We Are Living in Biblical Times We are living in biblical times. The Bible has more to say about this period than any other time in history. There were about fifty (50) prophecies about the First Advent of Christ. There are over five hundred (500) prophecies about the Second Advent of Christ. We are living in the days preceding the Second Advent of Christ. Just as in the days of Noah and Lot, the common time theme was that no one believed that judgment was near. We live on the precipice of the final judgment. All who herald such precarious times are deemed fools by the secular world fulfilling the scoffer prophecies. (2 Peter 3:3) As I continue to consider Israel, the events of the last 70 years and meditate on the fig tree parables of Scripture, I see the approaching pattern of impending judgment for Israel and the World. The common theme of Israel's minor prophets is the Second Advent of Messiah Jesus. Hosea speaks about Israel's founding fathers. He says, "I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at her first time:" (Hosea 9:10b) The Living Word, speaks throught Hosea, into the Gospels' fig tree prophecies. Israel's fathers produced good fruit. The horticultural aspects of the fig tree speak, in type, to the nation of Israel as a corporate entity in the states of fruitfulness and barreness. The fig tree flowers and fruits twice each year, once on the old wood and again on the new wood. The fig tree is the only tree in Scripture which was cursed for barreness or the absence of fruit. (Matthew 21:19) The fig tree had a bad beginning. It is associated with disobedience, judgment and self-righteousness. The first usage of the fig tree appears in Genesis 3:7. It is a symbol of self-righteousness in defiance to the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost. These three bear record of truth in heaven. (1 John 5:7 KJB only)[1] . God finds Israel guilty of self-righteousness ultimately for rejecting Jesus. This is Jacob's principal transgression. (Jeremiah 24:2, 5, 8; Matthew 24:32-33; Amos 8:2; Hosea 9:10; Isaiah 59:20) Israel rejected God's "Sun of righteousness". (Malachi 4) Each year in the Spring, in Israel, the fig tree flowers on its prior years branches. The flowers appear before the leaves. The fig tree's flowers set fruit "at her first time", then the leaves appear. Later in the Summer, the fig tree flowers again on the new growth branches and sets fruit a second time. The fig tree in these parables had no fruit at all. Their barreness reflects corporate Israel's refusal to recognize Yeshua as Messiah. (Matthew 21, 24; Luke 13, 21; Mark 13). If we apply the imagery of this parable to Israel today and follow Jesus' command to "learn" the parable and to "know" its interpretation we can know "what manner of time" to expect (1) the resurrection/rapture event and (2) the time of Jacob's trouble or Daniel's 70th week. (1 Peter 1:11) On May 14, 1948 Israel declared Independence as a nation ending the Diaspora exile. (Isaiah 11:11, 66:8; Ezekiel 20:34, 37:1-12) On May 11, 1949, following her War of Possession or the second Conquest of Canaan, the world, the commonwealth of nations[2], acknowledged Israel as a sovereign nation.[3] Just as the Lord was with Joshua and Israel in the first Conquest of Canaan, so too, the Lord was with Israel fighting for her in the second Conquest of Canaan. The "hand of the Lord" established Israel in 1949 following the second conquest of Canaan. (Isaiah 11:11) We see the Captain of the Host of the Lord fighting for Israel in Joshua 5:13-15. This captain is the King of Glory, the King of Israel. (Psalm 24:10; Isaiah 44:6) The Lord is a man of war. (Exodus 15:3) This captain is the Captain of Salvation. (Hebrews 2:10) He is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 43:15) This captain is the Lord Jesus. (Hebrews 4:8 KJB only; Acts 7:45 KJB only)[4] A cursory review of the Second Conquest of Canaan and the Arab-Israel Wars of 1948-73 there are numerous miraculous accounts of divine intervention where the King of Glory fought for Israel. The Captain of Salvation intends to call out His remnant, the remnant of Jacob, who will appropriate the testimony and faith of Jesus during the Time of Jacob's Trouble, Daniel's 70th week. Israel, as God's prophetic timepiece, was the fruitless leafy budding of the proverbial "fig tree". And Isaiah's words, spoken more than 2,700 years ago, ring in our ears the truth of God, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people...". (Isaiah 11:11; Ezekiel 20:33-38) The second recovery of Israel is represented by the end of the Diaspora exile in 1948, the first recovery being the 70-year Babylonian exile. This recovery has been with indignation. (Zechariah 1:12). This recovery brought the Jew, as a nation, back into the land of Canaan, albeit, in unbelief of Messiah Yeshua. God says this restoration has been and will be associated with the rod of indignation and fury poured out. (Zechariah 1:12; Ezekiel 20:34; Isaiah 48:10) Israel must endure the coming "time of Jacob's trouble". (Jeremiah 30:7) Israel has begun the formal process of restoration in preparation for God's final chapter in the redemption of the Jewish people, a people who will receive Yeshua as Messiah.