<p>21:31 <i>Even so, you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near</i>- The structure of the argument suggests that &ldquo;these things&rdquo; specifically refers to the shooting forth of the fig tree:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0>    <tbody>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>Mt. 24:32</p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>Mt. 24:33</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>When Gk.&nbsp;<i>hotan</i></p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>When Gk.&nbsp;<i>hotan</i></p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>His branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves</p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>You see all these things</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>You know Gk.&nbsp;<i>ginosko</i></p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>You know Gk.&nbsp;<i>ginosko</i></p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>That summer is near Gk.&nbsp;<i>eggus</i></p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>That it is near Gk.&nbsp;<i>eggus</i>; Lk.   21:32 &ldquo;That the Kingdom of God is near Gk.&nbsp;<i>eggus</i>&rdquo;.</p>            </td>        </tr>    </tbody></table><p>The &ldquo;Summer&rdquo; meant &lsquo;harvest&rsquo;, and that was a metaphor for judgment. Verse 33 parallels this by saying that &ldquo;it&rdquo; is near. The &ldquo;it&rdquo; may well refer to the destruction of the temple, which is the context of the whole discussion; although Lk. 21:32 supplies &ldquo;the Kingdom of God&rdquo;. The Lord is bringing the discourse to a close by returning to the question which provoked it: &ldquo;When shall these things be?&rdquo;. And He appears to be saying in the first century context that so long as only leaves remained on the fig tree of Israel, then the Summer of harvest judgment upon her was going to come. And yet the Lord here is using language with two or more meanings, as Scripture often does. In the latter day context, He seems to be saying that once spiritual fruit is beginning on the Israel fig tree, then this is the ultimate sign that the ultimate end is near.</p><p>The Lord introduces his Olivet prophecy by saying that it was no use listening to those who said &quot;The time draws near&quot;- instead, he went on to say, 'You must personally match the spiritual and physical situation you find yourself in with what I'm describing'. And at the end of the prophecy, he hammered this home again: &quot;When (the trees) now shoot forth, ye see it, and know of your own selves that Summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things... know ye&quot; (Lk. 21:30,31 RV). The very personal feeling within us that Summer is near is likened to our knowledge of the imminence of the Lord's coming; you can't be told by anyone else that Summer's coming, you see the signs, and you know within your own self. &nbsp;</p><p>Perhaps the very last generation <i>will</i> know the time of Christ's return. &quot;Likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, <i>know ye</i> that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand&quot; (Lk. 21:31). As surely as trees bud and then Summer comes, so when we see the signs of Lk. 21:24-26 in Israel, we will know that the Lord is really at hand. It is only to the unworthy that the Lord comes unexpectedly. The majority of generations, including the disciples to whom Christ primarily spoke those words concerning not knowing the hour, have of course not known the day or hour. But there seems absolutely no point in the Lord giving us <i>any</i> signs if in fact the last generation cannot foresee with some certainty the time of His coming. Surely Yahweh has revealed all His plans to His servants the prophets? As a woman knows within herself the approximate time of childbirth although not the day or hour, so we should know that the day of new birth is approaching- so Paul's reasoning goes in 1 Thess. 5. He warns that for those who do not watch, the day of Christ's coming will be a day of &quot;sudden destruction... as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape&quot; (1 Thess. 5:3). Surely the picture here is of a woman whose time of delivery comes unexpectedly upon her, with complications that result in her dying in childbirth. As a woman who knows the time of delivery is very near will behave in an appropriately careful way, so will the faithful of the last generation who likewise know that the Lord's coming is nigh. The same mixture of seriousness and joyful anticipation will be seen in us too, who are watching and loving the appearing of Christ.</p>