On the next day when they had returned from Bethany, He was hungry. Seeing from afar a fig tree with leaves, He went to see if perhaps He might find anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season for figs. Jesus said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And His disciples heard it.
Mark 11:12–14
On the next day… This is the day after Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people proclaimed, “Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!” There is a lot to unpack in that statement alone. It is not that, but the fact that Jesus was hungry and looked for sustenance. The fig tree was lush with leaves, but the text says it was not the season for figs. What is happening?
Oftentimes, the imagery of the fig tree is compared to Israel. Yet Jesus looked for fruit out of season. Figs are not a typical fruit as we understand. What we eat is an inverted flower. Figs ripen in late summer. This was early spring. In the Near East, fig trees produce an early crop of small, edible buds called taqsh or breba figs. These appear alongside or just before the leaves in the spring. The presence of spring leaves promised these edible buds. It did not. Leaves without fruit were an empty promise of sustenance. The tree did not deliver. The tree had become useless to its purposes.
Jesus was not expecting a full tree of summer fruit. He was expecting fruit.
Yes, it does apply to Israel. Instead of nourishing and satisfying the hunger of the faithful looking to it for sustenance, there was none. This idea goes along with many other parables Jesus gave about uselessness. One that comes to mind is the wicked servant who buried his talent. Israel had become useless to Jesus.
This type of uselessness was not something Jesus shied away from addressing. In His Sermon on the Mount, He said this:
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how shall it be made salty? It is from then on good for nothing but to be thrown out and to be trampled underfoot by men.
Matthew 5:13
Remember, the Sermon on the Mount is addressed to Jewish people listening. They were to be the preserving salt of the earth. They failed. Jesus said the only thing to do is to throw it out to be trampled upon. The statement is somewhat prophetic in that Israelis rejected Jesus and were summarily left out. The Temple was destroyed, and Jerusalem was ransacked, scattering Jewish folk into all nations. This too was foretold later when Jesus spoke of the end of the age.
They will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led away captive to all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Luke 21:24
Now, I am one who holds to the Olivet Discourse being selectively Jewish in nature. That is, it is not to or for the body of Christ. In fact, the Gospels are not written to the church. Which means Jesus is addressing an end for Israelis and not His church. Yet, there are lessons to learn and apply.
In that private briefing on the Mount of Olives, Jesus began by warning His four disciples (Mark 13:3) of coming deception. He warned them of wars and rumors of wars. This will be just the beginning of the end. There will be famines, epidemics, and earthquakes in many places. Though we are not quite there yet, it makes sense that these things could cast shadows before they occur.
I think they are. Which leads to another horrific warning by Jesus:
Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
Matthew 24:12
This is Jesus’ own testimony of the last days for Jewish folk. Iniquity abounds. Iniquity is the deep-seated hate of God passed down. Because of it, love grows cold. That is already here, but it is going to get far worse. There is more that comes later from Jesus, and this will come from a church perspective. And the bad news is that just as Israel had become useless, this seems to be a pattern that will come to the universal church in the last days.
Know this: In the last days perilous times will come. Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, slanderers, unrestrained, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Turn away from such people.
2 Timothy 3:1–5
Without natural affection… That tracks exactly with what Jesus said would be the hallmark of the end of the Jewish Age. It is a lack of love. I live in the US, and come at this from that perspective. This last election, everything in that passage is plainly evident. People who claim morality really have none. It is a form of godliness which prevents them from becoming the salt of the earth.
Iniquity abounds… This is not just sinful acts, but a condition of the inward character. There is a profound lack of morality. That depravity is not just a description of individuals; it is culturally systemic. It is taught and passed on, growing worse.
But evil men and seducers will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
2 Timothy 3:13
Churches would not be immune from this.
For the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine, but they will gather to themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, having itching ears, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn to myths.
2 Timothy 4:3–4
It is like Jesus spoke of in the parable of the Mustard Seed. His church grows so large that birds of the air would find homes in it. Birds of the air is a euphemism for unclean spirits. The end for the church would include a heavy spiritual darkness.
Today, people want to find spiritual sustenance. They go to churches that promise but do not deliver. It is a form of godliness that denies the power of God to save and sustain the believer. These types of churches are useless. Did Jesus say this would happen?
Yes.
I am assuming most are familiar with Revelation chapters two and three. This is where John records the epistles Jesus dictated. There are seven epistles to seven churches.
