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

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part two, and returning to the year 2,000 "Jesus is coming" fiasco, and how it may have had a negative effect on some Christians, I have mentioned before that in the Scriptures, Jesus offers a very serious warning regarding those people who cause His children to fall from the faith. Please realize that in the following verse, the word "offend" is somewhat of a mistranslation. It is derived from the Koine Greek word "skandalizo". According to Thayer's Greek English Lexicon, the primary meaning of the word is "to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaph. to offend". And so Jesus said the following as He was teaching:

"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."


So it is indeed serious business to cause one to fall away from the faith. Tragically, in spite of the fact that these American Christian leaders and preachers were so very wrong regarding their predictions that Jesus would return in the year 2,000, apparently, as is evidenced by the email that I received from the person who wrote to me, some of them were still at it in 2007, and they are still at it today in 2025 as they foolishly continue to force their interpretation on the Scriptures. Obviously, these false prophets and deceived teachers cannot deny that adding fifty-two years to 1948 was a major blooper on their part. Not only did they lead many Christian people astray, but they gave free ammunition to the enemies of our faith. That is to say, to the atheists, and to anyone else who may be opposed to our Christian faith. These misguided preachers made us Christians look like half-witted idiots, and they have been a reproach to the name of Christ.

But apparently, some of them still could not seem to let go of the idea that there must have been some secret meaning in Jesus' words regarding the Parable of the Fig Tree, and the word "generation". They were still trying to squeeze a deeper meaning out of it -- as they continue to do -- and they still were attempting to figure out how the number fifty-two fits into their equation. Having realized their error in adding 52 to 1948, some of these leaders then began suggesting to their followers that the triggering event for counting to the year of Jesus' Return, was not the birth of the state of Israel in May 1948, but rather the 1967 Six Day War, in which, against all odds, Israel was victorious over her Muslim enemies, and reclaimed the eastern half of Jerusalem, as well as the Golan Heights, which were recaptured a second time during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

In other words, this person's email to me indicated that what was happening at that time in American prophetic circles was that these Christian leaders, having scrapped their 52 + 1948 equation -- and rightly so -- were now using their 52 + 1967 equation instead. In short, as this person pointed out in his email, it seems that some of those foolish preachers were now suggesting that the Lord would finally make His appearance in the year 2019. That is to say, 52 + 1967 = 2019. Oh my, guys! Strike two! Or three, or four, or five. There have been so many false predictions by this time that I have simply lost track of them all. The point is, as I note in articles such as "The Day I Am Waiting For" and "Fight Against Futurism", they have ALL been wrong!

So what are my thoughts on the above speculation? Obviously, at this late date, it no longer even requires a response due to the fact that we are now in 2025 as I update this series. Is that not an answer in itself? In fact, even with any new dates, or future dates, which any misguided souls may offer, my answer will still remain the same, and that is this: It is extremely foolish to be settings dates for anything when it comes to Bible prophecy, because we do not have the mind of God. So even when we THINK we may understand something properly, there still exists the possibility that maybe we really don't. But it requires humility to even embrace this kind of position. This is a subject which I discuss in my article "Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word", a link for which you will find at the end of this series. I'm reminded of the following Bible verses:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."


"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"


"And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."


Let me remind my readers that since the time that I founded the BBB Bible online ministry in 1993-1994, I have never once offered a date for any prophetic event, and I've absolutely no intentions of offering one now. As such, I do not advise you to hold your breath. But regarding all of the foolish date-setting which is done by others, I'll tell you the following:

No matter what I do, one thing is absolutely for certain. I most assuredly won't place my faith in anything that these American false prophets are saying, no matter how convincing it may sound. I have told my readers many times before that Jesus very specifically stated in the Gospel of Matthew that we can know a tree by its fruits; and the prophetic fruit of some of these American preachers and teachers is obviously rotten to the core and definitely not good for one's health. Let me share that group of verses with you one more time:

"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."


Those of my friends who are Christians, and who are reading this series, may have already been familiar with that final verse. However, did you realize that when we read it in its proper context, Jesus was really warning His followers about false prophets? Well, there it is before your very eyes. The evil fruit of a false prophet is obviously false prophecies. That most certainly includes the year 2000 "Jesus is coming" prophecy, the year 2019 "Jesus is coming" prophecy, and all of the rest of the "Jesus is coming" prophecies as well. It is an all-inclusive warning.

In part one of this series, I mentioned that I would offer an explanation regarding why I don't believe that Jesus was using the Parable of the Fig Tree as a veiled message which, as we have already seen, some American preachers have chosen to interpret as being a cryptic reference to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. While I have already presented some of my arguments to explain why I've adopted my current position, there are other reasons as well, which I will now share with you.

