Why the Rebirth of Israel is a Sign of the End

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.” (Matt. 24:32-33)

Many students of prophecy identify the Lesson of the Fig Tree in Matt. 24 as a reference to Israel. While the fig tree is often used to symbolize Israel, this is not one of those times.

The fig tree is one of the last trees to bud in the spring, so when it begins to get leaves people know that summer is right around the corner. There’ll be no more false starts, no more cold snaps. Summer is now certain and soon. Jesus used this analogy to tell people who’ll be on Earth at the time that when they see the things he described beginning in Matt. 24:15, they’ll know that His coming is really near.

Earlier in Matt. 24 He had told them that wars and rumors of war will be characteristic of the age (Matt. 24:6), and that the earthquakes and famines they’ll notice will be like the beginning of birth pangs, mild and infrequent at first but more intense and more frequent as the end approaches (Matt. 24:7-8). Then there’ll be increased anti-semitism, apostasy, false prophets and deception, in the midst of which the Gospel will be preached in all nations (Matt. 24:9-14).

But when they see the Abomination of Desolation, a man standing in the Temple telling people he’s God, things will begin to get serious fast and the countdown will begin on the most terrifying period of time in the history of man. This is what He compared to the fig tree getting leaves. When they see that, they know that His return is certain and soon. That’s the lesson of the Fig Tree.

So then, if the fig tree isn’t symbolic of Israel why are we convinced that the events of 1948 marked the beginning of the end?

First of all, you don’t need the Lesson of the Fig Tree to place Israel in Matt. 24. If you read the passage carefully, you’ll see that Jesus gave three crystal clear signs that there would be a generation of Old Covenant believing Jews in Israel before the Great Tribulation begins, and they are the ones He was addressing.

The first clue is the Abomination of Desolation, something that hasn’t happened since Jesus gave the warning. It will be seen standing in the Holy Place. (Matt.24:15) That’s the Jewish Temple, a building that can only be present when Israel occupies the Promised Land.

The second clue is that the people he’s telling to flee are in Judea, the name by which the Biblical land of Israel was known during the time of the Lord’s visitation. (Matt. 24:16)

And the third clue is for them to pray their flight won’t take place on a Sabbath. Matt. 24:20) Only observant Jews would be worried about this because they can only walk 1000 paces on the Sabbath, not nearly far enough to even get out of town, let alone into the mountains.

Some people ask how Israel’s re-birth could be the sign that starts the clock running on the end times when there’s no mention of it in Matt. 24. It’s true, in the Olivet Discourse the Lord never came right out and said Israel would cease to exist and then be re-born 2,000 years later. But there are clear prophecies of just such a thing in the Old Testament. For example Moses warned the people at least twice of the terrible things that would happen if they rejected the Lord. In Deut. 4:25-27 he said their disobedience would cause the Lord to scatter them among the nations. Then in Deut 4:30 He said that in the latter days during a time of tribulation they would return to the Lord and obey Him again.

And starting in Deut. 28:15 Moses listed the disasters that would come upon them, culminating in verses 63 and 64 when he said they would be up rooted from the land and scattered among the nations, from one end of the Earth to the other. And once again, he said, even if they had been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, the Lord would bring them back (Deut. 30:4), and if they agreed to obey His covenant again He would make them prosperous, and then He would circumcise their hearts (see Romans 2:28-29), put their enemies to flight, and delight in them again. Deut 30:1-10 is a clear summary of End Times events. They’ll be brought back into the land, their enemies will be cursed and their covenant will be restored (Ezekiel 38-39), their hearts will be circumcised (Zechariah 12:10), and their prosperity will be restored (Isaiah 65:17-25). This sequence of events is coming to pass today, just as Moses said it would.

So as far back as the wilderness wanderings, the Lord had foretold of Israel’s scattering and subsequent regathering in the latter days. Because of their disobedience they would be driven from the land. After an extended period of time He would bring them back. Their return would be a sign to all the world that the End of the Age is upon us. We saw above that in the context of the Olivet Discourse Israel is already in the land and back in their (old) covenant relationship with God. That’s why Jesus didn’t mention the re-birth of the nation among the signs He gave. The first specific end times sign He mentioned is the Abomination of Desolation, something that will happen about 3.5 years before He returns.

There are other places where the Bible promises that the nation Israel will exist in its Biblical lands at the End of the Age as well, such as Ezekiel 36-37.

