Are we in the end times?
People thought they were in the end times, even while the Bible was being written. James 5:8, …the Lord’s coming is near. Hebrews10:25, …as you see the day approaching. Martin Luther thought he was in the end times; Shaker, Emanuel Swedenborg thought it would happen in 1757; American Baptist, William Miller thought it would happen in 1844,
But the key to the timing is: who has Jerusalem? Who had Jerusalem when Jesus was here? The Romans. The Jews haven't had Jerusalem in 2,000 years. In Luke 21:24 Jesus is specific on the timing, Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
In Matthew 24:1-2 Jesus says the temple to be destroyed. In next verse the disciples ask him, Tell us when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Jesus describes various end time cataclysms and events, then says in verse 32, Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these thing have happened. Why the delay? Paul explains in Romans 11:25, …Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. (The fig tree represents Israel; see Lk 13:6, Joel 1:6-12).
But now something new has happened. Although in the past different people thought they were in the end times, it is only recently that Jerusalem came under the control of the Jews. After World War 2, in 1947, Israel became a nation. But some argue that they only got half of Jerusalem at that time and did not get all of the city until the 6-Day War of 1967. Still others note that the Dome of the Rock is Moslem ground, but they don't realize the Jews leased that ground back to the Muslims - negating that issue.
OUR GENERATION
Jesus said that the generation that witnessed this particular end time event, Jerusalem in Jewish hands, would certainly not pass away before he returned. So how long is a generation? Ps 90:10, The length of our days is 70 years or 80. Isa 23:15, …70 years, the span of a king’s life. Even in the Bible, a person with access to good food and healthcare lived 70 years. From birth to death, the typical life span of a generation is 70 years.
Therefore, 1947 + 70 = 2017 as a possible date for the return of Jesus in the Second Coming.
But we have another date: 1967 + 70 = 2037. Which one is right?
The Second Coming falls into the range from 2017 to 2037, depending on which date God is using - it could happen at any time in that range - our generation will certainly see it. There will be signs, Jesus said, that will inform the watchful observer; signs that unbelievers will either be blinded to or scoff at. But if we worry about every little thing that happens in the news and its end time implications, it will drive us crazy and get our focus off Jesus. So read the What's Next? piece to see what larger, definitive events we are looking for - events that will conclusively tell us the Great Tribulation has started.