Bible Discussion Thread

The fig tree is a symbol of Israel s prosperity as a nation. In the case of the withered fig tree Matthew 21 19 , it pictures a nation living in blindness and unbelief, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in Rom. 11 25 . Indeed, from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, the nation has also been scattered and not in possession of the land until very recently. However, the parable of the fig tree in Matt. 24 32 35 shows an entirely different tree, one having tender branches and leaves beginning to bud, a reference to the nation beginning to prosper again. Jesus uses this as a sign, of sorts, to signify that all these things are near, even at the doors. When we see this sign, we are to know that summer is nigh. Summer is the time when figs bear fruit. Notice carefully the language. When we see the tree starting to bloom, we are to know that summer harvest is near, but not actually here yet. In the context of Israel and the end times, summer must be the millennial kingdom, when the nation is again thriving in the land. That will not happen again until after the return of Christ. Cr. James Hollandsworth