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Many people, Christian and non-Christian alike, have some special day which they are anxiously waiting for. For some people, it might be an upcoming birthday, or perhaps their wedding anniversary. For others, it may be the start of a new job, or perhaps the beginning of a long-awaited annual vacation. For a young person, it could be the day in which he or she graduates from high school or from college. For a small child, the day of arrival of a cute pet dog or cat is sure to be the source of their anticipation. In very similar fashion, a married couple might eagerly await the arrival of their first child.

If you ask a Bible-believing Christian what day they are waiting for, don't be surprised if you get an assortment of answers which are very different from those days which are provided by non-believing people of the world. For example, some Christians will certainly tell you that they can't wait for the day when they'll leave this temporary life via death in order to go be with the Lord in His Kingdom. Likewise, at the top of some Christians' lists will be the day of Jesus' return to the Earth. Directly related to this, and occupying an equal place at the top of some Christians' lists will be the day of the Rapture.

So as you can obviously see, depending on who you ask, and depending on whether or not said person is a Christian, you will undoubtedly receive a wide variety of responses to the question "What special day are you waiting for?"

Of course, I am no different. As such, I too have a day that I am waiting for. However, I suspect that many of my friends and readers will be rather surprised to learn that the day I look forward to is none of the days I previously mentioned to you. Depending on who you are, I suspect that some of you will even be shocked when I tell you precisely which day it is. To add even more mystery, allow me to inform you that I do not eagerly anticipate this day. In fact, neither am I even particularly excited about it. To pique your curiosity even further, let me also inform you that I honestly don't know when this special day will arrive.

Yes, I can imagine that certain of my Christian friends are probably saying to themselves right about now, "Oh, come on now, Bill! If it isn't the day of the Lord's return, or the day of the Rapture, what day could you possibly be waiting for that you don't know the specific date for? Is it perhaps the day of your death? After all, nobody knows that exact date." Sorry, my friends, but it is not that day either. So, now that I have built up the suspense to some degree, and hopefully have your full attention, I am going to be honest, spill the beans, and unravel the mystery for you. Are you ready? Are you sure? Warning: You may not like the answer! Okay, well, since you insist, here we go.

Now as many of my Bible-knowledgeable Christian friends and readers will be aware, in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, we find the Lord speaking the following words to His followers:

"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."


As many of my readers will also be aware, Jesus spoke these words after He shared with His listeners a series of events which would transpire before His return to the Earth. If one reads the chapter in its entirety, he or she will discover that this important message -- which today is referred to as the Olivet Discourse, because it occurred while they sat on the Mount of Olives -- came about as a result of the Lord's Disciples curiously asking Him the following two questions, which themselves were prompted when Jesus told them that one day in the future, King Herod's magnificent temple would be destroyed:

"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"


Jesus then proceeded to describe false christs arising, nations at war, famines, earthquakes, plagues, persecution against Believers, false prophets and widespread deception, the propagation of the Gospel message, the Abomination of Desolation, the Great Tribulation, and the destruction of Jerusalem which would lead up to His return and the rapture of the Saints. It is then that Jesus mentions the fig tree, and informs the Disciples that "This‭ generation‭ shall not‭ pass‭‭, till‭‭ all‭ these things‭ be fulfilled‭‭."

As I point out in various other related Bill's Bible Basics articles such as "Modern Deceptions: Return to Israel, the Fig Tree and This Generation", "Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?", and "Modern Deception: Shall a Nation Be Born at Once?", in our modern day, there are many Christians who are convinced that when Jesus mentioned the fig tree, He was prophetically speaking of Israel being declared a nation on May 15, 1948. This historical event occurred at the end of the British Mandate when David Ben-Gurion -- who was the President of the Jewish Agency for Palestine -- declared the formation of the state of Israel. Furthermore, some of these same Christians will even point to the following verse which is found in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, to prove that their understanding of the fig tree symbolism is correct:

"Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."


Based on their understanding, these same Christians remain quite convinced that what Jesus was actually saying was that He would return to the Earth before the generation which had witnessed the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948 had passed, or had all died. Sadly, while they may not realize it quite yet, by so fervently embracing this interpretation, they have unknowingly and unwittingly set themselves up for a great disappointment, as I will now more clearly explain to you.

As I more fully explain in the aforementioned articles, as well as in other articles such as "Fight Against Futurism", what I just described to you is a doctrine, or theological perspective, which has become known today as Futurism. Quite simply, Futurism is a rather misguided belief system which takes ancient, already-fulfilled Bible prophecies, and tries to apply them to our modern times as if said prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. This deceptive belief system began making inroads into our Christian faith -- in Great Britain as well as in the United States -- about two hundred years ago through individuals such as John Nelson Darby, Margaret MacDonald, and William Miller and his Millerites, who all believed in the soon return of Christ, and the rapture of the Saints.

