Matthew 24:32-34 the budding of the fig tree?

random person said:

Jesus did at times use a fig tree to illustrate fleshly Israel. Once was when He cursed a fig tree on His way to Jerusalem (Matt. 21:19). After He cursed it, He said to it, "Let there be no more fruit from you forever." This indicated the cutting off of fleshly Israel as God's chosen nation forever.

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And I'm mostly in agreement with what your author has written here but what you must try to understand is that during the Olivet discourse, God had not yet redefined terminology such as "Israel" or "Jew". The 70 weeks had not yet expired so when Jesus said: "From the fig tree learn its lesson", He was still talking about the nation who's ground that He was standing on. And Israel was in fact about to go into a long hibernation that would conclude in 1948 and this was what we were supposed to watch for.

random person said:

Today Christ's Kingdom is God's nation, and all physical Jews are welcome to become citizens of that along with all other nationalities. But fleshly Israel will never again, according to Jesus (Matt. 21:43), produce fruit as God's chosen nation. That holy duty and privilege belongs to Christ's followers both now and forever (cf. Luke 13:7-9; Rev. 6:13). The fig tree was not the main symbol of Israel anyway, instead, it was the olive tree.

- D. A. Green

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And I think D. A. Green is correct in what he's saying here but there's a bigger picture that his students are not going to see unless they zoom out a couple of clicks. Fleshy Israel may never again produce fruit but they have a very nice job holding up a prophetic sign that says summer is here and watch for a command to restore Jerusalem.

The fig tree might not have been the main symbol of Israel but it was still used as a symbol for God's people.

JUDAH, THE FIG TREE
The Word of God uses many agricultural and horticultural metaphors. In particular, the tree is often used as a metaphor for people or nations or kingdoms or national powers. Several trees stand out, one of which is the fig tree, which is most notably associated with the ancient nation of Judah, especially during the first advent of Christ.

Symbol of Covering for Sin:
When Adam and Eve sinned and discovered they were naked after eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they made a fig-apron to cover their nakedness.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. Genesis 3:7

Thus, the fig tree, in the guise of the fig-apron, became a symbol of covering or, more specifically, covering of nakedness, which signifies mortality, which, in turn, signifies sin, for sin reigns (exists) in mortal bodies Romans 5:12; 6:12
Paul makes the point: For indeed in this house (mortal body) we groan, longing to be clothed (immortality) with our dwelling from heaven (spiritual, celestial, glorified body in the image of the Son of God), inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked (mortal) 2 Corinthians 5:2-3

These few facts explain why the fig tree became a symbol of Judah. The many animal sacrifices offered by the Aaronic-Levitical priests only covered sin; they were not intended to remove sin. In fact, ancient Israel lived under this covering for their entire history of offering sacrifices. Their sins were never taken away, just covered, as a symbol of a greater sacrifice that would come and actually remove sin. It took the perfect sacrifice of God's Son to remove sin completely.
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Hebrews 10:4

Clearly, starting with Adam and moving on to the nation of Judah, the fig tree became a symbol of man's weakness and inability to take away sin. The best that could be done was the covering of sin. Only in the Son of God is sin taken away.

Good Figs and Bad Figs:
Next, we need to turn to Jeremiah 24:2-10 The prophet who was raised up to speak to Judah in their apostate condition.
One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. Then the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness."

Jeremiah was shown two types of figs, very good figs and very bad figs, so bad that they were rotten and inedible:
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. 'For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up' I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.
'But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness--indeed, thus says the Lord - so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt. 'I will make them a terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places where I will scatter them. 'I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.'"

The very good figs were the ones who obediently went into captivity, which is called an iron yoke judgment. In other words, they accepted the Lord's judgment to remove them from the land because of their falling away from the Lord. The very bad figs were the ones who disobediently refused to go into captivity. They chose to remain either on the land or to dwell in Egypt. In either case, this was not the Lord's judgment for them. Since they refused to receive His judgment, the Judahites that remained became very bad or rotten figs. So, during Jeremiah's day, as far as the Lord was concerned, the Judahites were divided into two classes of people.

Good Trees and Bad Trees:
Now, when Jesus appeared in Judah, He picked up the same theme that He had previously given to His servant Jeremiah.

