The Nation of Israel - Sign of the Fig Tree

[Biblican]

The Nation of Israel - The Sign of the Fig Tree

In 1947 the nation of Israel was established for the purpose of providing a homeland for the Jewish people. Since then Jews have been flocking to Israel, and in some cases many of them receive help from organizations that have been established for that purpose.      While on the surface this may all seem wonderful, when we carefully examine the scriptures, an ominous scenario begins to emerge. In Jesus’ discourse on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24, He prophesies of an attack on Jerusalem that will occur before His second coming. His prophecy is correlated with Zechariah 14:1-3, where we are told that the Jews will go through another captivity. Behold, the day of the LORD comes, and your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. This prophecy in turn correlates with Ezekiel 38. Jesus warns that those who are living in Judea at that time should flee. When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand:) Then let them which are in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe to them that are with child, and to them that nurse in those days! But you pray that your flight is not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened (Matthew 24:15-22). He also made it very clear that people should not go there from other countries. And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is near. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter into it (Luke 21:20,21). This warning is obviously being ignored, even by many Christians who eagerly support the Jewish peoples’ return to the Holy land. The prophecies in the Old Testament that many Christians use to support the Jews’ return to Israel are taken out of context. In the context recorded in the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, God tells the Jews that He will return them to the Holy Land after their 70 year captivity in Babylon is completed. He tells them that they will receive a new everlasting covenant (Jeremiah 31:31, 32:40), the temple will be rebuilt, the Messiah will come at that time (Micah 5:2) and He will be born in Bethlehem (Malachi 3:1). The purpose of God returning His people to Israel was to bring in the Messiah. They were also told in Daniel 9:26 that the Messiah would be killed and after that the city would be destroyed once again. Jesus came, and was killed as prophesied 40 years before the city was destroyed by Titus in 70AD. Jesus was rejected by His people resulting in His death because “They did not know the time of their visitation” (Luke 19:44). They did not recognize that Jesus was their Messiah even though the scriptures had painted such a precise and accurate map that detailed His coming. That rejection instigated the destruction of their city after a period of forty years during which the Jews had the opportunity to hear the gospel in their own land. The prophecies show us that the Jews will again be in their land before Jesus’ return. Ezekiel shows us in verse eight in the 38th chapter of his prophecy that in the “latter years” Gog the invader from the north, “shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword (a reference to their return after the destruction in 70AD) and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have always been waste: but is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.”      The prophecy goes on to describe their invasion and God’s ultimate judgment upon their invaders. While it is quite obvious that the Jews that have been gathered from many countries will be living in Israel in the “latter Days,” the phrase “I will gather them” is conspicuously absent from the latter years’ references. Many orthodox Jews have refused to return to Israel because they have astutely recognized from the scriptures that it is the Messiah who will bring them back. Because they have rejected Jesus as the Messiah, they are still anticipating the coming of the Messiah, but that will be as the scriptures show after the second captivity. The modern nation of Israel was established before Jesus’ second coming. Zechariah shows us that the Lord returns after the second captivity and it is then that He gathers His people the second time (Isaiah 11:11). There are no references that show the Lord gathering them a third time, only after the first captivity and the second, when Jesus will establish His millennial reign of peace (Isaiah 11:6-9, Revelation 20:1-3). It is interesting to note that one of the major reasons the Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah is that when He was on earth He did not instigate that prophesied time of peace. But they neglected to consider the details in Daniel’s prophecy. Daniel prophesied that the Anointed One (Messiah) is killed before the destruction of Jerusalem, then he gives a historically accurate history of events that happen up to the judgment in chapter twelve. There is absolutely no mention of that time of peace, or the messiah coming, only destruction from the antichrist. It is obvious that the time of peace has to occur after the judgment when Jesus returns. This all prompts us to ask a couple of questions. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD because the people rejected the Messiah Jesus. Why would God return them when they still refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah?      