Andy Walton - Class 3: The Fig Tree - The Future

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:04

   Right. So here we go. This is now looking at sort of part 3. It’s been a Trilogy of talks on the Fig Tree. So if you remember part 1 was all about the fruit and looking at the figure itself, part 2 was looking at the tree and part 3, tonight is looking at what I’ve called the future.

2. 0:29

   And the reason that I sort of split it like that, I guess. Because to start with, when I was looking at the Fig Tree, I went back to the very first mention of figs, which is all the way back in Genesis chapter 3. So the first talk was really centered on what the on the fruit and the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil and we’ll touch on that again in just a second just to remind you what we talked about then and then the second tour was all about the tree. Itself.

3. 1:03

   So, the first talks about the fruit, the second talks all about the tree itself. And we look to see that the tree was symbolic of Israel as a nation. And tonight, what we’re doing a two things, really. We’re looking at all the references to the Fig Tree in the New Testament in the gospels.

4. 1:23

   And we’re also going to see that. In fact, the Fig Tree is mentioned all the way at the end of the Bible in Revelation and it can. Actually there is an actual Parable in the Jesus told that it’s all about pointing to his to the Future and his future return. So that’s why I thought I’d call this particular talk the future. So just to recap a couple of points that we covered in the last two talks.

5. 1:54

   So the first thing that we talked about was the fact that God planted a garden in Eden, at the very beginning. All of that detailed in Genesis chapters 2 and 3 and in the center of the garden where there were two trees. Actually, of course, there was the tree of life and there was the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil.

6. 2:17

   And it’s that tree that We’ve been looking at during the series of talks where I’ve come to the conclusion and obviously it’s down to who guesses to what you make of this. But I’ve come to the conclusion that beyond all Reasonable Doubt. The tree of knowledge of Good and Evil was a fig tree. Just as we have fig trees today, it was a fig tree. And once you see the tree of knowledge of good and evil as a fig tree there, many Other things start and locking. And there’s lots of passages that take on a new light when you’ve see it in that sense, one of the clues that we looked at that the the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil was a fig tree is the fact of course that as soon as Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and that was at the very second that they ate from the fruit, they knew they were naked and they sewed fig leaves. Leaves together and made themselves aprons. And we basically said well, why would they have wandered around the garden looking for other leaves? Surely if they were data shame, they would have grabbed the nearest leaves to them.

7. 3:33

   And that’s why we’re told that they didn’t go and find another tree. We just told that they found these fig leaves and as we also said, it’s sort of doesn’t make sense really, to have pick fig leaves if you are shopping around for nicely. Leaves because they’re very cause in fact they’re almost son papery on your skin and so it’s sort of unlikely that they wandered around and thought all these are lovely leaves to cover ourselves.

8. 4:01

   With it’s more likely that they grabbed the first leaves that they could find. And clearly the first leaves they were going to find would be the tree that the stood next to. So there’s a big clue. I think that God’s giving us that the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil was a fig tree, the other In the I then looked at was how the fruit itself was pollinated. I’m just going to play that 90 seconds video again, just to set the scene for this talk, so hopefully this works. Okay.

9. 4:35

   And so the pollinated Wast reaches an immature fig, but her journey is far from. Over ahead lies, the greatest challenge of her brief life clawing and squeezing her way through the gate, her wings and antennae are ripped from her. She makes the ultimate sacrifice as the final push to enter burst her abdomen. In an epic struggle, between sacrifice and survival. The mother wasp crawls through the narrow Labyrinth towards the inner chamber.

10. 5:02

    She is wounded and week airing only her eggs and the pollen gift from the former fake. If the WASP fails to pollinate the flowers, No Seeds will ever develop big fruits with no future are costly to the tree. So they will not receive an inflow of nutrients. If the WASP does not pollinate the entire fake may be aborted. However, if she devotes herself to Pollination as well as laying eggs Ginger’s, the Fig will hold the promise of seeds. The tree will pump sugars and nutrients into the Fig, securing the future of seeds and larvae.

11. 5:35

    Like when they mature and leave the fake will ripen thus completing the cycle of mutual benefit today, we are that’s the little video that sort of explains how a fig is pollinated and without going into that all again, that’s all in the first talk but just to recap a couple of things There’s some key phrases that came out of this little video.

12. 6:01

    Some of the phrases were that there was. It’s like an enclosed Garden. The fruit itself. It’s like an enclosed Garden because all the flowers are inside. There’s only one very narrow way in. You heard the phrase there about the ultimate sacrifice. So this little fig wasp is sacrificing itself for the good of the fruit because as soon as it crawls in it, Wings are torn off, its antenna a torn off and it dies. And in fact, the fruit itself somehow rather knows that the Fig wasp has gone in and the entrance is closed. There is no way for the WASP to get back out. You heard the phrase is there about the was being wounded and week.

13. 6:44

    There’s also this phrased about it being devoted to pollination. There’s the promise of seed. So through the sacrifice of the Fig wasp, there is then the promise. Of seeds and you also heard the phrase that the future of the Fig is secured. And what we said was amazingly that the very fruit that Jesus sorry, the very fruit that Adam and Eve ate which was their test at got the solution to their problem. IE their sin in his, in a symbolic sense built within the Fig itself which is just incredible. And to me, that’s another So the major tick in the Box to say this really does seem to point to the Fig Tree, being this tree of knowledge, of Good and Evil.

14. 7:35

    The other thing is, of course, in Jeremiah 24. And this is an interesting passage because it’s talking about the people living in Israel itself. And God speaking to Isaiah talks about a basket with good, figs in it and a basket with naughty, but that is exactly the same word as evil evil fix. So we’ve actually got a reference here in the Bible to Good and Evil figs.

15. 8:05

    So it’s again, another incredible sort of clue that God has left for us. That this is the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. And and so we looked at that in some detail last time. The other thing that we moved on and looked at was the fact that God saw and Still does see Israel itself as a nation as the tree itself.

16. 8:29

    So you’ve almost got Jesus, I guess being like the perfect fruit on this tree and of course, Jesus is not only the perfect. Fruit is also the perfect fig wasp, because the Fig wasp is giving itself as a sacrifice, but Jesus himself. Is this perfect fruit? He wasn’t an evil fruit. He was a very good fruit, so, but the tree of cause and Jesus was Is connected to the tree of Israel because he was a Jew and so he was part of the the this tree of Israel and their in Hosea 9 verse 10.

17. 9:07

    It says I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness nice I saw your father’s as the first ripe in the Fig Tree so what we sort of saying is that the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil had good figs and had evil things. If Like and the idea is for us to become good.

18. 9:29

    Figs. And the only way that we can be good, figs is by accepting the sacrifice effectively of the Fig wasp that goes in. So that’s the sacrifice of Jesus. The only way we can become a fruit that’s edible that you can eat is if it becomes pollinated by the Fig wasp, if the figures and pollinated by the Fig wasp has you Heard in that video. The tree stops giving nutrients to that fig, and it drops to the ground and it’s and it’s useless. So we have to have the sacrifice of Jesus that enables us to become a good fruit.

19. 10:11

    And of course, Jesus was the perfect fruits. And all of us are intimately connected with the tree of Israel, because all of us through the sacrifice of Jesus Jew or Gentile become part of the tree of Israel. And again we looked at that in some detail last time. So in simple terms on on this tree, you’ve got the Lord Jesus Christ as the perfect. Fig and you’ve got the tree itself being Israel as a nation. And what I was then able to do is to say well if these three things are interchangeable, can I look at passages in the Bible? To help me see things in a new light. In other words, you know, the tree of knowledge was a fig tree and the Fig Tree is symbolic of Israel. And therefore, if I read about the fig tree, Can link back to the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden and I can also link forward to something being symbolic of Israel as well.

20. 11:19

    I can also look at fruit so they could be good fruit. And we would expect perhaps some people to be good in relation to the Fig Tree and we can expect some people to be evil in relation to the Fig Tree. So that’s a very quick recap of think. On what we Talked about.

21. 11:41

    So what I wanted to do now is just look at every reference that I could find in the New Testament and it’s actually quite a number of them that reference the Fig Tree or figs. Okay. so, The first time this is looking at it. Chronologically. Okay, so I haven’t, I’m not starting at Matthew Mark. Luke, John and going that way.

22. 12:05

    I’m looking at chronologically the order of when figs are mentioned and if you look at it that way chronologically, then the first time that figs a mentioned or a fig trees mentioned, in this case is with the calling of one of the 12 disciples called Nathaniel is also Mr. Bartholomew I think and in John chapter 1 verse 45, it says these words it says gee feet. Sorry Philip found Nathanael and told him we found the one Moses wrote about in the law about whom the prophets. Also, wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, that’s a Ruth.

23. 12:48

    Can anything good come from there? Nathanael asked, come and see, said Philip when Jesus saw Nathanael approach? Jing. He said to him, he had truly is an Israelite in whom. There is no deceit. How do you know me Nathanael asked? Jesus answered. I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called, you then Nathaniel declared Rabbi you are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel.

