Since becoming a Christian and studying prophecy, I have come to understand that we are the generation that will see all the end times signs play out (until the rapture) then the rest of the people who are here on earth (and survive the tribulation) will see the 2nd coming of Jesus from heaven to earth. The reason I have come to believe this, for the most part, is because of the fig tree parable and what it means. I have recently read articles on gracethrufaith.com that explain that Jesus is not refering to Israel when he mentions the fig tree. He is only describing that His coming will be like a fig tree blossoming just before summer begins. Meaning the "signs" He's describing previously in Matt 24 are the "budding" of the fig tree.(I hope you all can understand what I'm getting at...) However, there are many old testament prophecies that speak of Israel coming back in the last days but Jesus wasn't refering to those prophecies in the fig tree parable. I personally don't agree with that. I believe that Jesus is describing the fig tree to symbolize Israel being reborn. But then again Jesus says, "and when you see these THINGS come to pass, know that my coming is near, even at the doors." THINGS is plural and not singular. So Jesus could be describing many things (as in "birth pangs") & not just one i.e. the rebirth of Israel. Then again, "when" did the birth pangs begin?

Also, if you look at Luke's version of the fig tree parable, he says "fig tree and all the trees." This is VERY VERY confusing because IF it is the other way around, that means NO ONE can accurately say when the birth pangs started and therefore cannot determine, for any reasonable space of time, when "the generation" begins or ends...

Can anyone clarify this???

The Fig tree is definitely used as a symbol for the nation of Israel, the descendants of Jacob's twelve sons. The other trees refer to the other nations, especially the nations of prophecy such as Syria, Persia (Iran), Gog Magog (Russia), Togarmah (Turkey), Tyre & Sidon (Lebanon), and Libya, Babylon (Iraq), etc. These are the ancient enemies of Israel and of the true God and they have been brought back up out of obscurity for God's final judgments.

The fig tree generation is the one that is alive when Israel (Jacob's children)is regathered and brought back to their homeland from the four corners of the earth. God says that when He brings them back they will never leave the land again. Those who try to remove them will find themselves on the receiving end of God's wrath.

This and the other birth pangs Jesus referenced are all happening at the same time during the past few years and have increased in size and frequency so we are definitely that generation and are living witnesses of the truth of God spoken hundreds of years ago. It will all come to pass and we will see the most of it.

After the rapture I wonder if we will know of events occuring here or not? It will be sad so maybe not. However, I do believe that we will be witnesses to the final battle and many will ride back with Jesus to share in the victory of it. I believe the children and maybe some of the women will watch from above. Just my opinion, don't know for sure.

T/Sue has a very good answer already. I'll throw in few verses on that PARABLE..

Song of. 2:13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Hosea 9:10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

Joel 1:6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
Joel 1:7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.


Joseph

R.J., you found the very verses that reference Israel symbolically as a fig tree!! Way to go, brother. You are such a good researcher and always have the Word for every subject. I sure do appreciate that.

Sure do hope that we are just watching all play out from above soon and not on the ground.

I agree with both of you. So we can safely say that Israel's rebirth is the beginning of the final generation, the one that will see Jesus return?

I submitted this post to Jack on grace thru faith and this is what he had to say:

Hi Michael ...

The only specific sign the Lord gave from which we can determine the timing of the 2nd Coming is the Abomination of Desolation. When the people living in Israel at the end of the age see that, they'll know the Great Tribulation has begun and will last 3.5 years. From that they can calculate the approximate time of the 2nd Coming.

But we'll be long gone before the Abomination occurs, and by calling the other signs birth pangs, the Lord relegated them to the status of general indications, not a specific time line. Birth pangs announce the beginning of labor but don't really predict it in advance, and give us no indication as to its length.

However it turns out that the Abomination of Desolation is all we need because there are preconditions to it's fulfillment that provide the longer term clues as well. Here's what I mean. You can't have an abomination until there's a Temple. You can't have a Temple until the nation is back in covenant, and the nation can't be back in covenant until it exists again. Therefore the event that begins the count has to be the re-birth of the nation, and you don't need to depend on the fig tree parable being about Israel to prove it. There's nothing before it we can use and there's nothing specific between it and the Abomination, which is too late for us.

Matt. 24: 34 tells us many of the generation of people being born at the time of the re-birth of Israel (this generation) will still be alive at the 2nd Coming. Psalm 90:10 and Isaiah 23:15 indicate that an average lifespan is 70 years. That makes it likely that the 2nd Coming will occur about 70 years after the re-birth of Israel.

Lord bless,
Jack

Looks, to me, like it boils down to the "rebirth" of Israel. Maranatha!