Hi again
Wheat Field
There are actually several places where we are told a list of things that are going to happen, but the don't all necessarily follow one after the other or in any certain order. There can also be a list where some of the things are happening now and some of the other things happen later. Prophetic writings are full of this kind of revelation. So I would call your attention to Jesus' words in 24:33. And remember please, that chapters and verses are additions that we've made to God's word.
"Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door."
Now Jesus has just giving his disciples a list of things that they will see happening as the end, that they had asked him about, comes. But they also asked him three questions.
“Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Two questions: When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming? Then the third, "and of the end of the age?"
Now, we can assume that the sign of his coming and of the end of the age, might be the same answer. But we must also understand that it might not, too. Anyway, Jesus gives them a list of things that they will be seeing happening upon the earth that will signify these things that Jesus is talking about, coming to be in real life and real time.
Now, the entire conversation starts with his disciples asking him to marvel at the site of their holy temple. I can imagine Peter sweeping his hand across the view of the building and declaring, "Look! Look at this marvelous temple where we worship your Father! See what a grand structure it is."
So to this statement that must have been something like what I've fabricated, Jesus first tells them that the temple isn't going to stand. "Don't marvel at that grand temple because in a very short time it will not be standing. And I mean there won't be one stone upon another. That's how totally it will be destroyed".
Jesus first warns them of being deceived by false prophets and false messiahs. He tells them that you will hear of war and rumors of war. But the end is still to come. So when we do hear these things, we know that the end hasn't come yet. He gets a little more detailed in the accounting of the wars. Telling them that nation will rise up against nation. Now that statement right there, tells me that Jesus isn't talking about 70 A.D. There wasn't any proliferation of nations warring with each other at that time. It was merely the destruction of a city under the control of Rome.
There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. So this isn't some mid afternoon shaking of the earth in Israel at Jesus' crucifixion. There is no record that there were some lot of famines or earthquakes at that time. Today, one might say that they have become much more common place. But there are still only the birth pangs, he tells us. It isn't the end yet.
Then he continues with his list of prophetic signs that we should see, and closes by telling them that when they see 'all' of these things, then the end is near. Right at the door, he says to them. Certainly, making the point that it is immediately eminent. Then Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place." And the question is 'what' generation did Jesus mean by saying 'this generation'? Is it the generation of the people that he was talking to, or was it the generation to come when the last signs are shown? In other words, once we get to where we are seeing wars all over the globe and famines and earthquakes, that generation will not pass away until Jesus returns.
I mean, I hear a lot of nations are actively involved or thinking about going to war with a neighbor nation. I know that there are nearly always places of famine around the globe. I see pictures about once every couple of months of some city or area devastated by an earthquake. So it could be this generation living today that won't pass away before Jesus' return. If we consider that the Scriptures generally use 20 years to establish one generation from another in lineage. But the lifespan of any generation should be about 70-80 years.
So I believe that we are now becoming the generation that Jesus spoke of. Oddly enough, there are other clues that would lead me to believe that it could happen in the next 100 years. Now please, I am not foretelling a day or hour, merely a season. Just calling out from the watchtower, "Keep watch! For the days are fast approaching that we should expect to see the return of our Lord."
We are hearing of wars and rumors of war. We are witnessing nation rise up against nation. We are seeing signs and wonders in the heavens. We are becoming, across the globe, as it was in the days of Noah. Jesus' return could be very close.
However, I would encourage that you spend time actually seeking after Jesus first. And I'm not asking you to make some grand life change. I'm just encouraging that you at least give it 30 seconds of your time to bow your head and ask God to show you the truth. "God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, please let me understand what you ask of me. Give me understanding of your word." Just those two sentences and feel free to add anything else that come to your mind, but at least those words before you begin seeking the answers to the questions that you are asking.
Simple, ease, won't take 30 seconds out of your life. And please don't hesitate to PM me if you'd like a more private communication.
God bless,
Ted