24. 13:20

    Jesus said you believed because I told you, I saw you under the Fig Tree. You will see greater things. Than that. So here’s a really interesting calling, if you like of Nathaniel and we’re told specifically that Jesus saw Nathanael under the Fig Tree, and this is obviously blows Nathaniel’s. Mind is perhaps one way of putting it because he is response to Jesus saying that is Rabbi.

25. 13:54

    You are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel. But isn’t it interesting that we’ve got this reference to Fig Tree here? Why we told that? Why does Jesus sort of highlight this? And straight away. By the way, before we think about that, you noticed that there’s some interesting words here. Can anything good come from there? So, we got a reference to good, and we’ve got a reference to fig trees and our minds, go back to the Garden. Don’t they wear those good in the garden? And there’s, there’s things that are evil in the garden. In fact, of course, the other thing that was in the garden was The Serpent and the serpent was full of Deceit. And guile and here is Jesus sayings in the Daniel. This no deceit there’s no guile.

26. 14:43

    There’s no subtlety in uniforms annual. I was looking up about this and I might be wrong. I’ve just read a number of different things about this situation of sitting, under a fig tree. But apparently, it was a common place for prayer, especially for young rabbinic students. So young people, basically, all young men who were training to be a rabbi would go and pray and that for they would often go and Pray under a fig tree.

27. 15:22

    They understood that the Fig Tree was symbolic of Israel. I think they probably understood a lot more about fig trees and even we do and they would, it was a commonplace and to go and pray. The other interesting thing is that the Jewish believer was taught that, he who, when he prays does not pray for the coming of the Messiah has not trade at all. So, in other words, words, the Jews were taught to pray. Every prayer had to include a prayer for the coming of the Messiah and I guess in a sense we do that in every prayer as well.

28. 15:59

    Don’t, we will always pray for the return of the Messiah. And so, it’s quite interesting, perhaps that Nathaniel was, was under a fig tree, praying about the Messiah to come and then lo and behold. Jesus said, I saw you while you were under the Fig Tree and Believe Nathaniel was completely on his own and knew that, no one could have possibly have seen him where he was perhaps. He was in a very isolated place when he was giving the prayer. And so it’s sort of astounded him that Jesus knew that fact. And remarkably, he put two and two together and said, you are the Son of God.

29. 16:41

    You are the king of Israel. He recognized that his prayer for the Messiah to come Come was actually not only answered but was stood in front of him talking to him. And all of this is happening in front of Jesus who seen him under a fig tree. It’s interesting. Of course. That’s Nathaniel’s.

30. 17:06

    First reaction to fill. It was Nazareth. Can anything good come from? There Nazareth is obviously a town in Israel, and it actually means the guarded one or the guarded place. And that made me also think back to Genesis and Eden because Eden was a guarded place because God put the two, Caribbean at the entrance to the Garden as a guard to that, to that garden. And yeah, so there could be some links there. So, as I’ve already mentioned, when we think about Jesus saying to Nathaniel that, there is no deceit, it’s almost an identical word back into the Hebrew where God caused the serpent deceitful, or subtle, or it’s full of guile. Genesis 3 verse 1 says, now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field and Jesus says no Nathaniel. You’re Or not full of Deceit.

31. 18:21

    You’re not full of guile your haven’t, you’re not following the path of the serpent and sin. You are a faithful person and you’re trying to follow me or look for me. And that’s why I’m going to take you from under the Fig Tree. You’re a good fruit that that I can work with and surely there was no better statement that than than Nathaniel could have made. Then recognizing Jesus as the Son of God and the king of Israel remarkable man.

32. 18:56

    And he’s hardly ever mentioned again in the New Testament, but he was one of the 12 disciples The next time we read about the Fig Tree chronologically is the parable of the barren fig tree. So bearing in mind, this is a parable, it’s not a real situation. This is a story. Now that Jesus is telling and all of this occurs in the third year of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and this is in Luke 13 verses 5 to 8. And it’s sort of just before he tells the parable the words that Jesus says are Unless you repent, you too will all perish. And then he tells a parable And Jesus says, a man had a fig tree growing in his Vineyard and he went to look for fruit on it but didn’t find any.

33. 19:52

    So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard for three years now, I’ve been coming to look for the fruit on this. Look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any cut it down. Why should it use at the soil sir? The man replied, leave it alone for one more year and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.

34. 20:13

    If it As fruit next year. Fine. If not cut it down. So this is a story. It’s not a real fig tree in this instance, but there’s quite a bit of detail isn’t that? We given in this short Parable? There’s this Jesus parables are often just a few verses long but have got key bits of information in that can really sort of help you understand what he’s getting at.

35. 20:40

    And it’s got to be significant that in the story. There’s this reference to three years. This This man is been looking for fruit on this fig tree and you can’t find any fruits and he says, that’s it, let’s cut it down. And this, another person’s as well. Leave it alone for just one more year, and let’s see what happens, basically.

36. 21:09

    Well we know don’t we because we’re already said this that the Fig Tree itself is symbolic of the nation of Israel and quite clearly. Therefore Jesus in the parable is referring to the nation of Israel. And if you think about it, Jesus is his role. If you liked what he was doing is he was going around from place to place from place to place.

37. 21:35

    In Israel was looking for the fruit of Pendants. That’s what he was looking for. He was looking for people to listen to him, repent, and to turn to God, it’s exactly the same message that we have today to repent and be baptized. But he wasn’t finding it in Israel. And yes, there were tiny little pockets of it, but en masse he wasn’t finding it. And of course Jesus that when this Parable was given was in his third year of his ministry.

38. 22:10

    And of course we got the reference to for three years. I’ve been looking for some good fruit and I’m not finding any that’s what he says in his Parable and then somebody persuades him too well, leave it. Just a little bit longer. And in fact, from the time that he gave the parable to the point when he was crucified, was only, literally just maybe a few months later, I don’t know the exact number of months, but it was only months later when Jesus was crucified and of course, at some point after that, which we going to look at Israel was going to be removed from being a nation. So that was his Parable, there’s a great warning really to those who were listening to him and I’m sure most of the people listening to him, especially his Jewish audience, would have known exactly what he was getting at because they, I think they did understand that Israel was symbolic of the fig tree. I look back because I was looking at these words that Jesus was saying and of course, John the Baptist before Jesus really came along with saying exactly the same thing. He was saying in Luke chapter 3 verse 8 and 9 bring forth, therefore fruits, worthy of repentance and begin, not to say, within yourselves.

39. 23:35

    We have Abraham to Our Father. For, I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children. Children and Abraham. In other words, you can’t just say because we’re related to Abraham, we’ve got a free ticket into the coming Kingdom. He said, you can’t, you’ve got to have fruits worthy of repentance and look, what look what John the Baptist says. And this is really Jesus’s echoing John, the Baptist words later on because John the Baptist said and now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees, every tree. Therefore, which brings not, Forth. Good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire, so John the Baptist as well.

40. 24:18

    Even though he doesn’t mention the Fig Tree is giving an identical message. What Jesus does is really focusing, not on the trees. He focuses in on the specific tree which is the Fig Tree, which is Israel.

41. 24:37

    We then come to the next chronological incident of a fig tree and you might well have missed this one or bypassed it because it doesn’t say fig tree as you see there on the slide. I’ve got Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree but a sycamore tree was a type of fig tree. It was a it was basically a tree that was full of bitter figs and it was known as the sycamore tree. Yeah, but it is, as I say a fig tree, but there aren’t any figs that you can eat off this particular tree. All of them are bitter.

42. 25:16

    So we read in Luke 19 verse 2 to 6. It says, and behold. There was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans and he was rich. So he was basically a tax collector and he sought to see Jesus who he was, and he couldn’t because of the press because he was little of staff. Yeah, and he ran before and climbed up into this. Sycamore tree to see Jesus for he was to pass, by that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him and said unto him, Zacchaeus make haste and come down for today, I must abide at thy house and he made haste came down and received him joyfully.

43. 25:59

    Now isn’t this incredible that we’ve got a man sat in a fig tree but But full of bitter, figs. And there is a curious and I would put it to you that in his life. He had been a very, very bitter fig. He had been somebody that had taken an extortion amount of money off people because he was a tax collector and not only that his Allegiance hadn’t been to the nation at all. It had been to the Conquering Nation, the ruling nation and of course, that was the Empire of Rome. So here’s Allegiance was effectively back to Caesar. And so we’ve all the sort of things that you could possibly get in.

44. 26:46

    If you’re thinking of a fig as being a person either good or or evil in this, you know, there is a curious in this tree epitomizing, everything to do with bitterness and a fruit that was not one that you could do anything with. But of course, there’s a curious one. Thing to see Jesus. He absolutely wanted to see Jesus and as we’ll see in the next couple of verses Zacchaeus completely repented. And so Jesus encourage Zacchaeus to come out of that bitter tree. You notice that he says come down make haste get out of that tree.

45. 27:28

    Jesus is saying and and follow me. So when we look at what happened next, In verse 8 of Luke, 19 Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord behold Lord, the half of my goods, I give to the poor. And if I’ve taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

46. 27:53

    Which is a lot more than even the law that asked him to do. And Jesus said unto him, this day is salvation comes to this house for so much as he also is a son of a Abraham for the son of man is to is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

47. 28:13

    So Zacchaeus Was a lost fruit and Jesus through his teaching at impacted Zacchaeus to the extent that he completely repented. And not only said the words I’m sorry said I’m not just going to say I’m sorry to people I’m literally going to restore what I have taken from them when I shouldn’t have. Done. so again, to me, this is an amazing thing, especially when you can link it back to the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil and all that symbology that we’ve looked at So, now we move on again.

48. 28:52

    And now we’re in Mark chapter 11, and we’ve got these very interesting situation here. Now, this is not just the last year, of Jesus’s Ministry. We’re now in the last week of Jesus ministry. And what we’ve got here is Jesus cursing and actual fig tree. So, whereas, before the one that we looked at was a parable where the, in the parable, the man wanted to Shut the whole thing down here.

49. 29:23

    What we’ve got is a real fig tree. So in Mark 11 verse 11, it says Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve the next day as they were leaving. Bethany Jesus was hungry seeing in the distance, a fig tree and leaf. He went out to find if it got any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves because it was not the season for figs.

50. 29:53

    Then he said to the tree, may know one, The eat fruit from you again and his disciples heard him, say it in the morning. As they went along, they saw the Fig Tree withered from The Roots, Peter remembered and said to Jesus. Rabbi look the Fig Tree, you cursed has withered Now. There’s one thing that I’ve highlighted on their in bold there because it seems a very odd thing to do.

51. 30:23

    Jesus is walking past the Fig Tree and looking for figs, he doesn’t find any. But he actually says there in the Bible that it wasn’t the season for figs. And Jesus seems to be extremely frustrated by the fact that there weren’t any figs even though it wasn’t the season for figs. And then he curses The tree and says right well you’re never going to grow any fruits again and the next day they walk by and lo and behold from the very Roots itself. The whole fig tree had withered from Top while no, not from top to bottom from pop from bottom to top, isn’t it? Because it was the roots first.

52. 31:07

    So the the million-dollar question is well why did Jesus curse this fig tree? When it wasn’t the season for figs? That seems a bit of a harsh thing to do and the answer is quite remarkable.

53. 31:24

    Because what we haven’t covered at all. In any of the talks so far is that there are in fact, two crops of figs, but the first crop, which is in towards the end of March is basically, they called Brebeuf figs and they’re not really figs. They’re, they’re almost like very small really can see there it in the text, that’s on the screen, there’s small little knobs.

54. 31:53

    They’re tiny little things that they’re not real figs at all. They’re like as it says there and early Forerunner and they grow to the size of almonds or almonds. I should say. And what used to happen was that peasants and servants? If you like, would would take these and eat them because they weren’t ever harvested, they’ve got very, very little value, it wasn’t really the fruit, but he is the Very interesting thing. The interesting thing is that these little tiny green almonds appeared when the leaves appeared. So the leaves would come at the same time as these little bread be fix.

55. 32:38

    But if the if there’s no bread Burrs on the Fig Tree, it will never produce real fruit. When the crop is supposed to come, which is in September time. So in March, you get these little tiny, almond type figs aren’t real fruit. And then later in September, you get the true figs. But without the Preppers, you will not ever get the actual fig because for some reason they the two things are sort of connected.

56. 33:15

    And so Jesus, when he looked at this fig tree and it must have been in the March time and obviously very close to, to his sacrifice. Which we know was that time for that time of year, he goes and he is another thing. Of course, Jesus is a servant. He was, let’s call him a peasant, he was the lowest of the low and saw himself as a servant to everyone and there. He was looking for these tiny little brothers to eat and there weren’t And because of that, he said you’re not going to produce any fruit, they will be no figs on you and therefore, he cursed it.

57. 33:56

    Now, of course, this isn’t just Jesus falling out with a tree because it didn’t have some fruit on. Jesus isn’t walking around thinking I’m fed up with you tree because you haven’t got little arm and things for me to eat. And I’ve got little brothers are for. I’m just going to curse you.

58. 34:13

    This isn’t what it’s about. And of course, we know it’s not what it’s about, what it’s about. It’s about Israel. Jesus has reached the end almost of his whole journey has been all around Israel, top to bottom, and is now coming into Jerusalem, and he knows that he is going to be condemned and is the the crowds are going to call for him to be crucified? And it’s the culmination of the withering of the nation of Israel itself.

