How Much Longer Until Jesus Returns?

Learn the Parable of the Fig Tree!

It’s hard to believe that with the New Year 2025 it has now been a quarter of a century since our ministry held revival services in Jerusalem called “Eight Days of Glory—”
eight days that spanned the millenniums between 1999 and 2000.

So much has changed in Israel since then!

In those days I visited Israel every month to hold prayer meetings at the historic American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem and outreaches in Arab villages according to Jesus’s prophecy in Matthew 10: 23, “Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

When entering Israel for the “Eight Days of Glory” conference, I was detained for many hours at the airport to be questioned about my motives. It seems that in those days Christians were more suspect than Muslims — there were rumors and fears that evangelicals might become involved in Temple Mount plots in order to facilitate End-Time prophecies.

Since then Jewish-Christians relations have taken a giant leap forward.

I was privileged to co-chair in the early 2000s five Jerusalem Assemblies in the Knesset, and Jewish-Christian relations began to develop a whole new dynamic of trust and alliances.

But fears over Bible prophecies and the Temple Mount are still triggering suspicions—now mainly among Muslims.

A Texas Christian shipped five candidates for the future sacrificial red heifer to Israel in order facilitate Temple worship. Hamas cited the importation of the red heifers as a justification for the brutal October 7 attacks.

Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida explicitly mentioned the "bringing of red cows" to Israel as part of the reasons for their abominable aggression.

Consequently Hamas referred to their murderous attacks as "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”

Now with the advent of the New Year, serious Bible prophecy students are pausing to take stock and to wonder how much longer can it be until Jesus returns?

Christians anticipate that event as the Second Coming, because we believe and realize that the Jewish Messiah already came 2,000 years ago, to sacrifice Himself at the appointed place for sacrifice, upon the cross.

However, most of our Jewish friends are still waiting for Messiah’s First Coming!

The fact is that the Messiah whom both Jews and Christians are awaiting is the very same Jewish person: Jesus of Nazareth, God's Holy Son!

Until Messiah comes, we will continue to have an honest debate over His true identity.

But soon that “mystery” will be solved!

Can you believe that in just four years the newly revived nation of Israel will turn 80?

Psalm 90 declares “the days of our lives are 70 years or if by reason of strength they're 80 years,” life “is soon cut off, and we fly away."

This passage suggests that the length of a generation is considered to be 70 years, or if one is particularly strong or fortunate, 80 years.

I’m not a date setter, but I’m very well aware that Jesus Himself admonished his followers to learn the parable of the fig tree, a Bible idiom for Israel. Jesus said the generation that sees the beginning of the end will see the culmination of all things.

When Jesus admonished his disciples to learn the lesson of the fig tree, as found in the Gospels of Matthew (24:32-33), Mark (13:28-29) and Luke (21:29-31), he was using the fig tree as a parable to teach about the signs of the End Times and the coming of the kingdom of God.

Here's a breakdown of what this lesson might entail:

Seasonal Observation: Jesus pointed out that when the branches of the fig tree become tender and its leaves come out, one knows that summer is near. This is an analogy for recognizing signs of the times and imminence: Just as the budding of the fig tree signals that summer is near, certain signs like birth pains will indicate that the End Times are close at hand.

Discernment of Signs: The lesson is about being alert and discerning the times: Believers are encouraged to follow current events and spiritual conditions, interpreting everything in light of scriptural prophecy. This involves recognizing moral, social, political, or natural signs that might indicate the fulfillment of biblical prophecies.

Hope and Preparation: The fig tree's budding is a sign of hope - summer, a time of growth and fruition, is coming.

Similarly, the signs Jesus mentioned (wars, Jerusalem in Jewish hands, pestilences, earthquakes, etc.) should inspire preparation. Believers are to prepare spiritually, living righteously, and being ready for the return of Yeshua or significant changes in the world order as predicted by scripture.

With the knowledge that these signs herald the end of the Church Age, believers are encouraged to endure in faith, knowing that hardship might precede but ultimately lead to redemption.

Immediacy is an important point: In context, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."

—Historical Context: Some interpret "this generation" to mean the generation alive during Jesus' time, suggesting that the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD was a fulfillment of these prophecies.

—Eschatological Interpretation: However, others, including myself, see “this generation” as referring to the generation that sees the signs Jesus described, suggesting an ongoing relevance where "this generation" could apply to any generation that witnesses these signs.

Therefore this lesson of the fig tree encourages a life of faith, watchfulness and readiness.

Consider also prophecy of the Almighty himself in Joel 3: 1-2 concerning this generation:

“In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.”

So God pinpoints a time when he brings back the Jews to live in their own land— and that happened in the 20th century— then at that time he said. “I'm going to enter into judgment with the nations in the valley of Jehoshaphat .”

Israel was resurrected 76 years ago! In only four years Israel will turn 80! Are we living on borrowed time?

Jehoshaphat means “Yehovah has judged.” It’s the valley between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives where Jesus’s feet are destined to stand once again. (Zechariah 14: 4)

God is angry seeing the land of Israel divided up; he’s angry with the antisemitism in the world today.

So he says, “I'm going to enter into judgment with the nations.”

Why?

“On account of my Heritage My People Israel whom you've scattered among the nations and you've divided up my land.”

Don’t miss the fact that God calls the Holy Land his land, and so in 2025 God is angry, and he's saying he is going to come back to enter into judgment with the nations that have mistreated the Jews and interfered with his land that he gave to them by covenant!

Maranatha!

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