#S5-006: What You Need to Know about Israel as the Fig Tree [Podcast]

What You Need to Know about Israel and the Fig Tree

The disciples asked Jesus about the end of the world in Matthew twenty-four. In the last podcast, we’ve looked at the Tribulation timeline up to and including the Battle of Armageddon. Right on the tail end of these comments, Jesus instructs His disciples to look at the fig tree and to learn it’s lesson. When it puts out leaves, you know that summer is near. What did He mean by that? Should we know about the fig tree as a symbol for Israel? What is the lesson we are to learn? That’s what we are going to take a look at in this week’s Light on Life.

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You can view a basic transcript of this podcast at the bottom of this section.

Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This weeks call is:

Jesus is coming again. That’s a Bible fact. It’s as real a fact as Jesus first coming was. But just like Jesus first coming, many didn’t believe it. The same is true of His Second Coming. Where are you in these truths?

Join the Conversation

Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believers life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

Question: The Great Tribulation is no cake walk. It ends with the horrific Battle of Armageddon. How does that thought motivate your heart to live solely for God? Please leave your comments in the comments section below.

Episode Resources

You can find more information on the subject of the End Times by clicking on the links above.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago. And he had served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 37 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com

Podcast Notes:

Israel as the Fig Tree: Basic Bible Background on Figs

As Jesus taught on the end of the Tribulation, He interjected these words about the fig tree.

Matthew 24:32–35 (ESV) — 32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The common fig is mentioned some sixty-six times in fifty-five verses in the Bible.
They first make their appearance in Genesis 3:7 where Adam and Eve used the leaves of a fig tree to cover their nakedness after they sinned.
Along with grapes and pomegranates, it was one of the fruits brought back from the Promised Land by the spies to prove the bountifulness of God’s provision.

Figs in the Old Testament

Numbers 13:23 (ESV) — 23 And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs.

Deuteronomy also lists the fig tree as a benefit from God to His people.

Deuteronomy 8:7–8 (ESV) — 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,

The fig has a ‘sweet’ reputation.

Judges 9:11 (ESV) — 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’

This tree can grow up to thirty feet in height.
And, its trunk can measure three feet in diameter.
A wasp pollinates the fig tree without which it cannot set its fruit.¹
As much as the fig tree was a blessing to man, it became a casualty of God’s judgment when Israel plunged into abominable idolatries.

Jeremiah 8:13 (ESV) — 13 When I would gather them, declares the Lord, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them.”

Typically, the fig tree produces fruit twice a year.
‘Winter’ figs bear fruit in June.
‘Summer’ figs bear fruit in August or September.

The Fig Tree as a Symbol of Israel

There are two verses which liken Israel as a fig tree as far as I can tell.
One verse is in the book of Hosea.

Hosea 9:10 (ESV) — 10 Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers. But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved.

This same passage likens Israel to grapes.
The meaning of this will become important to you in a minute.
The second verse is in the book of Jeremiah.
One writer said these words about another passage in Jeremiah twenty-four.

Jeremiah received the vision of two baskets of figs, which represented Israel: “Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah” (Jer. 24:5).²

Israel as the Fig Tree in Jeremiah: Good and Bad Figs

Jeremiah 24:1–4 (ESV) — 1 After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers, and had brought them to Babylon, the LORD showed me this vision: behold, two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the LORD. 2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten. 3 And the LORD said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”

Israel as the Fig Tree in Jeremiah: What the Lord Said about the Good Figs

Jeremiah 24:4–7 (ESV) — 4 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 5 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7 I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

Israel as the Fig Tree in Jeremiah: What the Lord Said about the Bad Figs

Jeremiah 24:8–10 (ESV) — 8 “But thus says the LORD: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. 9 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them. 10 And I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.”

The Meaning of Jeremiah’s Vision

The core of this passage is a vision which the Lord gave to Jeremiah the prophet.
In the vision, the Lord shows the prophet two kinds of figs, one stash of good figs another stash of bad figs.
The good figs are very good and exceptional.
The bad figs are very bad, putridly bad.
The scripture uses the word ‘horror’ to describe what happens to the disobedient.
Remember that: disobedience is a nothing but a horror show to the Lord.
The blessings of God fall on the good figs.
They pour in on those who obey the commandments of the Lord.
In context, that meant Israel was obeying the Word of the Lord to leave the land, leave their homes and go into exile.
The curses fell on the bad figs, those fella’s, who refused to budge.
They are the disobedient people who refused to obey the directive of the Lord.
God wants His people to be good figs.
Good people know the Lord.
Good people ‘hearken’ to His voice.

