Mark 13:28-31
Introduction
Remember that the Olivet Discourse began when the inner circle of the disciples asked Jesus two related questions. You may also recall that I told you in the second study on the Olivet Discourse that in Verses 5 to 31 Jesus answers the question, “what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” And so, in this study we are going to look at the final part of His answer.
Bear this in mind as we examine the passage in detail.
Verses 28 to 29
In these two verses Jesus is talking about the coming of His Messianic Kingdom.
In Verse 28 Jesus uses the life of a fig tree to make a point. He had in mind the kind of fig tree that was very common in Israel. It is a deciduous tree which means that it sheds its leaves in the autumn and doesn’t produce new leaves until the following spring. In the spring, it blossoms and its leaves start to grow. Then it produces figs in the summer. You can tell which season you are in by looking at the fig tree.
Remember, this is a parable. So, what does summer represent? It is the arrival or establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. So, what is Jesus telling us through this parable? The answer is found in Verse 29.
Let’s take a look at Verse 29. ‘These things’ are the signs that occur during The Tribulation and immediately afterwards. The signs can be found in Verses 5 to 26. The signs are for those who are saved during The Tribulation. And the purpose of the signs is to reassure the believers during The Tribulation. They will help the tribulation saints to persevere in the midst of great suffering and persecution, knowing that Jesus is coming soon.
Verses 30 to 31
Notice how Jesus starts Verse 30 with the words, “Truly I say to you.” This means that Jesus is about to tell us an absolute truth.
Notice as well that Jesus uses the words, “will not pass away” in both verses. These words convey certainty. What Jesus is saying in these two verses is certain. When Jesus says, “this generation will not pass away” we can be certain of it. And when Jesus says, “My words will not pass away” we can be certain of that as well.
Let’s examine the first certainty. What does Jesus mean by ‘this generation’? A generation is commonly seen as a period of 20 to 30 years. If this is what Jesus meant by a generation then all of the events that Jesus has been describing in the Olivet Discourse must take place within in the timespan of a generation at a certain time in history. If this is what Jesus meant then which generation is He talking about? Was it the generation that was around at the time He gave this discourse or was He talking about a future generation?
It can’t be the generation that was around at the time He gave His discourse because some of the things that Jesus spoke about have not happened yet. For instance, the abomination of desolation in the temple hasn’t happened yet. Some people say that it happened in 70AD when the Romans sacked Jerusalem but that can’t be the case because Jesus said that when you see the abomination of desolation take place flee to the mountains of Judea. However, by the time the Romans had reached the temple it was too late to flee to the mountains because Jerusalem was surrounded. And besides, the Romans didn’t put an idol in the temple.
And the Second Coming of Jesus hasn’t happened yet unless it was invisible. But that can’t be because Revelation 1:7 tells us that every eye will see Him coming on the clouds.
So, is it a future generation? This is a reasonable conclusion but Jesus is saying something more profound than that. So, I ask again, what does Jesus mean by ‘this generation’?
I believe that He is talking about a certain type or quality of people. It is something that we find throughout the bible. There are certain people that the bible calls the ‘unbelieving generation’. This generation is not limited to 20 to 30 years. This generation has existed since the time of Adam and Eve and will continue to exist until the Second Coming.
Let me show you from the bible. Turn to Deuteronomy 32:5. In this verse Moses is talking about the whole of Israel. He is saying that they are not God’s children. They are not God’s children because they don’t believe in Him. They are an unbelieving generation. I should point out that this was not true of all of the Israelites.
Now turn to Mark 9:19. In this verse we see Jesus calling His disciples an unbelieving generation. He is saying that because of their lack of faith they are no different to the unbelieving world.
Now turn to Philippians 2:15. This time Paul is using the same terminology that Moses used in Deuteronomy 32:5. This is an unbelieving generation.
So, both Moses and Paul described the people of their time as being an unbelieving generation. Bear in mind that there is a 1,400-year gap between Moses and Paul. They are talking about the same people, so it can’t be a 20-to-30-year generation. No, they are talking about a certain type of people who are characterized by unbelief and that is what Jesus means by ‘this generation’.
Now let’s examine the second certainty in Verse 31. What does Jesus mean when He says that heaven and earth will pass away? He is telling us that one day the heaven and earth that currently exist will come to an end and will be replaced by new ones. We see this in Revelation 21:1.
In Verse 31 of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus is telling us that there are things such as heaven and earth that will come to an end but His words will never end. Everything that Jesus says can be utterly relied upon. They will never be rescinded. And that includes everything He said in the Olivet Discourse.