3 aforementioned wars must take place prior to the final 7 years. I personally think the first 2 wars may be prior to this period because it would appear that Israel is fighting using their own military might whereas during the Ezekiel scenario the almighty intervenes. I view this as God now beginning to deal w/ Israel again, which in my view means we are out of here at that point if not sooner.
Could you explain your exegesis here or refer me to where you may have already done this? Thanks so much. Love your blog BTW, Susan
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI really don't know who has received the Spirit baptism except when I see things in print or some other media which strike as being not quite "kosher."
I have a link on the main page, on right-hand side column that discusses the Baptism experience and the gifts bestowed.
The Gog-Magog campaign is before the start of Daniel's 70th Week because as Jesus begins opening the seals world war erupts.
In Ezekiel's prophecy Israel is living in a comfortable peace and safety. There are no enemies to threaten Israel. But then Gog-magog and the horde come and in the aftermath the Israelites burn the weapons after the war for a literal 7 years.
How does this buring of the weapons occur during the Daniel's 70th Week, particularly during the second 42 months when Israel flees to safety lest it be annihilated by the beast?
The opening of the first seal introduces the Antichrist, and that means the "covenant among many" is confirmed by him.
There certainly are more details to cover, but this brief outline should whet your appetite for more meat from The Word.
hey Sean...kudos to you for explaining the difference between receiving the holy spirit (salvation ) and the baptism of the holy spirit, there is a spiritually.bankerupt idea that the gifts are done away with. I'm sooo glad you expressed differently
ReplyDeletehartdawg,
ReplyDeleteRecent conversations regarding the interpretation of Scripture have brough me back to this necessary revisiting of the difference between the two baptisms. it is the only way I can fathom thewidely varying interpretations of Scripture, even among the most devout of our brethren within the bride of Christ.
Luke 3:16 declares it:
"John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is definitiely a work of God's grace beyond accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.
It is literally like an invisible, flickering, tingling fire that descends upon you, and you are completely enveloped by the Spirit. At theleast, this is my rather poor attempt as describing an almost indescribeable sensation and event.
The Spirit completely takes over. Some speak in foreign language, some interpret, and others receive all manner of other "gifts of the Spirit."
Thank you Sean for an excellent article!
ReplyDeleteThis has been a topic at RR recently, and there are many posters that have said the Fig Tree is just a parable, and nothing more. That just hasn't set well with me. Something inside says that is incorrect.
I would agree with them that the Fig Tree is a metaphor for knowing the signs of the time, BUT the Fig Tree represents something much more important, Israel. To say that Jesus was just speaking a simple parable does not make sense in this discourse. The first thing He says is that the Temple is going to be destroyed, addressing Israel. Then, Jesus goes through a list of events that will happen, and he concludes that list with Israel blooming, IMHO.
once again you're spot on.great work Sean, great work. what I must ask is this: is the whole of Matt 24 the tribulation? there is a strong case for it cuz the beggining of the chapter parallels identically with revelation 6. it seems Jesus is describing the 70th week then after that he mentions the fig tree, or is Matt 24 describing the last generation? a lot of the signs really took off around 1948 and when Jesus said "...til all these things are fulfilled" is he talking a bout the chapter as a whole? I waiver back and forth as to whether Matt 24 is the 70th week or the last generation. is it even a relevant question?
ReplyDeletethe truth is that I see a good case for both interpretatioons
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, those who say the fig tree parable is a prophetic something less than what I know it to be through the Spirit do not sit wiell with me either. So that leads an endeavor to correct the non-Spirit led mis-interpretations that spread around.
The sad thing is there are many such prophetic mis-interpretations that have to be addressed; this one is just at the forefront right now.
The fig tree is all important prophetically - it is THE KEY sign for understanding the season in which we live and the events which soon must take place.
hartdawg,
ReplyDeleteI'll soon be bringing forward (and most probably updating) an article which I wrote a little while back that I think will answer your questions.
I do this while it's fresh and hot on my plate of things to do.
looking forward to it.
ReplyDeletehey, when you update the article would you be willing to address the destruction of the temple and if that's even in Matthew's account of the olivet discourse? there is an increasing number of teachers who teach vs 4-13 (or 4-28 depending on who you ask)is strictly about the destruction of Jerusalem. and "this generation" refers to the generation of A.D. 70 a teaching I reject. I'm more inclined to believe that Jerusalem's destruction is in Luke's account and Matthew 24 deals with the generation that will live to see the 70th week.
ReplyDelete