To the first church, Ephesus, there is encouragement. Yet Jesus found one thing against the church there. Note the singular something. It was a stern warning to avoid uselessness as a body.
To the second, Smyrna, Jesus gave encouragement in their trials and testing. No compromise was noted.
To the third, Pergamum, Jesus acknowledged their strong stance and willingness to be martyrs. But then He noted compromise had entered and festered. It was not just one thing, but a few.
To the fourth, Thyatira, there was an acknowledgement of strong works. Like the first church, something was awry. It was not just one thing, but a few things Jesus had against them. Compromise is growing.
To the fifth, Sardis, that was like a fig tree with leaves that had no fruit. He said that church was dead… Useless. Yet a remnant of faithful folk remained.
To the sixth, Philadelphia, Jesus gave high praise for their usefulness. And He gave a promise to come to them quickly.
The final letter to the seventh, Laodicea, is grim. This particular body had become utterly useless to Jesus. They did good things, but were not profitable to Him. His promise to them as a body… Rejection. I think that many do not understand the severity of the words, and that there is no revival for this one
I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of My mouth.
Revelation 3:15–16
He ends this letter with an urgent plea to the individual. It is a means of escape as He knocks on the door.
A pattern emerges in the way these epistles are ordered. To many, it paints a panorama of church history. One in which compromise enters, is excised, comes back far worse, and again is excised, only to recur, this time to utter uselessness.
1. Church has one compromise.
2. Church readjusts and revives.
3. Church has more compromise.
4. Church adds to the compromise.
5. Church has so much compromise, it is almost useless.
6. Church readjusts and revives.
7. Church has so much compromise, it is utterly useless.
The last epistle points to Laodicea, revealing a church that is so useless that Jesus rejects it. There is no reviving this one. Jesus has already spoken of its sure demise. Even though Jesus urged repentance, the language conveys that it does not happen.
So… Why is Jesus at the door appealing to anyone as individuals?
If you think these are a panoramic witness to the universal church as the church age progresses… And want to know where we are on this apparent timeline Jesus gave… It is number 7. The universal church is quickly becoming useless. It began with rejection of assembly, whether by individual choice or imposition by fiat. People rejected the call to assemble and encourage others. Instead, they became more isolated and tended toward deconstructing their faith. (Whatever it is supposed to mean, it really shows how such were not believers.) But you probably already knew that.
Yeah, I know God can do anything. Revival can occur at any time. It is clear there is a responsibility people have individually and collectively for that to happen. When Jesus spews out the last collective church… There is no revival for it. It ends with an appeal to the individual to respond because Jesus is here and invites you for supper.
It is my contention that the rapture of the church happens because it has reached its end of usefulness in these times. Can some blame be put on the body as a whole… Yes. But I think that the culture has grown hateful toward the grace that God gives. Judgment must move in. Jesus promised the believer has been moved from judgment to life.
Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life.
John 5:24
So, what am I saying?
The rapture of believers is imminent. The time of the Gentiles has to be fulfilled. Which means it comes to an end. The trampling of Jerusalem has to end. Which means the machinations of the nations to divide Jerusalem have to end. It is not going to be a joyous time to live in for most. It has recently become my contention that the body of believers is removed to complete the trampling of Jerusalem.
With that, Jesus said the end-times church would become useless for whatever reason. I have presented the ideas that converge here. The Laodicean church did become useless; the judgment is already written. The word Laodicea literally means people rule. This is the social justice of the people. It is a self-justifying practice that forces the tyranny of the majority onto others. It is literally the love of many grown cold. The Laodicean era of the church represents a time when indifference reigns. It adopts a democratic mindset that mirrors secular political structures. It rejects the singular, authoritative leadership of Jesus Christ in favor of collective decision-making. It is as if Jesus is rejected in favor of socialism. There is also a pretense of denying truth because it offends. Think the pronoun game; rejecting he/him denies the Father, Son, and Spirit.
It is this collective attitude that is rejected… Missing out on the promise of Jesus to come to them. That is why Jesus stands at the door… And knocks. He is appealing to anyone who would come to their senses amidst this mess.
Is that you?
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and they to whom it was first preached did not enter due to unbelief, again He establishes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David, after so long a time, as it has been said:
Hebrews 3:6–7
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
