Discerning the Season!

Matthew 24:32-33 Now learn the parable of 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.

Yeshua (Jesus) used the fig tree—a familiar symbol in Israel’s botanical and prophetic world—as a teaching tool to awaken spiritual discernment. The fig tree, known for losing all its leaves in winter and budding again in spring, became a natural signpost to mark the changing seasons. In the same way, Jesus gave His disciples prophetic markers to discern a coming shift: wars, famines, false messiahs, persecution, lawlessness, and the global preaching of the gospel (Matthew 24:4–14).

But notice Yeshua’s exact words: “When you see all these things, know that it is near.” The fig tree doesn’t represent just one sign—it represents the convergence. It is not a single event that signals the nearness of His coming, but the culmination of many signs happening together, like leaves sprouting in unison on the same tree.

In Hebraic thought, when multiple prophetic signs align, it indicates that the “appointed time” (moed, מוֹעֵד) is drawing near. The fig tree here becomes a picture of prophetic convergence—when multiple branches of God’s plan begin to bud at once. Just as spring doesn’t arrive with only one leaf, so the end of the age doesn’t come with only one sign; it is the collection of “all these things” that confirms the season.

Botanically, fig trees must respond to environmental conditions in unison—temperature, light, and soil moisture trigger a synchronized leafing and fruiting. Likewise, global events—geopolitical tension, moral collapse, spiritual deception, and the restoration of Israel—are spiritual signals to the Church. When we see these things together, Yeshua says, “Know that it is near.”

So the fig tree is more than a metaphor—it’s a prophetic mirror. When its branches are tender and the signs are many, summer is at hand. Lift your eyes. Don’t dismiss the convergence of signs as coincidence—Yeshua said when you see all these things, the door of redemption is about to open.

So rise up—shake off distraction and complacency. The fig tree is speaking, and the signs are converging with precision. This is your hour to watch, to warn, and to walk in holiness. Refuse to be dull in a prophetic moment. Let faith replace fear, clarity replace confusion, and urgency replace apathy — for you were born for such a time as this.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.

More Devotions

I heard a story about a man who was imprisoned during Napoleons reign. While sulking in his dungeon one day, he etched on the wall the words “Nobody Cares”.

A careful reading through the life of the Apostle Paul will yield insight concerning those who surrounded him. In this brief devotion, I want to focus on two of Paul’s friends — Luke and Demas.

Patience is one of those attributes that you cannot learn by reading about it. It’s a quality that can only be acquired by persistent, enduring, practice– and for me it’s a drill that I go over, and over, and over again!

For over 25 years we’ve been covering Christian Persecution, and whenever I come across an amazing story of how a saint endured such hardships, it encourages me. I remember reading about Watchman Nee and his imprisonment. The Chinese government would change the guards at his cell daily for fear that Nee would lead them to the Lord. Their fears were justified — many of those guards did come to faith! Apparently Watchman Nee had learned a powerful lesson from the Apostle Paul.

We are on the brink of something huge this year— it’s REVOLUTIONARY. If you’re following Worthy News, you’ll see we posted an interesting article yesterday about the rise of Artificial Intelligence and the ability to produce the Bible in untranslated languages more quickly because of it. I guess God can use anything to further His Kingdom!

Yeshua (Jesus) gave us some signs and indications of what society would look like just before His return. One sign was the sign of Lot.

People read this verse, and think God is telling them to be passive — to overlook what happened. That is not a bad thing — but it isn’t exactly what Yeshua (Jesus) was saying. Turning the other cheek is not about being passive. It’s about being active! So active that it actually confounds your enemy! Turning the other cheek is about taking an action so revolutionary, so shocking, so out of the ordinary that it shocks everyone around. It confounds the world — and can also change it!