Beginning in chapter 36 Ezekiel shifted from his message of current judgment to one of future hope. He began writing these chapters after he learned that Jerusalem had fallen to the Babylonians and its desolation had begun. Having earlier prophesied against the mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 6) he now began speaking promises to them. Reminding the mountains that he had pronounced judgment against the surrounding nations for trying to possess them, and for plundering and ridiculing the towns that had dwelt upon them, the Lord had Ezekiel say,

” But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.” (Ezekiel 36:8-13)

While this was partially fulfilled after the Babylonian captivity, the people were driven off the land again in the first century AD, so the complete fulfillment had to begin sometime after that. Earlier, Isaiah had prophesied that there would be a second return, and his contemporary Amos said that after that one they would never be uprooted again. So that’s the one we’re looking for.

In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. (Isaiah 11:11)

I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God. (Amos 9:14-15)

According to history the second fulfillment officially began in 1948. Why did the Lord finally do this? What had they done to deserve it?

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 36:22-23)

Frequently the Lord had His prophets first give a sweeping overview statement to describe a promise and then fill in the details afterward. Such is the case with Ezekiel’s next declaration.

“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel!” (Ezekiel 36:24-32)

Clearly the complete fulfillment of this promise to Israel is yet future to us. But its magnitude is striking. God promised that Israel would be brought back into its Biblical lands, something we see is already in process. Then the people will be cleansed from all their sins, given a new heart, and the Holy Spirit will come to dwell within them. (Obviously, this hasn’t happened yet, because it can only happen when one is born again.) Then the Kingdom promises will begin coming true and the people will remember their former sinful ways and detest themselves. This is another indication of the indwelling Holy Spirit’s work, convicting them of their sins. This is the same way things happened for you and me. In a general sense, we knew we were sinners in need of a Savior when we first went to the altar, but we didn’t understand the full extent of our depravity until after we were saved and the Holy Spirit began to reveal it to us in depth.

Now, let’s look at Ezekiel 37 where the dramatic rebirth of the nation is foretold in the vision of the valley of dry bones.

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ” (Ezekiel 37:1-6)

Picture yourself standing in a large valley whose floor is strewn with bones. They’re scattered around randomly, none of them connected to another, bleached and dry. It looks like they’ve been dumped there some time ago and left, as if whoever did it had no further use for them.

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. (Ezekiel 37:7-8)

In what looks like an animator’s dream, the bones slowly begin to rise and join themselves together from the feet up to form skeletons, each bone in its proper place. Tendons appear and begin to snake along the bones attaching themselves to make the bones move. As each one connects you can hear the clicking sounds of the tendons conducting tests, making the bones move on command. Muscle and flesh begin to cover them and finally skin spreads out along limbs and around torsos, enclosing the muscle and flesh and giving the bodies a finished, though lifeless, form.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ”

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. (Ezekiel 37:9-10)

The breath that gives them life comes from the four winds, used symbolically to represent a sovereign act of God. This tells us that though they are now living beings, they are not yet possessed of the Spirit of God. That will come later, as we’ll see. The people would first be gathered together in unbelief, a secular nation. This is seen in their status today, brought back after a 2000 year absence by a sovereign act of God, but not yet a covenant people again. This is what God meant when He said it wouldn’t be because they deserved it, but because He promised it.

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’ “ (Ezekiel 37:11-14)

Notice the Lord has Ezekiel speaking to the whole house of Israel. There are no lost tribes. The complete fulfillment of the Dry Bones prophecy requires two more things only God can do. He must put His Spirit in them and He must bring the faithful of their past out of the grave to join them. His Spirit will come when they’re ready to recognize Him as the Messiah they put to death so long ago. Zechariah said this would happen during their final time of trial at the end of the age.

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." (Zechariah 12:10)

In the Hebrew language, this verse reveals an astonishing secret. After the phrase "They will look on me" … it contains two untranslated letters, an aleph and a tau. They are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. So the verse literally reads, “They will look on me, the Aleph and the Tau …” In Genesis 1:1 the same two Hebrew letters show up after the phrase "In the beginning, God" … So it reads "In the beginning God, the Aleph and the Tau" … In Genesis 1 the Father is in view, but in Zechariah 12 it’s the Son. Was God planting little clues that He and the Messiah are one? Well, look at Revelation 1:8:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The original language of the Revelation is Greek where the first and last letters of the alphabet are Alpha and Omega. Now let’s read the words of Jesus in Revelation 22:13:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Aleph and Tau, first and last in Hebrew. Alpha and Omega, first and last in Greek. Both languages referring to both the Father and the Son. Someone’s trying to tell us something.

Daniel 12:1-2 says that following the Great Tribulation Daniel’s people will come out of their tombs, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. This is the Bible’s first mention of two resurrections, one for the faithful and one for the damned. Jews who are resurrected to life will dwell in Israel during the Millennium, the final fulfillment of Ezekiel 37:13. From Rev. 20:11-15 we learn that the resurrection of the damned will happen 1000 years later at the Great White Throne judgment.

