The Future Fig Tree
“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have occurred.” Matthew 24:34
Generation – What a lot of agony and confusion accompanies this verse! Everyone wants to know the signs of the end time. Century after century, well-meaning believers have proclaimed the end of days is near. Yet here we are, still fighting the good fight. What are we to make of all this?
Matthew 24 is the great revelation of Jesus about the end times. There are a lot of instructions here, but they all revolve around the final parable – the fig tree. How do you know when the fig tree is about to give fruit? Simple. You watch for the tender shoots. As soon as you see them, you know that the fruit is on the way. If someone runs up to you and says, “The fig tree is blooming,” but you know that it is the middle of winter, you don’t even bother to run to the garden. It’s the wrong time of the year. The signs come before you take action to gather the fruit. So it is with the end. No one knows the day, but we can see the signs.
The problem is this: the signs are not quite as obvious as tender shoots on the fig tree. At least they don’t appear to be as obvious. Of course, that might be because we are so anxious to see the fruit that we ignore what the real evidence is. In the same way, we are so preoccupied with knowing what will happen that we see “blossoms” everywhere, even if the evidence doesn’t quite fit. As a young adult, someone told my grandmother that God wanted her to know that the Lord would return before she died. She died twenty years ago. I remember The Late Great Planet Earth phenomenon. I am sure you have similar stories. The problem is not on God’s end. The problem is with us. Are we motivated because we see the need for absolute holiness and preparation, or do we want to know in order to have one more answer? According to Jesus, the signs will be clear. Look for fig tree shoots. When the sun darkens, the moon does not give light and the stars fall from heaven, then get ready. When the Son of Man comes, it won’t be a secret. Everyone will know it. There is no point in running around the “garden” inspecting all the evidence in hopes of seeing green shoots if the stars are still shining at night. Wait. Be patient. Persevere.
The Greek word for generation is genea. Not surprisingly, we see this in our word “generation.” It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew toledot. The Hebrew word suggests a picture of the seal that guarantees authority. In other words, the point of a generation is to pass the authority of the family from one to another. In the biblical world, this is not the same as a contemporary forty-year span from father to son. In fact, the word toledot can cover hundreds of years. Consider the statement in Genesis 6:9 about the generations of Noah. Are we to imagine that Jesus meant that all the signs that He revealed would be evident in the same forty or fifty years of a single lifetime? Not if we understand the range of years that a word like toledot can cover. So, since Jesus clearly knew that generation had a much bigger scope than our idea of a few decades, what is the purpose of this teaching: to give you the time when the end will come, or to emphasize the need to be aware and ready? If you want some entertainment, read the latest speculative version of the end times. But if you want to be in line with Jesus, get ready. When He comes, you’ll know it. Just make sure that it isn’t too late.
Topical Index: Eschatology
