NOTHING BUT LEAVES

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When I look out over the yard and see all the leaves that I need to rake, it saddens me, but probably not for the same reason you may be thinking. A little work never hurt anybody, the least of which myself, with such a big middle.

God continually shows me that all truth is parallel. Most always, He shows me this through nature, which He created in the first place. So every time I see a leaf on the ground, I think of a lost soul; a leaf that had budded on the branch but ended up on the ground anyway.

Did that branch shake to the point that the leaf fell off or did it just wither, die, and then brake off in the wind. Nonetheless, there it lies. I immediately thought of Israel when they missed their time of first visitation by Jesus.


THE FIG TREE

Now that we have the nations identified that will be in existence when Christ comes, it begs the question, are we, in fact, in the end times. . .or not? These nations are over two and three hundred years old. Well, Jesus has the answer. (Are you surprised?) All end time prophecy depends on one Scripture, which we can find in the Olivet Discourse, a part of which is Matthew 24:32.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. . .

Most Christians know that when Jesus [1] talks about the fig tree, He is talking about Israel. The subject of this blog is a lot deeper than we have room for here but a short recap of the fig tree is in order to be able to understand the prophecy.

The fig tree produces not only one but two harvests. The first crop, known as the breba crop, grows on the branch of the previous season. The second harvest is the main crop. The first crop produced by the branch is symbolic of the harvest of the church. Since Israel missed the first visitation, Jesus turned to the gentiles as Simeon says in Acts 15:14. Israel produces the righteous Branch alright, but the first crop of good figs [2] has been cultivated from the nations of the rest of the world (gentiles).

Jeremiah prophesied that Israel would be fruitless at the time of their first visitation and would lose their land [3].

Returning to the fig tree of Matthew 24:32, we find that God promised to restore a kingdom to the good figs (Israel) and He sent forth His Branch (Jesus) and while still tender, this Branch would be cut off (killed).

However, the Branch would sprout leaves (the church, a grafting to the Branch). The fig tree (Israel) would then re-bud (Putting forth leaves) and the second crop of good figs would be harvested (Israel’s salvation). Right now there is nothing but leaves. However, there IS coming - the main and second crop. . .hallelujah!


TIMELINE

The Old Testament prophet, Hosea, prophesied the very length of Israel’s seasonal re-budding in chapter six and verses one and two.

Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Remember now that this is talking about God’s timing, which we find in 2 Peter 3:8,

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

It has been two-thousand years since the Cross and the dispersion of Israel [4]. Remember that Israel came home though, and became a nation on May 14, 1948. Israel has not been a nation since hundreds of years before Christ. Yet listen to Matthew 24:33, 34:

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.

Of course, all this things that verse 34 talks about is the preceding verses of pestilence, famine, earthquakes, wars, and rumors of wars. Read Matthew 24, the Olivet Discourse.

Now, maybe the teaching on Daniel two and seven and other end time prophecies will come into play. We all need to keep our eyes on Israel. Israel is the key to everything. Always has been, always will be. Jesus’ very death and resurrection served as a paradigm for the re-budding of the fig tree, which is Israel [5].

Come Lord Jesus, come [6].

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What do we know now? We know that 2000 years after the Cross, Christ will return at the second harvest of the fig tree (when Israel comes back home from their second dispersion, and begins to bud). We know that Israel became a nation in 1948 and Christ Himself says that this generation will see the return of Jesus Christ, given the Olivet Discourse parameters. How do we know this? Because of the nations that will be in existence during that time. Everything is coming together folks. Let me ask again, "Are we in the last days?" I do not see how we can answer "No."

Next week we will look at a possible time line of events that need to happen before the 1000 year reign of Christ. There is a lot to happen yet before that time.

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1. And the Word, because Jesus is the Word
2. Read Jeremiah 24:5-7
3. Jeremiah 8:13. Also read Mark 11:12-14.
4. Diaspora
5. God’s elect and chosen people. Deuteronomy 7:6
6. Revelation 22:20

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