Earlier:  Iranian Military Officers Direct Syria's Troops For Assad ...

--Drudge/AFP       (Prophecies ... DAMASCUS-SYRIA will be utterly DESTROYED)       (Prophecies:  Russia, Iran, and allies will invade Israel)

Gaza "Forsaken" and "Uprooted"... Gush Katif (Gaza) 2,000 Days After Forced Expulsion Of The Jews

--Israel Nat'l News       (Prophecies:  "GAZA will be forsaken" ... the Bible links Gaza to the coming "APOCALYPSE") 

--Jerusalem Post     (Prophecies ... Israel and Jerusalem (and Gaza) AFTER becoming a nation in 1948)

A warning from the prophet Isaiah ...

  "His watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant ...

     Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber ...   (sometimes with the help of Teva sleeping pills)

     And they are shepherds who cannot understand;

     They all look to their own way,

     Every one for his own gain,

     From his own territory.  

   "Come," one says,

     I will bring wine,

     And we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink;

     Tomorrow will be as today,

     And much more abundant."

     (Isaiah 56:10, 11, 12)     (Prophecies:  The coming "Apocalypse" and Armageddon ... "The Time of Jacob's (Israel's) Trouble")

--AFP  (France)      (GOD'S  LAW:  Homosexuality and Abortion)      (Prophecies ... Israel and Jerusalem (and Gaza) AFTER becoming a nation in 1948)

--Pravda  (Russia)      (Prophecies:  Russia, Iran, and allies will attack and will overwhelm Israel ... God will intervene)

--Jerusalem Post       (Prophecies:  Russia, Iran, and allies will attack and will overwhelm Israel ... God will intervene)

Even though Jesus commands us to "Know" and to "Watch!" and "When you SEE these things"... many churches spend little or no time or effort teaching the many things the Bible warns we will see leading up to and following the coming "Rapture" for fear of being accused of being a "date setter" by who knows who. 

We feel every believing Christian should have a basic knowledge and understanding of Bible prophecy (around 25% of the Bible is prophetic) ... and if people are forced to come to a site like this for their only meaningful (but imperfect) exposure to Bible prophecy, then the Church is in great trouble.

As you will see below, no "dates" are ever set here ... but when people have been diligently taught they can intelligently and prayerfully compare Current Events with Bible Prophecies to see if there is any statistical significance surrounding this generation, or if there has been any other time in history all these things have (or even could have) "intersected," and if this "generation of Israel" does appear to be unique, then the discussion of Bible prophecies can be a great tool to help lead people back to the Bible and God's Word (because no other religion or Book on Earth can accept God's challenge to tell "the end from the beginning" as God does to prove He is God and the Bible is His Word.)

Now once more, just thoughtfully (and prayerfully) consider the following ...

"This Generation will not pass away until all these things take place ..."

   "And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel,

     and say, ‘O mountains of Israel,

     hear the Word of the LORD ...’

     But you, O mountains of Israel,

     you shall shoot forth your branches

     and yield your fruit to My people Israel,

     for they are about to come . . ."

     For I will take you (the children of Israel) from among the nations,

     gather you out of all countries,

     and bring you into your own Land."

     (Ezekiel 36:1, 8, 24)

   "Now LEARN this parable from the fig tree (Israel):

     When its branch has already become tender

     and puts forth leaves,     (Israel re-gathering in the land)

     you know that summer is near.

     Also, when you see all these things,

     know that it is near-- at the doors!

     Assuredly, I say to you,

     THIS GENERATION will by no means pass away

     until all these things take place."       (Prophecies:  The coming "Apocalypse" ... "The Day of God's Wrath")     (Prophecies of Messiah's Return)

     (Mark 13:28-30 - also see Matt 24:32-34, Luke 21:29-33)     (Prophecies:  The coming "Rapture"... Jew and Gentile ... don't be "left behind")

The great debate ... the great mystery ... what IS "this generation?"

  -  "This Generation" can also be translated "nation" or "people" meaning Israel and the Jews (which God has miraculously sustained all these years.)

