The Tribulation

Wrong Interpretations

Meaning of the imagery

In His Olivet Discourse, delivered late on Tuesday during Passion week, Jesus said,

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.

Matthew 24:32-34

On the previous day, as Jesus and His disciples were walking toward Jerusalem, He approached a fig tree for the purpose of taking some figs to eat. But although the tree was alive and covered with leaves, it was barren of fruit. Jesus therefore pronounced a curse upon it. On the day of His discourse, as He and His disciples were again coming into the city, the disciples noticed that the cursed tree had died and withered away. When Jesus later told the parable of the fig tree, He was undoubtedly referring to the tree found dead a few hours earlier.

What prophetic meaning did Jesus expect His disciples, and all readers ever afterward, to find in the parable? As we showed in an earlier lesson, we have strong Scriptural reasons for identifying the fig tree as the nation of Israel. Therefore, we can with confidence draw two specific lessons from Jesus' actions and words concerning the fig tree.

1. Jesus' cursing of the barren fig tree undoubtedly was a warning that God would bring dreadful judgment upon Israel because it was barren of spiritual fruit—in other words, because its leaders and the nation as a whole were largely barren of believers in Christ.
2. The rebudding that Jesus anticipated in His Olivet Discourse undoubtedly spoke of Israel undergoing renewal at a time not many years before He returns to establish His kingdom upon the earth.

Yet these two easy interpretations leave many questions unanswered. The chief puzzle is what the rebudding of the fig tree represents.

1948

One system of interpretation looks at what Israel lost when it suffered the judgment pictured as the withering up of a fig tree. In AD 33, when Jesus told the parable, the Jews were not only living in their homeland, but also their traditional laws were enforced and their interests were protected by a body of Jewish rulers, although these were subservient to the Romans. All these manifestations of national vitality disappeared in AD 70, when the Romans achieved victory over a massive Jewish rebellion by destroying Jerusalem and scattering the Jewish people. The contrast between between the living tree in AD 33 and the dead tree after AD 70 has led many to the conclusion that the tree points to Israel as a political entity.

Since 1948, Jews in Palestine have enjoyed self-government, and their opportunities to practice Jewish religion have expanded. They are still without a temple that can serve as the center of public worship, but they have regained access to the Wailing Wall, and plans are moving forward to rebuild their ancient temple after its site has been recovered from the Muslims.

Linking the rebudding of the tree to 1948 was at one time a very popular interpretation. It was presented very forcefully by some best-selling writers on prophecy back in the 1970's. They won a huge audience by arguing that if 1948 was the year of rebudding, we can be sure that Christ is coming very soon, within just a few years. Some even went so far as to set the date of His return. The basis of their computations was the assumption that since Jerusalem was destroyed within forty years after Jesus originally spoke the parable, He must have considered a generation equal to forty years. Therefore, by adding forty years to 1948 and subtracting seven years (presumed to be the length of the Tribulation), they arrived at 1981 as the year of the Rapture. This prediction generated an eager audience for the books, movies, and media events promoting it. The overall sale of these books ran into the millions.

But Jesus did not return when expected. How had the parable been mishandled?

1967

Perhaps the error consisted in not looking closely enough at the Olivet Discourse, source of the parable. Let us reexamine Jesus' exact words promising that rebudding of the fig tree would signal His imminent return. "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors" (Matt. 24:33). What did He mean by "all these things"? For the explanatory context, we must look at what preceded the discourse.

1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Matthew 24:1-3

The events that Jesus surveys in verses 4 to 31 of the same chapter are evidently what He means by "all these things" in verse 34. The final event is His return in glory.

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 24:30-31

His triumphant descent to this world will conclude the awful period of judgment known as the Tribulation and will initiate His thousand-year reign on the earth.

But what will be the opening event during the period of "all these things"? The key to interpretation may lie in the conversation before Jesus began His Olivet Discourse. This survey of future events was in answer to three specific questions: "when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Matt. 24: 3, above). "These things" (Matt. 24:34, above) that will be fulfilled before this generation passes are the same as "these things" on the minds of His disciples. What did they mean by "these things"? They meant the awful destruction that Jesus had just foretold, when He spoke of one stone not being left upon another (v. 2). In context, the rebudding of the fig may therefore refer to a coming reversal of this destruction.

The destruction He described—the overturning of walls and collapse of buildings—took place primarily at the site of Jerusalem, and its aftermath for the Jewish people was loss of their beloved city. During the many dreary centuries stretching from antiquity to modern times, they could revisit Jerusalem only in their memories.

Therefore, some students of prophecy have decided that the rebudding of the fig tree represents the Jewish people regaining Jerusalem as capital of their nation. They find support for their interpretation in Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse. There, Jesus says, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). What, by implication, would follow the times of the gentiles? Presumably, the times of the Jewish people. It therefore seems reasonable to equate the birth of these times with the rebudding of the fig tree.

When did Jerusalem cease to be trodden down by gentiles? Gentile control of the city has been waning now for almost two centuries. Jewish reoccupation of Jerusalem began with an influx of Jewish settlers in the nineteenth century. The Jewish population grew steadily until Israel attained statehood in 1948. Then, the fledgling nation absorbed the western sector of the city, but the eastern sector remained outside their control until the war in 1967. The Israelis then established military dominance over the whole city, although they allowed Muslims to retain their shrine on Temple Mount. Thus, it can perhaps no longer be said that the city is trodden down by gentiles.

Because they found 1967 a convincing date for the rebudding of the fig tree, some teachers of prophecy in the decades after this event tried to predict the year of the Rapture by adding forty years to 1967, then subtracting the seven years presumed to separate the Rapture from the return of Christ in glory. The result was the year 2000. Some were drawn to this date because the turn of the century seemed to have mystical significance, as if it marked also a turning point in human history. But, of course, Jesus did not return then. I had in the year 1999 added an article to my website warning that it was foolish to expect Jesus' return in 2000 just because this was the dawn of a new millennium by human reckoning.