59. 34:48

    There were Some good figs in in the land but very very few compared to the masses and that’s still the case today isn’t it? There’s very very few that truly turned to Jesus and the and the masses turn against him. So when Jesus was cursing, this fig tree, it was basically him cursing, the nation itself and that picture that you can see on the screen there over tree. Is withered away is exactly what was going to happen to the entire nation of Israel.

60. 35:28

    Now, here’s another interesting thing, though, Jesus withered it, he didn’t destroy it. He didn’t actually chop it down. He couldn T, have commanded for that tree to be felled, but he didn’t command for the tree, to be felled, he withered it and it stopped producing fruit and anything that At Withers, as always got the ability to come back to life again.

61. 35:55

    Now, of course, we know in the, in the New Testament in the Olivet prophecy that Jesus went into a lot more detail about the complete withering of the Fig Tree of Israel because he foretold, what was going to happen in ad 70 when the nation of Israel was going to come. So an end and they really the terrible words, they’re really disturbing words in Luke 21:20.

62. 36:30

    This is Jesus speaking to his disciples before. He was crucified prophesying about the time when Israel itself was going to come to an end and I’ve highlighted some phrases are in yellow but our let’s just read a few You of these, when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the Desolation thereof is nigh in verse 22.

63. 36:57

    It says these be the days of Vengeance, woe to them that are with child, woe to them, that are pregnant woe to those who are breastfeeding. There’s going to be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And the Wrath Came Upon all the people living in the land. They shall fall by the edge of the sword and become taken captive into all nations. Now, you might think this is a very harsh thing to have done because, you know, there must have been, you might imagine some faithful people in the land, they’re clearly. Weren’t that many?

64. 37:37

    Because the vengeance is upon the entire on upon the entire people in the entire land. But here’s the interesting thing because in verse 21 that I skipped out, Out. Jesus did give a message to those who would listen to him that they could have fled the destruction that was coming because in verse 21, it says when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those which are in the midst of it, depart out and let them not that are in the countries enter their into it. So in other words, you know, when you see Jerusalem, surrounded I’m Thank you, you need to get out because the days of Vengeance are coming.

65. 38:23

    There’s going to be Roth. People are going to be killed and led away captive and very, very, very few people. Historically looking back. Fled, when Jesus told them to flee, it was a miniscule percentage that he did his words and the vast, but majority stayed in the land and the Vengeance Came Upon them. And again, it’s a lesson to us, all, to listen, to the words of Jesus.

66. 38:49

    And of course, Is all of these, the Desolation, the Vengeance, the Wrath, The Killing, and the Captivity of people came about because of God holding them, the nation accountable for the sacrifice and the killing of his son. That’s why they’ve days of Vengeance and wrath. And that’s what Jesus knew was going to happen.

67. 39:15

    And of course, we know that even A day. I mean, this is an old map. It goes back to 1991 but even now you can see that people have been scattered into the Jews. Sorry of been scattered into all nations on Earth exactly. As Jesus said that they would be but of course it didn’t end there. We know it didn’t the Fig Tree was withered it wasn’t destroyed entirely forever and there’s the little clue as to that. At the end of that little passage that we’ve just been looking at in Luke 21.

68. 39:49

    The end of verse 24, it says that Jerusalem will be trodden down of the Gentiles non Jewish people until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And so there was going to come a point since Jesus. When actually, the Fig Tree is going to Blossom again because Jerusalem won’t be trodden down of the Gentiles. And the logic says therefore that it would be controlled in the future once again, when Israel’s back in the land and of course what we then linked to Is almost the last few passages about the Fig Tree, because in Luke 21 at the end of the passage that we’ve just been looking about looking at Jesus tells a parable of the budding fig tree. So we’ve had the withering of the physical tree a week ago or, you know, when the instance that we just looking at and now we’ve got Jesus telling a Bullet the birding fig tree and Jesus said to them a parable and he said, behold the Fig Tree and all the trees when they now shoot forth, when you see them birding, you see and know of your own selves at Summers. Now, nigh at hand.

69. 41:10

    So likewise, ye when you see these things come to pass know that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. So when you see the fig tree growing again and sprouting again and putting forth its leaves again shooting forth. The kingdom of God is is about to come. It’s nigh at hand verily. I say unto you this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled and of course the Wonder of it all is is that Israel came to an end in ad 70 but in 1948 Israel was born again.

