BEHOLD THE FIG TREE
The fig tree FIG-ures into much about man and God's will. When sin was committed in the Garden of Eden, it was the leaves of the fig tree that were used to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:7. The Book of Adam and Eve, Apocalypse of Moses xx:4,5 in the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament by R. H. Charles, gives the following account, "And I began to seek in my nakedness, in my part for leaves to hide my shame, but I found none, for as soon as I had eaten, the leaves showered down from all the trees in my part, except for the fig tree only. But I took leaves from it and made for myself a girdle and it was from the very same plant of which I had eaten". It is the budding of this tree and the shooting forth of its leaves which signifies the coming of the Son of Man, the Kingdom of Heaven, and The Judgment, Matthew 24:3; Luke 21:29. Here is the first origin of that sign: "And in that same hour we heard Michael the Archangel blowing with his trumpet and calling to the angels and saying: Thus saith the Lord, come with me to Paradise and hear the judgment in which I shall judge Adam". And when God appeared in Paradise mounted on the chariot of His Cherubim with the angels proceeding before him and singing hymns of praises, all the plants in Paradise both in your father's lot and in mine broke out into flowers. And the throne of God was fixed where the Tree of Life was", Books of Adam and Eve, Apocalypse of Mosis xxii. The fig tree is also the subject of a parable in which it was planted in the midst of a vineyard and twice Christ came searching for its fruit, Luke 13:6-9. This parable has profound significance as we shall see.
Look at the word F-I-G. By definition it means "a trifle, trivial, or frivolous". Something trifling is of little importance. To F-I-Gure means to reason, conclude, and to learn. So man is to reason, conclude, and to learn from the trifling incidents of sin that surround him daily. Now look at the word, G-I-F-"V". You see the letters F, I, G and T in it, or the GIF of the "V" or "cross" in it. Jesus was the G-I-F-T of forgiveness to save all men from their sins. "And thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sin", Matthew 1:21. So hanging from the cross, Jesus became the fruit of the spiritual FIG tree, the GIF"V" of forgiveness. Eating this fruit reverses the damage done from Adam's episode in the Garden. Just as Moses lifted up the brazen serpent on a stick in the wilderness and all those who had been bitten by the fiery serpents and looked at the serpent on a stick lived, even so all who saw Jesus hanging on the cross also lived! Moses' serpent on a stick had nothing on Jesus!
Now let us apply these concepts to the parables in the first paragraph. Fig leaves were used to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. Sin itself represents spiritual nakedness or having no spiritual clothing on, Revelation 3:17-18. But charity or LOVE is the F-or-GIveness that covers sin, I Peter 4:8. "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow: though they be red like crimson, they shall be white as wool", Isaiah 1:17. "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white: for fine linen is the righteousness of the saints", Revelation 19:8. Like a garment it becomes a covering and confers righteousness as a "free gift" to all, Romans 5:17-19. Observe that the "prodigal son" was clothed in it, Luke 15:20-24. And this means to be like Christ in love and forgiveness and the hiding or putting away of all men's sins. It is the blood of Christ which covers and blots out all sin, Isaiah 44:22. "All things are of God, who hath reconciled us unto Himself by Christ Jesus and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO THEM, and hath committed unto us the WORD of reconciliation", II Corinthians 5:18-19. So the leaves of the spiritual fig tree is Jesus' blood.
The budding of the fig tree was given as the sign of the coming of the Son of Man, the Kingdom, the Judgment, and the end of the world. Accounts in the Apocalypse of Mosis from the Books of Adam and Eve relate that when Eve committed sin in the Garden, all the trees in her area lost their leaves except the fig tree. She used its leaves to cover her nakedness. When God came to Judge them, all the trees budded and burst forth into flowers. Now we come to the parable Jesus spoke of in Luke 21:29 concerning the sign of his coming with the Kingdom of Heaven and the judgment. As it happened in the beginning in the Garden, so will it be in the end. Men are symbolized as trees in prophetic code terms, Isaiah 41:19-20, 61:3. Therefore when men begin to think in terms of forgiveness of sin and begin to cover one another's faults by love and prayers to the Father for pardon (put forth leaves), then the coming of Christ and the Kingdom, the Judgment, and the end are at the very doors, Matthew 24:33.