What Does the Word Hearken Mean?

The word ‘hearken’ doesn’t just mean to listen.
We’ve thought that’s what it meant.

Deuteronomy 28:13–15 (KJV) — 13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: 14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. 15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

The Hebrew word ‘hearken’ doesn’t only mean to listen.
It means to listen AND obey.
Those listen and obey are good, yes very good figs in God’s sight.

Israel as the Fig Tree: The Parable of the Fig Tree in Luke

Luke 13:6–9 (ESV) — 6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

Bible Background of the Day

With that thought here’s the Bible background of the day.
This Bible background piece comes from ‘Manner and Customs of the Bible’ by James Freeman.
Commenting on fruit trees in the midst of vineyards, he says.

“Vineyards were not devoted exclusively to vines. Fruit-trees of various kinds were planted within their limits. The ancient Egyptians planted their vines and fruit-trees in the same enclosure. This was done when a winemaker desired a subtle addition of another flavor, such as apple, or in this case, fig, in the wine. It was common knowledge that wine carried within its bouquet and taste, a hint, or subtle bouquet, of its neighboring plants and those plants that made use of the soil prior to the vine.³”

So, it was common for fig trees to be planted in a grape vineyard.
Fig trees and grape vines together are the same thing we’ve already seen in Hosea 9:10.
Israel is likened as a fig tree full of figs and as grapes.
Jesus knowing this, gave forth this parable about a particular fig tree in a grape vineyard.

The Meaning of Jesus Vineyard Parable

Let’s look at the meaning of the parable together.
Who is the man who comes looking for fruit from His fruit tree?
It’s God the Father.
The nation of Israel is as the fig tree.
One reason the Father God sent the Son into the world was for the nation of Israel.
Jesus said it Himself.
He came as a ‘sent-one’ to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

Matthew 15:22–24 (KJV) — 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Jesus ministered obediently and faithfully to that end.
His ministry totaled approximately three years and 1/2 years.
At the point of this parable, He is already most of the way through this ministry time.
According to this parable, it’s about three years into His life’s work.
In the parable, Jesus prays to the Father asking for one more year.
God granted that but afterward, judgment fell.
The lost sheep choose to stay lost.
They rejected Jesus for the most part.
The crowd when presented with the opportunity to call Jesus their own cried out for His crucifixion.
In the mind of the Father, after Israel rejected Jesus, the tree, the nation of Israel was cut down.
This judgment manifested physically on AD 70 as we mentioned in a previous podcast.

Not Everyone Rejected Jesus

Eleven of the twelve handpicked disciples followed him.
Five hundred more disciples also signed up to be His disciples.

1 Corinthians 15:3–6 (KJV) — 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

These disciples are the good grapes of this vine-dressers vineyard.

When Jesus Curses the Fig Tree, Does He Curse Israel?

Matthew 21:18–19 (ESV) — 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

Mark’s version of this adds that the time of figs was not yet.

Mark 11:12–14 (KJV) — 12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Jesus cursed this tree because it was abnormal.
When leaves appear on a fig tree, there’s supposed to be fruit.
They appear in unison.
Seeing the leaves on the tree, Jesus expected to find fruit on it.
When He didn’t find it, He knew he was the presence of a bastard tree.
Fruit bearing trees are supposed to bear fruit.
It’s the expected thing.

Like the Fig Tree, Believers Are Supposed to Bear Fruit

Like the fig tree, believers are supposed to bear fruit.
You know as well as I do that there are some ‘so-called believers’ who have all their leaves in place.
They look real.
They even seem to act real.
But when you look closer, you find that they are not real at all.
On their best day, their lives are nothing but a forgery.
Their walk is a sham of the Spirit life.
Jesus cursed the tree.
What do you think that means for the hypocritical?
That’s one question we could ask, here’s another one.
Do you think there might be any connection between this tree that Jesus curses and the parable Jesus gave about the fruitless fig tree in the vineyard?
Could it be that Jesus was showing Israel as the fig tree and what would happen to them because of their rejection of the plan of God, just a thought.