Jesus said: "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire". Matthew 7:17-19
Many people use these verses to refer to the lost or to Christians that they believe are not fruit bearers, for whatever reason. However, Jesus obviously had in mind the words that He spoke to Jeremiah some 600 years earlier about the good figs and the bad figs. The good figs of Judah accepted the Lord's judgment of them and willingly went into Babylonian captivity. In other words, they did not fight His judgment of them. Because of their obedience, the Lord promised to return them to their land and give them a heart to know Him. "They will return to Me with their whole heart" Indeed, a remnant returned to rebuild Jerusalem and this formed the heart of the good fig nation of Judah that followed Jesus and accepted Him as the King of Judah.

The bad figs of Judah refused to accept the Lord's judgment of them and instead obstinately remained in the land, or went down to Egypt. In other words, they fought the Lord's judgment of them. Because of their disobedience, the Lord indicted them as rotten fruit that could not be eaten and pronounced a further judgment on them.
"I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land." This was a prophetic indictment of the bad fig nation of Judah that later refused to follow Jesus and demanded His death, even though they knew He was the King of Judah.

Fig Tree of Judah
Jesus gave another parable about a vineyard, but this time the fig tree was in its midst:
He told this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground? He answered and said to him, Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down. Luke 13:6-9

Judah's King had walked publicly in their midst for three years, but He found no fruit of the Kingdom. The nation was worthy to be cut down and burned; however, a plea was made for one more year. Within that year, this fig tree demanded the death of the very Trunk of the tree and sealed their destiny. So, when Jesus saw the lone fig tree, He cursed it as a sign of what was to come of the bad fig tree of Judah.
Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening. Mark 11:13-14

We need to be clear that this lone fig tree was the nation of Judah that was about to reject their Messiah. The religious elite or, as Jesus called them, the hypocrites were the source of the rot. Have you ever noticed that one rotten piece of fruit in a basket of fruit will lead to others becoming rotten? The scribes and Pharisees did just that to many of the figs in that day, through their hypocritical hearts that did not love the Lord and were bolstered by their traditions and doctrines. Like their forefathers, they too fought the judgment of the Lord. They were under Roman rule by the hand of God but rather than submit to His judgment and wait for God to deliver them out of it, they wanted a political solution. They wanted to remove the yoke through the sword, not by the Spirit, and, for this, they did not inherit the Kingdom that they sought.
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Matthew 23:13
He said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites…: "This people honors Me with the lips, but their heart is far away from Me; and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Isaiah 29:13 For forsaking the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…. Mark 7:6-8

In other words, the cursed fig tree would not inherit the Kingdom of God but instead be cast out of it as if it were rotten fruit. In fulfilment of the prophecies of Jeremiah 29:9-10 and the following one from Jesus, God sent the Roman army to destroy the great city Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD.
But the king [God the Father] was enraged, and he sent his [God's Roman] armies and destroyed those murderers [bad figs] and set their city [Jerusalem] on fire. Matthew 22:7

As Jesus approached the cross, He gave His disciples another parable about the fig tree.
And He spoke a parable to them: You see the fig tree [cursed fig nation] and all the trees [all the nations]. Now when they sprout leaves, seeing it, you will know from yourselves that now the summer is near. Luke 21:29-30

On the one hand, Jesus prophesied of the destruction of the cursed fig tree, and on the other hand, He prophesied of its rebirth. What does this mean? The key is in the fig tree having leaves (rebirth) but no fruit (barren). Jesus prophesied that a day would come when the cursed fig tree would reappear, not to bear fruit but to be judged, when God will once again send His judgement/punishment against this apostate nation.

The cursed fig tree of Judah disappeared as a nation with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. However, on May 15, 1948, the Jewish state of Israel came into being, and, on May 19, 1949, it joined the United Nations as a full member. Following Israel's national appearance, many nations (all the trees) came forth, for during the next three decades, the UN saw its membership grow by 92 nations. It is quite interesting that in the same decade that the apparent Jews captured Jerusalem, 1960’s, the world saw the greatest increase of nations (42) since the inception of the UN in 1945. Over two-thirds of the current UN membership came about after Israel joined the UN in fulfilment of the Lord's prophetic word. Thus, all the trees refer to all the nations of the world that will be judged along with the fig tree nation. Why? Because they reject Jesus, the King of the nations, not just the King of Judah!

It is vital to understand that modern Israel is not the true Israel of God but an imposter that usurped the birthright name Israel from the house of Israel that lost its national identity when it was taken captive by the Assyrians from 745-721 BC. The nation of Israel was dispersed among the nations and lost its national identity; something that has continued to this day.
If we want to seek for the lost house of Israel, we must look to the Christianized nations of the west that were formed in Europe and the British Isles and spread from there to North America and elsewhere.
If the Zionists had taken the name Judah for their nation, they would have been closer to the truth, but even then it would not have been the truth, for the revived nation has more to do with the birthright claims of Esau and Ishmael than with the scepter of Judah.

