 PASSION WEEK: THE FIG TREE
“I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw
your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto
that shame; and their abominations were
according as they loved.” Hos.9:10
For 1,875 years GOD carefully and patiently worked with the children of Abraham to recognize "his only begotten
Son," "the Messiah," "the Christ, the Son of God!" When Jesus came to stand among men He lived out
perfectly every nuance of righteousness in accordance with the Ten Commandment Law. His every Word stood in perfect agreement
with the Scriptures, never deviating one iota from their timeless lessons. And His compassion for every downtrodden soul,
demonstrated through the power of healing, feeding the hungry, casting out demons, and raising the dead to life, all made
manifest the Love of the Father for His children. Even the prophecies were all there, ranging from the timeline of Daniel's
"Seventy weeks" prophecy of the coming "Messiah the Prince" to Isaiah's prophecy of "the Christ
of God" suffering as man’s sacrifice and substitute for sin. Our Creator gave His all to bring us to the coming
glorious day when He reigns over the whole Earth where every man, every beast, and every creature, great and small will be
perfectly safe, “and none shall make them afraid.”
That GOD would bless the family of Abraham over and above all the families of Earth should have brought tears of humility
and thanksgiving to Israel's leadership. But instead it only fostered pride and arrogance: a worship of themselves and
of their religious practice, in total rebellion to GOD'S intended lessons in the Scriptures. They exalted themselves over
and above the GOD they claimed to serve. Even to this day, many Jews hold themselves above all men. Every Orthodox Jew will
always spit at the mere hearing of the name of Jesus. The Jewish Talmud even curses the clear prophecy of Jesus Christ: "May
the bones of the hands and the bones of the fingers decay and decompose, of him who turns the pages of the book of Daniel,
to find out the time of Daniel 9:24-27, and may his memory rot from off the face of the earth forever."—Talmudic
Law, p.978, Section 2, Line 28. This rabbinic curse exists because the prophecy of Daniel proves through simple arithmetic
that Jesus Christ is Who He said He is!
Other words of today's Talmudic Judaism include: "When a Jew murders a gentile [Englishman, German, Russian,—American],
there will be no death penalty. What a Jew steals from a gentile he may keep."—Sanhedrin 57a "The gentiles
[Christians] are outside the protection of the law and God has 'exposed their money to Israel.'"—Baba Kamma
37b. This is as corrupt as the Koran in declaring words from the same evil spirit: "Fight and slay the pagans [any non-muslim]
where ever you find them. Seize them. Beleaguer them. Lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war." Surah 9:5. In
this religious mindset among both Jews and Muslims Jesus declares: "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of."
Lu.9:55.
After Christ’s triumphal
entry into Jerusalem on the first day of the Passover (Sunday) and His cleansing the temple of all the “hypocrites,”
the following day Christ cursed a fig tree that had the appearance to be full of fruit. It was the time of year the figs were
ripe. But when Jesus came to this tree there was none. “Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no
fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled,
saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!” Matt.21:18-20
This lesson perfectly illustrates the negligence on the part of the Jews to not only recognize Jesus but to plot His
murder when there was no crime—nor sin in Him! Jesus asked them pointedly, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?
And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?” Jn.8:46. This is the insanity in the sinful hearts of men that has
ruled our world, religious and secular alike unto this day. But GOD has held at bay the evil of the opportunists under the
direction of Satan. 'This far and no further' has been GOD'S allowance for the progression of evil. Every day
that the nations of the world continue in normal daily activity is nothing short of GOD’S superlative intervention:
a miraculous display that only angels can see and work to uphold. His continued loving care for His wayward children has only
one purpose as it is written: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Pet.3:9.
The time had finally come when a million years of life
would never change the minds of Orthodox Jews. It was just like the time of Judah’s apostasy and subsequent ruin when
the LORD said to His prophet Jeremiah, “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for
them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.” Jer.7:16. Jesus knew when this point of 'no return'
had been reached in His day, “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven
against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” "Therefore say
I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Matt.23:13;
21;43.
Despite all of the attention
ascribed to today's Israel, the Jewish race is no longer GOD’S special representatives to the world. At their rejection
of Jesus Christ they sealed their fate, of which the “Seventy weeks” (or 490 year) prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27
signified as the timeframe of GOD’S forbearance with the Jews whose incurable apostasy led them to murder the world’s
Messiah, the very One they were educated for nearly two thousand years to recognize and embrace (Jn.8:56). Had they dealt
honestly with GOD’S Word they never would have rejected Him (Lu.16:31).
At the stoning of Stephen in 34 A.D. this brought an end for the Jews forever as GOD’S “peculiar treasure”
and ended the 490 year prophecy of GOD’S amazing forbearance with rebellious men who have always led the multitudes
to follow their example and thus receive their fate (Ex.19:5; Dan.9:24; Matt.21:43; Acts 7:55, 13:46). This has always been
the danger of giving heed to ministers of the church declaring that the god of today's Judaism and the god of Islam is
the same god we all worship. Really? Allah is the Father of Jesus Christ? Then why does Allah deny His Divinity? And what
did Jesus say about the god of Judaism? "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." Jn.8:44.
To deny Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour of one's life is to stand with the Enemy of life. "These things have
I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God service [this is about to be repeated in our generation by apostate leaders professing
the Christian faith (Rev.13:15)]. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things
I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh
me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell
you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if
I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because
the prince of this world is judged." "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on
him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." Jn.16;1-11;
5:24.
The Scriptures repeatedly warn
of the danger of entrusting our lives into the hands of man, “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man,
in whom there is no help.” “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” “His
breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob
for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth
truth for ever: Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous: The LORD
preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The LORD
shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.” Ps.146:3; 118:9; 146:4-10.
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