Here's to the 'real millennials'
There's a lot of talk about the "millennials" these days. Then again, they make up names for the generations that followed them. Those born from 1995 to 2009 are called Generation Z. Then those born between 2010 to 2024 are Generation Alpha.
Why are generations marked for 14 years? I have no idea. But the trend began with "millennials," being born at the eve of the second millennium, before 2000. Members of that generation would live most of their natural life in the third millennium since the birth of Jesus.
It's interesting to me that the way we judge time in the world today, like it or not, Christian or non-Christian, is on the foundation of Jesus' brief life on Earth.
It's been about 2,000 years from that time, so we're in the year 2022. We also measure the time before Jesus lived by the clock that was reset centuries later according to the time of his birth. Any time period before Jesus lived is counted backwards, if you will. We call the period 1,000 years before he lived 1000 B.C. – or before Christ. The year 2022 is labeled A.D. – which stands for a Latin phrase meaning "in the year of our Lord."
Of course, not surprisingly, some people in the world today would like to obscure those time references, thus the effort to refer to B.C as BCE, for "before common era" and to change the A.D. abbreviation to CE, or "common era." The effort has never really caught on except for in public school and university textbooks, but … whatever. It's a shame!
Can you think of any other life in the world that more profoundly affected the world, even down to the measure of time, than Jesus of Nazareth? Have you ever thought about that?
There are more than 7 billion people in the world today. Only a little more than 1 billion identify as Christians. Yet, all of us, all over the globe, count the years according to the calendar-changing events of His life 2,000 years ago.
You would think that fact alone, if were really understood and pondered, would be enough to grab the attention of people everywhere in such a way that would cause them to investigate this person. Sadly, most people in the world have no idea why this year is 2022. Of that population of 7 billion, probably those we call "millennials" are more clueless about it than earlier generations.
Ironically, I believe most millennials today will eventually find out. That's because they're young enough to become "real millennials." What are "real millennials"? They will be people alive when Jesus returns, which I suspect is very near. Those who are alive at that time will see Jesus' return, and most will come to believe He is the Messiah, the Son of God, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Creator of heaven and Earth. The thousand-year period following Jesus' return is sometimes called "the millennium," which is why today's "millennials" will very likely become "real millennials."
According to the Bible, it will be a time of peace, justice, abundance and paradise – like the Garden of Eden, we're told in Isaiah 51:3 and Ezekiel 36:35.
But you don't have to be one of today's "millennials" to live in that world. I plan to be there, though I'm not at all sure I will be alive to see Jesus' return. That's because all human beings who ever lived will be judged by Him in His Kingdom to come. Even most Christians don't know this or think about it much if they do. But the Bible is clear about that. (Acts 10:42, Acts 17:31, 2 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 4:8, Hebrews 10:30, Revelation 11:18, Revelation 18:8, Revelation 20:12-13.)
You know where that world is? It's right here on Earth, good old terra firma, not in the clouds, not in heaven. It's a Kingdom after all with Jesus as King.
Why do I think today's "millennials" and Generation Z, A and B will be the generation that sees this fallen world restored to perfection?
The real reason is because of God's timeclock. You didn't know God had a timeclock? He does. And it's tied to the reborn, resurrected, revived nation of Israel. In Matthew 24:32-34, in speaking about His return, Jesus said: "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."
What does the fig tree have to do with His return? Throughout Scripture, Israel is likened to a "fig tree." You might recall the passage in Matthew 21, in which Jesus, coming across a fig tree, looks for fruit and finds none. He curses the tree and it withers and dies that very instant. It was symbolic of the faithless generation of His time on Earth. He was not welcomed as the Messiah and King, but instead rejected by most and crucified. When Jesus comes again, he will be returning to Israel, to the Mount of Olives, to Jerusalem, where He will be welcomed by His brethren, who will say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," or in Hebrew, "Baruch haba beshem Adonai." (Matthew 23:39)
It stands to reason that His brethren had to be back in the land to welcome Him. In fact, it was so foretold by all the prophets.
Not only are His brethren back in the land in 2022, but the population of Jews living in Israel is greater, according to some estimates, than the population of Jews outside of Israel. If not, the ratio is very close, with more Jews arriving every day from foreign lands their ancestors fled to generations before. The Bible foretold of the exodus from Israel and the return. And we see the fig tree being restored before our eyes.
This should be Good News to every person who would like to see the world restored as it was intended by God before the fall of man – especially "millennials" who have an open heart for Jesus. Amen?
"The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament" by Joseph Farah is available in both hardcover and e-book versions.
ALSO: Get Joseph Farah's book "The Restitution of All Things: Israel, Christians, and the End of the Age," and learn about the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith and your future in God's Kingdom. Also available as an e-book.
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