Secondly, after the captivity, God returned them to their land as a religious nation. When He returns and gathers them after the second captivity, He also establishes a religious nation. Then if God established the modern nation of Israel, why is it a secular nation? If one does some research, it will be discovered that the nation of modern Israel was established with the help of individuals who also believe that the establishment of a one world government is also a good idea. This evil last world empire is also graphically prophesied in Revelation 13 and Daniel’s prophecies. Because the people behind this movement are basically opposed to God and His Messiah, God’s laws are not foundational and the acceptance of a certain sexual sin that God has labeled as “Abomination” (Leviticus 18:22), is celebrated with a yearly parade in the streets of Jerusalem. We can also assume that possibly the “Abomination that makes desolate” mentioned in Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15, that stands in the holy place, (“place” meaning a physical location in the Greek, and not necessarily the Holy of Holies) could be one of the sins that eventually triggers God’s judgment on that nation as prophesied in Ezekiel 38. Thus we can understand why Jerusalem is labeled as “Sodom and Egypt” in Revelation 11:8. Israel is also referred to as “Egypt,” a Gentile nation, which is a reproach upon the Jews’ own bigotry against Gentiles. God’s commandments to treat the “strangers,” the Gentiles, in their land as equals is blatantly ignored, (Leviticus 19:34) which is evident by the Jews’ brutal treatment of the Palestinians over the years. God has always used Israel’s enemies to be His chastening rod when His people consistently violated His commandments. Then when repentance has been achieved, God then deals with Israel’s enemies in like manner. No one can invade Israel until God allows it. In the meantime prayers for all nations to come to repentance should be made fervently because God has promised that when men repent, so He will also repent of the judgments He has proclaimed upon their sin. While the founding of the modern nation of Israel coincides with the plans to establish a one world government with possibly Jerusalem as its capital, it is obvious that God has permitted the establishment of Israel by man for two reasons. Israel is generally viewed as the fig tree in scripture. Jesus said, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When his branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, you know summer is nigh. So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:32-34).      The establishment of the nation of Israel is quite possibly ordained to be the sign that we are living in the last generation before Jesus returns. Israel has just celebrated her 75th year as a nation and is nearing the time for her appointed judgment, as are the rest of the nations that have rebelled against God by rejecting God’s moral laws and His Messiah Jesus. We must not ignore the signs Jesus said would precede the great time of trouble, Jacob’s trouble, the great tribulation that will have repercussions for all of mankind. It is time to prepare spiritually as well as physically for this event. Secondly, as Israel was given 40 years to hear the gospel in her own land before her destruction in 70AD, so God is also permitting her to hear the gospel before her second captivity. The evidence for this is contained in Micah’s “Bethlehem Prophecy” (Micah 5). After he tells us that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, we are told that He will “give her up” until her travailing is finished. This is a reference to her destruction by Titus in 70AD. Her travailing continues until the latter days when she is returned to the Holy land. It is at this time when we are shown that that the remnant of His, (the Messiah’s) brethren return to minister to her. Once again the people of Israel are hearing the gospel on her own soil in the time allotted before God permits her enemies to attack. This man (the Messiah) will be the peace (verse 5) when the enemy invades. Those who have received the Messiah Jesus will have the peace that He gives, assuring them of their eternal life and their security in Him that lifts them above all the turmoil that will commence when the prophecies of this time begin to be fulfilled. This is a crucial time in Israel’s history and the history of the world. God is a God of righteousness and justice. He will only permit sin to continue for so long before our sins cause Him to withdraw His protection. God’s laws were always intended to separate His people from the practices of the lawless pagan nations around them. This principle still applies. God is calling His people, Jews and Christians alike out of Babylon, the compromise with secular ideologies that have polluted His people. He is calling us out of all apostate religious systems and into the arms of the Messiah who alone has been ordained by God to be our provision and safety. Someday Israel will hear His voice calling her out of the ashes of her second captivity when He returns as prophesied in absolute victory. We cherish the Jewish people because God has chosen them out of all the nations to be the womb through which He would birth salvation for all of mankind through the Messiah Jesus. Let us continue to show her His love by warning her of the wrath to come and give her the opportunity to not only “flee to the Mountains,” (Matthew 24:16), for her physical protection, but also to the much higher ground of the salvation that is found only in their Messiah Jesus; the Messiah they have rejected, who is so willing to have them return to Him and His promised land of eternal life.

