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Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Nov. 5, 2007
Update	: Jul. 8, 2025
Parts	: 07

Synopsis:



Some time ago, someone wrote to me concerning some of Jesus' words which are found in Matthew chapter twenty-four, which, as some of you will already know, deals in large part with the signs of the end of the age, and the events which would lead up to Jesus Christ's return. To be more specific, this person's questions revolved around the following group of Bible verses:

"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."


Concerning the previous Bible verses, this individual stated the following in their email message to me:

----- Begin Quote -----

I have a 2 part question about the fulfillment of the fig tree parable:

1) Jesus mentioned the word "generation" in Matthew 24:36. He stated that a specific generation would live to see His return. He said that the "generation" that lives to see Israel become a nation would not pass from the earth.

So, what is a biblical "generation"?

One person said it was 52 years and gave the following reasons . . .

Luke 3:23-38, you have 77 generations from Adam to Jesus Christ. That's a period of 4,000 years. Divided by 77 it comes out to 51.9. 52 years.

Matthew 1:17, there were 42 generations between Abraham and Jesus Christ. This covers a period of 2,160 years. Divide the 2,160 by 42 and it comes to 51.4 years.

Is he right?

2)If so, then if we use the biblical definition of a generation as 52 years. Then should we be looking at the Lord's return as 52 years from 1948 (Israel becoming a nation) OR the more recent date of 1967 after the reunification of Jerusalem and the 6 Day War?

I ask simply because 1948 plus 52 years was the year 2000 which is obviously behind us . . .

And, 1967 plus 52 gives us 2019 . . .

I just wanted some clarification. Which date are we using as our fulfillment of the fig tree parable? And why?

----- End Quote -----

Before answering this person's questions, allow me to point out that in the King James Version of the Bible -- which, as some of you will know, is my Bible of preference -- the word "generation" is actually used in verse thirty-four, and not in verse thirty-six as stated above. It's possible that this person simply made a typographical error, or else they could be using a different version of the Bible. This is a clear example of why I have long believed that there should only be one standard Christian Bible.

As I have said before, how in the world can we Christians ever hope to achieve any degree of Christian unity, while we are all reading from different Bibles, which have different words, or the same words but in different places, or where some verses are entirely omitted, or placed in footnotes? Given this lamentable situation, we will never be able to fulfill the desire that the Apostle Paul expressed when he stated the following in his first Epistle to the Church at Corinth:

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."


That issue aside, as I pondered this person's email message, it occurred to me that perhaps they need to approach this issue from a different perspective, because their current approach is obviously causing them some difficulty, as well as presenting challenges which they cannot seem to resolve. So to answer their questions, I will offer the following for their, and your, consideration.

While it is commonly assumed by some Bible scholars, popular radio and television preachers and lay Christians that the Parable of the Fig Tree is a reference to Israel becoming a nation in 1948, as I point out in articles such as the series "Modern Deceptions: Return to Israel, the Fig Tree and This Generation", there is absolutely nothing in the verses which we find in Matthew chapter twenty-four, which clearly states that this is so. Nowhere in those verses does Jesus outright say that the fig tree represents Israel becoming a nation in 1948.

As far as I am concerned, this theory is simply one possible interpretation. It is nothing more than speculation. It is a conjecture. It is an assumption which has long been promoted by certain pro-Israel, Futurist-leaning Christians, and maybe even by the Jews themselves, even though the latter for the most part reject Christ as being the Messiah. Perhaps the fig tree truly does represent Israel. I honestly don't know. But Jesus does not directly say this in His Olivet dissertation in Matthew 24. So it is rather important that we make this particular distinction.

Are you surprised by my pronouncement? You really shouldn't be; unless you have allowed your understanding of the Bible to be molded by some of these modern, popular, fast-talking preachers, instead of reading God's Word for yourself, as you are supposed to do. You need to allow God's Holy Spirit to speak to your heart concerning its meaning. Is not this precisely what the Holy Spirit, and also diligent, personal Scriptural research, is for? As I explain in other articles, the Holy Spirit is our Guide, Teacher and Comforter. Jesus Himself in fact stated the following in the Gospels:

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you . . . But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."


"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"


"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment . . . Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."


Most of us have access to God's Word, either in print, or via the Internet, or through a computer program, or by some other way. So why have so many of you become so spiritually lethargic, that you allow yourselves to be spoon-fed by some fancy preacher who loves to bathe in his popularity, as he stands before his huge congregation -- where most people do not even know each other on a personal level -- in a million dollar church building?

I have stated a number of times before that the Bible will in large part interpret itself, if we invest the time, and read enough of it. It is like a great Divine Jigsaw Puzzle. The more time we dedicate to reading the Holy Scriptures, the more the pieces slowly begin to fall into their proper place, and our understanding of God's Word begins to open. The problem is that many Christians just aren't willing to take the time to read it. As I point out in "Study, Work, and Don't Be Ashamed!", it is our Christian duty to study God's Word. The Apostle Paul wrote to his dear son in the Lord, Timothy, the following admonition:

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."