So it’s clear that the End Times began when Israel became a nation again in 1948. The testimony of Moses, Isaiah, Amos, Ezekiel and others all confirm this. But how long will they last? Remember, the Disciples had asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the End of the Age? (Matt. 24:3). Giving us the timing of their beginning doesn’t fully answer the question. We have to know the time of their end as well. The Lord was clear that the sign of the 2nd Coming would appear after the end of the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:30). Then He said,

“This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” (Matt. 24:34)

There are three possible views of the phrase “this generation”. Some believe it refers to the generation alive when Jesus spoke. Their contention is that the Olivet Discourse prophecies were all fulfilled by 70 AD. I can not find any way to make this view conform to a literal interpretation of Scripture. At best it’s only a partial fulfillment, which means it confirms the fact that there will be a complete fulfillment in the End Times. Others use a secondary meaning for the Greek word translated generation and say it refers to the Jewish race. To them the verse says the Jewish people will not disappear from the Earth until all the End Times prophecies are fulfilled. While linguistically possible this interpretation isn’t really a legitimate sign. It’s not the existence of the Jewish race that’s important, it’s the existence of the nation Israel. Without Israel, End Times prophecies simply cannot be fulfilled. That leaves the third alternative, that Jesus was speaking of the generation alive at the End of the Age. But even this is not a pertinent sign unless by the phrase “all these things” Jesus was speaking of everything that followed the re-birth of the nation.

Think about this for a moment. When Jesus said “This generation will certainly not pass away” he was referring to the life time of one generation of people, saying in effect that all the End Times signs would be fulfilled within the lifetime of the people being born when they began. According to Psalm 90:10 and Isaiah 23:15 this means a 70 year period of time. From a timing standpoint the signs Jesus listed in Matt. 24 can be split into two groups, neither of which fit that criteria. There are the general signs of Matt. 24:4-14 that are either characteristic of the entire age or of indeterminate duration (like birth pangs). And there are the specific signs of Matt. 24:15-31 that all happen with in 3.5 years. Why would He say all these things would happen within a lifetime when Daniel was already on record giving their duration as 3.5 years (Daniel 12:7)? It doesn’t make sense.

There’s only one End Times sign that meets the criteria and that’s the one that began the End Times, the re-birth of the Nation. (The reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 can’t be considered for 2 reasons. First, according to Zechariah 14:2 it will be divided again, but more importantly the Lord’s prophecy about Jerusalem being trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:24) won’t fully come to pass until the 2nd Coming.)

Israel officially became a nation again in 1948. If that event began a 70 year countdown to the 2nd Coming and the End of the Age, then the increasing number of predictions in the secular world of coming social and economic upheaval, electromagnetic storms and other natural disasters, combined with wars in various places should not come as any surprise to us.

Your ignorance is proved with each letter you type.

Your wisdom in your own mind must truely be awesome.

The author just sentences in TOTALLY breaks away from relying on the fig tree analogy, and uses other scripture to make the point.

And if you say there is no rapture, you have no clue WHAT IS IN the Bible.

When it comes to the "parable" of the fig tree, first its important to understand what a "parable" is. A parable is a story that conveys a moral or religious LESSON. Did Christ want them to learn a story or a lesson? EXACTLY-he had no interest in them learning a story, he wanted them to learn a lesson.

Next, its important to understand the culture of Israel of the day. Israel identified itself with/as the fig tree. So when Christ said to learn the story of the fig tree, an ancient Israeli(te) would automatically identify himself/Israel with the fig tree.

Now lets look at what the Bible does say.

32"Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.

One sentence about a fig tree. ONE SENTENCE!!! Why is it called the Parable Of The Fig Tree, when there is only one sentence written about it. MAYBE, the key IS THAT SENTENCE.

Time to correct some of the errors.

[the Ezekiel/Isaiah revisionism exempted]

Jesus uses [the analogy of the fig tree in Matthew 24] to tell people who'll be on Earth at the time that when they see the things he described beginnin in Matt 24:14, they'll know that His coming is near.

Student who read the following verse might note that our LORD also said:
Matt 24:34 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place."
"This generation" does not mean "thousands of years from now." There are perfectly acceptable other phrases to use if our LORD intended to convey a long time span.

Earlier in Matt. 24 He had told them that wars and rumors of war will be characteristic of the age (Matt. 24:6)
Correction: The plainest and empirically demonstrated understanding of this is that our LORD specificially warned them against looking to "wars and rumours of wars" and natural calamities as a sign that these events would take place. Can you name any time in world history when there hasn't been wars, rumours of wars, earthquakes, etc. Look at the phrase "Do not be troubled". Why? I should be troubled if these are definite signs of a tribulation! "For these things must take place" Why? Because that is what sinfull people do, cause wars, and there has been no generation that hasn't known war. In other words, wars, earthquakes, famines and other calamities have been going on since the Fall. This is the manifestations of a cursed universe that groans until redemption. What this isn't is some sort of pre-event check-list to plan your next Rapture Party.