Correct Interpretation

Scriptural clues

The basis for dating the rebudding of the fig tree as either 1948 or 1967 is two assumptions. The first is that the fig tree mentioned in Matthew 24:32-34 (above) represents Israel. The second is that the rebudding will reverse the calamity that fell on Israel in AD 70. In other words, the rebudding will be an outward sign that the tree has returned to life after being dead. The first assumption is undoubtedly correct, but the second is incorrect.

For two reasons, we can set aside the second assumption.

1. In the words of Matthew 24:32-34, there is no hint that Jesus is speaking of a tree that has come back to life just before rebudding. We may be sure that it has recently come through winter, but Jesus' words give us no reason to view it as anything but a healthy tree ready to blossom as soon as spring arrives.
2. It is instructive to look at the same parable in Luke.

   29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

   30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

   31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

   32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

   Luke 21:29–32

   The sign that the end is near is the rebudding not only of the fig tree, but also of all other trees. There is no suggestion that all these other trees were previously dead. We could by no means identify any worldwide judgment that had actually killed all the trees. Much less could we imagine that all the trees died in some sense back when Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70.

For a proper interpretation of the fig tree parable in the Olivet Discourse, we need not abandon our earlier interpretation of the fig tree. It is indeed the nation of Israel. It truly died in AD 70 as a result of divine judgment, and it truly was reborn in 1948, when the state of Israel reappeared on the world scene. As a result, the fig tree is now alive. But it has not put out the new buds that Jesus was foreseeing in His parable of the fig tree.

Dating the event

A clear pointer to exactly when the fig tree will rebud appears in the last Scriptural reference to the fig tree, in Revelation 6. The record of the period subsequent to the opening of the Sixth Seal begins with an obscure image.

And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

Revelation 6:13

Although this prediction will likely have a literal fulfillment—that is, the earth will indeed be bombarded by meteors or other objects from space—each term employed here is elsewhere defined as a symbol.

• The fig tree stands for Israel as a source of true believers in Christ.
• The stars of heaven represent angels of God, as they do also in Daniel 8:10, Revelation 1:20, Revelation 9:1, and Revelation 12:4. In Revelation 9:1, an angel coming to the earth on a divine mission is described as a star falling from heaven. The imagery is explained a chapter later, in Revelation 10:1, "And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven."
• The mighty wind corresponds to the four winds of Revelation 7:2, a text just a few verses beyond the text we are discussing. These four winds represent demonic agencies, as they do also in Daniel 7:2.

It is evident that at the time of Revelation 6:13, evil forces will press mightily against Israel, but angels of God will come to her rescue. Although in this verse the language identifying them is merely figurative, we are specifically told a few verses later that angels have now taken up positions to hold back destructive forces (Rev. 7:1). The only harm done to the fig tree will be the loss of some untimely figs. The meaning is that some Jews will be killed for their faith in Christ. These Jews will be among the martyrs prophesied two verses earlier.

And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Revelation 6:11

The word translated "untimely figs" refers to late-ripening figs that hang on the tree until spring. We may regard the untimely figs mentioned here as figs found on the tree just before it enters a new season of growth. We draw out two implications.

1. The tree has just undergone a winter season leaving it empty of fruit. Indeed, all saved Jews disappeared from the nation of Israel at the time of the Rapture, which was followed by events at the outset of the Tribulation, a time well-described as a spiritual winter. Yet even during the cold hostility of a world raging against God, the tree had some untimely figs that succumbed to persecution.
2. The recent ordeal of winter implies that spring is coming. In other words, the fig tree is on the verge of putting forth buds.

The further history of the fig tree is given in Revelation 7.

1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Revelation 7:1-3

The four angels who hold the winds in check are likely the same ones who came to the rescue of the fig tree. Another angel commands these four to keep up their protection of the fig tree and all the other trees.

This passage employs "trees" both in a literal sense, with reference to vegetation, and in a symbolic sense, with reference to all the nations that will produce spiritual fruit. That is, the word bears a larger meaning parallel to the larger meaning of the fig tree.

After an angelic guard is posted about the fig tree as well as the others, 144,000 in the twelve tribes of Israel are identified as "servants of our God" and set aside to receive God's seal.

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

Revelation 7:2-8

It is evident that the record of the period following the opening of the Sixth Seal is speaking of Israel's springtime renewal as a source of spiritual fruit. Untimely figs fall from the fig tree. The fig tree is surrounded by a protective watch. And angels set seals upon the 144,000. Revealing the full number and Israelite origin of these 144,000 informs us that the fig tree has indeed rebudded.

Yet the revival will not be confined to the nation of Israel. An angelic guard is set on all "the trees." We infer that a new season of spiritual fruit will come to all the nations of the world, as we learned in Luke 21:29-32 (above) and as Jesus predicted in His Olivet Discourse.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Matthew 24:14

It follows from our analysis that the Rapture will precede the rebudding of the fig tree. Therefore, its rebudding will not, as many students of prophecy in the past have assumed, serve as a sign that the Tribulation is approaching. Rather, it will come after history has entered the Tribulation.

Chronology

Many readers will find our conclusions difficult to accept. Christ said that after the fig tree rebuds, as much as a generation will pass before Christ returns in glory. Therefore, from our perspective, the overall length of the Tribulation will be roughly forty years. But most pretribulationists are confident that it will last only seven years, equal to the seventieth week of Daniel. The common belief that the Tribulation will be a very short period is, however, not supported by a careful look at Scripture. In another lesson on this site, we will present arguments that the Tribulation will be a considerably longer period.