Another related article which emphasizes the importance of reading God's Word, as well as properly understanding it, is "Understanding the Bible in Context"; and there are others as well, which you will find listed at the end of this same series. I encourage you to please take advantage of them. So my point is this: Because some Christians rely so heavily on a particular popular preacher to tell them what the Bible is supposed to mean, they open themselves up to the possibility of accepting erroneous beliefs, which, in the end, may not be Scripturally sound at all. Oh my!

To reiterate the point I made earlier, personally, I am not convinced that Jesus was saying that the budding fig tree represents Israel. If you sincerely want to understand why I adopt this position, then again, please consider reading the aforementioned series entitled "Modern Deceptions: Return to Israel, the Fig Tree and This Generation", as well as its companion series called "Modern Deception: Shall a Nation Be Born at Once?". Trust me; if you have a receptive heart, they will really open your eyes.

Sadly, other Christians -- such as the individual who wrote to me -- embrace a different view. In his message to me, he very specifically stated "He said that the 'generation' that lives to see Israel become a nation would not pass from the earth." I am sorry, but the Lord did NOT say that in Matthew, or in any of the other three Gospels. That is simply how that person has chosen to interpret the verse. Either that, or he is accepting someone else's interpretation of the verses in question.

But the end result is that because they've become convinced that Jesus was cryptically suggesting in His Parable that the fig tree represents Israel becoming a nation in 1948, they are now faced with the challenge -- and the dilemma -- of figuring out exactly how long a Biblical generation is, as well as when this "last generation" began, and when it will end. The idea seems to be that if they can correctly figure out the math, they will know exactly what year the Lord will supposedly return. But is this really the case? Friends, this is a very loaded question; and knowing how some of you currently think and believe, you may not like the answer.

Now, friends, before you quickly respond in the affirmative to my previous question, and tell me that Jesus was dropping us a hint by inferring that the fig tree represents Israel becoming a nation in 1948, so that we can then do our number crunching -- and thus supposedly know the exact year when He will presumably return -- allow me to remind you of what else the Lord said in the aforementioned verses. Verse thirty-six plainly states the following:

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."


Please stop and think for a moment. Does it make any sense to you that the Lord would supposedly drop a hint regarding 1948 -- via the Parable of the Fig Tree -- so that according to some Christians, we could begin counting the exact number of years until His arrival, only to turn around and state in the same breath that nobody will know the day of His advent?

If we accept these Christians' interpretation of the Lord's words, then if we read those five verses together -- meaning verse 32 to verse 36 -- it is as if Jesus is stating, "Here is a huge hint for you. This fig tree that you see sprouting leaves, represents Israel becoming a nation. When that event occurs, when Israel becomes a nation, then start counting the years, because the generation that witnesses such a historic event will not pass until I return. Oops! Sorry! Forget that! My Father says that you are NOT supposed to know when I will be returning to the Earth."

Are you beginning to see the light yet? There is something clearly wrong with that picture, isn't there? Jesus would not behave in that manner, would He? He wouldn't tantalize us with a clue supposedly concealed in the Parable of the Fig Tree, and then turn around and say that we really have no business knowing when He will return, would He?

So, in my opinion, here is the lowdown: There is absolutely nothing wrong with Jesus' words. I am convinced that the real source of the problem is that because these Christians have been led to believe that Israel being declared a nation in 1948 is represented by the fig tree in the Lord's Parable, they are trying to force Jesus's words to fit their personal understanding. They're making the mistake of trying to assign a specific number of years to Jesus' words, when perhaps that is NOT what the Lord meant at all. In fact, I KNOW that isn't what He meant, as I will attempt to prove to you in a moment.

As I have mentioned before, trying to force Bible prophecy -- particularly time-based prophecy -- to fit into our personal understanding is rather dangerous business. Not only that, it can be extremely embarrassing when we're proven wrong. In the case of some of these high-profile preachers, it can in fact be disastrous; because making such a time-specific prediction such as the precise year when Jesus will return, can totally discredit them, and cause people to lose faith in them, and in their ministry, when their prediction fails to materialize.

In my own writings, I have always been very careful to never make this mistake. You will never see me setting any dates. I have lived long enough to watch a number of these very popular radio and TV evangelists tumble from their lofty pedestals in absolute disgrace, precisely because they committed this very foolish error. I've written a few articles regarding a number of them, such as "Modern False Prophets and Worldly Ecumenism", and also "The Misguided End of the World Predictions of Harold Camping", both of which you'll find listed at the end of this same series.

But what truly amazes me, is that in spite of the fact that some of these men have been clearly proven to be frauds and false prophets, a lot of Christians are so blind and foolish, and so mesmerized by these fast-talking preachers, that they continue believing in them, attending their "mega-churches", and giving them their hard-earned money. Just like a lot of modern politicians, they implement damage control, and their blind followers just keep on following them. Their attitude seems to be "Just forgive and forget, and then move on." But is that what we should really do once such a person has been exposed as a fraud?

