End-Time Signs, The Fig Tree, Refugees and Action for Israel

“Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us” (Luke 23:30).

These words are addressed to the “daughters of Jerusalem” (v. 28). Jesus’ prophecy ignores more than 2,000 years of history.

End-Time Signs

Turning back to chapter 21 of Luke, He speaks of the destruction of the temple, persecution of the Jews, destruction of Jerusalem … then about the signs of His return, the parable of the fig tree, and being watchful.

Something notable is found in verse 35: “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” This includes all of humanity on planet earth: “on the face of the whole earth.”

The Fig Tree

Almost hidden are the words, “Behold the fig tree, and all the trees” (Luke 21:29b). The fig tree is mentioned over 50 times in the Bible, primarily as a symbol of spiritual health, economic prosperity, and peace for Israel. However, the fig tree also illustrates destruction.

Mark reports: “And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it” (Mark 11:13-14). That destructive miracle was fulfilled in verse 20b: “they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.”

Law Meets Grace

We may ask: What is the significance? In short, it’s the end of the law and the beginning of grace. Here we must go back to our original parents, Adam and Eve. They broke the law, introduced sin, and then literally hid in the woods. But first, Genesis 3:7b says, “and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” They attempted to cover up sin. From that point on, we can read in the Scripture how mankind desperately tried to cover up his sins.

Babylon

The Babylonians declared, “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven” (Genesis 11:4a). That planned shortcut did not work, for we read in verse 8: “So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.”

Abraham

But God is in charge; He called Abraham, the one who believed in Him, and that was counted unto him as righteousness. Thus, believing is the key. Eve believed the serpent more than the Word of God. Beginning with the father of faith, Abraham (some 3,800 years ago), God builds a nation—Israel. It has been visible since the modern Jewish nation was born on 14 May 1948.

While there have been wars and conflicts between the Arab nations, they all agree upon one thing: Let’s blame Israel.

Refugees

A Moroccan journalist, Adil Faouzi, writes the following for Times of Israel under the headline, “If Israel didn’t exist, Arabs would have invented one.” About UNRWA, he writes:

Palestinians are the only refugee population in human history with a dedicated UN agency—UNRWA—that does not resettle, does not integrate, does not naturalize, but instead perpetuates refugee status across generations like a hereditary curse, so that a child born in Beirut in 2025 whose great-grandmother fled Haifa in 1948 is still classified as a refugee despite never having set foot in the land she supposedly fled.

The refugee invention goes further:

Arab states that thunder about the “right of return” at every General Assembly session are the same states that refuse to grant citizenship to Palestinians born on their own soil, educated in their own schools, and buried in their own cemeteries. Lebanon has held them for seventy-seven years and offered them nothing.

And there is no end in sight. Faouzi continues:

Arab universities teach their students that Israel is the root cause of every regional pathology—underdevelopment, authoritarianism, corruption, brain drain—and then those same graduates board planes to London, Montreal, and Berlin because their own countries offer them nothing: no jobs, no freedoms, no future.

Israel’s Future

No other group from the nations can point to as much documented history as the Jews. Thus, the question: What is Israel’s future? Sprinkled throughout the Old Testament, there are multiple clear promises regarding Israel’s ultimate destiny. It is not left to coincidence, for Psalm 121:4 declares: “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

His Ways

When reading or hearing something significant in the news, we often fall for the error of automatically assuming it has prophetic significance. It does to a certain degree, but God is not bound by our understanding or comprehension. He does His pleasure, at His time, and in His ways. He declares: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

End Times

Back to our introductory verse addressing the daughters of Jerusalem. It declares an event that will take place some thousands of years later. After the sixth seal is opened, we read in Revelation 6:15: “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains.”

Action for Israel

Today we live in the in-between time. We have literally witnessed the birth of the Jewish nation. Israel’s existence and progress are virtually unbelievable in light of the vehement opposition: first from their Arab neighbors, and now from virtually the rest of the world.

But that is not the end. Here is where we as believers come in: Our work, Beth Shalom Ministries in Israel, continues to assist, help, and encourage the Church in Israel. Let us be clear: We are not speaking of the historical denominational churches sprinkled throughout the land of Israel, which in most cases are not friendly toward the Jewish people. When we speak of the Church, we mean true believers in Jesus Christ. That Church is growing, so much so that in some places, congregations can only offer standing room. That is where you come in, with your prayerful support of our Action for Israel fund. Thank you in advance.