²⁸ “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door. ³⁰ I tell you the truth, this generation^[a] will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. ³¹ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.