The Lesson of Israel as the Fig Tree

Let’s put all of those together as we look at Jesus Tribulation remarks concerning the fig tree.

Should We Plug Israel as the Fig Tree into Matthew 24?

Now based on what we’ve heard so far it would be easy to plug Israel into this Jesus statement about the fig tree and come up with the idea that we all are supposed to be monitoring Israel.
But, you need to remember one thing before you go that route.
You need to remember that Matthew twenty-four is in chronological order.
Should we monitor what happens to Israel as the fig tree based on this passage?
Ought believers be keenly clued into all things Israel?
Should we watch Israel as the fig tree?
It certainly doesn’t hurt to do that.
But, the timeline shows that Jesus made this statement at the end of the Tribulation period.
What is He doing here then?
Jesus is using an analogy.
He is saying that just like the leaves mean that the fruit is there, know that when you see these ‘Tribulation events’ THAT generation is the one.
It is the one that WILL NOT pass away until all these things take place.
What generation is that?
Well, it’s not our generation.
It can’t be.
The Church is out of here by the time these events take place.
Jesus is referencing the generation that takes part in the Tribulation.
He is saying this generation is the generation that will not pass away until all these things take place.
Not your generation.
Not the generation in which we live.
The generation which experiences the Tribulation.

References:

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Plants,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1711. ↩
https://believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=1075 ↩
James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, Manners & Customs of the Bible (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 508. ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

#S5-006: What You Need to Know about Israel as the Fig Tree [Podcast]

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Jesus is coming again. That’s a Bible fact. It’s as real a fact as Jesus first coming was. But just like Jesus first coming, many didn’t believe it. The same is true of His Second Coming. Where are you in these truths?

Join the Conversation

Question: The Great Tribulation is no cake walk. It ends with the horrific Battle of Armageddon. How does that thought motivate your heart to live solely for God? Please leave your comments in the comments section below.

Episode Resources

You can find more information on the subject of the End Times by clicking on the links above.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Podcast Notes:

Israel as the Fig Tree: Basic Bible Background on Figs

Figs in the Old Testament

The Fig Tree as a Symbol of Israel

Israel as the Fig Tree in Jeremiah: Good and Bad Figs

Israel as the Fig Tree in Jeremiah: What the Lord Said about the Good Figs

Israel as the Fig Tree in Jeremiah: What the Lord Said about the Bad Figs

The Meaning of Jeremiah’s Vision

What Does the Word Hearken Mean?

Israel as the Fig Tree: The Parable of the Fig Tree in Luke

Bible Background of the Day

The Meaning of Jesus Vineyard Parable

Not Everyone Rejected Jesus

When Jesus Curses the Fig Tree, Does He Curse Israel?

Like the Fig Tree, Believers Are Supposed to Bear Fruit

The Lesson of Israel as the Fig Tree

Should We Plug Israel as the Fig Tree into Matthew 24?

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Jesus is coming again. That’s a Bible fact. It’s as real a fact as Jesus first coming was. But just like Jesus first coming, many didn’t believe it. The same is true of His Second Coming. Where are you in these truths?

Join the Conversation

Question: The Great Tribulation is no cake walk. It ends with the horrific Battle of Armageddon. How does that thought motivate your heart to live solely for God? Please leave your comments in the comments section below.

Episode Resources

You can find more information on the subject of the End Times by clicking on the links above.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Podcast Notes:

Israel as the Fig Tree: Basic Bible Background on Figs

Figs in the Old Testament

The Fig Tree as a Symbol of Israel

Israel as the Fig Tree in Jeremiah: Good and Bad Figs

Israel as the Fig Tree in Jeremiah: What the Lord Said about the Good Figs

Israel as the Fig Tree in Jeremiah: What the Lord Said about the Bad Figs

The Meaning of Jeremiah’s Vision

What Does the Word Hearken Mean?

Israel as the Fig Tree: The Parable of the Fig Tree in Luke

Bible Background of the Day

The Meaning of Jesus Vineyard Parable

Not Everyone Rejected Jesus

When Jesus Curses the Fig Tree, Does He Curse Israel?

Like the Fig Tree, Believers Are Supposed to Bear Fruit

The Lesson of Israel as the Fig Tree

Should We Plug Israel as the Fig Tree into Matthew 24?

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