In the parable of the fig tree planted in the vineyard, Luke 13:6-9, we can conclude based upon the preceding discussion that Christ the Judge was looking for his fruit, that is the likeness of himself, on someone who was symbolized as a fig tree in this life. Angels had caused this person to put forth leaves, that is to cover the sins of men through prayer. But the Judge was not looking for leaves. He wanted fruit--- that is he wanted to see all of himself and his ways showing in that person in the face of the heat of trial. Prove that you can forgive those who abuse you while they are in the act. Would you die so that others might live and benefit from observing your wounds from the Dragon in spiritual warfare? I Corinthians 4:9-14. So special men like Moses, Job, and Paul along with Jesus must be fruit-bearing fig trees to God. Because the man in the parable failed to put forth or show forth the Christ-fruit in him in the face of trial, God threatened to cut him down. To be a tree cut down is to get the Nebuchadnezzar treatment, Daniel 4:13-17,20-27. But the guardian angel interceded and asked God to allow him to cultivate and fertilize the man's roots in hope that he might produce fruit. Digging around the roots allows the (WORDS) water from heaven to easily reach them. Dung is the various evils, wickedness, and sin which we detest and hate which the angel allows to surround us. The stink and accumulation of the "dung" causes us to jerk our feet away from it and stretch upward into heaven in renewed dedication, and to produce the desired fruit with the help of "Son" and "Reign", Hosea 10:12; Malachi 4:2. Failure to produce fruit when the Judge returns results in the personal execution of judgment against that fig tree, as it happened to Nebuchadnezzar.
So the fig tree F-I-Gures into very significant aspects of God's works and revelations. As a human fig tree, one must forgive all men's trespasses from the heart showing love and charity as leaves, Psalm 1:3. One must also bear the very Christ as fruit in the heat of trials and persecution to the satisfaction of the Judge. The Judge shows off that righteous man before the heavenly Hosts, and boasts of him in the very face of the devil. And the fig tree along with all trees figures as a sign of the coming of Christ, the judgment, and the kingdom, when all men begin to consider charity, love, and forgiveness for one another (to bud), Luke 6:14-15. YOU must forgive all men their trespasses just like the Father and Jesus have done and you must act like it! Isaiah 44:22; Luke 23:34.
Those who enter Paradise as "student Watchers" to be made perfect, Malachi 3:18; Hebrews 12:1,22-24, must be careful of eating fruit from God's earthly garden trees (men in this world). Here men have knowledge of good and evil, and our words and works are doctored and tampered with by the powers of darkness who hang on to us like poison fruit. Moses gave the newly risen Host member good advice in his stage days commanding those entering the "Promise Land" (symbol for Heaven) not to eat the land's fruits immediately, but to consider it unclean for three years, Leviticus 19:23-25. Men know in part, but the newly risen are being "perfected" and must eat fruits only from "babes and sucklings" (trees) God has chosen, Psalm 2:8, and be led by the little child God designates, Isaiah 11:6. "And they without us shall not be made perfect", Hebrews 11:40. "Having given more abundant honor to the part which lacked", I Corinthians 12:22-25. Even though invisible serpents are found in the branches of the fig tree God picks, just remember what Moses taught us. All those previously bitten who look at the brazen serpent hanging on that tree may live! Numbers 21:8-9. It is because that tree (earthly elect man) talks back to the serpent, reproves and corrects his lies. This provides a straight path to truth so that "the wayfaring man though a fool cannot err in it," Isaiah 35:8. "He shall drink by the brook in the way", Psalm 110:7, where God's man on earth is that brook pouring living water out of his belly, John 7:38. All newly risen Host members who were deceived by the devil while they lived in this life may observe the exchange of words between the brazen serpents and the human fig tree they hang on.... and live by his light (fruit), Malachi 3:18; I Corinthians 4:9-13. In this MANner, "All thy children shall be taught of God", Isaiah 54:13. The fruit of the other trees may be considered unclean.
The true leaves of the Tree of Life (The Father) are the angels of heaven, because God is that Tree whose roots are men on earth (imbedded in clay) and whose branches are the Hosts on high who overshadow men as consciences, teachers, leaders, and guardians. We can learn a lesson from the account of events that occurred in the Garden of Eden. Angels must not flee at the occurrence of sin in those they oversee whose care is entrusted to them. As "leaves" this is how they fall away leaving their charges "naked" and vulnerable to even more wickedness, Psalm 11:3. If anything they should increase their foliage and cover them more closely, III Baruch ch. 16. The FIG tree is admirable among the trees for refusing to give up on man and run away from his battle with the serpent. Thus it is awarded the symbolism of Jesus' blood which ATONES BY BLOTTING OUT THE SINS OF ALL MEN FOR ALL TIMES FOREVER! Isaiah 40:1-2, 45:25. You will notice that at the advent of the JUDGE, all the trees began to put forth leaves and blossom. This indicates that God wants all angels to maintain coverage for men on the earth stage. Flowers in the trees indicates that it is their "goodliness" or Godliness to do so, Isaiah 40:6. God expects His love attitude exemplified in Christ to be "present" also in them at all times for their own perfection, Matthew 5:44-48. As "judges" they must judge in love with the objective of educating and enlightening their subjects, I Corinthians 6:2. Therefore the "Garden" events have an "upper" instruction also. These leaves (angels) must heal the nations as fast as they arise! Isaiah 25:6-8; Revelation 22:2. As members of the Tree of Life they must not fall away from the will of that Tree!