  -  "This Generation" could mean "the generation" of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) ... (see Messiah's genealogy through both Mary and Joseph).  Jesus (Yeshua) is risen and is alive today (which is the very foundation of the Christian faith and supported by many eye witnesses, historical evidence, and Bible prophecies from the ancient Jewish prophets concerning Messiah.)  The official Jewish genealogical records (then stored in the Jewish Temple) were "discontinued" (by God) after Messiah was born in Bethlehem ("from of old, from everlasting"... Micah 5:2) when Rome destroyed the Temple in 70 AD (and God would never have allowed them to be destroyed if His Messiah had not yet been officially revealed and presented to the children of Israel ... (Messiah Revealed Nisan 10, 32 AD:   A remarkable MATHEMATICAL prophecy from the ancient Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament)    The generation of Messiah (as recorded) is still ongoing and has never been incrementally changed or replaced because the Messiah of Israel is still alive.   

  -  "This Generation" could mean "the generation of Israel" starting in 1948 or in 1967 (when Israel regained Jerusalem).  Don't let anyone convince you to ignore or take lightly the significance of Israel back in Her land as a sovereign nation  ... and don't let anyone convince you God will not fulfill all of His promises, covenants, curses, and blessings to the nation and the children of Israel.

  -  As with other Bible prophecies "This Generation" could also mean ALL of the above ... we are told to KNOW the prophecies and to "WATCH" so we will know when we are near.  (And if anyone sees something here that cannot be Scripturally supported, please submit the Scriptures.)

Let’s take a closer look at these important verses in order to get a better sense of the significance of what the Lord is trying to tell us, or more importantly what He is trying to warn us about . . .

1. Jesus says - "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:"

There are several places in the Bible where God uses the fig tree as an idiom for Israel.

2. "When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near."

"And puts forth leaves ..."  This refers to Israel being re-gathered in the Land.  This is a parable, so Jesus is painting a "word picture."  The verses in Ezekiel 36-37 help us out by explaining to us that "shooting forth its branches" refers to Israel being re-gathered into the Land.  Like a tree in winter, Israel has been lying dormant for about 2,000 years, looking dead and barren to the world.  Then, in May of 1948 it sprang back to life and like the re-birth of a tree in springtime started "shooting forth its branches" . . .

We can now watch "its branch become tender and put forth leaves" as Israel has begun to prosper. Miraculously, this tiny nation of Israel is today one of the largest exporters of fruit and flowers in the world. Jesus is warning us that when we see these things, we should know that "summer is near," meaning we are close to His return, and that awesome and terrifying "final harvest," which prophet after prophet has cried out and warned against will soon be upon us.

3. "Also, when you see all these things, know that it is near-- at the doors!"

Can’t you sense the urgency in His voice?  We cannot comprehend the global destruction which will someday soon sweep across this world.  Jesus gives these warnings because we are told that those who are alive and wait for Him in faith will be pulled out or "raptured" just before God’s wrath is poured out on a violent and unbelieving world.    (Prophecies:  The coming "Rapture"... Jew and Gentile ... please don't be "left behind")

4. "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away"

   Q. Which generation?

   A. The generation that sees Israel re-gathering back in the Land.

   Q. Well, isn’t that generation alive today?

   A. I think so.

   Q. How long is a generation?

   A. I really don’t know, but God answers most questions. Let’s look at a couple of verses from Psalm 90, which is provocative in that it is the only Psalm written by Moses and seems to come out of nowhere . . .

 "The days of our lives are SEVENTY years;

   And if by reason of strength they are eighty years . . .

   who knows the power of Your anger?"

   (Psalm 90:10,11)   (The average life span in the world has now risen to 69 years...and to 80 years in Israel.)

Is then the fullness of a generation 70 - 80 years?  Did a prophetic countdown start with the Nation in 1948, or when Israel regained control over their capital city of Jerusalem in 1967? 

We don’t know. 

We are simply warned to "Watch!"  The Bible gives us many warning signs so we will know when we are getting close.  Yet, we will never know the day nor the hour.  However, "this generation" which mocks God and His Word will someday soon know "the power of His anger ..."

5. "Till all these things take place."

"All these things" means everything the Bible warns will happen including the Rapture, the Apocalypse, Armageddon ... and Messiah's return.    (Prophecies of Messiah's Return)

--Israel Nat'l News      (Prophecies ... Israel and Jerusalem (and Gaza) AFTER becoming a nation in 1948)

Thoughts For Israel's Independence Day ...

--Fox News    (Prophecies:  "And there will be EARTHQUAKES in diverse places"...)     (This prophecy is remarkable because it had to look far into the future and into the day (and generation) when there would be worldwide communications technology capable of reporting these worldwide earthquakes as they happen ... )