Sad to say, ever since that time two centuries ago, we have watched as one foolish individual after another -- including some very popular and famous preachers -- has made misguided predictions -- and even set specific dates -- regarding the so-called rapture of the Saints, the beginning of the Great Tribulation, the return of Jesus Christ, and related events. Tragically, there's now an inescapable and undeniable truth which is indelibly marked on every single individual who has made these misguided claims. That mark is that to this very day, every single one of them has been wrong. It is because of this gross failure that we must all STOP and honestly ask ourselves why it is that all of their predictions and dates have so miserably failed. After all, there must be a clear reason, right?

Yet despite all of these very obvious misinterpretations and misguided predictions, to this very day, the false doctrine of Futurism continues to stubbornly persist. To be honest, it is really disappointing, and it really saddens me, to see how many of my online friends have been deceived by it. It seems that every time I scroll down my Facebook news feed, I eventually encounter some of my Christian friends who are spouting off the tenets of the Futurism doctrine. It was in fact for that very reason that I authored articles such as "Facebook False Prophets and Misguided Teachers" and "Please Stop Misinterpreting the Scriptures", which are listed at the end of this same article. Just click or tap on the link to be taken to them.

Now, so as not to come across as seeming to be condescending or acting like some know-it-all, let me inform you that as I clearly explain in my series "Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?", not that long ago, I too was quite deceived by the doctrine of Futurism. I was first exposed to it as a teenage Christian during the very early 1970s. So why did it happen to me? Quite simply, because I had not yet acquired a firm foundation in the Scriptures. Thus, I eagerly embraced the false doctrine of Futurism, and I also fervently shared it with others for the next forty years, until 2011 when the Lord finally opened my eyes to Scriptural truth.

Being as I amply discuss all of this in the aforementioned articles and series, I see no need to repeat it here. Let me just say that if you honestly and sincerely want to know all of the whys, wherefores and Scriptural reasons surrounding my personal withdrawal from Futurism, then please consider reading those articles, which, as I said earlier, you will find listed at the end of this same article, with clickable links.

You may recall that earlier I mentioned that, in my opinion, Christians who embrace the Futurist theological perspective are unknowingly and unwittingly setting themselves up for a great disappointment. They have in fact set their very own trap without even realizing it. So why do I say this? Well, consider again what Jesus said while sharing His Olivet Discourse with His followers:

"This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."


Now do you see it? Please remember that the dear Christians who embrace Futurism are totally convinced that the phrase "this generation" is referring to the generation of people who were alive when David Ben-Gurion first declared Israel a nation state on May 15, 1948. My friends, the simple fact is that as I update this current article, it is April 2, 2025. That historic event occurred almost seventy-seven years ago! Now are you starting to understand the Futurist dilemma that is slowly unfolding?

Now, we can argue about exactly what a generation means in the Scriptures, and precisely how many years constitute a Biblical generation. However, regardless of what figure we arrive at, I think that it should be rather obvious to you that the 1948 generation is possibly already passed, or it will conclude in the not-too-distant future. Look; even if we choose to be extremely generous and assign one hundred years to a Biblical generation, that still means that if we choose to accept the Futurists' understanding of the phrase "this generation" -- not my understanding -- we only have another twenty-three years until we reach the one hundred year mark in 2048.

In other words, my dear friends, according to the Futurist perspective, Jesus has to return by or before 2048 in order for their interpretation of the phrase "this generation" to hold true. Now do you see the problem? Now do you understand why I said that Futurists have unknowingly and unwittingly set their own trap? If Jesus does not return by that year at the extreme end of this current generation, what does that say? Exactly what does it mean?

My friends, I am sure you already know. Quite simply, what it means is that everything the Futurist-leaning Christians have believed, taught and preached regarding the endtimes and the return of Jesus Christ has been dead wrong. It has been an absolute lie and a terrible deception. Not a word of it was true. It also means that all of the divisive online debates which have occurred between Christians regarding a Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib or Post-Trib Rapture, the identity of the Antichrist, the meaning of the Mark of the Beast -- all of it -- have been a total waste of time, just a bunch of hot air and a useless and foolish exercise in utter futility. If Jesus doesn't return by 2048 at the very latest, Futurism will completely fall apart, and it will be exposed for the devilish lie that it has always been. Think about that!

Now let me emphasize again that what I have just shared with you is what the Futurists believe. It is most certainly NOT what I personally believe. In fact to be clear, I don't even believe that a generation is one hundred years long. Based on my personal understanding of the Scriptures, it is 70-80 years at best. But that is not all. If you carefully study some of the aforementioned articles and series, what you'll discover is that since my own personal epiphany thirteen or so years ago, I am no longer convinced that the phrase "this generation" even applies to our current times.

At any rate, if instead of one hundred years, we accept a biblical generation as being only eighty years, and apply it to what the Futurists believe, what that means is that if we start counting from 1948 when the modern state of Israel was declared, "this generation" will end in three years in 2028. Uh-oh! That presents a very major problem for the Futurist's timeline. After all, where is the Antichrist beast? Where is the False Prophet? Where is the Jewish temple? Where is the seven-year holy covenant? Where is the daily sacrifice? Why hasn't the Great Tribulation begun yet? Where are all of the events which Futurist-leaning Christians are convinced must happen in a clear sequence before Christ returns if there are merely three years remaining until we reach the 80-year mark which theoretically concludes "this generation"?

