The Olivet Discourse, part 9

Shalom, mishpachah.

And He spoke a parable to them, “But, learn the parable from the fig tree: Look at the fig tree, even all the trees; When already its branch is beginning [to be] green,  they shoot forth now and it puts forth the leaves, ye see for yourselves it is known that now summer is close. So when ye see all these things likewise come to pass ye know that the kingdom of God is close upon (the) threshhold. 

Now, Yeshua` spoke the only parable He gave within this prophecy: the parable of the fig tree (and all the trees).

It's a rather simple analogy. In mathematic terms, it might look like this:

branches begin to bud : summer is close :: all these things fulfilled : kingdom of God is close.

Notice that Luke points out that it has nothing to do with the KIND of tree being used for the analogy; therefore, there's nothing in the fact that the other two accounts only mention the "fig tree." Instead, the only thing about the fig tree that is noticeable is that it is one of the first trees to bud in the springtime in the Middle East. Other than that, there is nothing special about the fig tree because Luke adds, "even all the trees."

So, disregarding the fact that He first mentions the fig tree, look at the HEART of the analogy: the branches, which were previously dormant and for all practical purposes "dead" brown on the outside, still had a vibrant quick on the inside! So, in the same way, although things don't seem to have changed much throughout the last 2000 years on the outside, the promises of God are still ALIVE on the inside!  And, even though the branches are apparently lifeless and brown, they burst into new life in the spring which eventually gives way to summer. In the same way, even though the Kingdom of God looked like a hopeless impossibility down through the last two millennia, they promises of God have burst into the new life of Hope with wonderful portents to the King's soon arrival! Thus, I find it VERY encouraging that the very national anthem of the new state of Isra'el is "HaTikvah," "The Hope!"

What were the "all these things" that were supposed to "come to pass?" Quite simply, I believe that they were ALL the things of which Yeshua` was prophesying so far in these chapters, from the surrounding of Yerushalayim to the sun, moon, and stars events we just covered that will happen in our future. Thus, I believe that they covered ALL the events from the first Diaspora and the destruction of Yerushalayim and the Temple under the Romans to the gathering of the elect by the messengers. They are escalating, too, just as the branches in springtime escalate in their production of buds and leaves.

I confirm to you that this generation will not ever have passed until each one of these things be fulfilled [and] until the whole of these things be fulfilled. The sky and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away.

Here, Yeshua` said that His words wouldn't pass away ever, even should the sky and the earth pass away. In fact, the statement suggests that the sky and the earth SHALL pass away.

He also said, with a confirmation, "this generation will not ever have passed UNTIL each one of these things be fulfilled and until the whole of these things be fulfilled." Notice that Matthew and Luke said the phrase "until each one of these things be fulfilled" but Mark said "until the whole of these things be fulfilled." A different phrase is the difference between Matthew/Luke and Mark, producing enough of a difference that I felt in translation each phrase should be emphasized. Matthew and Luke use the word "heoos" translated "until" with addition of the contraction "an," short for "ana," but Mark uses the word "mechris" translated as "until" followed by the definite article "hou." "Heoos ana panta tauta" means "until severally all these things" or "until each one of all these things," but "mechris hou panta tauta" means "until the whole of these things."

Lastly, what is a "generation?" The Greek word used here is "genea." Strong's Concordance says that the word is "from a presumed derivative of NT:1085 (genos); a generation; by implication, an age (the period or the persons)" and was translated as "age," "generation," "nation," and "time" in the KJV.

"Genos" is said to be "from NT:1096 (ginomai); 'kin' (abstract or concrete, literal or figurative, individual or collective)" and was translated as "born," "country," "countryman," "diversity," "generation," "kind," "kindred," "nation," "offspring," and "stock" in the KJV.

And, "ginomai" simply means "to cause to be," and reflexively as "to become" or "to come into being."

The thought is that the word indicates a "group or a line of children," whether from father to son or from father to son, grandson, great grandson, etc. who have the SAME MENTALITY! Within the lineage of Yeshua` in Matthew 1, there are apparent "gaps" when compared to the records from Genesis through 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles in which names have been omitted in the lineage of Matthew 1. That is because the Jewish concept of a generation is different than our concept today.

The Jewish people for the most part have been of the SAME MENTALITY for almost 2000 years, rejecting God's Choice - God's Messiah - for them as their King! Thus, they have ALL been of the same "genea."

It is too "Gentilish" to think this "generation" is 40 years or 50 years or even 80 or 90 years! Such a concept is foreign to both the mindset of Jews and Isra'elis and to the Greek language into which the Hebrew was translated.

In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter