Matthew 24:32-33 Now learn the parable of the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors.
Yeshua (Jesus) used the fig tree—a familiar symbol in Israel’s botanical and prophetic world—as a teaching tool to awaken spiritual discernment. The fig tree, known for losing all its leaves in winter and budding again in spring, became a natural signpost to mark the changing seasons. In the same way, Jesus gave His disciples prophetic markers to discern a coming shift: wars, famines, false messiahs, persecution, lawlessness, and the global preaching of the gospel (Matthew 24:4–14).
But notice Yeshua’s exact words: “When you see all these things, know that it is near.” The fig tree doesn’t represent just one sign—it represents the convergence. It is not a single event that signals the nearness of His coming, but the culmination of many signs happening together, like leaves sprouting in unison on the same tree.
In Hebraic thought, when multiple prophetic signs align, it indicates that the “appointed time” (moed, מוֹעֵד) is drawing near. The fig tree here becomes a picture of prophetic convergence—when multiple branches of God’s plan begin to bud at once. Just as spring doesn’t arrive with only one leaf, so the end of the age doesn’t come with only one sign; it is the collection of “all these things” that confirms the season.
Botanically, fig trees must respond to environmental conditions in unison—temperature, light, and soil moisture trigger a synchronized leafing and fruiting. Likewise, global events—geopolitical tension, moral collapse, spiritual deception, and the restoration of Israel—are spiritual signals to the Church. When we see these things together, Yeshua says, “Know that it is near.”
So the fig tree is more than a metaphor—it’s a prophetic mirror. When its branches are tender and the signs are many, summer is at hand. Lift your eyes. Don’t dismiss the convergence of signs as coincidence—Yeshua said when you see all these things, the door of redemption is about to open.
So rise up—shake off distraction and complacency. The fig tree is speaking, and the signs are converging with precision. This is your hour to watch, to warn, and to walk in holiness. Refuse to be dull in a prophetic moment. Let faith replace fear, clarity replace confusion, and urgency replace apathy — for you were born for such a time as this.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]We’re living in some pretty wild times, aren’t we? Over the past few weeks, we’ve watched a political earthquake shake America, sending ripple effects all over the world. Some people see it as a positive change, others think it’s for the worse — but one thing is clear: we are in a season of shifting. And the big question is, will we take this opportunity to boldly stand for truth while the doors are open?
In the 4th century lived a Christian named Telemachus, in a remote village, tending his garden, and spending much time in prayer. One day, he believed he heard the voice of God telling him to go to Rome, so he obeyed, setting out on foot. Some weeks later, weary from his journey, he arrived in Rome about the time of a great festival.
One of my heroes of the faith, Watchman Nee, once said something profound about entering the rest of God. He said, “Carnal Christians crave works; yet amid many labors, they are unable to maintain calm in their spirit. They cannot fulfill God’s orders quietly as can the spiritual believers… their hearts are governed by outward matters. Being “distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40) is the characteristic of the work of any soulish believer. They have not yet entered the rest of God.”
Thousands are gathering in Washington D.C. today to pray for the inauguration of the new president of the United States. I know a number of people who will be there and I think it’s a good thing, but this reminds me of a story I heard once.
We arrived at the airport late Thursday night with our bags and our kiddos only to find out that our flight was canceled because of a freak accident — a tractor ran into the plane, of all things! So we repacked our ourselves tightly into a small rental car to make the two hour drive to get back home to Arad in the middle of the night. Our flight was postponed till Sunday.
The Hebrew letter mem, equivalent to our English letter “M,” has a fascinating characteristic: it has two forms. The “open mem” appears at the beginning or middle of a word, with a small opening in its design. The “closed mem,” however, is used exclusively as the final letter in a word, fully sealed in its appearance. This distinction is consistent throughout the Hebrew language—except for one extraordinary exception found in the Bible.
Yeshua (Jesus) gave a remarkable parenthetic instruction in the middle of His Olivet discourse on the time of His coming and the end of the age. While it is unlikely that He himself said this, He certainly inspired Matthew to insert, “..let the reader understand”, concerning this critical event prophesied by Daniel, the Abomination of Desolation. His exhortation intended us (the readers of Matthew’s gospel) to learn what this means.