In the BEGINNING - the FIG TREE was associated with MAN'S
COVERING for his NAKEDNESS and SHAME (Genesis 3:7-8) due to his SIN (Genesis 3:11 cf.Genesis 3:6):
The SERPENT BEGUILED EVE THROUGH SUBTILTY (II Corinthians 11:3 cf.Genesis 3:1,13) to BELIEVE the LIE, "YE SHALL BE AS GODS" (Genesis 3:5)
- the SAME LIE with which HE DECEIVED HIMSELF, "I SHALL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH" (Isaiah 14:14)
The RESULT - "the EYES of them were both OPENED,
and they KNEW they were NAKED" (Genesis 3:7) and they tried to COVER their NAKEDNESS with "FIG LEAVES"
(Genesis 3:7) and they HID from God in SHAME (Genesis 3:8)
BEFORE the FALL - "they were both NAKED ... and were
NOT ASHAMED" (Genesis 2:25) having been CREATED in the PHYSICAL LIKENESS of GOD (Genesis 1:27)
- "CLOTHED with HONOUR and MAJESTY" (Psalms 104:1) and "COVEREST ... with LIGHT as with a GARMENT" (Psalms 104:2)
In the BEGINNING - God APPOINTED the WAY BACK to Himself:
He APPOINTED the TIME of SACRIFICE - "in PROCESS
of TIME", i.e. "at the END of some DAYS" (Genesis 4:3)
He APPOINTED the TYPE of SACRIFICE - the SIN OFFERING
that "LIETH at the DOOR" (Genesis 4:7) - whose SWEET SMELLING SAVOUR (Genesis 8:20-21) was like the SWEETNESS of the FRUIT of the FIG TREE (Judges 9:10-11)
GOD "had RESPECT" unto ABEL'S BLOOD OFFERING
(Genesis 4:4) - VISIBLY CONSUMING it with FIRE (Leviticus 9:24)
In BOTH CASES - SATAN PERCEIVED the WEAKER VESSEL to be
the ONE WHO DID NOT DIRECTLY HEAR the DIVINE WORD, i.e. NOT ADAM (Genesis 2:16-17) and NOT ABEL (Luke 11:49-51)
The FIG TREE to which the Lord "came and SOUGHT FRUIT
thereon, and FOUND NONE" for THREE YEARS (Luke 13:6-7) is a reference to ISRAEL'S TEMPLE WORSHIP, which had become DEFILED
by ISRAEL'S RELIGIOUS LEADERS (Matthew 21:13;Mark 11:17;Luke 19:45-46)
The Lord's CURSING of the FRUITLESS FIG TREE on his way
to the TEMPLE(Matthew 21:18-19;Mark 11:12-14)occurred
in connection with His OVERTHROWING the TABLES of the MONEYCHANGERS in the TEMPLE (Matthew 21:12;Mark 11:15-16)
Nathanael "under the FIG TREE" (John 1:48)
presents a STRIKING CONTRAST between his "being an ISRAELITE indeed, in whom is NO GUILE" (John 1:47)
and the HYPOCRISY of ISRAEL'S RELIGIOUS LEADERS (Matthew 23:13-15,23,25,27,29)
ISRAEL - BEFORE her BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY - was RELIGIOUSLY
DEPICTED as TWO BASKETS of "FIGS" (Jeremiah 24:1) - ONE BASKET of "GOOD FIGS" and ONE BASKET of "BAD
FIGS" (Jeremiah 24:2-3):
The "GOOD FIGS" represented the REPENTANT ISRAELITES
who ACCEPTED CAPTIVITY as GOD'S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT and were BLESSED with the PROMISE of a RETURN TO THE LAND (Jeremiah 24:5-7 cf.Jeremiah 29:11-14) - e.g. DANIEL (Daniel 9:2-6,20-23;Daniel 12:13)
The "BAD FIGS" represented the UNREPENTANT ISRAELITES
who RESISTED CAPTIVITY in DEFIANCE of GOD'S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT and were to be "REMOVED" and "CURSED"
(Jeremiah 24:8-9 cf.Jeremiah 44:2-6)
- e.g. ZEDEKIAH (II Kings 24:20;II Kings 25:6-7)
ISRAEL'SFIRSTTEMPLE ("FIG TREE"):
The DEDICATION of ISRAEL'S FIRST TEMPLE was WITNESSED
to by "that the CLOUD of the LORD had FILLED the HOUSE of the LORD" (I Kings 8:10-11)
The Lord declared that ISRAEL'S "WHORISH HEART"
had caused her to "DEPART FROM ME" by her "IDOLS", i.e. by her "ABOMINATIONS" (Ezekiel 6:9):
Ashtoreth - "the ABOMINATION", i.e. "the
