21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. 22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
Mark 11: 12-14
12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.And his disciples heard it.
Matthew 24:32-35
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: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
The words of Jesus spoken concerning the fate of Israel as a beacon for prophetic fulfillment in the signs of the end of the age in Matthew 24. Please take note that Jesus stresses His delight in the fact that the educated establishment normally associated with the knowledge of scripture are blinded to His message and fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus was dealing with a priesthood society corrupted by power and yet at the same time afraid of losing that power. After all even king Herod tried his best to commit genocide upon a whole generation of Jewish males out of fear of having to relinquish his power. The symbolization of the fig tree and its demise. It was this ignorance and hatred of the word of God that fueled God's judgment upon His chosen nation Israel. However as we back track into history we will realize that the words of Jesus concerning the fate of Israel are yet another example of God's signature trademark prophetic truth.
Let's begin our journey into the fates of nations.
Leviticus 26 is a chapter dealing with the punishments of Israel for disobedience to God. It has a sister passage if you will in Deuteronomy 28.
Leviticus 26:27-36
27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; 28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. 31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. 32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. 34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. 35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. 36 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.
Revelation 17:9-14
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Without getting too much into the grand scheme of things at this point this prophecy is most certainly soon to reach its final fulfillment. The book of Revelation describes 8 global kingdoms that arise through biblical history. There is some debate regarding what these empires are. We'll touch this briefly as it is for another day to take this in depth. The Egyptian captivity is over as the Israelites are in the Exodus at this point. This is traditionally accepted as empire number 1. The others the Bible mentions are Assyria,Babylon,Medes and Persians,Greece and Rome. This is basically the point if you count the Egyptian captivity we are awaiting empire number 7 which some people think is the United Nations.
Deuteronomy 4:23-36
23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. 24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. 25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger: 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. 28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. 32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? 33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. 36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.
This passage includes both a warning and a prophecy from God concerning what He expects of the nation of Israel in addition to the punishment which comes with the disobedience of these expectations. The punishment of non-existence as a nation for failure to follow these statutes. In the context of what we will be exploring with this study of scripture it is important to note the prophetic outcomes involving the loss of the land and being scattered among the nations of the earth. This is in description of the jealous nature of God. Even for generations beyond this first group of Israelites chosen for the Exodus God maintains warning and punishment. There is a lesson in this thought alone as it pertains to the progress of mankind and the nature of God which we can explore later. As with most prophetic warnings God allows a way to redemption. In this case it is found within verses 29-31. God promises that with a remnant of believers He will show kindness toward His chosen people. In verse 34 God describes the many tools He used to bring the people out of their captivity in Egypt. The tools serve as one of the mirrors to today's world we have discussed in a couple of other postings. As a matter of fact it probably would serve those interested in the realm of prophetic scripture to remember. The passages of Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 and 3:14-16. The next and final topic with regard to this passage involves a word study in verse 30. This as well as all of our word studies will use the Strong's Bible Concordance.
30 When thou art in tribulation <06862>, and all these things <01697> are come <04672> upon thee, even in the latter <0319> days <03117>, if thou turn <07725> to the LORD <03068> thy God <0430>, and shalt be obedient <08085> unto his voice <06963>;
Please take notice of the word latter. This has some special significance to the prophecy. Below is the definition:
00319:
319 'achariyth akh-ar-eeth' from 310; the last or end, hence, the future; also posterity:--(last, latter) end (time), hinder (utter) -most, length, posterity, remnant, residue, reward. see HEBREW for 0310
Let's dive a little deeper and look at the root word:
00310:
310 'achar akh-ar' from 309; properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses):--after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, + out (over) live, + persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, thence(-forth), when, with. see HEBREW for 0309
One more look at the wording:
00309:
309 'achar aw-khar' a primitive root; to loiter (i.e. be behind); by implication to procrastinate:--continue, defer, delay, hinder, be late (slack), stay (there), tarry (longer).
The Hebrew language is very detailed in its meanings or implications of words. This word 'achariyth (akh-ar-eeth) implies a superlative quality to the 2 root words given which imply procrastination and posterity and gives it a meaning indicative of a time in the distant prophetic future which some including myself apply to the restoration of the nation of Israel on may 14,1948. This most certainly took place after a scattering of the nation although not the only one at the hands of the Roman empire in 70AD. This is another one of those subjects we will explore in depth at another time, but none the less a fulfillment of prophecy. Some consider this fulfillment to be the beginning of the countdown to the return of the Lord Jesus. Amen
In Deuteronomy chapter 28:1-14 God describes the utopian world Israel would live in for their obedience.
In Deuteronomy 28:15-68 God provides a very detailed list of punishments for disobedience.
Deuteronomy 30:1-15
1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
A very important prophecy is stated in verse 7. Notice what the Lord says about those nations which persecute Israel. The misfortunes that met Israel throughout biblical history would be turned upon their enemies. This is a verse for reflections of today concerning the world. This prophetic verse has certainly been found to be true. God also specifies a time of restoration of the land the promised land. He describes how the nation would flourish and it certainly has. Imagine America as one super large vast desert and trying to turn it into what we know as our nation today. This is exactly how Israel developed into the nation she has become. This is something that could not be accomplished unless God was directing the way and keeping His promises associated to this prophecy.
This is just the beginning of what will be another set of journeys through the scriptures in regard to the rise of the nation of Israel and what this signals to the rest of the nations. In the next segment we will go through scriptures and discover what the parable of the fig tree is. Many people try to use this type of symbolization against us as believers. It will probably ring quite clear that there is no doubt we are dealing with the nation of Israel. Hopefully it will also convey the message so many people mock and that being the restoration of Israel as being an instrument in the countdown to the Lord's return.
On a closing note take the passage of Deuteronomy 30:18-20. Actually 2 times the Lord proclaims the options of choice. Choose life and that life is this:
John 14:1-7
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
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