Matthew 24:32-35
“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.”
King James Version
The parable of the fig tree — when its signs appear, the end is near, 'at the doors'; and the saying that 'this generation shall not pass' till all is fulfilled.
Fulfillment References
Matthew 24:34 Luke 21:29-32 Mark 13:28-31 Matthew 16:28
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal'My words shall not pass away' — the one Lord's word is surer than heaven and earth; His people watch and are ready.
JewishReading the signs of the times as one reads the season from the budding tree.
CatholicThe call to discern the nearness of the end from its signs, with Christ's words enduring forever.
ProtestantThe signs signal nearness; 'this generation' is debated — the generation seeing the signs, the Jewish people, or the AD 70 generation.
OrthodoxWatchfulness for the signs of the Lord's nearness.
DispensationalOften read of the generation that sees the end-time signs (some link the fig tree to Israel) living to see the end.
Academic'This generation shall not pass' (24:34) is a major crux — its scope (AD 70, the end-time generation, or the Jewish people) is central to interpreting the whole discourse.
Scholarship & Sources
Matthew 24:34 ('this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled') is the discourse's central interpretive crux: preterists read it of the AD 70 generation; futurists, of the generation seeing the end-time signs; others take 'generation' (genea) as 'this kind/people.' One's answer largely shapes one's reading of the whole Olivet Discourse.
Open the full interactive entry →Cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.