Fig Tree
Typological treatment in the corpus
The fig tree functions for Jones as a type of Israel as a nation in its relationship to Christ: the “fig-tree nation” that was called to bring forth the fruits of the Kingdom but failed to do so. Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree (Matt. 21:18-22) is for Jones a prophetic act of judgment on this spiritual fruitlessness, not a historical curiosity.
Biblical anchoring
| Reference | Context |
|---|---|
| Matt. 21:18-19 | Christ curses the fruitless fig tree; the tree withers |
| Matt. 21:21-22 | ”If you have faith… say to this mountain, be taken up” |
| Matt. 24:32-33 | Parable of the fig tree: when it puts forth leaves, summer is near |
| Luke 19:12-27 | Parable of the nobleman: enemies return to receive judgment |
| Mal. 1:4 | Edom: “We will return and rebuild the ruined places” |
Typological exposition per author
Stephen E. Jones
Jones develops the fig tree as a type of fruitless Israel in Secrets of Time and anchors it in Christian Zionism: How Deceived Can You Get? within his broader analysis of modern Zionism. The point of departure is Jesus’ own act: the fig tree that showed leaves but bore no fruit was cursed (Matt. 21:18-19). Jones typifies this as a prophetic action:
“The whole purpose of His curse upon the fig tree was to let us know that this nation would not bring forth the Fruits of the Kingdom that God required from the beginning.”1
The fig tree is for Jones a type of Israel in her dual prophetic calling: both Jacob’s descendants and — through the Edom-Judah merger (126 BC) — the Edomite element. Both streams are present in the “fig-tree nation” that Jesus encountered. The tree showed leaves (outward religious display) but bore no fruit (spiritual transformation, recognition of Christ as King).
Jones reads the parable of the fig tree in Matt. 24:32-33 emphatically not as a promise of national restoration, but as a warning sign for the end times. Christian Zionism interprets Matt. 24:32 as prophetic announcement that the founding of the Israeli state (1948) = the “putting forth of the fig tree’s leaves” = proof of Jesus’ imminent return. Jones reverses this: the fig tree that puts forth leaves is a sign of the approaching judgment on the fruitless fig-tree nation, not a promise of salvation:
“Jesus implies strongly that Christians would likewise curse the fig tree nation at some point in time by means of spiritual warfare.”2
The parable of the nobleman (Luke 19:12-27) reinforces this picture: the enemies of Christ return to the land not to possess it as inheritance, but to receive judgment — Mal. 1:4 gives the Edomite declaration: “We will return and rebuild,” to which God replies that it will exist as “the territory of wickedness” and “the people against whom the Lord is indignant forever.”
Jones identifies the Israeli state as the fulfillment of a dual prophetic line: “one set for Esau and one for the remnant of Judah” (Jones, Secrets of Time, ch. 11). The fig tree as type is therefore not one-dimensional: it represents simultaneously Esau’s claim (fruitless) and Jacob’s remnant (potentially fruit-bearing upon turning to faith). This makes the fig-tree typology in Jones inherently eschatologically open — the final outcome lies in obedience to Christ, not in national identity.
Related types
- Connected: Esau, Earthly Jerusalem