Israel, the Fig Tree Parable, and 1948

Many Christians believe that Israel returning to the land and becoming a nation in 1948 was the fulfillment of Jesus’s fig tree parable that he gave in the Olivet Discourse, which reads:

“Now learn this parable from 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! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (Matt. 24:32–34).

Many Christians—namely, dispensationalists—say this fig tree represents Israel, and the “putting forth of its leaves” is a picture of Israel becoming a nation again after she had been dispersed among the nations after her defeat by the Romans in the year AD 70.

In fact, in the 1980’s and 1990’s, it was not uncommon to hear sermons preached in Calvary Chapels across America about imminent return of Christ (rapture). After all, Jesus had said he’d return to the generation that witnessed Israel return to the land. And a biblical generation equates to around forty years (Heb. 3:8–10, Num. 14:30–34, Neh. 9:21). Therefore, since Israel returned to the land in 1948, then Jesus would return by around 1990.

But he did not. Why not? Because the fig tree parable has nothing to do with Israel becoming a nation in 1948. Rather, it has to do with Jesus’s coming in judgment in AD 70. Let me prove this scripturally.

The Olivet Discourse begins with Jesus’s disciples, in approximately the year AD 30, commenting on the beauty of the temple (Matt. 24:1), to which Jesus responds: “Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (v. 2).

Then the disciples ask: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what would be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (v. 3). The reason why the disciples automatically thought “coming of the Lord” after Jesus had mentioned the destruction of the temple is that to a biblically literate Jew in that day, such a judgment/destruction equated to a coming of the Lord. The Old Testament is filled with such comings of the Lord, and they equated to judgment and destruction (see Isa. 13:9–11, 19:1; Mic. 1:3–4). So when Jesus mentioned the destruction of the temple, the disciples automatically thought “coming of the Lord”…and they wanted to know when it would happen.

Incidentally, the disciples also automatically thought “end of the age” after Jesus had mentioned the destruction of the temple (Matt. 24:3). Why? Because that temple symbolized the old covenant age (see Heb. 9:8-9), and its destruction would mean the official end of the old covenant age.

So when Jesus mentioned the destruction of the temple, the disciples automatically thought “end of the age” and “coming of the Lord”…and they wanted to know when it would happen. “Tell us, when shall these things be,” they asked (Matt. 24:3).

Jesus responds to this question by describing the various precursors, such as the appearance of false messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, famine, earthquakes, and great tribulation (Matt. 24:4–28). Then, Jesus says “immediately after the tribulation” they would “see the Son of Man coming on clouds” (v. 29–30).

This is when he gives the fig tree parable: “Now learn this parable from 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! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (Matt. 24:32–34).

The point of the fig tree parable is simply this: When the disciples saw these precursors happening (that Jesus had just mentioned), they would know the coming of the Lord was near. In other words, the “putting forth of leaves” represent the precursors; and “summer” represents Jesus’s coming. When the disciples saw the precursors (“the putting forth of leaves”), then they would know Jesus’s coming (“summer”) was near.

While the fig tree sometimes represents Israel in other contexts (Hos 9:10; Jer 5:17; 8:13; 24:5), that is not the case in this parable. In fact, in Luke’s parallel account of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus says “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near” (Luke 21:29–30). Jesus is simply using an agricultural metaphor to answer his disciples’ original question, which was: When shall these things happen? (Luke 21:7; Matt. 24:3). And Jesus answers this question by using the fig tree parable: When you see the trees putting forth leaves/budding (the precursors), then you will know summer (my coming) is near.

Jesus then says it would happen within a generation: “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (Matt. 24:34; Luke 21:32). Since Jesus gave the Olivet Discourse in approximately AD 30—and a generation equates to forty years (see above)—then Jesus must have come on clouds of judgment by around AD 70.

And he did! The first century historian Josephus affirms that the temple was destroyed in AD 70. Just like Jesus had predicted, not one stone was left upon another (Matt. 24:2; Luke 21:6). Jerusalem was sacked. More than 1.1 million Jews were killed and another 97,000 were taken into slavery. This was the “coming of the Lord” and “end of the old covenant age” that the Olivet Discourse prophesied. This was the fulfillment of the fig tree parable.

So the fig tree parable has absolutely nothing to do with Israel becoming a nation in 1948!

For more information about the fulfillment of the various events Jesus mentioned in the Olivet Discourse, get my book The End Is Here: How the New Testament’s Prophecies Were Fulfilled.

By Alex Polyak, Director of The Bible Fulfilled, 1/8/25