[Vine Abider]

33 minutes ago, Biblican said:

The Nation of Israel - The Sign of the Fig Tree

In 1947 the nation of Israel was established for the purpose of providing a homeland for the Jewish people. Since then Jews have been flocking to Israel, and in some cases many of them receive help from organizations that have been established for that purpose.      While on the surface this may all seem wonderful, when we carefully examine the scriptures, an ominous scenario begins to emerge. In Jesus’ discourse on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24, He prophesies of an attack on Jerusalem that will occur before His second coming. His prophecy is correlated with Zechariah 14:1-3, where we are told that the Jews will go through another captivity. Behold, the day of the LORD comes, and your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. This prophecy in turn correlates with Ezekiel 38. Jesus warns that those who are living in Judea at that time should flee. When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand:) Then let them which are in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe to them that are with child, and to them that nurse in those days! But you pray that your flight is not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened (Matthew 24:15-22). He also made it very clear that people should not go there from other countries. And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is near. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter into it (Luke 21:20,21). This warning is obviously being ignored, even by many Christians who eagerly support the Jewish peoples’ return to the Holy land. The prophecies in the Old Testament that many Christians use to support the Jews’ return to Israel are taken out of context. In the context recorded in the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, God tells the Jews that He will return them to the Holy Land after their 70 year captivity in Babylon is completed. He tells them that they will receive a new everlasting covenant (Jeremiah 31:31, 32:40), the temple will be rebuilt, the Messiah will come at that time (Micah 5:2) and He will be born in Bethlehem (Malachi 3:1). The purpose of God returning His people to Israel was to bring in the Messiah. They were also told in Daniel 9:26 that the Messiah would be killed and after that the city would be destroyed once again. Jesus came, and was killed as prophesied 40 years before the city was destroyed by Titus in 70AD. Jesus was rejected by His people resulting in His death because “They did not know the time of their visitation” (Luke 19:44). They did not recognize that Jesus was their Messiah even though the scriptures had painted such a precise and accurate map that detailed His coming. That rejection instigated the destruction of their city after a period of forty years during which the Jews had the opportunity to hear the gospel in their own land. The prophecies show us that the Jews will again be in their land before Jesus’ return. Ezekiel shows us in verse eight in the 38th chapter of his prophecy that in the “latter years” Gog the invader from the north, “shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword (a reference to their return after the destruction in 70AD) and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have always been waste: but is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.”      The prophecy goes on to describe their invasion and God’s ultimate judgment upon their invaders. While it is quite obvious that the Jews that have been gathered from many countries will be living in Israel in the “latter Days,” the phrase “I will gather them” is conspicuously absent from the latter years’ references. Many orthodox Jews have refused to return to Israel because they have astutely recognized from the scriptures that it is the Messiah who will bring them back. Because they have rejected Jesus as the Messiah, they are still anticipating the coming of the Messiah, but that will be as the scriptures show after the second captivity. The modern nation of Israel was established before Jesus’ second coming. Zechariah shows us that the Lord returns after the second captivity and it is then that He gathers His people the second time (Isaiah 11:11). There are no references that show the Lord gathering them a third time, only after the first captivity and the second, when Jesus will establish His millennial reign of peace (Isaiah 11:6-9, Revelation 20:1-3). It is interesting to note that one of the major reasons the Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah is that when He was on earth He did not instigate that prophesied time of peace. But they neglected to consider the details in Daniel’s prophecy. Daniel prophesied that the Anointed One (Messiah) is killed before the destruction of Jerusalem, then he gives a historically accurate history of events that happen up to the judgment in chapter twelve. There is absolutely no mention of that time of peace, or the messiah coming, only destruction from the antichrist. It is obvious that the time of peace has to occur after the judgment when Jesus returns. This all prompts us to ask a couple of questions. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD because the people rejected the Messiah Jesus. Why would God return them when they still refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah?      