70. 41:48

    The Fig Tree did reappear on planet earth once again almost 2000 years later Israel. Born again, which is, which is absolutely astounding. Isn’t it to think that these things have happened, which must put us in the territory of the kingdom of God, being night at hand. Now, there’s a little phrase there, which a lot of people have thought about and know I have over the years where it says this generation shall not pass away.

71. 42:21

    So the generation that sees the Fig Tree coming to life again will not pass. Us away until everything’s been fulfilled and I’m just going to play you a little video clip. It lasts about two minutes. Hopefully we’ve got a bit of time. Just going to play this little part video. It’s not a christadelphians video, but I think it puts across very well.

72. 42:43

    What? All of this might mean in terms of this parable, One of the most enduring prophetic perspectives is popularly, called the Fig Tree prophecy which some Christians believe the Lord revealed as an end times. Parable in a nutshell, many prophetic students of the Bible who seek to understand the mystery of this Parable revealed by Jesus, at the end of his ministry, conclude that if the Fig Tree represents Israel, then the parable is meant to notify us that the generation that Witnesses The Rebirth of Israel will. Not pass away until the time when Christ comes again to set up as literal, 1000 year kingdom here on the earth. The key to understanding this Parable is to First understand that in a parable, one thing stands for another thing in this Parable, It is believed that a tree isn’t really a tree, but rather a tree stands for a nation, the solution to the parable is not based on trying to figure out the length of generation.

73. 43:54

    But by understanding that though, Those the generation that was born coincidental to the miracle birth of Israel on May 14th. 1948 will not pass away until Jesus returns. After the 7-year Great Tribulation upon his coming, he will destroy the enemies of Israel administer. The sheep and goat judgment and establish his 1000 year kingdom here on the Earth. We read in the Psalms that a man is given a life span of 70 years and if by reason of strength 80 years this is the general time period of man’s longevity and it is true to this day. If you add 80 years to 1948 the year, Israel became a nation. You may end up with the expectation that Jesus will return in 2028.

74. 44:47

    While the birth of Israel is a date fixed is it Possible. That Jesus might return in 2030. Will there still be a remaining part of the generation that witness a rebirth of Israel alive at the age of 82? What about 2033 will there be a remnant of the generation that witnessed Israel, becoming a nation who have reached the age of 85.

75. 45:12

    It is not impossible to imagine, although I believe it is both unlikely and not the correct understanding of the parable. So while these dates are all possible, the one that matches the biblical Revelations Seems to be the 80 years beginning in 1948 and ending in 2028. In other words, the generation that was born the same day. Israel was born.

76. 45:38

    They will reach the age of 80 in 2028. What I have just described is the most common and times prophetic understanding of the parable of the fig tree. That’s quite interesting. Isn’t it to think about this? And what we do? And to do is put dates on it. But clearly Jesus is saying if when you see Israel being recreated in the Fig Tree sprouting forth, then a generation will not pass away, and I think that’s a really important point for us to make the generation will not pass away. In other words, it is going to come back before the generation has passed away.

77. 46:19

    So it might be before 20:28, maybe it’s after, but something, Is definitely putting us in the very, very last days, isn’t it? This Parable, that Jesus is talking about what, however, we want to Crunch the numbers, what everyone to think about, in terms of dates, we know with absolute assurity, that all things will be fulfilled for the generation that saw G the Israel, being reborn on the 14th of May 1948.

78. 46:55

    So, we must be in the very, very, very last days. Because, as we say, the generation shall not pass away till all these things, be fulfilled, which puts the current turmoil in the world with covid and then lurching straight into potentially world war. Three, many of people are talking about that at the moment with the events in Ukraine. And Russia you know, all of this certainly shows us that we really are at the very end of time now. There’s one of the Quick thing, I wanted to mention in relation to this Parable because it isn’t just the Fig Tree. Notice, it says, behold the Fig Tree and all the trees. So Jesus is saying, don’t just look for the birth of Israel look for other trees that are starting to sprout forth. Have a look at this, the addition of Jesus statement regarding all the trees, makes the prophetic Parable even clearer and more compelling.

79. 47:55

    A book could be written and perhaps it has about what happened at the end of World War 1. When the Ottoman Empire that had ruled the entire Middle East, with an iron hand for over 400 years came to an end. And the first part of the 20th century, the Ottoman Empire supported Germany, in the first world war and when Germany lost the war, the Ottoman Empire was dismantled and reassembled by the French and the English. Such a way that they hope the Empire would never rise again. Let me paint these events with the broad brush in order that you might appreciate that.

80. 48:33

    The parable of Jesus was actually a forecast of one of the most earth-shaking events in all human history. The end of the Ottoman Empire and the re-establishment of a dozen, new nation states, with new borders drawn by the English, and the French to keep this simple. Let’s look at the nation states that were re-established.