So to reiterate, the way the Futurists interpret the phrase "this generation" as well as the Parable of the Fig Tree to mean the rebirth of Israel in 1948, is the real clincher. It is the absolute deal breaker. After all, we can only stretch the term "this generation" for so many years before it begins to look quite ridiculous. The time has to eventually arrive when Futurist-leaning Christians reach a point where they're finally willing to admit that "this generation" is finally over, Jesus has clearly not returned as they expected, their understanding of the Matthew 24 verses was quite obviously dead wrong all along, and on top of it all, they so unwisely deceived literally millions of Christians along the way.

Please understand that I do NOT judge or condemn my brethren for this. After all, as I have already made clear, I too was just as deceived for forty years of my adult Christian life. I pretty much believed that very same sequence of events as many of them still believe. I openly preached the very same things as well. So it is not for me to stand on my soap box and self-righteously condemn them. However, I do repeatedly strive to steer them to Scriptural truth as I understand it, even though some of my online friends really don't like it, and do not agree with me. Well, at least not yet.

This brings us to the title of this article. In a word, I am personally and absolutely convinced that at some point, time itself will reveal the full truth regarding all these Bible prophecy-related matters. So to answer the mystery question that I posed at the beginning of this article, the day that I am waiting for is the day when the Futurists finally come to their senses, and realize that a full generation has now passed since 1948, and Jesus has not returned based on their erroneous interpretation of the Scriptures, and their sadly misguided expectations.

When that day eventually arrives, they will have no way to get around their error, because they will no longer be able to distort and pervert the meaning of the Biblical phrase "this generation". Now, while I've stated that I'm waiting for the day when this spiritual awakening occurs, and the Futurist deception melts away, let me clarify that I do not believe that it's just suddenly going to happen in a single day. I don't embrace the idea that there is going to come a day when all of the Futurist-leaning Christians suddenly get a flash of revelation on the very same day. Well, it could happen, but I seriously doubt it.

In other words, I think that there is probably going to be a gradual process of awakening. It may very well occur over a period of years as these misguided Christians slowly realize that they have been deceived. In fact, I even suspect that this awakening process has already begun to occur, and that perhaps I was a part of it thirteen years ago in 2011-2012. Hopefully, the day will arrive when the vast majority of my online Christian friends, and all Christians everywhere who still embrace Futurism, will finally abandon that deception.

My friends, if such a day should arrive, quite frankly, I will be both very happy and very relieved, because at long last, all of the current doctrinal arguing and bickering which we constantly see occurring online, will finally end, and all Christians will be forced to acknowledge the truth, whether they like it or not. At long last, spiritual unity will prevail, and NOT the current spirit of contention and confusion. God's truth alone will then prevail, and NOT the misguided doctrines of men! Lord, I pray that you will let it happen soon! Amen! In closing, let me share some of my favorite Bible verses with you regarding spiritual unity:

". . . Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell TOGETHER IN UNITY!"


"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"


"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, as we are . . . THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be ONE IN US: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, even as WE ARE ONE: I in them, and thou in me, THAT THEY MAY BE MADE PERFECT IN ONE; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."


"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be ONE FOLD, and ONE SHEPHERD."


"That ye may with ONE MIND and ONE MOUTH glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."


"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all SPEAK THE SAME THING, and that there be NO DIVISIONS AMONG YOU; but that ye be perfectly joined together IN THE SAME MIND and IN THE SAME JUDGMENT."


"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of ONE MIND, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."


"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in ONE SPIRIT, with ONE MIND striving together for the faith of the gospel;"


"Fulfil ye my joy, THAT YE BE LIKEMINDED, having the same love, being of ONE ACCORD, of ONE MIND."


"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace . . . That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."


"For God is not ‭the author‭ of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.‭"


"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."


With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Abomination of Desolation: Explained!
Are You Flexible?
Facebook False Prophets and Misguided Teachers
Fight Against Futurism!
He That Shall Endure Unto the End
Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word
In the Ages to Come
Is Elon Musk the Antichrist?
It Is Time to Wake Up!
Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?
Modern Deception: Shall a Nation Be Born at Once?
Modern Deceptions: Return to Israel, the Fig Tree and This Generation
Please Stop Misinterpreting the Scriptures
Should Christians Engage in Doctrinal Debates?
The Day of the Lord: What It Really Means
The Last Seven Years Chart
The Misguided End of the World Predictions of Harold Camping
The Office of Prophets and Teachers
The Woman in the Wilderness and the 144,000
Understanding the Bible in Context
When Was Satan Cast Out of Heaven?
Who Hindered the Antichrist?
Who is Babylon the Great?

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