(Daniel 9:27; Revelation 1-22) Isaiah says that the Lord "set His hand" implementing this second recovery. (Isaiah 11:11) The nation commenced its restoration without flowers or fruit. The restoration of the barren fig tree is in agreement with Ezekiel's version as the restoration of dry bones constituting the whole house of Israel. (Ezekiel 37) Jesus had chastised the figurative fig tree of Matthew 21:19, which represented the political nation of Israel in 30 A.D. cursed for failing to recognize her Messiah. The fig tree was cut down following the lesson of the Fig tree-Vineyard parable of Luke 13:6-9. The Temple was destroyed and the Jews dispersed. (Daniel 9:26) At the first Advent, the Jewish nation was cursed and dispersed for the rejection of Messiah. At the second Advent, the remnant Jewish nation will receive Jesus and be delivered and saved. (Romans 11:26-27; Isaiah 59:20-21; Romans 9:27; Isaiah 10:21-22; Jeremiah 31:7, 11,31-34; Joel 2) Now, in a generational context, we are seventy (70) years from the events of 1949. It is probable that God began His 70-year countdown toward the last week of Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy. (Amos 3:7) We are the generation which will witness the resurrection/rapture event. (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:17) Zechariah speaks today of these 70 years of indignation when Israel has had neither rest nor peace. (Zechariah 1:12) Jesus says the generation which sees the fig tree bud out will see the events of Daniel's week. Only Christ's own, the members of His body, will be removed prior to Daniel's week. The Christ rejecting world will bear the furious wrath of the end of the age judgments, the furnace of affliction, the cup of wrath and indignation. (Jeremiah 25:15-17, 51:7; Psalm 75:8; Zechariah 12:2-3; Habakkuk 2:16; Revelation 16:19) For all judgment has been committed to the Son of God, Jesus. (John 5:22) Following this 70-year period, the prophet Zechariah says that the Temple shall be built. (Zechariah 1:16). This can only occur after the Lord removes his "living temples". (1 Corinthians 6:19) The Temple Institute has completed all preparations for the Tribulation Temple. (Daniel 9:27, 12:11; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14) The remnant Jewish nation of the future will keep the commandments of God and have the faith and testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 12:17, 14:12, 20:4-5) Their faith will save them from the furnace of affliction. (Isaiah 48:10) Jesus will protect them in the days of vengeance. (Daniel 3:25 KJB only[5]; Revelation 12:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:12) During Daniel's 70th week, the Fig Tree will flower and fruit on her new year's growth during the Time of Jacob's Trouble. As the Lord God of Israel said through Hosea, "I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at her first time", so looking forward in the understanding of the doctrine of the restoration of Israel, the parable says, the LORD GOD will see the fathers' remnant children as the "second ripe in the fig tree at her second time". This is the truth of this parable following the command to "learn" and "know" the parable of the Fig Tree and the time of the end. Blessings in Christ.........Awaiting His appearance this Spring at the Feast of the Harvest. Post Script: The KJB represents the "majority text" in the archeological manuscript record. Ninety-five (95%) percent of all manuscript evidence is contained in the Textus Receptus, Syriac, or Byzantine manuscripts. All modern bibles published since professors Westcott and Hort's apostate subversion of 1881 represent the minority text or five (5%) percent of all archeological manuscript evidence. The minority texts originate from Alexandria and appear in the Alexandrianus, Sinaticus and Vaticanus versions. [1] All modern bibles, following the Alexandrian revisers, have deleted this verse from the majority text manuscripts. Hi GregW Would have to respectfully agree to disagree agreeably on your interpretation of 2 Thes 2. Andy Woods has a teaching on why his studies have led him to believe that the departure spoken of in this passage refers to a physical departure, not a spiritual one. He goes over a list of ten reasons that support his view. You may not end up agreeing after watching, but I encourage you to listen with an open mind (if you have not done so already). You can go to the 8:30 mark to pick up right where he begins to explain his position and how he got there. Again, you might not end up agreeing, but no reasonable person can argue that there is not at least some substantive, credible reasoning that merits earnest consideration of the possibility that the correct translation in context for the Greek word apostasia is departure, as in physical departure, as in rapture of the Church. If that is what the Lord intended for the passage to convey, as I lean towards in my understanding, the discussion about the timing of the rapture is effectively ended. As I said at the beginning of this response. It may very well be that the best we are going to be able to do on this one is agree to disagree agreeably. Grace and peace. Watchman35: I am familiar with Wood's position. I am not dogmatic on the matter. I see no reason why the term could not mean both if both events were to occur with a contemporaneous time frame.
[2] the commonwealth of nations was represented by the United Nations in 1947 and 1949. The U.N. represents "all the trees" of the Fig Tree parable of Luke 21:29.
[3] On May 11, 1949, the U.N. admitted Israel as the 59th member. This event parallels the imagery of the "fig tree" Israel and the U.N., as "all the trees" of Luke 21:29.
[4] All modern bibles, products of Alexandrian gnostism, have altered the name of Jesus to Joshua.
[5] In the KJB, this verse uses the name "Son of God" while the modern bibles following the Alexandrian gnostics altered it to "a son of the gods". This alteration, following Satan's example in Genesis 3, thereby removes the ability to see that it will be the "Son of God", Jesus, who protects remnant Israel during the Time of Jacob's Trouble (Revelation s12:6), when Israel will be subject to Isaiah's "furnace of affliction". Daniel's furnace is a type of future affliction prophecied by Israel's prophets, affliction which will occur during Daniel's 70th week.