In addressing this issue, I think that it is important that we first understand the huge difference which exists between many people of our current time, and those who lived almost two thousand years ago. Unlike ourselves, who live in a very loud, fast-paced, modern, gadget-oriented world filled with all kinds of electronic and technological distractions, the people of two thousand years ago lived in a more leisurely, natural world. By leisurely, I do not mean that they all led easy lives. After all, the Jews of that period were in fact subservient to Roman domination and cruelty. But what I do mean, is that they led slower lives, compared with today.

Because the Jews led slower lives, without all of our modern trappings and distractions, obviously, they had more time to observe the natural world around them, and they were in fact in tune with it. From the calendar that they used, to when they chose to plant their crops, or to breed their animals, or to make long journeys, as well as the very holy days that they celebrated, everything that they did was in large part determined by their observation of the natural world.

It is to this environment that Jesus arrived preaching the Gospel of Salvation. While the proud people of our current time take pride in boasting of their intelligence, I posit that the people of that era were equally as smart. This does not mean that they understood all of the advanced scientific concepts that have been discovered in our current time, but they weren't stupid either. In fact, as I have noted before, unlike some Bible-bashing evolutionists, I believe that God created the first man and woman with intelligence. I do not believe that the first couple communicated by grunting and groaning, as is quite often depicted in modern pro-evolution movies. Yet at the same time, I also believe that the people of 2,000 years ago were simpler as well.

In the case of the Twelve Apostles, to whom the message of Matthew chapter twenty-four was directed, we also need to remember that they were not exactly what we would call the cream of Jewish society. They were not highly educated men. The majority were fishermen from Galilee, along with a few revolutionaries -- Zealots -- a tax collector, etc. Jesus undoubtedly kept this fact in mind when He spoke with them. Yet, at the same time, I also suspect that it was probably because of their lower social status, that Jesus chose them in the first place. For more on this topic, I encourage you to read my article "The Only Credentials You Need", as well as "The Wisdom of God vs the Philosophy of Men".

My point in all of this, is that Jesus fully understood into what kind of world He was coming, and He adapted His message so that it would reach, and be understood, by as many people as possible. What better way was there to reach out to those people then, if not by speaking to them of things with which they were already familiar in their daily lives?

Thus, as the Gospels will clearly attest, Jesus often shared simple moral-containing stories, into which He would inject familiar elements from their surroundings. Today, we refer to these stories as Parables. Exactly what kind of Parable Jesus shared, depended a lot upon whom He was speaking with. In the case of His followers, He would often share stories where the meaning was rather clear. After all, what would be the purpose of sharing a story with them, if they were left scratching their heads, and wondering what He had said? They would learn nothing from such an experience. But in spite of the Lord's best efforts to be clear, sometimes His Disciples weren't able to immediately grasp the meaning of His words. In such cases, the Lord would often later more fully explain to them what it was that He meant.

At the same time, there were other occasions where the Lord was purposely ambiguous, such as when He was challenged or provoked by His unbelieving Jewish enemies. Jesus even told His close followers that He purposely did this, so that, in His words, "seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand". Consider the full context of what the Lord said to His Disciples in Luke chapter eight, after sharing the Parable of the Sower with them:

"And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God . . ."


In Matthew chapter eight, we find another account concerning the very same event. Consider again what happened, as well as how Jesus responded:

"And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear."


As you can see, Jesus was eager to share the spiritual riches of His Father's Kingdom with His sincere followers. Yet, as I noted before, when it came to His obvious enemies such as the Jewish religious hierarchy, or other people who rejected Him, it was an entirely different matter. Consider the following Scriptural example:

"Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."


You see, Jesus obviously realized that the Jewish elders did not understand Him, but it didn't matter to Him, because He knew that they would never believe Him, or accept Him, even if He did reveal to them the truth behind His words. In fact, as you may recall, in the final chapter of Matthew's Gospel, the Jewish religious leaders were so desperate to discredit Jesus' Resurrection from the dead, that they even bribed the soldiers into spreading the lie that Jesus' body had merely been stolen by His followers, as we see by this set of Bible verses:

"Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day."


Having now shared these different points and examples with you, let's take a closer look at what Jesus said in Matthew chapter twenty-four. In verses thirty-two and thirty-three, the Lord states the following regarding the fig tree:

"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."


As far as I can tell, there is no mystery or secret meaning encrypted in those verses. Jesus is doing exactly as He was accustomed to doing. He is taking something with which He knew His Disciples would be quite familiar, and using it to emphasize a point. Year after year, when the weather would begin to warm, and the fig trees would begin to sprout their leaves, the Jews would know that Summer was approaching. It was something which they knew by heart. It was an absolute certainty that they'd learned by watching the natural world around them. Summer was something which they could expect, and anticipate, occurring every single year, without fail. So how did they know that Summer was drawing close? Simply by noticing when the fig trees began to sprout their leaves.