GODDESS of the Zidonians" (I Kings 11:5)
The IDOLATRY of the PRIESTS of ISRAEL, i.e. of the HEADS
of the 24 PRIESTLY COURSES + the HIGH PRIEST = 25 MEN (Ezekiel 8:15-16 cf. I Chronicles 24:1-4); e.g. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist was of the 8th PRIESTLY
COURSE of Abijah (Luke 1:5 cf. I Chronicles 24:10)
Due to ISRAEL'S DEFILEMENT of the LORD'S HOUSE:
The GLORY of the LORD "WAS GONE UP" FROM the
LORD'S HOUSE (Ezekiel 9:3)
The GLORY of the LORD "WENT UP" FROM the LORD'S
HOUSE (Ezekiel 10:4)
The GLORY of the LORD "DEPARTED FROM" the LORD'S
HOUSE (Ezekiel 10:18)
FINALLY, God (via the King of Babylon), "BURNT the
HOUSE of the LORD ... WITH FIRE" (II Kings 25:8-9) in FULFILLMENT of the PROPHECY (Jeremiah 32:29)
ISRAEL'SSECONDTEMPLE ("FIG TREE")
The DEDICATION of ISRAEL'S SECOND TEMPLE was CELEBRATED
with JOY by the PEOPLE, the PRIESTS, and the LEVITES (Ezra 6:16):
The FEAST of the PASSOVER was KEPT by "the PRIESTS
and the LEVITES" who were "PURIFIED TOGETHER" and by "the CHILDREN of ISRAEL ... ALL SUCH as
had SEPARATED THEMSELVES unto them FROM the FILTHINESS of the HEATHEN of the land" (Ezra 6:19-21)
The FEAST of UNLEAVENED BREAD was ALSO KEPT - "for
the Lord had MADE them "JOYFUL" Who "TURNED the HEART of the KING ... unto them, to STRENGTHEN their
HANDS in the WORK of the HOUSE of GOD" (Ezra 6:22)
The FEAST of TABERNACLES (Leviticus 23:34-36), i.e. the FEAST of BOOTHS (Leviticus 23:39-42) - was KEPT for the FIRST TIME "SINCE the DAYS of JOSHUA ... and
there was VERY GREAT GLADNESS" (Nehemiah 8:17)
They made "GREAT MIRTH, because they had UNDERSTOOD
the WORDS that were DECLARED unto them" (Nehemiah 8:12), i.e. they UNDERSTOOD the WORDS of the LAW (Nehemiah 8:1,8)
and RESPONDED ACCORDINGLY (Nehemiah 8:14-16,18)
The "SURE COVENANT" made by ISRAEL'S RETURNED
CAPTIVES to NOT REPEAT the UNFAITHFUL WICKEDNESS of THEIR FATHERS (Nehemiah 9:32-38) was SOON BROKEN AFTER the DAYS of the PROPHETS Haggai & Zechariah
(Ezra 5:1; Ezra 6:14) IN the DAYS of the PROPHET Malachi (Malachi 1:6):
The PRIESTS POLLUTED the DIVINE ALTAR with CONTEMPTIBLE
SACRIFICES (Malachi 1:7-8)
NONE would SHUT the DOORS of the TEMPLE or KINDLE the
FIRE on the DIVINE ALTAR - "FOR NOUGHT" (Malachi 1:10)
This COVENANT BREACH resulted in "a FAMINE ... NOT
a FAMINE of BREAD ... BUT of HEARING the WORDS of the LORD" (Amos 8:11), i.e, the 400 "SILENT" years between the LAST OT PROPHET
and the FIRST NT PROPHET (Mark 1:2 cf.Malachi 3:1):
Thus, when MESSIAH came to ISRAEL, He is described "as
a TENDER PLANT ... as a ROOT out of DRY GROUND" (Isaiah 53:2)
MESSIAH declared that "the TEMPLE of GOD" had
been "MADE ... a DEN of THIEVES" (Matthew 21:12-13) and as He "returned into the city" - He CURSED a BARREN
"FIG TREE" (Matthew 21:18-19), as an ILLUSTRATION - of ISRAEL'S BARREN "FIG TREE" (Luke 13:6-9),
i.e. of ISRAEL'S RELIGIOUS "BLIND GUIDES" (Matthew 23:16,24)
The SIGN to WATCH FOR will be that which pertains to the
DESECRATION of the TEMPLE (Daniel 8:11-12) - "WHEN YE ... SHALL SEE the ABOMINATION of DESOLATION ... STAND
in the HOLY PLACE ... UNDERSTAND" (Matthew 24:15 cf.Daniel 11:31;Daniel 12:11)
Following "the TRIBULATION of THOSE DAYS (Matthew 24:29)
"shall appear the SIGN of the SON of MAN in HEAVEN ... THEY SHALL SEE the SON of MAN COMING in the CLOUDS
of HEAVEN with POWER and GREAT GLORY" (Matthew 24:30 cf.Matthew 24:3;Matthew 24:27-28)