Is the present-day Israel that rejects Christ producing the fruit of the Kingdom? No! Why? Because Jesus' judgment still stands: May no one ever eat fruit from you again!
Pay close attention to Jesus' word. Many today believe that the modern-day Israel will bear fruit simply because they have the correct genes that make them God's chosen people. Genes do not make one God's chosen, faith does, regardless of one's ethnic descent.

Jesus indicted this fruitless fig tree over 2,000 years ago; no one will ever eat fruit from you again. Why? Because they are barren and will remain barren!

Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you and say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Just so will I break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter's vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place for burial. "This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants," declares the LORD, "so as to make this city like Topheth. Jeremiah 19:10-12
By the way, Topheth is the gehenna of fire (the so-called fiery hell) that Jesus warned the Judahites they were in danger of going into. He did not warn of an eternal torture chamber of fire and worms; He warned of capital punishment, meaning destruction of Jerusalem and literal death of all who rejected Him and demanded His crucifixion.

Finally, the good fig people of Judah is part of the ecclesia of Christ, for this body of believers has joined themselves with the Lion of the tribe of Judah. However, even though the argument could be made and is made that this is the good fig tree, we must keep in mind that the symbolism of covering for sin is not entirely accurate for believers today, for Jesus has taken away sin, not just covered it. The New Covenant offers a much better and more complete and perfect salvation.
So, although we conclude with the good fig tree of Judah, we need to understand that we are joined with this tree because we are joined with the King who was prophesied to take the scepter of Judah and rule over the nations.
Ref: Stuart H Pouliot

Dave Watchman said:

Are you trying to say that their chance was not for real? What do you think would have happened if the first century Jews would have accepted their Messiah? Would the Temple have been destroyed in 70 AD? Would Stephen have still been stoned? Would Paul still be knocked off his horse by Jesus on his way to Damascus?

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What do you mean about their chance not being for real? Everybody has the chance to accept Jesus, and whether the Jews had accepted Jesus or not, God's plan would not have changed. Just as today they still have the option to choose Jesus just like the rest of us.

Don't you understand that God's plan was to replace the old covenant with the new? Regardless of whether the Jews accepted this change, the change was going to happen and the choices of the people could not change that fact.

Of course the temple would have been destroyed. I'm not sure what you're getting at here. Are you suggesting that if the Jews had accepted Jesus that then somehow there would still be use for a temple? That's heresy.

random person said:

Why do futurists, premillennialists, and dispensationalists all interpret the budding of the fig tree as the 1948 founding of the secular state of Israel? Instead of the destruction of the temple, the coming of the Lord, and the end of the age?

Have any of you read Luke 21:29 where the exact same verse is not restricted to the fig tree exclusively but includes "all the trees", which means according to your interpretation to Matthew, all the nations of the world were founded in 1948?

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Okay, I am going to tell you why. Most of the people you are talking to have been influenced by Jack Van Impe and Hal Lindsey. Those are the two reasons. There is a verse back in the old testament about God equating Israel to a fig tree as some enemies of Israel were said to be debarking His fig tree. That's how JVI and Hal Lindsey came up with Israel being the fig tree - and they have had such a great impact on so many Christians growing in eschatology in the 70's and 80's. Me being one.

At the time, it was a good theory, but it didn't work out because May 2011 came and went and no confirmation of the covenant (both JVI and Hal Lindsey think to be a peace treaty - another misthought) to begin the 7 years.

Allow me to explain. 1948 + 70 years for a generation = 2018 all of the prophecies were supposed to be fulfilled and Jesus back on earth. Subtract 7 years from 2018 and that was when the 7 years, confirming of the covenant was supposed to have happened - no later than.

Well it didn't happen. I personally held that theory - but only as a theory, because I knew that Jerusalem was captured by the Jews in 1967.... and there was a second theory still valid. Which applying the same logic to 1967, no later than 2030 the covenant will be confirmed, and the 7 years begin. Not later than 2030. Could be before then of course.

There is more support for Jerusalem being the fig tree, because Jesus cursed the fig tree as he about to enter Jerusalem and preach to them there. And which upon Jesus and the disciples coming out of Jerusalem, the fig tree had withered up by its roots.

