Parable of the Fig Tree

[Christina]

PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE (A Parable God tells Us To Learn) ------------------------------------------------Everyday its seems we hear or see somthing else about the "END TIMES".We watch to see if God's prophecy's are being played out on the world stage.God tells us that no one knows the hour or day of the return of Christ.However he tells us we should watch and know the season,just as we know when the leaves turn colors and begin to fall,that the seasons are going to change,God tells us to watch for the season of the "End Times"Matthew 24, Mark 13 ,Luke 21, all tell us of the signs of this season,there will be false prophets,wars,rumors of wars,and earthquakesbut these things have always been so how do we know when we are supposed to start watching for this particular season? When being asked of these things Jesus gave a parableLuke 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;Luke29:30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.Luke29:31: So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.Luke29:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilledA parable is simular to a riddle meaning there is a mystery or hidden meaning in the words. It is saying more than the surface words.So what does this riddle say? It has long been understood by biblical scholars that trees represent "Nations" and the "Fig Tree" represents IsraelSo taking this into account the parable would now read:Behold Israel, and all the NationsWhen they come forth,yea shall know the season is at handSo likewise when you see these things come to pass,know that the kingdom of God is close at handI say unto you,This generation shall not pass away till all things be fufilled Now that we know what the parable says lets inspect it futher. Behold Israel.Israel became a nation,for the first time since Christ's time on May 14,1948 (U.N ratified 1947)NationsThese are the nations that the bible says exsist in the end timesGenerationWhat Generation is it speaking of? the generation that see's Israel become a Nation So we can now see that the Parable of the Fig Tree tells us that the generation that saw the 1948 formation of the state of Israel is the generation that will see the "End Time events and the return of Christ.A generation in the bible is 40 years,70 years,or 120 years.Although we can not completely rule out 120 year generation people in our day do not normally live to 120 years old so it would seem that 40 years or 70 years would be more likely however 40 years has already passed, so by process of elimination we are left with 70 year Generation. God does not say he will wait the full 70 years, only that the generation will not all pass away before the end comes.We are fast aproaching the 70th year May14, 2008 will complete 60 years of the 70 year generation.And the 70 years ends May 14,2018There is another important date that we are approaching that may shed more light on where we stand in the time line. East Jerusalem was part of the so called occupied territories untill the Six Day War of June 5,1967. When Israel finally took position of all of Jerusalam.Which completed the current day state of Israel.In June 2007 Israel will celebrate the 40 year aniversery of the possession of Jerusalam.Forty(40) is an important number in Gods word and often signifies completeness or fullness of time.Now some will ask how we know we are to judge a generation from the 1948 date instead of the 1967 for the answer we look to Gods Words Luke29:30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.When a tree soots forth from its roots/seed it is New/young. It can not grow a branch or a new leaves untill it first shoots up. The fig tree here has always represent Israel not just its branch Jerusalem. It was 1948 that this season of the End times started.

 

[HammerStone]

Isaiah 66:6-9A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompense to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.I always think of this passage when I hear the parable of the fig tree. A nation was born at once; literally overnight. Almost immediately after this, we then have this:Isaiah 66:14-18And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD. For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.Personally speaking, I think it's quite obvious where we currently stand in relation to this passage. The first part (verse 14) is quite comforting to me and I know the feeling described here - I say this not to brag, but to share in the peace of Jesus Christ. For those of us who are in the here and the now, this verse is a virtual confirmation that we indeed are here for a reason. This is why the parable of the fig tree is so important. This verse above again confirms that there is no rapture, either. The Lord returns one time to judge. It is imperative that we question "which side am I on?"

 

[Christina]

Also see Denver's study on this http://www.christianityboard.com/index.php?showtopic=2808