Jesus told us to watch for His coming because we don’t know the day or the hour (Matthew 24:42; 25:13). He told us to watch lest He come and find us sleeping (Mark 13:33-37). He told us to watch and pray that we will be accounted worthy to escape all the things that are coming upon the earth (Luke 21:36). He told us to watch or He would come upon us as a thief (Revelation 3:3). And Paul told us to watch and be sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6). So we should watch, but “What should we be watching for?”

Concerning His return, Jesus said:

“Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Luke 21:29-33).

So Jesus said watch all the trees, but pay specific attention to one particular tree (the fig tree). But someone could ask, “So we should watch the fig tree and all the trees, but why?”

In the Old Testament, God compared Judah to a cedar tree and its king (Jehoiakim) to the highest branch in that cedar tree (Ezekiel 17:3-4, 12).  God compared Assyria to a cedar tree with fair branches whose height (stature, greatness and power) was exalted above all the trees of the field (nations of the world) (Ezekiel 31:3-6). In the New Testament, John the Baptist appeared to refer to Israel as a worthless tree (Luke 3:8-9).

Jesus definitely referred to the fig tree as a sign of His return (Matthew 24:32-33). And the fig tree is clearly a symbol of Israel (Hosea 9:10; Jeremiah 24:1-10). So the fig tree is Israel and all the other trees are all the other nations. Then, concerning the Second Coming of Jesus, we should watch Israel and all the other nations.

We should watch the fig tree (Israel) because that tiny nation must exist for many prophecies to be fulfilled. Israel must exist for the Antichrist to confirm a treaty for seven years of peace between Israel and the PA that will trigger the Tribulation period (Daniel 9:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:3). Israel must exist before all prophecy can be fulfilled, before the Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah, etc. (Daniel 9:24). Israel must exist to rebuild the Temple before the Antichrist can sit in it and show himself that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Israel must exist to rebuild the Temple and resume the animal sacrifices before the Antichrist can stop them at the middle of the Tribulation period (Daniel 9:27). Israel must exist before the Jews in Judea can flee into the wilderness when the Antichrist defiles the Temple (Matthew 24:15-16). Israel must exist before the battle of Gog and Magog can take place in the latter days and latter years (Ezekiel 38-39). Israel must exist before Jesus can rescue her at the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21). The existence of the fig tree is a prelude to the fulfillment of major Second Coming prophecies.

We should watch all the other trees (nations) because the Antichrist will try to force all the nations into a world government (Daniel 7:23; Revelation 13:7) and that is the purpose of the New World Order. All the nations of the earth must experience economic problems and high food prices (Revelation 6:5-6) and many are predicting a global economic collapse at some point in 2014. The Antichrist will rise to power in a revived EU (Daniel 9:26) and the EU now exists, and some are calling for a super-president.

The nations must divide Israel (Joel 3:2) and that is what the two-state solution is all about. The nations surrounding Israel must desire Jerusalem enough to attack Israel (Zechariah 12:2) and that is being negotiated under threat of an Intifada, right now. Syria and Israel must go to war with each other (Isaiah 17:1-14) and both are threatening each other right now.

Egypt must get into a civil war, come under the rule of a cruel leader, experience high unemployment, etc. (Isaiah 19:1-22) and that is the situation today. Russia and several Islamic nations, including Iran, must go to war with Israel (Ezekiel 38-39) and that could happen very soon. The Euphrates River must dry up so China and her allies can move into the Middle East (Revelation 16:12) and dams and drought are making that possible. The trees have a message for those who will listen.

I don’t know that it is true, but I have read that the fig tree is one of the last trees to leaf out during the spring in Israel. Leaves on the fig tree are a sure-sign that summer is near. In like manner, the return of Israel along with today’s global and national events—are a sure sign that the world is running out of time.

So to all the born-again tree watchers, Jesus commanded you to know that it is near, even at the doors. And He added that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled (Matthew 24:33-34). But to all who are not born-again Jesus said ye must be born-again (John 3:7). Otherwise, your future is bleak.

FYI: God Has Spoken (And We Know It) by Daymond Duck is available, (linked at raptureready.com to my publisher). Books and a Kindle version are available at amazon.com. A Nook version is available at bn.com. Check out what it says about Syria, Russia, Iran, Egypt, natural disasters, the Two-State Solution, etc. Please post a comment.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck

I want to state up front that I believe in the Pre-Trib Rapture and I don’t think that truly born again believers have to be concerned about going through the Tribulation period, falling prey to a one-world government, or taking the Mark of the Beast. But the Bible teaches that there will be a generation of believers that can see these things beginning to come to pass. And as that terminal generation sees the day approaching, the Bible gives us insight into where current events are taking us so that those who choose to do so can try to prepare.

Most students of Bible prophecy are familiar with the famous Mark of the Beast:

“And he [the False Prophet] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17).

Those who are watching can see the technology to mark, identify and track people coming on the scene today.

Among other things, the Mark of the Beast is about global bondage or the cancellation of all human rights for the purpose of controlling everyone on earth. It involves two things: 1) The destruction of Christianity to make way for a new world religion or global ethic, and 2) The creation or establishment of a system to make everyone dependent upon government.

As a Christian, I believe God created the human race to worship Him (not a politically approved deity) and to depend upon Him (not a world government). The Scriptures often compare God’s people to sheep that need a Good Shepherd to lead them to food and water, to provide for them, to protect them and even to save them. One Psalmist said, “Know ye that the LORD he isGod: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3). And Jesus said a thief would come to steal, kill and destroy the sheep (John 10:10).

As a Christian, I also believe that God established the United States to be a place to give people rights and freedoms including the right and freedom to worship Him and to depend upon Him. When America’s early Colonies declared their freedom from British rule they used the Second Continental Congress to adopt The Declaration of Independence. The second paragraph of that historic document reads, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

As I see it, the global elite (they usually prefer to be called progressives) are: 1) Trying to destroy America’s dependence upon God (destroy Christianity) by taking prayer out of our schools, the Ten Commandments out of our courthouses, prohibiting Christian displays and speeches on public property, and things like that; and 2) they are trying to replace America’s dependence upon God by making as many people as possible dependent upon government. They are trying to destroy America’s freedom of religion and they are trying to create a system of government benefits to get a hold over people and make them do as they say. We already have more citizens receiving a government benefit of some kind than we have holding a full time job.

Obamacare is really a scheme to expand government control of United States citizens. Increasing the cost of insurance forces those who are barely making a living to look to the government for help. Forcing people who had a 40 hour a week job with insurance into a 30 hour a week job with no insurance decreases their income and forces them to look to the government for help. Forcing businesses to close or leave the country because they can’t afford the cost of Obamacare for their employees throws those employees out of work and forces them to look to the government for a benefit. Adding more IRS employees to monitor the cost of healthcare places more people on the government payroll and increases the number of those who are dependent upon government for a check.

Christians can try to do two things: 1) Counter the globalist effort to break our dependence upon God by becoming more dependent upon God (more prayer, Bible study, worship, etc.), and 2) Counter the globalist effort to make us dependent upon government by trying to become independent (grow food, get out of debt, earn extra income, etc.). I pray that it is not needed, but anything we do to diminish or delay the government’s hold on us before our Lord comes for His church could be helpful.

FYI: God Has Spoken (And We Know It) by Daymond Duck is available (linked at raptureready.com to my publisher). Books and a Kindle version are available at amazon.com. A Nook version is available at bn.com. Check out what it says about Syria, Russia, Iran, Egypt, natural disasters, the Two-State Solution, etc. Please post a comment.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck