Welcome to Studies with Stearman.

Join us as we look deeper into the Bible.

Strengthen your faith with us, even as we see the day approaching.

And now, here's Gary.

We're going to continue with our discussion of the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 2432, and following.

We're talking about the fig tree parable and today the illustration of the Days of Noah

in the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 2436.

Remember the three key concepts of Bible study. Remember what they are?

Context, context. And the context of Matthew 24 is Jesus answering the disciples' questions concerning their deepest hope, which is the overthrow

of the Gentile world powers and the rise of the kingdom.

And they ask him, when's this going to happen?

Because this is the biggest thing in their mind.

They want the kingdom to come, and they want the Gentile world powers to be overthrown as prophesied

by the Old Testament prophets.

So Jesus answers them and he is answering in the context of Israel.

The church is nowhere in Matthew 24.

Well it may be tangentially present in some ways, but we'll see.

We had just finished talking about the parable of the fig tree and this generation.

We spent quite a bit of time a week before talking about what this generation means.

This generation, in the context of Israel, is the fig tree generation genetically, that is it is the 12 tribes,

but it is also the elect.

It's the spiritually elect from among the 12 tribes.

...