Are we in the End Times? The Parable of the Fig Tree in Luke 21:29-33 serves as a warning and guide for recognizing the signs of Christ’s Second Coming. Jesus rebuked people in His day for failing to discern His First Coming, and He expects our generation to recognize the signs leading to His return. In this message, Pastor Scott LaPierre explains how this parable is misinterpreted, what generation Jesus referred to, and why His words are more certain than creation itself.

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Table of contentsJesus Expected the People in His Day to Recognize His First ComingJesus Expects Us to Recognize His Second ComingIs the Parable of the Fig Tree About the Generation that Sees Israel Become a Nation in 1948?Is the Parable of the Fig Tree Promoting Full Preterism?Which Generation Did Jesus Refer to in the Parable of the Fig Tree?The Parable of the Fig Tree Might Refer to the Race of the JewsThe Parable of the Fig Tree Likely Refers to the Generation that Sees the Signs OccurJesus Spiritually Established the Kingdom at His First ComingJesus Will Physically Establish the Kingdom at His Second ComingJesus’s Words Are More Certain than Creation ItselfJesus’s Return Completes Our Redemption

Edgar C. Whisenant was a NASA engineer and Bible scholar who predicted that the rapture would occur between September 11 and 13, 1988, during the Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah. He authored the book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. Three hundred thousand copies were distributed to pastors nationwide, and 4.5 million copies were sold in bookstores and other outlets. The book climbed to number two on the Christian Bookseller Association's list. Whisenant said, “Only if the Bible is in error am I wrong; and I say that to every preacher in town…[I]f there were a king in this country and I could gamble with my life, I would stake my life on Rosh Hashana 88.”

When September 13 came and went, Whisenant claimed that the event would still occur, revising his prediction to October 3. After October 3 passed, he stated his calculations were off by one year because he hadn’t accounted for the absence of a year zero. Following this, he published The Final Shout on September 1, 1989.

Whisenant’s conclusion was primarily drawn from the parable of the fig tree. Before we jump into the parable, let's consider some related verses Jesus preached earlier.

Jesus Expected the People in His Day to Recognize His First Coming

Luke 12:54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

In the first century, there was no Weather Channel. Predictions were based on the appearance of clouds and winds. Jesus’ listeners understood. Rain would come if a cloud formed in the west over the Mediterranean Sea. A heat wave was approaching if a warm wind blew south from the Arabian desert.

Jesus applauded their ability to discern the weather but rebuked them for being unable to discern the present time. Notice that it says present time—singular. The NKJV says, “This time.” The NIV, Amplified, and NASB say, “This present time.” Jesus isn’t discussing discerning various times or seasons. He’s referring to His day and those who failed to recognize His First Coming.

The irony is they could tell whether it would be hot outside, recognize when the weather would change, predict a storm, and identify good days for planting and harvesting, but they couldn’t tell when the Messiah had come.

When our kids can’t do something, we don’t typically criticize them. Instead, we teach them how to do it. For example, if our kids don’t know how to run the lawnmower, we don’t criticize them when the lawn isn’t mowed. Instead, we teach them how to mow the lawn. If our kids don’t know how to run the dishwasher, we don’t criticize them when the dishes aren’t done. Instead, we teach them how to do so.

We only criticize our children when they haven’t done something they should have done. Similarly, Jesus does not criticize them for being unable to discern the time. He criticizes them for not discerning the time because they should have done so. Just like children taught how to use the lawnmower and dishwasher, the Jews were taught Scripture. They should have discerned when the Messiah came because of all the fulfilled prophecies. And that sets us up for the parable of the fig tree.

Jesus Expects Us to Recognize His Second Coming

Here's the context for the parable of the fig tree. In the Olivet Discourse:

In Luke 21:5- 6, Jesus prophecies about the temple's destruction in 70 A.D.

In Luke 21:7 the disciples ask about the temple’s destruction.

In Luke 21:8-11 Jesus looks to the far future and describes the birth pains that precede His Second Coming, or precede the birth.

In Luke 21:12-19 Jesus describes persecution that will occur during the Church age and worsen as the end times approach.

In Luke 21:20-24 Jesus describes the temple’s destruction in 70 A.D. which prefigures the temple’s destruction in the tribulation.

In Luke 21:25-27 Jesus describes the signs associated with His Second Coming.

While most Bibles include Luke 21:28 with verses 25-27, it aligns much better with verses 29-33. In Luke 21:28, Jesus instructs us to look for the signs related to His Second Coming, and the parable of the fig tree emphasizes the importance of recognizing these signs to know when Jesus is returning.

Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Perhaps you’ve wondered about this while reading the prophecy: How can Jesus suggest that everyone will see Him when He returns, instead of only those in the Middle East? And this isn’t the only place stating everyone can see Jesus when He returns:

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

How will every eye see Jesus when He returns? I think it is similar to when the two witnesses are killed during the tribulation:

Revelation 11:8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street…9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies.

People from multiple tribes, languages, and nations all see these bodies. These verses are remarkable because when John wrote them, it was unimaginable that people worldwide could simultaneously witness an event as it unfolded. But satellite television and people recording with their phones enable the entire planet to view their bodies lying dead in the streets. It’s only in the last few decades that anything like this has been feasible.

This past week, a plane and helicopter collided over the Potomac River. Within hours, a video of the incident circulated widely on social media. It will be similar with the two witnesses and Christ’s return: every eye will see Him.

Jesus says His return is close “when these things begin to take place.” The obvious question is, what things? The “things” Jesus refers to are not His return in a cloud with power and great glory; that wouldn’t make sense, as then it would be too late: that’s when He is returning. Instead, the “things” are the birth pains recorded in Luke 21:8-11. These signs help us know when Jesus’s Second Coming is near. To drive this home, Jesus preached the parable of the fig tree:

Luke 21:29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.

Is the Parable of the Fig Tree About the Generation that Sees Israel Become a Nation in 1948?

Edgar C. Whisenant had 88 reasons for his conclusion. The most compelling one stemmed from the term “generation” in this parable. The logic is as follows: Israel symbolizes the fig tree, much like the bald eagle represents the United States. Here are two of the many Old Testament verses I could share:

Hosea 9:10 Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers.

Jeremiah 8:13 When I would gather them, declares the Lord, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered.

In Luke 13:6-10 Jesus taught the parable of the barren fig tree, which was about Israel not producing fruit.

When Jesus spoke of the fig tree budding, He prophesied that Israel would become a nation again in 1948. A generation lasts forty years. Jesus stated that the generation witnessing Israel's rebirth as a nation would not pass away. Therefore, Jesus must return by 1988.

I will be the first to say that it is incredibly significant that Israel is now a free nation after so many centuries of political bondage. But that’s not what this parable is about. The first verse of the parable, Luke 21:29, says to look at the fig tree“and all the trees.” So, we know Jesus wasn’t talking just about Israel.

The strangest part is that some pastors still quote this verse, declaring, “The generation that sees Israel become a nation will not pass away!” An earlier pastor in my life often cited it this way.

When trees produce leaves, we know summer is near, and when we see the signs or birth pains Jesus described in Luke 21:25, we know Jesus’s Second Coming is near.

Is the Parable of the Fig Tree Promoting Full Preterism?

In 2007,