Song of Solomon 2:13 The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!
Among all fruit-bearing trees, the fig tree is uniquely prophetic–because it is one of the few that produces two harvests in a single growing season. First comes the early crop in spring, known in Scripture as the “first ripe fig” (Isaiah 28:4), and then a second, more abundant harvest in late summer or early fall. This uncommon pattern is a living picture of prophecy woven into the fabric of creation.
Of all the trees in creation, only a few bear fruit twice in a single year–and God chose one of them, the fig tree, to reflect the prophetic rhythm of redemption. Through it, He reveals a double harvest: first in Messiah’s coming for the remnant of Israel, and again in the final ingathering when “all Israel will be saved.” The fig tree–deeply tied to the Jewish people–stands as a living sign of both restoration and the coming harvest of the world.
This twofold harvest speaks deeply to the first and soon to be second coming of the Messiah. The early crop points to Yeshua’s first coming: His death and resurrection, the firstfruits of salvation (1 Corinthians 15:20). The later harvest mirrors His return in glory — to judge the nations, restore Israel, and bring in the final ingathering. But neither harvest happens in isolation. For the fig tree to produce both crops, multiple environmental factors must converge–sunlight, temperature, soil, and timing must align. Just as the fig tree responds to a perfect set of conditions, the signs of our day are falling into place with striking unity.
Israel has returned to her land. The gospel is reaching the nations. Lawlessness is increasing. The Church is being purified. Apostasy abounds. These aren’t random events — they are a prophetic convergence, signaling that the appointed time is drawing near. Just as the fig tree sends out all its leaves together in one season, the simultaneous unfolding of these signs declares with certainty: the season is now. Yeshua said, “When you see all these things”–every branch budding at once–“know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33).
Even the Biblical calendar echoes this divine rhythm. The early harvest aligns with the Lord’s feasts (moedim) of Passover and Firstfruits, fulfilled in Messiah’s first coming through His death and resurrection. The later harvest corresponds to Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles–also called the Feast of Ingathering–a prophetic picture of God dwelling with His people and gathering the nations at the end of the age. The word moedim—translated as “feasts”—literally means appointed times, signaling that what we are witnessing is not random or seasonal, but divinely timed. The prophetic calendar is not winding down—it is ripening toward its final fulfillment.
This is not just the close of an age–it is the unfolding of a final and glorious harvest. Scripture reveals the Son of Man with a sickle in His hand, reaping the earth at the appointed time (Revelation 14:14-20). Soon, as promised, “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26).
As the signs converge, rise with purpose. Stay fixed on your assignment: step into the harvest, proclaim the gospel, awaken the sleeping, and keep your heart burning with joyful expectation. The fig tree is not just a warning—it’s a summons from heaven. It declares with urgency and certainty: the harvest is ripe, and the King is on His way. So go—gather, labor, watch, and rejoice. For soon, the Lord of the harvest will appear, and He will gather His own.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When the Lord gave Jonah a second chance, He didn’t change His mind about the prophet’s destination. He didn’t lighten the load or change the burden Jonah was destined to carry. There was no negotiation with Jonah where the Lord expressed understanding about his reluctance to go to Nineveh. God didn’t concede to send him to Tarshish just because he’d been heading in that direction anyway. Jonah’s disobedience and repentance produced a clear and simple result…
A “second time.” Jonah’s repentance gave him a second chance to obey the Lord and to fulfill his ministry. And he did it successfully. The apostle Paul tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” [Romans 11:29]. Jonah’s disobedience did not take away his calling as a prophet. The discipline of the Lord was fruitful in his life. But compare King Saul. He also got a second chance after failing to wait for Samuel [1 Samuel 13] and he disobeyed again, and lost his kingship [1 Samuel 15]. But even that took many years to transpire after David was anointed.
Jonah now acknowledges that God put him where he is, and he accepts His discipline. “Sheol” is the “grave”, the “pit” or the “abode of the dead”. Did Jonah die, or was he only nearly dead from three days of fish stomach acid, and little or no air? The text doesn’t say; only that if he didn’t actually leave his body, he came as close as a man can get to it; three days worth. In this nebulous and miserable place Jonah cried out, probably from the deepest depths of his agonized soul…he cried out to the Lord.
While most read the story of Jonah focusing on Jonah’s journey, I want to pause and examine the lives of the pagan sailors. What a journey they were on! We see the hand of God touching them providentially through Jonah’s disobedience. Talk about God bringing good from evil.
So the captain came to Jonah, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” At this point the captain (who probably worshiped Baal and Yamm, god of the sea) has more faith than Jonah.
It must have been a bad storm. These men were experienced, hardened sailors who had seen it all at sea. If they were scared, this could have been the first “perfect storm” since Noah’s flood. So they started the first interfaith prayer meeting in the Bible, each man crying out to his own god. As the ship groaned and creaked in howling wind and massive waves, and the men threw cargo overboard in a desperate attempt to save it, where was Jonah? On deck helping them? Confidently praying to His own God? Shaking with fear and paralyzed with deep conviction? No, he’s taking a nap down below…
For the next week or so we’ll be looking closely at the life of Jonah the prophet. Jonah was told to “preach against the city of Nineveh”, that was in the ancient kingdom of Assyria. Nineveh was a major city on the banks of the Tigris River about 500 miles north and east of where Jonah was; located on a contemporary map in modern Iraq, about 300 miles north of Baghdad. Archaeologists have found the ruins of ancient Nineveh right outside the Iraqi city of Mosul. Yes, the same Mosul that was taken last week by jihadists!