81. 48:54

    That border Did ancient Israel. The date palm tree began to Blossom as the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 the cedar tree began to Blossom, as the French protectorate Lebanon became a Sovereign Nation in 1943. The palm tree began to Blossom, as Jordan became a sovereign Kingdom in 1946 and the Olive Tree began to Blossom as Syria became a Auburn Kingdom in 1943. The Fig Tree began to Blossom on May 14th, 1948. And if there is any question about the Fig Tree being a picture of Israel, one only need read the gospel narrative. The cursing of the fig tree is not to be confused with the Fig Tree prophecy.

82. 49:47

    They are two separate events. What links them together is a simple fact that Jesus picked the Fig Tree as a picture of Israel. The cursed fig tree was a picture of Israel that Fruitless and therefore useless it was cursed. The parable of the Fig Tree, on the other hand is a picture of the Fig Tree coming back to life. In other words, Israel is reborn and will produce fruit and be a light to the nation, just, as prophesied. When does this happen?

83. 50:19

    The answer is immediately. After the time of Jacob’s trouble, when Christ sets up his kingdom in Jerusalem, and Israel is no longer the tail. But the Head of all the nations of the world. Jesus, clearly was identifying Israel as the Victory. And so the cursed fig tree is one book end. And the fruitful fig tree is the other bookend met. A guy, the cast is one end and the Revival of the Fig Tree is the other book end.

84. 50:48

    In fact, of course, we read in Zechariah 8:23 that in the future. This is what’s going to happen. This is what the Lord Almighty says in those days. This is when Jesus is back, 10 people from all the languages and Nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the Hem of His robe. And say, let’s go with you because we’ve heard that God is with you.

85. 51:13

    And that’s exactly what that person was just saying on that video, that this is going to be the case that and this is now, the Fig Tree fully bearing fruit and people recognizing that the very last reference to As though isn’t here. It’s actually in the Book of Revelation and in Revelation we read about the final Judgment of the world.

86. 51:38

    Be being like falling, figs, remarkably because in Revelation 6 verse 13, it says the stars of Heaven fell unto the Earth, even as a fig tree casts, her untimely figs when she is shaken of A Mighty Wind and the heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together and Every Mountain Mountain and Island were moved out of their places and the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the Mighty Men And every bondman and every free man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne and from the Wrath of the lamb.

87. 52:22

    And when it says untimely figs there that are falling. It basically means unwrite, or I’m pollinated figs. In other words, what’s going to happen is anybody that is not pollinated by Christ. In other words, hasn’t accepted his sacrifice. Remember, we come back to the tree and we said that the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil is got two different types of figs. There are those who are evil that have, just wholesale rejected, God and Christ and there are others that are green and good but to be a good figure, you’ve got to have it. Accepted the sacrifice of Jesus, and anybody that hasn’t will wither and will fall, and that is the final judgment. And what is left, is purely, good, figs, that’s all that’s left on the tree after the Judgment when all the bad things have fallen and all those who have rejected Jesus of Fallen, all you’re left with are good.

88. 53:27

    Figs and the final slide here, Is a picture that I showed you before because this is quite an amazing passage because it talks about Jesus being back on this Earth and all the world going to hear about the truth about God’s word. And it says, in the last days, it will come to pass.

89. 53:48

    That the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains. And it be exalted above the hills and people will flow unto it, and many nations shall come. And say come, let’s go up to the Mountain of the Lord and to the house of the god of Jacob and he would teach us of his ways.

90. 54:06

    And we will walk in his paths for the Lord shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem 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 pruning. Hooks Nation shall not lift up a sword against Nation. Neither shall they learn War anymore? And you know what?

91. 54:30

    The next verse says 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 has spoken it for all. People will walk, every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord, Our God forever and ever and said, the final picture that we given is of you and me, God willing who’ve put their faith and trust in Jesus accepted his sacrifice. Still being on that tree of Israel at the very end as a good fig.

92. 55:08

    Not because we are good, but because we’ve accepted his sacrifice. The final picture is that we sit under a fig tree under his fig tree in the Kingdom. No more being afraid and living for ever and ever in a perfect world. And that is why at the very beginning I call this, the Fig Tree assign for all time because it truly Is a sign for time. We started in Genesis and went right the way through the whole history of Israel and even points to the Future when Jesus is here and there is a time of great peace and righteousness and that is the time, surely that we all long for and surely with the parable of the Fig Tree. It shows us that we are so very, very close. So that day coming, thank you for listening.