Secondly, after the captivity, God returned them to their land as a religious nation. When He returns and gathers them after the second captivity, He also establishes a religious nation. Then if God established the modern nation of Israel, why is it a secular nation? If one does some research, it will be discovered that the nation of modern Israel was established with the help of individuals who also believe that the establishment of a one world government is also a good idea. This evil last world empire is also graphically prophesied in Revelation 13 and Daniel’s prophecies. Because the people behind this movement are basically opposed to God and His Messiah, God’s laws are not foundational and the acceptance of a certain sexual sin that God has labeled as “Abomination” (Leviticus 18:22), is celebrated with a yearly parade in the streets of Jerusalem. We can also assume that possibly the “Abomination that makes desolate” mentioned in Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15, that stands in the holy place, (“place” meaning a physical location in the Greek, and not necessarily the Holy of Holies) could be one of the sins that eventually triggers God’s judgment on that nation as prophesied in Ezekiel 38. Thus we can understand why Jerusalem is labeled as “Sodom and Egypt” in Revelation 11:8. Israel is also referred to as “Egypt,” a Gentile nation, which is a reproach upon the Jews’ own bigotry against Gentiles. God’s commandments to treat the “strangers,” the Gentiles, in their land as equals is blatantly ignored, (Leviticus 19:34) which is evident by the Jews’ brutal treatment of the Palestinians over the years. God has always used Israel’s enemies to be His chastening rod when His people consistently violated His commandments. Then when repentance has been achieved, God then deals with Israel’s enemies in like manner. No one can invade Israel until God allows it. In the meantime prayers for all nations to come to repentance should be made fervently because God has promised that when men repent, so He will also repent of the judgments He has proclaimed upon their sin. While the founding of the modern nation of Israel coincides with the plans to establish a one world government with possibly Jerusalem as its capital, it is obvious that God has permitted the establishment of Israel by man for two reasons. Israel is generally viewed as the fig tree in scripture. Jesus said, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When his branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, you know summer is nigh. So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:32-34).      The establishment of the nation of Israel is quite possibly ordained to be the sign that we are living in the last generation before Jesus returns. Israel has just celebrated her 75th year as a nation and is nearing the time for her appointed judgment, as are the rest of the nations that have rebelled against God by rejecting God’s moral laws and His Messiah Jesus. We must not ignore the signs Jesus said would precede the great time of trouble, Jacob’s trouble, the great tribulation that will have repercussions for all of mankind. It is time to prepare spiritually as well as physically for this event. Secondly, as Israel was given 40 years to hear the gospel in her own land before her destruction in 70AD, so God is also permitting her to hear the gospel before her second captivity. The evidence for this is contained in Micah’s “Bethlehem Prophecy” (Micah 5). After he tells us that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, we are told that He will “give her up” until her travailing is finished. This is a reference to her destruction by Titus in 70AD. Her travailing continues until the latter days when she is returned to the Holy land. It is at this time when we are shown that that the remnant of His, (the Messiah’s) brethren return to minister to her. Once again the people of Israel are hearing the gospel on her own soil in the time allotted before God permits her enemies to attack. This man (the Messiah) will be the peace (verse 5) when the enemy invades. Those who have received the Messiah Jesus will have the peace that He gives, assuring them of their eternal life and their security in Him that lifts them above all the turmoil that will commence when the prophecies of this time begin to be fulfilled. This is a crucial time in Israel’s history and the history of the world. God is a God of righteousness and justice. He will only permit sin to continue for so long before our sins cause Him to withdraw His protection. God’s laws were always intended to separate His people from the practices of the lawless pagan nations around them. This principle still applies. God is calling His people, Jews and Christians alike out of Babylon, the compromise with secular ideologies that have polluted His people. He is calling us out of all apostate religious systems and into the arms of the Messiah who alone has been ordained by God to be our provision and safety. Someday Israel will hear His voice calling her out of the ashes of her second captivity when He returns as prophesied in absolute victory. We cherish the Jewish people because God has chosen them out of all the nations to be the womb through which He would birth salvation for all of mankind through the Messiah Jesus. Let us continue to show her His love by warning her of the wrath to come and give her the opportunity to not only “flee to the Mountains,” (Matthew 24:16), for her physical protection, but also to the much higher ground of the salvation that is found only in their Messiah Jesus; the Messiah they have rejected, who is so willing to have them return to Him and His promised land of eternal life.