So the Lord is using this normal occurrence in their lives to help them to better understand the astounding things that He has just told them; and not only to understand them, but to emphasize the fact that they will most certainly occur as He has prophesied. Jesus is telling them that just as they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Summer is just around the corner when they see the fig tree begin to sprout its leaves, the generation that observes the events that He has just described to them, should "know that it is near, even at the doors". It is evident to me, that the primary reason why Jesus uses the Parable of the Fig Tree in this chapter, is to emphasize the certainty and surety of God's Word. You may recall that in part two, I shared the following verses with you:

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"


The Apostle Peter shares a very similar thought in his second Epistle when he writes the following concerning Divine Prophecy:

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:"


In the previous verse, the word "sure" is translated from the Koine Greek word "bebaios". Thayer's Greek English Lexicon states that it means stedfast, sure, firm, stable, fast, firm and trusty. In other words, God's Word is steadfast, firm and trustworthy. We can place our full faith in it, and we won't be disappointed. Jesus is conveying the very same thought by using the Parable of the Fig Tree as He describes the coming end of age events to His followers.

The next question that we need to ask ourselves is this: Exactly what is this "it" that Jesus is referring to? Again, He stated "know that it is near, even at the doors". All we have to do is go back to the beginning of this same chapter in order to find the answer. In the opening verses we read the following:

"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"


So the bulk of this chapter is about answering three main questions which were posed to Jesus by His obviously very curious Disciples:

1. When will the temple be destroyed?

2. How will we know when you are returning?

3. How will we know when the end of the world is coming?

Jesus then very directly proceeds to answer their questions, thus resulting in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. If you have an interest in learning more about the specifics regarding the above questions, I encourage you to read the articles and series which I list at the end of this same series. All of them are found on the BBB Bible website and can be read online simply by clicking or tapping on the corresponding link.

Matthew 24:32-33 is by no means the only place in the Gospels where Jesus uses this approach -- using something familiar to them from nature -- to emphasize a point. Just as Jesus used the example of the sprouting fig tree to impress upon them how important it was for them to watch for the signs which would precede His Second Coming, and to know without a doubt that He was coming, eight chapters earlier, Jesus also used the weather to expose the spiritual blindness of His Jewish enemies. In the following verses, the style is exactly the same as what the Lord used in Matthew 24:

"The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed."


Once again, we see Jesus using something that was obviously very familiar to everyone who lived in Israel: the weather. Jesus was basically saying to them, "Look; everyday you can look at the sky and decide by its appearance if the weather will be fair or rainy. Yet are you so spiritually blind that you cannot even interpret the dangerous signs that are all around, which are signaling your own demise?". Exactly what signs was Jesus referring to? Well, as I point out in other articles, Israel had become a nation which was subjugated by the powerful Roman Empire, and the Romans were slowly growing weary of the Zealots and their rebellion. While most people were blind to the danger, a few were not, such as the Jewish high priest, Caiaphas. This is why we find the following scene taking place in the Gospel of John:

"And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death."


While the Roman occupation was a clear omen of things yet to come, Jesus' own presence in Israel at that time was an even greater sign that the harsh, unforgiving, self-righteous rule of the Scribes and Pharisees would soon be brought to an end. Why? Because Jesus would free the Jews, and in fact, all men everywhere, through His own Blood which He would freely shed upon the Cross. As I explain elsewhere, in order for the New Covenant -- New Testament -- to come into full effect, Jesus had to die. Furthermore, the Old Covenant -- which revolved around the Jews' temple worship and vain traditions -- had to be destroyed. Consider what Jesus said in Luke chapter four and what we also read in the Epistle to the Hebrews:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."


"In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."


Even though the Scripture was fulfilled that very day before their very eyes, and even though they had the truth standing in front of them, many of the old-school Jewish elders were simply unable to see it. The previous event occurred in the town of Nazareth, which most of you will know was Jesus' own boyhood town where He grew up, and where everyone knew Him. And yet, despite that familiarity, they rejected Jesus, and in fact, they tried to throw Him over a cliff, as we see by the following two Bible verses:

"And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong."


It is also for this very reason that the Lord stated these powerful words in the Gospel of Matthew:

". . . A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."


The Apostle John was likewise inspired to write the following in the first chapter of his Gospel:

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not."


Turning to the pages of the Old Testament, many of my readers will no doubt be familiar with the fact that Prophet Isaiah, foreseeing the rejection and sufferings of Christ, wrote the following verse:

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."


So all the signs were clearly present, and even some of the wiser Jews sensed what was soon to come upon their nation due to their rejection of God's beloved Son. Yet because of their hatred for the man, they still chose to plot against the Son of God, and to eventually have Him mocked, beaten and crucified by the Romans. However, while they were under the delusion that their foolish actions would delay Rome's wrath, in the end, only four decades later, the Jews would experience God's own wrath by way of the Romans themselves.

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

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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