Okay, that's the reason..... Israel of course could still be considered the fig tree as far as the nations go. But the parable, and that generation not passing away - the fig tree is Jerusalem.

random person said:

Why do futurists, premillennialists, and dispensationalists all interpret the budding of the fig tree as the 1948 founding of the secular state of Israel? Instead of the destruction of the temple, the coming of the Lord, and the end of the age?

Have any of you read Luke 21:29 where the exact same verse is not restricted to the fig tree exclusively but includes "all the trees", which means according to your interpretation to Matthew, all the nations of the world were founded in 1948?

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I know that Jesus cursed the fig tree because it wasn't bearing fruit - a commentary on Jerusalem, who for the most part rejected Him as their Messiah.

However, I see the context of Jesus' fig tree parable to be referring to the things Jesus told us about the Tribulation (Matthew 24:4-29).

Another way of seeing it is the fig tree (Jerusalem) starting to come to life (a substantial remnant turning to Jesus... e.g., Zechariah 13:9, Hosea 5:14-6:3). Although Israel has been given a piece of land, the Israelis have not significantly turned to Jesus yet. But they are supposed to do that during the Tribulation, before Jesus returns.

What relationship does the modern, multi-ethnic, secular, democratic nation state of Israel have to the the pre desolation Hebrew theocracy beyond sharing the name "Israel"?

Matthew 24:32-34 the budding of the fig tree?

random person said:

Why do futurists, premillennialists, and dispensationalists all interpret the budding of the fig tree as the 1948 founding of the secular state of Israel? Instead of the destruction of the temple, the coming of the Lord, and the end of the age?

Have any of you read Luke 21:29 where the exact same verse is not restricted to the fig tree exclusively but includes "all the trees", which means according to your interpretation to Matthew, all the nations of the world were founded in 1948?

Click to expand...

parousia70 said:

What relationship does the modern, multi-ethnic, secular, democratic nation state of Israel have to the the pre desolation Hebrew theocracy beyond sharing the name "Israel"?

Click to expand...

Inquiring minds want to know....

Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke's Temple/Jerusalem Discourses harmonized- Poll Thread

Matthew 24:3
Yet of Him sitting on the Mount of the Olives, the Disciples came toward to Him according to own saying "be telling to us!
when shall these be?
and what the sign of Thy parousia<3952> and full-end<4930> of the Age?

Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke's Temple/Jerusalem Discourses harmonized
Matt 24:32 Fig tree ripe, summer is nigh
Matthew 24:32
Yet from the fig-tree be ye learning! the parable:
Whenever already its branch may be becoming tender, and the leaves may be sprouting<1631>,
ye are knowing that nigh the summer
Mark 13:28
‘Yet from the fig-tree, be ye learning the parable.
When the branch of it tender may be becoming, and may be sprouting<1631> the leaves,
ye are knowing that nigh is the summer
Luke 21:
29 And He told a parable to them. Be seeing the fig-tree and all the trees,
30 whenever they should be budding<4261> already observing from yourselves
ye are knowing thru that already nigh is the summer

Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke's Temple/Jerusalem Discourses harmonized
Matt 24:33 Nigh is upon doors, Kingdom of God
Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke's Temple/Jerusalem Discourses harmonized
Matt 24:34 Not shall be passing this generation till all fulfilled

Matthew 24 and Luke 21 the same event?

1. 
   
   
   • 
     Yes
     15 vote(s)
     78.9%
   • No
     2 vote(s)
     10.5%
   • I don't know
     0 vote(s)
     0.0%
   • Other [please explain]
     2 vote(s)
     10.5%

random person said: ↑
Why do futurists, premillennialists, and dispensationalists all interpret the budding of the fig tree as the 1948 founding of the secular state of Israel? Instead of the destruction of the temple, the coming of the Lord, and the end of the age?

Have any of you read Luke 21:29 where the exact same verse is not restricted to the fig tree exclusively but includes "all the trees", which means according to your interpretation to Matthew, all the nations of the world were founded in 1948?

Click to expand...

Luke 21:
29 And He told a parable to them. Be seeing the fig-tree and all the trees,
30 whenever they should be budding<4261> already observing from yourselves
ye are knowing thru that already nigh is the summer

Luke 21:29 Commentaries: biblehub

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Pulpit Commentary
Verse 29. - And he spake to them a parable. "It is certain," went on the Lord to say, "that summer follows the season when the fig tree and other trees put forth their green shoots. It is no less certain that these things - the fall of Jerusalem, and later the end of the world - will follow closely on the signs I have just told you about."