From what I read, the nation of Israel was actually established this month in 1948.  The UN voted on various things the year before to set the scene, but the official establishing was 75 years ago in 1948.

So if you hold a particular view, then you see real significance in these verses from Matthew 24:

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place."  (verses 32-34)

The fig tree is generally thought of as a metaphor for Israel. So many believe this happened when the nation of Israel retuned to her home to become a nation again, almost 2000 years after being dispersed (70 AD). This is remarkable and something unheard of, that has never taken place with any country over that significant period of time.  And Psalms 90:10 it tells us regarding a generational time span,  "As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years."

Therefore many think this prophesy of Jesus in Matthew 24 regarding His return to the earth (in the preceding verses), if the above reasoning is correct, will come to pass before May of 2028, which would be 80 years.  (and if it doesn't, then back to the proverbial drawing board for the umpteenth time . . .)

I'm not a date setter, because it was made abundantly obvious that this is a futile effort.  However, we can know seasons . . .

[NConly]

1 hour ago, Biblican said:

Secondly, as Israel was given 40 years to hear the gospel in her own land before her destruction in 70AD, so God is also permitting her to hear the gospel before her second captivity.

I see this in Hosea Ch 1 and Ch 6: 1-2

2 Peter 3:8 Psa 90:4

Luke 21:24;;; Matt 26:31;;; Zech 13:7

last John 10:11

[AdHoc]

2 hours ago, Biblican said:

In 1947 the nation of Israel was established for the purpose of providing a homeland for the Jewish people. Since then Jews have been flocking to Israel, and in some cases many of them receive help from organizations that have been established for that purpose.
     While on the surface this may all seem wonderful, when we carefully examine the scriptures, an ominous scenario begins to emerge.

The so-called Olivet Discourse was in answer to a three-fold question in Matthew 24:3; "Tell us, ...
1. when shall these things be? and
2. what shall be the sign of thy coming, and
3. (what shall be the sign) of the end of the AGE (aoin - Gk.)?

The Lord's answer is subject to two assumptions:
1. We assume that He intended to inform the four disciples who asked these questions. That is, there is no attempt to mislead or hide things
2. Jesus knew that no private interpretations are allowed (2nd Pet.1:20)

If these be true, we have a clear natural division of Him answering these three questions ;
1. How it would affect the Jews living at the end of the age
2. How it would affect the Church members living at His coming
3. how the Nations, or Gentiles who survived the Great Tribulation and were alive at His coming

From our Lords comments on the Temple, until the gathering of His elect from the four winds - everything is Jewish in the context. The Temple, Jerusalem, Judea, Daniel, the Abomination of Desolation and our Lord's arrival on Mount of Olives are all Jewish i nature. Even the preaching of the gospel in all Nations pertained to Israel because we can see from Galatians 2 and the letters of Peter, James and John, that these disciples were to preach to the "circumcision". As to the gathering of the Elect "AFTER the tribulation of those days", only Israel was dispersed to the four winds and only Israel will be collected from there (Jer.49:36, Ezek.37:9). But abruptly our Lord turns to a PARABLE in 24:32.

Our Lord specifically told His inquiring disciples in Matthew 13:39 that parables were only for the Church (or Believers/Disciples). And from verses 32 onward to 25:31 the Lord addresses HIS "servants" and "Virgins" on their performance and whether it would be enough to qualify them as co-kings with Him when He came back. The Lord only gives one "sign" - the Fig Tree. The rest of His address to His disciples address MORAL issues. Then, from Chapter 25:32-46 our Lord tells what "ALL NATIONS" can expect when He comes. They will be judged on how they treated Christians and Jews (the least of His brethren) who had to go through the Great Tribulation.

Now, we know from above and 2nd Peter that private interpretation is forbidden. That leaves only the Bible and nature to explain parables, allegory etc. A Tree then is a king and his kingdom (Judges 9, Daniel 4 and Ezekiel 31). And the leaves of a Tree are its covering - its "Garment". As we see from Adam and Eve and Revelation 19:7-8, a Garment is one's WORKS. The Fig Tree then shows Judah starting to keep the Law again. When our Lord Jesus cursed the Fig Tree it had leaves but no fruit. that is, Judah was no longer breaking the Law but its works of Law were not motivated by zeal and thus had no fruit. James could steal on Monday and sacrifice on Tuesday and be keeping the Law. But God wanted a heart that abhorred stealing.

