'Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place.' Then the Lord offers a second guarantee, contained in an often misunderstood statement in verse 34: When the world reaches the stage he describes, and the possibility of the coming of the Lawless One looms on the horizon of current affairs, then 'he is near, at the very gates.' We are now nearing the end of two thousand years of history and each man can judge for himself whether or not the world is approaching these events. History will confirm his predictions as it unfolds. The trend of world events is the guarantee that he has been telling the truth about the future. What the Lord means is that as history unfolds and it becomes apparent that the world is heading toward the conditions he describes, then men can be very sure that his coming is near. Luke tells us that he said this is not only about the fig tree, but also of 'all the trees' (Luke 21:29). Of course that is perfectly true, but that is not what he is saying here. Some have misread this to mean that the fig tree is a symbol for the nation Israel and that the Lord means to say that when Israel shows signs of life as a nation that then the end is near. Everyone knows that when the trees begin to put forth their leaves it is an infallible indication that summer is near. It is another pattern from nature which illustrates the point he wishes to make.

So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.' 'From the fig tree learn its lesson as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that sumer is near. Even Jesus anticipates a certain degree of honest doubt, for at this point in his discourse (verse 32) he breaks off his description of the last days to give three powerful guarantees that all he has said will actually come to pass. In fact it would be rather strange if you haven't. If you have, you are not the first one to do so. How can we be sure all this will happen? No doubt you have asked that more than once before now.

Like the thief in the night