FIG, FIGHT, FIGURE: PART THREE

"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" (Matt.24:32-34).

In teaching the Parable of the Fig Tree (Matt. 24:32-34), Jesus used a simile to show the relationship between the signs He had just described (Matt. 24:4-31), and the timing of His Second Coming. Just as (B) always follows (A), so also (D) will follow (C). Since (A), the fig tree putting forth its leaves in the springtime, is always followed by (B), summertime, therefore, (D) Christ's return will follow (C) the signs of which He had just spoken.

As I mentioned previously, the fig tree was used to symbolize Israel by the prophet Hosea (9:10). The ninth and tenth chapters of Hosea predict God's retribution upon Israel. As a result, theologians, knowing that Christ's Second Coming (Rev. 19) will be preceded by the seven-year Tribulation, God's judgment upon Israel (Jer. 30:7; Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 6 - 18), have put two and two together and come to the conclusion that the Parable of the Fig Tree is describing the relationship of the rebirth of Israel in 1948, with the Second Coming of Christ.

In Matthew 24:34, Jesus says that the generation living when the signs occur will not die before He returns. Therefore, the theologians, knowing the Word says that a generation is seventy years (Ps. 90:10), having already decided that the fig tree "budding" is Israel's rebirth, have calculated the Second Coming of Christ will be sometime prior to the end of 2018. Since the Tribulation will begin seven years prior to His return, that would mean the antichrist has to be in position to make the covenant with Israel (Isa. 28:15, 18; Dan. 9:27; 1 Thes 5:3; Rev. 6 -18) by 2011. Is that possible?

What unites people? Unity comes from having a common enemy or a common goal. Today, the economy of the nations of the world is literally collapsing. Fixing the world economy is a goal. There is worldwide hostility, much of which is the result of terrorism. The threat of nuclear war has escalated between India and Pakistan, between North and South Korea, between Israel and Iran, and only God knows where else. Israel's former allies in the West are courting the Islamic nations, hoping to end hostilities and insure the continual flow of oil. As a result Israel is a sitting duck unless someone comes to their rescue, unless someone can unite the world with a peace plan, unless someone can take control over the nations of the world. Is there someone in our world today who has the influence, the support, and the audacity to assume that role?

It may not be President Obama, but he sure fits the bill. After all, he is the only Nobel Peace Prize winner before having done a single thing. Stay tuned.