But when they see the Abomination of Desolation, a man standing in the Temple telling people he’s God,
Which is exactly what took place just prior to the Tribulation that hit Judea. Notice in verse 16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." Which is exactly what the people living in Judea had to do in 70AD to avoid being slaughtered by the Romans when Jerusalem was sacked and burned. Note that 70AD just happens to fit quite well in the prediction "this generation will by no means pass away", since that generation did indeed see these predictions come true. By the way, where is that physical Temple that the AoD needs to be blaspheming from? It was there prior to 70AD.

So then, if the fig tree isn’t symbolic of Israel why are we convinced that the events of 1948 marked the beginning of the end?
Because its more fun to pretend that history didn't take place and that we are going to be around to be a part of something new and exciting. Its far more profitable to sell warehouses full of books, charts, graphs, VBS supplies at Prophecy Conferences if we can keep the people scared to death about every bump in the night, every hurricane, every earthquake, every troop movement, yada yada yada.

Personally, I think its an acute case of Political Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy, where anything that pisses you off can be said to be "Punished By God" and you can be the hero for claiming you know why it happened. (Notice that prophecy fulfilled is always in the rear-view mirror?) Hate abortion? Hurricane Katrina is God lashing out at Americans (while China seems to be escaping any wrath with their One Child Policy). Against Sodomy? Well, God has given us this oil slick in the Gulf. We haven't given our entire treasury to the Nation of Israel? Well that explains the WTC of 9/11. Have an axe to grind against America and Americans? Then claim that the US is bringing about Armegeddon by [fill in the blank].

The first clue is the Abomination of Desolation, something that hasn’t happened since Jesus gave the warning
Correction: Fortunately, Luke (21:20) tells us what this "abomination that causes desolation is": "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near." Dispy Salesmen also like to avoid Luke because it takes away the fantasy that somehow the Muslims will be cool about knocking down the Dome of the Rock and building a Jewish Temple on that site.

But there are clear prophecies of just such a thing in the Old Testament
If it was so "clear", why did it take a small sect of the Church of God until the mid 1800s to discover and understand this "clear" prophecy?

In Deut. 4:25-27 he said their disobedience would cause the Lord to scatter them among the nations.
Ten lost tribes anyone ? I know that Evangelicals are all over this, but why ignore your own brand of teaching of this now? Inconvenient? Contradictory?

How about this: Their disobedience - you know, killing Jesus Christ the Son of God, where the people demanded that His blood be on us and our children. Why couldn't that scattering among the nations which did indeed happen to them and to their children in 70AD be what this is all about? You see, you have the disobedience of the Christ killers being poured out on a generation thousands of years away from the offense. Is that how you propose God deals with those who have offended Him, by waiting thousands of years and going after innocent blood?

Then in Deut 4:30 He said that in the latter days during a time of tribulation they would return to the Lord and obey Him again.
That time is called Pentecost which happened shortly after the Messiah's ascension; where the Spirit came down and brought many of the Jews back into obedience with our LORD by believing in His Son Jesus Christ. Under Evangelical [mis]teachings, the twisted logic claims that those who continue to reject the Messiah, return to Temple worship and the sacrifice of animals are somehow are being obedient to God. That is not the Gospel, that is the teaching of the AntiChrist (1 John 4).

There is only one way to "be brought back", and that is not through the blasphemy of yet another Temple and the blood of oxen and goats. The only way to be "brought back" is through faith in Jesus Christ. If you look at the Great Commission, they started in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then Samaria... When you read the Acts of the Apostles, you will see that God was indeed faithful to His promise to reclaim them from all around the world. Read Acts 2, it even names many of the far-off nations. Twice in Colossians and once in Romans, Paul tells us that the entire world - all nations under heaven - were evangelized in Paul's time.

Think about this for a moment. When Jesus said “This generation will certainly not pass away” he was referring to the life time of one generation of people, saying in effect that all the End Times signs would be fulfilled within the lifetime of the people being born when they began. According to Psalm 90:10 and Isaiah 23:15 this means a 70 year period of time. It is so easy to ignore the "this" in "this generation" and replace "this" with "that" to make it fit the narrative of the Evangelical "All Things Are Future So I can Prophet From It" template.
Oh boy, now we are date setting. Cherry picking a generation, which, by the way is not a lifespan so that reference to Ps 90:10 and falsly claiming that it is a generation is pure eisegesis. A simple Bible dictionary ought to correct that misconception. For fun, go read Deut 1:35 and then jump to 2:14 and you get 38 years. Most scholars accept 40 as the gold standard for "a generation" yet one could argue that in Abraham's era, a generation was 100 years.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.