The Fig Tree Generation
(Matthew 24:32; Luke 21:29)
Question: What is the fig Tree? Answer: The political nation of Israel. Formed May 14, 1948
Question: What are all the trees? Answer: All the nations of the world. The United Nations formed in 1945.
Question: How long is a generation? Answer: 70 years, and if by strength 80 years. (Psalm 90:10) In America a generation it is 78 years, and in Israel 82 years.
These three questions are fundamental to understanding Jesus' "end of the age" fig tree parable. It is reasonable to assume that Jesus was speaking to Jews who saw Israel's national birth (fig tree shooting forth) in 1948.
We are waiting for the end of the church age which will culminate with the Resurrection/Catching Out event of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Following this event, it is expected that God will strengthen and confirm His yet unfulfilled promises to Abraham. Aspects of God's oath of covenant to Abraham beginning at Genesis 22:16 will be at the forefront of His Jewish national plans for Israel during Daniel's 70th week of seven years. Remember, a remnant of Israel shall be saved. (Romans 9:27; Isaiah 10:21-23) Keep in mind that this Jewish remnant represents the Israel God desires. Not all Israel is of Israel. (Romans 9:6) Isaiah named his son "Shear-jashub" which means "a remnant would return to Jehovah".
God said that He was going to bring the Jewish nation back to the promised land. This was the Jewish nation's second recovery from a national exile, the first being the Babylonian exile. (Isaiah 11:11) We know that this second recovery has been by the power of God Almighty. (Ezekiel 20:34) We know that this recovery has been recognized as the re-establishment of "unbelieving national Israel" (aka the "fig tree"). This recovery has been and will continue to be "with fury poured out". (Ezekiel 20:34) Additionally, God will cause Israel to "pass under the rod". (Ezekiel 20:37) That rod will be experienced by the unbelieving Jewish nation during the Tribulation. (Isaiah 48:10; Daniel 3:25 KJB only)
Now for the controversy. Daniel's covenant, which will be confirmed (by God in Christ), is based on God's oath. (Daniel 9:27 KJB only) It is known and described by Ezekiel as the "bond of the covenant". God said he was going to bring the nation of Israel back "into the bond of the covenant". (Ezekiel 20:37) A bonded covenant is one which has been subject to God's oath. It is His unilateral promise which harkens back to Abraham and Genesis 22:16. Is it not a coincidence that Ezekiel's "oath of covenant" which we see in Genesis 22:16 should find its confirming situs in the 22,016th verse of the Bible? What is the 22,016th bible verse? It is Daniel 9:27 which begins with the sentence, "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:..." Coincidence?
Beloved body of Christ, Daniel's covenant is not a satanic treaty? Daniel 9 has a theme. The theme is that the Covenant God of Israel keeps His promises. Do you know God's covenant name? The Lord discloses this name to Moses in Exodus 3:15. His name is Jehovah. Daniel's prophetic book contains twelve (12) chapters. In all 12 chapters Daniel never uses God's covenant name "Jehovah" with the exception of Chapter 9. In Chapter 9 Daniel uses God's name Jehovah seven (7) times. That is evidence of a theme, a divine theme. How it is like Satan to take such a wonderful prophecy theme and pervert it into a satanic ruse.
How do we study prophecy? Look at Revelation 19:10. Who is the Spirit of Prophecy. Why, is it not Jesus! So, we study prophecy by FIRST considering that it testifies to Jesus! So, Daniel 9:27 should follow the theme of Jehovah as the promise keeper to Israel. Structurally, consider that this singular verse finds its full expression in the Book of Revelation. Who is the subject of the beginning of the Book of Revelation? It is the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:1) He is the Aleph and the Tav, the first and the last. He is God Almighty. (Revelation 1:8) Who is the subject of the end of the Book of Revelation. It is Jesus. He is the "root and offspring of David". (Revelation 22:16) A third confirmation that there is some mystery associated with the divine association of 22 and 16. He is God Almighty, in Hebrew El Gibbor. The root word for "mighty" originates from Strong's Hebrew 1396 or "gabar". You want to know some trivia? In Daniel 9:27 the Hebrew verb for "to confirm" is "gabar". If you search the entire Old Testament and compare every occurrence of the word "covenant" you will only find that it is used once with the verb "gabar" and that instance is Daniel 9:27. That is important! That is an emphatic call to study this singular and isolated word pair. So, the verb "to confirm" in Daniel 9:27 is associated with God's name: Mighty God!!! "The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. (Isaiah 10:21) How is that for a clue? Satanic verse? Not on your life!
God in Christ is going to confirm the promises to the fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) to the many, the remnant of Jacob, who will keep the commandments of God and have the faith and testimony of Jesus. (Daniel 9:27; Revelation 12:17; 14:12)
Surely, the Antichrist will enter into a league or treaty with the High Priest so that the abomination which causes desolation will violate the Temple. This is clear from Daniel 11, not 9. The covenant of death (Isaiah 28:15) is the law. And in the next verse 16 we see that Israel stumbled over "the foundation stone, precious cornerstone" which is Christ Jesus and embraced the covenant of death which was the law. (Isaiah 8:14-15; Mark 12:10; Deuteronomy 32:4) Context, context, context!!
Enough digression into my Daniel passion. If God has not used a 70-year countdown from 1948, 1949 or 1950 to end the age, then perhaps we should invert the Psalm 90:10 generation speculation. Maybe we should count backwards from the 80-year mark. Take 1948 and add 80 years. This takes us to the year 2028. Jesus say people who saw the fig tree shoot forth would see the Tribulation. Okay, then we should subtract 7 years from 2028 for the beginning of Daniel's week. This inverted calculation takes us to 2021. Interesting?
Will the Church Age end in 2021 at the Resurrection/Rapture event? We it be a Pentecostal event? Will the resurrection of the dead in Christ rise up as one of the loaves of bread? Will the living in Christ be transformed and rise up as the second loaf of bread. Will the two-loaf wave offering imagery of Leviticus 23:17 symbolize the second order of the first resurrection and conclude the age of Pentecost? Paul says our end goal is redemption of the body. We were given the "earnest deposit of the Spirit against the promise of the redemption of the body". Pentecost is a two-stage assembly feast represented by the spiritual deposit followed by the physical redemption. Jesus was raised up in imagery of the festival of First Fruits as the sheaf of grain offering. (Leviticus 23:11) He was the grain seed which had to die to produce much fruit which will be expressed metaphorically in the finished products of bread raised up as an offering to God. (John 12:24).
We shall see HIM.
Greg Wilson
Details of some of this letter can be found at:
https://www.amazon.com/Day-Thy-Visitation-Jacobs-Trouble/dp/1981076387