Now the crucial point in all this is that explaining the Fig Tree with the 14th May, 1948 is private interpretation. The parable does not make its point with the Tree, BUT WITH THE BLOSSOMING LEAVES. The "sign" is not the establishment of the Tree, but the budding of the leaves. And the Law of Moses is intimately bound with the TEMPLE. The Law of Moses can only be exercised if a Temple is standing because Deuteronomy 12, 14 and 16 lay down Laws that make the temple center of these Laws. But the Temple standing is brokered, all or in part, by the Beast. It is the Beast who "strengthens" THE Covenant that Israel has in Daniel 9, and the only Covenant that has the daily oblation is that of Sinai and Moses.

The Fig Tree blossoming then is a sign of the last seven years or less of the AGE. 2nd Thessalonians 2 confirms this late day because it tells us that we must see "The Revealing" of the man of sin. (2nd Thess 2:3).

The Fig Tree might, or might not be revealed on the 14th May 1948. But the blossoming of leaves needs the Temple.

[Alive]

12 minutes ago, AdHoc said:

3. (what shall be the sign) of the end of the AGE (aoin - Gk.)?

Is there an assumption made as to what does He mean by 'end of the age'. What age and when?

[Vine Abider]

9 minutes ago, Alive said:

Is there an assumption made as to what does He mean by 'end of the age'. What age and when?

I'm assuming He meant the age of grace, which we're in now, which then ushers in the kingdom age (for dispensationalists). 

[Alive]

11 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

I'm assuming He meant the age of grace, which we're in now, which then ushers in the kingdom age (for dispensationalists). 

I am interested in what the Lord meant. If these things are seen through the Darby lense, there is little hope of a lack of bias. It seems to me, the primary position of context comes from who Jesus came to address.

[AdHoc]

31 minutes ago, Alive said:

Is there an assumption made as to what does He mean by 'end of the age'. What age and when?

 

6 minutes ago, Alive said:

I am interested in what the Lord meant. If these things are seen through the Darby lense, there is little hope of a lack of bias. It seems to me, the primary position of context comes from who Jesus came to address.

Let scripture answer. In Ephesians 2:7 it tells us;

"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."

This theme is mentioned again in Ephesians 3:5 and 3:21 again. In Colossians 1.26-27 we have "ages PAST" in which the Church was not revealed and Christ not dwelling in men.

 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

It seems safe to say that not only does the Greek mean a period of time bounded by events, but that God even changes His "economy" in this different ages. It would seem from the context and the content of the questions in Matthew 24:3 that the end of the age was marked by the Second Coming of Christ. Also marking this time would be the change of government from grace to the rod or iron. And if so, the age began with the first advent of Jesus because He came in "grace and truth" to replace Moses.

Darby did not need to be introduced. The word "age" and "ages" was in the bible already. All Darby did was formulate it like Newton formulated gravity in his fourth law. Whether a Christian allows it or not, the fact is Jesus came, and a different age started. He will come again and again a different age will start. The change of the age is by far the most prophesied event in the Bible. I do believe that there are about double the prophecies concerning it compared to our Lord's first advent.

[Alive]

This does not give assurance of what Jesus meant…more assumptions.

I suspect He meant the end of the age of the Jewish hegemony in God’s redemptive plan…rending the veil and later the destruction of the temple.

This idea is as valid as another.

[Your closest friendnt]

8 hours ago, Alive said:

This does not give assurance of what Jesus meant…more assumptions.

I suspect He meant the end of the age of the Jewish hegemony in God’sredemptive plan…renting the veil and later the destruction of the temple.

This idea is as valid as another.

This is acctually happened the end of the age of the Sinai Covenant...

Which included the end of the Sabath Day rest. 

And we can follow the trail of the signs Jesus left that the end of the Sabath Day rest is at hand...

When he was healing the sick even the sick sinners on the Sabath Day and was saying this is what the Father is doing and he has asked me to follow Him...

The Sabath Day rest came and was codified in the Sinai Covenant.

Edited May 17, 2023 by Your closest friendnt