Fig Tree Generation Rapture in 21 Days?

As anyone knows who has been following this blog, I have been following the Fig Tree Generation prophecy and at the same time growing a fig tree in a pot in my back yard over the last year or so.

What is the Fig Tree Generation prophecy? I have gone into this in previous posts, but just to briefly recap, Jesus Christ made several references to fig trees during His ministry, all of them somewhat prophetic, and comparing His nation of Israel to a fig tree. The last reference was in the last week of His life during the Olivet Discourse, where he makes an enigmatic reference to a generation that would not pass away till all of the end time events take place...

The Parable of the Fig Tree (Matthew 24)
32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Now, the question has always been, how long is a generation? There have been different ways of estimating the length of a generation, but the Bible does offer a solution (let Bible interpret Bible, as has been said by many good Bible teachers) in Psalm 90:10:

10 The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Now, I did not by any means construct this timeline myself, but if you calculate 80 years from the day that the modern nation of Israel was formed after the British Mandate in Palestine ended on May 14, 1948, you end up with May 14, 2028.
What some have said though, is that the 7 year tribulation, of which many of the events are described in Matthew 24, must end by May 14 2028, so if you back up 7 years from that date, you get to May 14 2021, which as of today is about 21 days away. (It's Saturday April 24 in Australia but on the other side of the world in Israel, the Sabbath which began on April 23 at sunset is just getting under way).

So, is it likely that in 3 weeks the rapture will happen, or will this be yet another failed exercise in date setting, as many of the naysayers out there have already been saying? Let's just say, that just after the fig tree generation passage in Matthew 24, Jesus makes another enigmatic remark which gives us a clue to the way things will be just before His coming:

No One Knows the Day or Hour
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Of course, some have tried to say that this means that no-one should try to predict the date of the rapture. If you read the whole passage though, the conclusion Jesus makes is that we need to be ready, as He may well come when we are not expecting Him. There's kind of a reverse psychology to this too. Those who say that if someone predicts a date, therefore it must be wrong. This however, means that those who say this will not be expecting the rapture. You see how that goes?

The other thing about this passage, is that life seems to be pretty normal before the coming of the Son of Man - eating, drinking, marrying, etc, so just as the world seems to be emerging from lockdowns in many places, people might be breathing a sigh of relief and going back to getting on with their lives, so it isn't wise to completely rule out the idea that the rapture could happen at a time like this. I, for one, will be paying attention, and hoping and praying for the soon return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.