How many generations past Israel becoming a nation does the Bible say the end times will come?

Answer 1

The Bible doesn't say "how many generations." Nor does it talk about "Israel becoming a nation"... in so many words. The Bible mentions Jerusalem becoming a "...cup of trembling unto all the people round about..." and "I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for ALL PEOPLE: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE EARTH be gathered together against it." (Zech.12:2-3 KJV)

Reviewing world history... we can see that it wasn't until "Israel declared itself a state in 1948" that it became a "cup of trembling to all the people in and around Jerusalem." And it wasn't until 1948 that Jerusalem and the Middle East became a BURDENSOME STONE for ALL THE NATIONS ON EARTH.

It's from this starting point, prophetically, that the servant of God may be watching world events for the final fulfilling of the end time prophecies. The Bible doesn't say "how many generations" will pass until that time... but that:

"...THIS GENERATION [the generation that sees Jerusalem become this global threat to world peace] SHALL NOT PASS, till all these things [all the things Jesus lists in the previous verses] be fulfilled." (Matt.24:34 KJV)

These prophecies, then, in conjunction with what we have seen in world events, are saying that the "generation born in 1948"... who are the "BABY BOOMERS" of today; the generation that is presently in various stages of RETIREMENT... shall not all pass away before the final phases of God's plan will see their fulfillment when Jesus Christ returns to save the earth.

God doesn't lay down a "time limit" on the events He lists for His servant to watch for. He says:

"WATCH YE THEREFORE, and PRAY ALWAYS, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things THAT SHALL COME TO PASS, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:36 KJV)

Same verse; New Living Translation[NLT]: "KEEP A CONSTANT WATCH. And PRAY that, if possible, you may escape these horrors and stand before the Son of Man."

William's New Testament [WNT] says: "But EVER BE WATCHING and ALWAYS PRAYING, so that you may have strength [physically and spiritually; emphasis mine] to escape all this that is going to take place, so you may take... your stand in the presence of hte Son of Man."

Weymouth's New Testament [WEY] says: "But BEWARE OF SLUMBERING; and EVERY MOMENT PRAY that you may be fully strengthened to escape from all these coming evils, and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man."

The Bible speaks of being in continuous state of physical and spiritual readiness for the LORD's return "through constant communication with Him in PRAYER"... and by "WATCHING for the fulfillment of all of the chronological end time prophcies" as they occur -- no matter what generation in which you live.

But it was in 1948 that Jerusalem became the prophetic "burdensome stone" for the entire world. The world is blinded by Satan to this phase of the "end time fulfillment" of Zechariah's chapter 12 prophecy... but the servant of God may know from it, that "that generation who first saw its fulfillment" [the one born in 1948] is looking to RETIRE in certain nations that promote and dream about such an eventuality.

In other words... that generation is reaching the point of beginning to DIE OFF! And Christ tells us that EVERYONE of that generation will NOT see death before He returns.

"So WHEN YOU SEE THESE THINGS TAKING PLACE [not; 'sit back and count so many generations'], you must Understand that THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NEAR." (Luke 21:31 WNT)

And: "WHEN THESE THINGS BEGIN TO TAKE PLACE [not 'sit back and count generations'], look up and lift your heads, for YOUR DELIVERANCE IS DRAWING NEAR." (verse 28)