Sadly, such false prophets are really nothing new. As I point out in the series "The Office of Prophets and Teachers", they have been around since the time of Moses, and quite possibly earlier than that. So what does the Bible instruct us to do once we have become aware of such a deceptive, false prophet? Does it advise us to just keep on blindly following them and throwing our hard-earned money at them? No, it does not! In fact, if we were living during Old Testament times, we are told that they would be stoned to death. That is how serious of a sin the Lord considered someone who spoke erroneously in His Name, as we see by the following group of verses.

"But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."


There are in fact a number of verses scattered throughout the pages of the Bible where God strongly rebukes misguided and deceived people who erroneously claim to speak in His holy Name when He has not even sent them. Consider the following sample Bible verses which are found in the Book of Jeremiah. They had a very serious problem with false prophets who were in opposition to God's true Prophets such as Jeremiah:

"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?"


"Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed."


"Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD."


"For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD."


In the New Testament, beginning with Jesus Himself, we find even more warnings regarding those individuals who falsely represent the Lord, and who dare to speak in His holy Name, when He has clearly not spoken through them. Again, consider the following sample verses and be warned:

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."


"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them."


"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."


"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;"


"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."


"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"


"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."


"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."


So how should we react to and respond to such deceivers who do not really come in the Name of the Lord, who don't really speak in His Name, and who deceive people with their false visions and dreams, their false prophecies, and their false doctrines which confuse and divide God's sheep, and who may even cause some brethren to stumble and fall away from the faith due to their heresies? Allow me to share a few more Bible verses with you for your consideration:

"Now I beseech you, brethren, MARK THEM which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and AVOID THEM."


"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well BEAR WITH HIM [meaning to hold firm and resist him]."


"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, LET HIM BE ACCURSED."


"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: FROM SUCH WITHDRAW THYSELF."


"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition REJECT; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."


"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, RECEIVE HIM NOT INTO YOUR HOUSE, NEITHER BID HIM GOD SPEED: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."


So, while we obviously cannot and should not stone them in our modern day -- as if such a thing would even be permitted in our current times -- as the Apostles write, we can mark and avoid them. We can stand firm against them and resist them. We can withdraw ourselves from them. We can reject them. We should not even allow them into our homes -- or even in our churches and fellowships -- and we should not bless them. That is to say, bid them Godspeed. We should try or test the spirits, and we should not be afraid of them when they are proven to be false prophets, false teachers and the like.

Returning to the person who wrote to me, in his message to me, this individual also briefly mentioned the well-known year 2,000 fiasco. As some of my readers may already know, I am referring to the fact that at that time, there was a lot of excitement within the Christian world. That is to say, at least within American Christendom. Many American Christians were apparently in a heightened state of euphoria, because some of their so-called "learned" spiritual shepherds had led them down the path of deception, and convinced them that the year 2,000 was it! It was THE year, and Jesus was about to appear in the clouds of Heaven, in order to gather His beloved children together during the glorious Rapture.

The Y2K date problem was fuel for the fire, and only served to further strengthen some Christians' belief that the world was about to fall apart. So Jesus must surely be returning at any moment! The fact that we would soon be leaving behind one millennium, and entering another one, also made the year 2,000 seem to some Christians like the appropriate time for Jesus Christ to make His grand, awe-inspiring appearance as the millennial turnover occurred.

The common view amongst these misguided Christians was that surely there was no better time for the Lord to usher in the long-anticipated Golden Age of the Millennium, when according to their beliefs, He would initiate His 1000-year reign upon the Earth -- as we find described in the Book of Revelation -- than at the beginning of the Seventh Millennium. So as I said a moment ago, the level of excitement and anticipation was quite high at the time. Here we are now over two decades later, and sadly, it is wash, rinse and repeat with President Donald Trump and the Abraham Accords. The deceived Christians are at it again and whooping it up on the social networks!

As some of you may know, the number seven is regarded as a very holy number in the Bible. Not only is this number very prominent in the actual printed text of the Bible -- such as in the mention of seven Angels, seven trumpets, seven vials of wrath, seven plagues, seven days of Creation -- but it's also been revealed in recent years that the Holy Scriptures exhibit a very intelligent, intricate, mathematical design. Furthermore, it is said that in the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages, the number seven is heavily interwoven throughout the text.

To add to this mystery surrounding the number seven, based upon the seventeenth century work of James Ussher, who was the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh -- which is the smallest of the six counties which today form Northern Ireland -- some Christians are of the opinion that the planet Earth, and the Universe, were created about six thousand years ago. After conducting considerable research, Ussher arrived at the date of October 23, 4004 BC as being the first day of Creation. Some of his own contemporaries arrived at similar dates, give or take a few decades. Thus, leaving room for error, this would explain why some Christians believed that the year 2,000 marked the end of the Sixth Millennium, and the beginning of the Seventh Millennium, when Christ would return, and begin ruling upon the Earth.

In other words, if we add the 4,000 years which had passed prior to the birth of Christ, to the additional 2,000 years which had passed up until 2,000 AD, we arrive at a total of about 6,000 years, or six full millennia.

Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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