For This Cause
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The Fig Tree
Returning to Matthew 24, Jesus goes on to give another very important sign.
“Now learn a parable of the fig tree: When his branch is yet tender and putteth
forth leaves ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these
things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily, I say unto you, This
generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 24:32-34)
In scriptural usage the fig tree always represents the nation of Israel. Leaves sprouting on
a tree are a sign that the tree has sprung to life after a dormant winter. So Jesus was
actually telling us that when you see the nation of Israel come alive, then you know that
God’s Kingdom is right at the door.
Has Israel put forth leaves?
As we recall the past, we see how Israel, as a people, was dispersed among all
nations…persecuted bitterly; forced to live in ghettos; hunted and exterminated as
undesirables. As a forceful reminder of this, there is a memorial in Israel to the 6 million
Jews who perished under Nazi Germany.
An eternal flame burns in the Memorial Chapel, whose floor is made of 6 million pieces
of tile; each representing a life snuffed out in those never-to-be forgotten gas chambers –
Auschwitz, Dachau and others. Most people leave with tears, as they see man’s
inhumanity to man!
Yet Israel’s hope was strong in God’s promises of a return to their homeland. We recall
the words uttered so often by Jewish people, “Next year in Jerusalem.”
A symbol of this hope is found in the Wailing Wall. It is sobering to stand beside it, to
touch it, and realize how much of the history of Israel has unfolded here. It was here on
what is now called the Temple Mount that the glorious temple of King Solomon stood.
Some of the base stones of this temple still stand as part of the wailing wall.
The wall became a sacred place, and remains so to this day. It is a reminder to Israel of
the past, when evidence of God’s favor was upon them, and with the reminder of the
hope of again being a nation chosen of God!
This hope was fulfilled in one of the most astounding miracles of our day…ISRAEL, the
fig tree Jesus told us to watch, put forth leaves when in May 1948 she became a nation.
Not only could all the world see it, they helped create it!
By all military standards, Israel should not be in existence. In war after war,
outnumbered 100 to one, the tiny Israeli forces could not be overpowered. And so it has
continued to this day because God’s time clock had struck to for Israel to return to their
land! The fig tree blossomed!
Remember, this was a sign Jesus gave to show the nearness of the kingdom. In fact, he
said when this happened, his kingdom was so close that the generation that witnessed
these things would not pass away until all be fulfilled.
Can we grasp the impact of this?
The fig tree blossomed in 1948. The generation that saw this actually happen would not
pass away until that promised kingdom was set up in full power and glory. What a thrill
to our hearts to realize that we are on the brink of the greatest event in all human history,
the establishment of God’s Kingdom!