Luke 21:29 – “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near.”
Matthew 24:32-33 – “Learn a lesson from the fig tree: When its branches become green and soft and new leaves appear, you know summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to come.”
Mark 13:28-29 – “When the fig tree branches begin to bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. Likewise, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.”
The meaning of the term “all these things” is relatively easy to determine, as Yeshua has just told us: there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. There will be great deceptions and many false christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, days like those of Noah and Lot, and earthquakes in diverse places. Now, what about the trees?
Many are very good at seeing scripture through a Greek mindset. However, they often forget that most, if not all, terms in the Newer Covenant have been fully defined by the Older Covenant and that scripture, even the Newer Covenant, is all written from a Hebrew mindset, no matter what language it is written down in. One must first determine how a word or expression is used in the Older Covenant before defining its use in the Newer Covenant. Because they rely on a Greek mindset, they often miss the most accurate or fullest interpretation. The Greek mindset, relying on Greek definitions, can only go so far.
The Many Trees
Isaiah 55:12 – “You will go out with joy and be led out in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees in the fields will clap their hands.”
Throughout scripture, both nations and individuals are symbolized as trees. Judges 9:8-16 uses trees to describe Abimelech and the houses of Jerubbaal and Millo, Jotham, and the people of Shechem. Daniel 4:10-28 uses the image of a tree to represent Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 10:33 talks of Assyria as the top boughs of a tree. Isaiah 44:24-28 says that all the heavens and earth are to “shout joyfully” when Jacob (Israel) is redeemed. Not only are the Jews to rejoice, but all nations (the trees). This same theme is repeated in Isaiah 49:13.
Isaiah 55:12-13 uses tree imagery to depict the many peoples who will clap their hands with joy when the thorns and biers become fir and myrtle trees at His coming. Ezekiel 31:3-15 depicts Assyria as a cedar tree, and the other nations as fir, chestnut, and other trees. Zechariah 11:1-4 repeats this theme, also depicting Assyria (Lebanon) as a cedar trees, and the peoples of Bashan as oaks. Ezekiel 17:1-24 calls Babylon a cedar tree that spreads itself out like a willow tree.
The Fig Tree Is Israel
Matthew 21:19 – “Seeing a fig tree beside the road, Jesus went to it, but there were no figs on the tree, only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, “You will never again have fruit.” The tree immediately dried up.”
But just who or what is this fig tree that Yeshua refers to? In order to understand the time of His imminent return, one must first determine who that fig tree represents. Hosea 9:10 states that the patriarchs are the firstfruits of the fig tree. Joel 1:6-7 tells us that Israel is the ruined fig tree whose bark has been stripped ethnically, nationally, and geographically. Jeremiah 24:2-8 states that the good figs are those Jews who went into captivity, and the bad figs those Jews who rebelled against the Babylonians or who went down to Egypt.
Luke 13:6-9 expounds upon the vineyard spoken of in Isaiah 5:1-7. Luke tells us that the fruit is from the fig tree in the vineyard (see especially verse 7). In Matthew 21:19, Yeshua curses the fig tree. In this passage, the fig tree specifically is a representation of the Jewish leadership from whom He had expected to find some fruit after three years of teaching in the Temple, but also has the wider representation of the nation of Israel and the land of Israel as well, which forty years later began to wither and die. Both the nation and the land remained dead until the Jews began to return in the early 1900s.
Luke 21:29-31 – Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they begin to bud you know that summer is and the kingdom of God is already near.
Luke speaks of both the fig tree and all the trees. These trees represent both Israel and the other nations that sprouted up at about the same time: Lebanon 1943, Jordan 1946, Syria 1946, Egypt 1952. And are not these the nations that are constantly in daily news reports at this time? Are not these the very same nations listed in Psalm 83 as those nations that come against Israel to wipe her off the map. Clearly, the generation that has seen both the fig tree and all the trees put forth their branches is our generation.
When Yeshua Returns
Psalm 96:11-13 – “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before Yahweh, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.”
Again, trees is an idiom for people and nations. In Psalm 96, all living beings are commanded to praise Yahweh. This same theme is repeated in Psalms 108, 113, 115, and 146. When Yeshua returns, all the trees will sing for joy. We know that we are in the season of Yeshua’s return because the fig tree, and all the trees, have budded.
Ezekiel 17:24 – “Then all the trees of the field will know that I, Yahweh, bring down the tall tree and raise up the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree bear fruit. I, Yahweh, have spoken; and I will do it’.”
The Trees are all human beings. Yahweh will raise up some nations and people, and others will be forever removed. Isaiah 19:23-24 speaks of a highway between Egypt, Israel, and Assyria. All three peoples will be blessed and worship together.
The Death of the Trees
Leviticus, Chapter 26, outlines a pattern for any country or peoples that He has established when they refuse His ordinances and statutes and one of the predictions is that the land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit.
The Native American peoples also have numerous End Times Prophecies. The Iroquois and Mohawk Prophecies say the end of the world will be near when the trees start dying, when nothing will grow in the garden, when water will be filthy and unfit to drink, and when there would be diseases we’d never heard of before.
Conclusion
Scripture is not the only source that refers to Israel as the fig tree. Even secular writings do so. One such source is “The Apocalypse of Peter”, written in Egypt about 135CE. Therefore we can rightly conclude that Israel is absolutely the fig tree Yeshua is referencing.
The fig tree and all the trees have budded. The many trees are the many nations and peoples of the world.
And what does Yeshua say about the time when one sees the fig tree bud? When we see all these things, we are to look up, for the time of his return is near. Until that time, we are to occupy, and continue occupying until he returns and fully establishes the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Final Thought for 2023
The stage for Yeshua’s return is being set. Prophecy continues to unfold in an escalating pattern as foretold by the Hebrew prophets. The season of the birth pains is here – they are burgeoning and not going away. Time is short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon – be sure you have salvation in Yeshua and keep busy reaching the lost.
NOTE: Originally posted in August 2012
Rapture Parallels, Patterns, Pictures, and Types 