Fig tree symbolizes Israel

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We are judged by our fruits, not by our gifts

MATTHEW 7:16   “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”

God can call a person and give him or her gifts even though the person has not repented.

ROMANS 11:29   “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

MATTHEW 7:22  “ Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

:23     And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Many spiritually gifted people who produced great spiritual works will not even be in Heaven.

They never understood the mysteries of Scripture. The Bible is God’s thinking. If we do not understand God’s thinking, then we do not know God.

Adam and Eve ignored the fig fruits that sustain life and made aprons of fig leaves that formed a deceptive cover-up. They tried to cover their sin which was to produce eternal life in their children through sex. Eternal life cannot come that way for their children. After sinning, guilt made them cover up their sex organs.

Leaves speak of fellowship in the cool shade. But fellowship is easily corrupted into a cover-up for human ambition and opinions.

Pharisees and Sadducees were never mentioned in the Old Testament. These unscriptural religious leaders used the leaves of the fellowship of the Jewish religious groups to create a religious cover-up for their seizure of power over the people. Their religious pretense allowed them to be politically involved and they became professional money grabbers. (Rather like church leaders today). They thus displayed no fruits of meekness towards obeying Scripture and lacked faith in the written Scriptures. The Jews obeyed their religious leaders and were unable to recognize Messiah.

God used a fig tree as a symbol of Israel. 

Israel failed to produce the godly fruits of faith that would enable them to believe the Scripture and then recognize when the Messiah arrived. But they covered up their errors with the leaves of outward religious conformity to human leaders. They listened to their religious leaders rather than obeying the written Scriptures. The religious leaders regarded the Scriptures as a threat to themselves. Jesus called the religious leaders hypocrites. Does history repeat irself?

Solomon had a peaceful reign as the son of David. Symbolic of Jesus in the Millennium or thousand-year kingdom when the Jews rule the world.
I KINGS 4:25   “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.”

The vine and the fig tree represent the true Jews.

Wine represented the stimulation of revelation. They were God’s chosen nation. This was a great privilege. But they disregarded God’s calling as they got politically involved and learned to hate the Romans. Yet, to make money, they did business in Roman coins that had the pagan Emperor’s head on the coins. Then the priests allowed these contaminated coins into the Temple as payment of their tithes. They ended up loving money more than they loved God.

Figs have sweet fruits, symbolizing the fruits of the Spirit. This is what God expects from His people.

GALATIANS 5:22    “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

:23   Meekness, temperance:”

HOSEA 9:10   “I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time:”

The Jews under Moses and Joshua and David and Solomon got off to a good start. They had their human faults but they put God first most of the time.

Micah describes the peace in the final Millennium Kingdom.

MICAH 4:1   “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.”
Daniel saw the final Millennial Kingdom as a great mountain.
MICAH 4:2   “And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
The nations who survive Armageddon will all go to Jerusalem to worship.

Israel will be the main nation in the Millennium. The Jews will rule the earth in peace. Jerusalem will be the main city.
MICAH 4:3   “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

This is one of the most beautiful descriptions of universal peace.
MICAH 4:4   “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.”

Universal peace with the Jews in charge of all the nations. Every man under his vine and fig tree. A simple but peaceful lifestyle.

Fig trees can look impressive with a lot of leaves, but can have no fruit and thus be of no use.

Jesus used a fig tree as a symbol of the Jews being cursed to a life of exile and persecution for about 2000 years.

MATTHEW 21:19   “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”

The Jews fellowshiped together in the Temple and in their synagogues. They had impressive-sounding Pharisees and Sadducees as their religious leaders. But the Old Testament never put these ministries in charge. All they achieved was to teach the Jews to be unscriptural and reject Jesus.

The Jewish congregations looked good but Jesus found no good fruits in the Jews who were about to crucify Him. He cursed the fig tree representing the Jewish nation. They would be conquered by the pagan Romans and dispersed in exile throughout the world. Far away from the land of Israel that God had given to Abraham. They lost the Promised Land and withered away as a nation.

When human leadership and fellowship take over a church, then conforming to the church is of no use to God, Who wants the people to be restored back to the beliefs of the early church.

The seed that is harvested at the end has to be the same as the seed that was planted by the apostles.

Jesus also uses the parable of a fig tree to indicate the end time.

When we see the Jewish nation starting to develop in their homeland, then the end-time is near.

MATTHEW 24:32  “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

:33     So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

:34     Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

In 1948 the Jews won their war of independence to get a small portion of their Promised Land.

In 1967 they won the Six Day War to win a big piece of the Promised Land.

A generation is a vague term. People can live for seventy years or, if strong enough, for 80 years.

Does a generation refer to a lifetime? Maybe. Maybe not.

PSALM 90:10   “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”

Some will live longer, and some will die earlier. On average, a generation, if it means a lifetime, is 70 to 80 years.

The problem is the starting date if we are to apply this to Israel.

Maybe 1947 when the United Nations granted the Jews a portion of the Promised Land.

Maybe 1948 when they won their War of Independence. Then 70 years is 2018, when Jerusalem was recognized as the capital. But if God means 80 years then the end would be around 2028.

But we cannot be sure. We are guessing a starting date and guessing a length of a generation. Both those numbers may be wrong because we do not know when the Lord is Coming.

Maybe God meant 1967, when the Jews won a big portion of the Promised Land in the Six-Day War.

We simply do not know what date God considered as the starting point for Israel to become an independent state.

But these numbers act as a warning that we are close to the end time which may well happen in our lifetime.

Jesus worked three and a half years with the Jews

LUKE 13:6   “He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

:7   Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?”

Jesus had a ministry that had already lasted for three years to the Jews.

LUKE 13:8   “And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:”

Jesus was now in the fourth year of His ministry and would be cut off halfway through the fourth year.

LUKE 13:9   “And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”

Instead of believing in Jesus, which was the required fruit of the Old Testament faith, the Jews rejected and killed Him after 3½  years.

Thus, God allowed the pagan Romans to cut the Jews down under the pagan general Titus in AD 70.  About 1.1 million Jews were killed. The Temple was destroyed. The city of Jerusalem was sacked.

The fig tree and all the trees speak of Israel and other nations becoming independent

The fig tree represents Israel and the other trees represent other nations getting their independence.

The British Empire started to break up in 1947 with India getting their independence.

In the 1960s there was a big move for independence across Africa.

LUKE 21:29   “And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;”

Israel and the colonial nations have got their independence.

So, the end time is at hand.

When? We cannot know. Because God does not want us Gentiles to know the date of His Coming.

LUKE 21:30   “When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

:31    So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”

But for the Jews, God will use accurate numbers.

They will meet Messiah at the end of a 3½ year great tribulation. There will be 144000 Jews who get the Holy Ghost.

Look at the Sixth Seal of great Tribulation.

REVELATION 6:13   “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.”

Stars represent Abraham’s seed. The Jews.

Wind speaks of war and strife.

GENESIS 15:5   “And he brought him [Abram] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”

The Jews are God’s chosen nation but the majority will be destroyed in the 3½ years of great tribulation.

A mighty wind refers to the horror of great tribulation that is coming.

Two-thirds of the Jews will be killed. That is about 12 million Jews.

ZECHARIAH 13:8   “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.”

Two-thirds of the Jews will be cast off as untimely figs.

Only the 144000 Jews will receive the Holy Ghost and be prepared to meet Messiah at the end of great Tribulation.