Benson Commentary
Luke 21:29-33.
Behold the fig-tree — Christ spake this in the spring, just before the passover; when all the trees were budding on the mount of Olives, where they then were. When they now shoot forth, ye know of your own selves — Though none teach you; that summer is now nigh at hand — See note on Matthew 24:32-35. So when ye see these things, know that the kingdom of God is nigh —

The destruction of the Jewish city, temple, and religion, to make way for the establishment of the gospel dispensation, and the advancement of my kingdom. Verily, this generation shall not pass, &c., till all be fulfilled — Greek, εως αν παντα γενηται, till all things be effected, all that has been spoken of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the overthrow of the Jewish constitution in church and state, to which things the question, Luke 21:7, relates; and which is treated of from the eighth to the twenty-fourth verse; in other words, till every article of this prophecy is accomplished. Our Lord, on other occasions, spake of his own coming, as what was to happen in that age. See Mark 9:1; and Matthew 26:64.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away — You may expect a dissolution of the frame of nature sooner than the least iota of this prophecy to fail of being fulfilled, within the time I have just now mentioned. This is the most astonishing part of the whole, for it determines the time of the completion of all the particulars mentioned, to the lives of the men of the age then in being; and it determines this, not simply, but with an asseveration, both to make the disciples attentive, and to strike future ages with admiration, when they should read this prophecy, and see every circumstance of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish state, with its consequences, even in the remotest ages, clearly foretold, and the time in which it was to happen precisely marked. Thus our Lord, in the fullest manner, showed the greatness of his own foreknowledge, and, by consequence, demonstrated the divinity of his mission. For, as the Jewish nation was at this time in the most flourishing state, the events here foretold were altogether improbable.

Besides, the circumstances of the destruction are very numerous and surprisingly particular, and the language in which the whole is conceived is without the least ambiguity. It is, therefore, a prophecy of such a kind as could, not possibly be forged by an impostor; and every thinking person, who compares the events with this prediction, must do violence to his conscience if he do not acknowledge Jesus to be a prophet commissioned of God. It appears, however, that our Lord’s disciples did not then understand any part of this prophecy; which is the more to be wondered at, as it was both plain and particular, and had been delivered once before, Luke 17:20. Probably they applied all the dreadful passages of it to the heathen nations, especially the Romans, whose ambition they thought would lead them to oppose the erection of their Master’s kingdom, with all the forces of their empire. See Macknight.

An observation of Mr. West’s, relating to the authors by whom this prophecy, so plain and circumstantial, is recorded, is worthy of the reader’s particular attention, namely, that Matthew and Mark were incontestably dead before the events here predicted took place, as Luke also probably might be; and as for John, the only evangelist who survived them, it is remarkable that he says nothing of them, lest any should say the prophecy was forged after the events happened. See West on the Resurrection, p. 393.
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Fig tree and figs mentioned in 1 verse in Revelation:

Revelation 6:13 Commentaries: and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.

Revelation 6:13
and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs, being shaken by a great wind.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
13. and the stars of heaven] So still in Matthew 24:29.

as a fig tree] It is curious that a “parable of the fig-tree” follows in Matthew 24:32, immediately after the “fall of the stars.” But this image is taken, not from our Lord’s prophecy l.c., but from Isaiah 34:4 (the Hebrew, not LXX.). The “untimely fig” is the fig which, having formed too late to ripen in the autumn, hangs through the winter, but almost always drops off before the sap begins to rise in spring, so as not to come to maturity. See Comm. on Matthew 21:19 and parallels.

Pulpit Commentary
Verse 13. - And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth (cf. Matthew 24:29, "The stars shall fall from heaven"). The figure of "stars" is sometimes used to typify "rulers," as in Numbers 24:17, "There shall come a star out of Jacob;" Isaiah 14:13, "I [Lucifer] will exalt my throne above the stars of God." Some have thus been led to find a particular application of this sentence. Stern considers that the falling away of Christian rulers is signified; while many refer it to the overthrew of pagan rulers. Even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind; her unripe figs. Probably the unripe figs of the spring, many of which would be shaken down by a strong wind, or possibly the winter figs, which commonly fall off while unripe. The figure is doubtless suggested by Isaiah 34:4, taken in conjunction with the parable of Matthew 24:32.

Vincent's Word Studies
Untimely figs (ὀλύνθους)
Better, as Rev., unripe. Compare Matthew 24:32; Isaiah 34:4. Only here in the New Testament.
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Spurgeon, C.H.
- Preterist Statements from Various Authors - > The Preterist Archive of Realized Eschatology - Bible Prophecy - Fulfillment - End Times - Revelation - Armageddon - Preterism - Dispensationalism - Rapture - Parousia - Apocalypse - Prophecy

(On Matthew 24:32-33)
"Our Lord here evidently returns to often made use of its illuminated the subject of the destruction of Jerusalem, and in these words gives his apostles warning concerning the signs of the times. He had recently used the barren fig tree as an object-lesson; he now bids his disciples "learn a parable of the fig tree" and all the trees (Luke 21:31).

God’s great book of nature is full of illustrations for those who have eyes to perceive them; and the Lord Jesus, the great Creator, often made use of its illuminated pages in conveying instruction to the minds of his hearers. On this occasion, he used a simple simile from the parable of the fig-tree: "When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh." They could not mistake so plain a token of the near return of summer; and Jesus would have them read quite as quickly the signs that were to herald the coming judgment on Jerusalem: "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."
The Revised Version has the words, "Know ye that he is nigh," the Son of man, the King. His own nation rejected him when he came in mercy; so his next coming would be a time of terrible judgment and retribution to his guilty capital. Oh, that Jews and Gentiles today were wise enough to learn the lesson of that fiery trial, and to seek his face, those wrath they cannot bear!"

(On Matthew 24:34)
"The King left his followers in no doubt as to when these things should happen: "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." It was just about the ordinary limit of a generation when the Roman armies compassed Jerusalem, whose measure of iniquity was then full, and overflowed in misery, agony, distress, and bloodshed such as the world never saw before or since. Jesus was a true Prophet; everything that he foretold was literally fulfilled."
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LittleLambofJesus said:

Luke 21:29 Commentaries: biblehub

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Read #24

parousia70 said:

What relationship does the modern, multi-ethnic, secular, democratic nation state of Israel have to the the pre desolation Hebrew theocracy beyond sharing the name "Israel"?

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Good point............

keras said:

Jeremiah 24:1-10 is the best scripture that makes the allegory of Judah and figs.
So from this and by the way that Jesus cursed the fig tree, Matthew 21:19, we know the prophecy of Matthew 24:32 is about the Jewish people. Be aware this does not refer to all of the Israelites, they remain scattered among the nations.
Luke 21:29 does render that prophecy differently, there Jesus just seems to be saying how people should know when they see the things mentioned in Luke 21:25-28, happening: then the end is near.

We don't relate the 'fig tree budding' prophecy to 70AD, because the things of Luke 21:25-28 are yet to happen and the undeniable miracle of the re-establishment of the Jewish State of Israel in 1948 is the 'firstfruits' of the great restoration of all Israel.

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The 12 tribes of Israel in Revelation mention Judah and Israel.........
The Jewish religion of OC Temple Judaism, ruled over by the Chief Priest and Sadduccees,was brought to naught in 70ad, first at Cross, when the veil of the Sanctuary in the Temple was rent in 2, then about 40yrs later with the destruction of both the City and Temple 70ad as shown in Revelation 18

Matthew 27:51
and behold! the veil/katapetasma<2665> of the Sanctuary is rent into two from upward unto downward, and the land is quaked, and the rocks are rent [Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45]

Without a Temple............

Ezekiel 37:22
“and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel;
and one King shall be king over them all;
they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.

Lazarus and the Rich Man - Here a little, there a little - Commentary

The self-righteous Pharisees and scribes, acknowledged by Yeshua as the legitimate religious teachers of the Jews (Matt. 23:1-3), should have been the ones telling these people of God's love for them. They should have been the ones teaching these sinners, exhorting them to return to God and receive His love and forgiveness. However, because of their faith in their own righteousness and their contempt for these tax collectors and sinners who didn't measure up to their standards, the Pharisees and scribes excluded them and considered them accursed (John 7:49).

Afterward, speaking primarily to his disciples but with the Pharisees (and probably the crowd) still listening in, Yeshua related the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13). The Pharisees, who were "lovers of money" (Luke 16:14), realized that the Messiah was alluding to them with this parable and took offense. They scoffed at Yeshua. The final part of his response to the derision of the Pharisees and scribes was the parable of Lazarus and the rich man.

We'll now examine this parable in detail to grasp exactly what the Messiah was teaching about the kingdom of God: