here is a post that might be interesting regarding "tree known by their fruit", written by a friend of mine, Amie that posts here at tentmaker occasionally. She is Ok with me posting this (as it was posted on another forum).
fruits 'n trees
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Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by the fruit.
Some trees for consideration (watch for the transition):
Gen 3:7 And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed leaves of the fig tree, and made girdles for themselves.
1Ki 4:25 And Judah and Israel lived securely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree; from Dan even to Beer-sheba all the days of Solomon.
2Ki 18:31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for so says the king of Assyria, Make with me a peace treaty and come out to me; and you each shall eat of his vine, and each of his fig tree, and you each shall drink of the waters of his own well,
Son 2:13 The fig tree spices her unripe figs, and the vines give a fragrance by the blossom. Arise, My love; come, My beautiful one, and come yourself.
Isa 34:4 And all the host of the heavens shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together like a scroll. Then all their host shall droop, as a leaf drooping from the vine, and as the drooping from a fig tree.
Jer 8:13 I will utterly consume them, says Jehovah. No grapes will be on the vine, or figs on the fig tree; even the leaf withers. And I will give to them those who pass over them.
Hos 9:10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the firstfruit in the fig tree at her first time. They came to Baal-peor and set themselves apart to a shameful thing. And they became hateful like that which they loved.
Jer 11:16 Jehovah called your name, a green olive tree, fair, with fine fruit. With the sound of a great roaring, He has set fire to it, and its branches are worthless.
Hag 2:19 Is the seed still in the barn? Yes, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not brought forth. From this day I will bless them.
Deu 24:20 When you beat your olive tree, you shall not search the branch behind you. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.
Isa 24:13 For it is thus in the midst of the land, among the peoples, it shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as gleanings when the grape harvest is completed.
Joh 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said concerning him, Behold, truly an Israelite in whom is no guile!
Joh 1:48 Nathanael said to Him, From where do You know me? Jesus answered and said to him, Before Philip called, you being under the fig tree, I saw you.
Joh 1:49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.
Joh 1:50 Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.
Mat 21:19 And seeing one fig tree by the road, He went up to it, and found nothing on it except leaves only. And He said to it, Let there be no more fruit from you forever. And the fig tree immediately dried up.
Rom 11:17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree were grafted in among them, and became a sharer of the root and the fatness of the olive tree,
Rom 11:24 For if you were cut out of the natural wild olive tree, and against nature were grafted into a good olive tree, how much more these being according to nature will be grafted into their own olive tree?
So there was someone called to be an olive tree, that instead, lured by the fruit of the fig, became after the likeness of the fig tree.
"Ayil" is hebrew the word represents the function of strong leader. I'll bold below the words translated from "ayil":
Psa 29:9
"The voice of Jehovah causes the does to calve" (Green's Literal)
"The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve" (KJV)
"The voice of the LORD twists the oaks" (NIV)
Consider the understanding of "the oak", and this:
Gen 32:28 And He said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have wrestled with God and with men, and have prevailed.
And revisit:
Jer 11:16 Jehovah called your name, a green olive tree, fair, with fine fruit. With the sound of a great roaring, He has set fire to it, and its branches are worthless.
I'm not suggesting that only Israel made up the trees. The trees preexisted Israel. Israel was called to own the name of one of the two trees.
If you read Jeremiah 11, you'll find yourself back in the day of the old covenant - where God said if Israel would keep the law, they would be priests and kings and a special people to him (Exodus 19:5, 6). The house of Judah and Israel were found having broken the covenant. They were set to act as olive trees, yet because of their covenant breaking God set the tree ablaze.
Now, the elements within that world were jews (chosen people of God), gentiles (outcasts, lawless, unclean people), the temple (they believed to be the means to commune with God), human priests (failed mediators), human kings (lacking shared authority with God), death, sin, etc.
Keep the above in mind while reading:
2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth now, having been stored up by the same Word, are being kept for fire to a day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with rushing sound, and having burned the elements will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it will be burned up.
One tree would actually be burned up by the other, burning bush --
Mat 7:19 Every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and is thrown into fire.
The fig produced zero fruit, yet people still tilled and worked for the fruit that they desired to have from it.
Luk 6:43 For there is not a good tree that produces bad fruit, nor a bad tree that produces good fruit.
Luk 6:44 For each tree is known from its own fruit. For they do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
Luk 6:45 The good man brings forth good out of the good treasure of his heart. And the evil man brings forth evil out of the evil treasure of his heart, for his mouth speaks out of the abundance of his heart.
Yes, above we have an example of the trees representing a man. Biblically, I we also have a description of these two men:
1Co 15:22 for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
1Co 15:45 So also it has been written, "The" first "man", Adam, "became a living soul;" the last Adam a life-giving Spirit. Gen. 2:7
Everything then becomes a bit intertwined. There is no fruit (technically) coming forth from a "bad" man. According to the story back in the garden, Adam determines himself bad and bases that determination on God's commandment. Yet, he doesn't question this conclusion that he has made about himself.
What we find instead is an utter disconnect from love. He (including Eve btw) doesn't love himself (evidenced by shame) nor does he believe in God's uncondional love (evidenced by fear). Rather than to cover himself in the knowledge of love, he chose the fig tree (the knowledge of good and evil).
The law itself was put in place to aid this problem, yet it was only a temporary aid, and it was an imperfect aid (due to the weakness of flesh). So, while Adam/Eve received the temporary covering of animal skin, they never took off the fig leaves. Those leaves were burned away, again, by the other tree.
You might see that olive oil was the oil used to keep the lamps in the temple burning. It was used to annoint the kings chosen by God. It is represented in the "seven churches" of Revelation. It is the tree of life.
Only the tree of life brought forth good fruit. And we can know what "good man" that represented. Firstly when Jesus was in the flesh, he said:
Mat 19:17 And He said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One, God! But if you desire to enter into life, keep the commandments.
However, he would return in the spirit. He died the last of adam, and was risen the first good man. The firstfruits entered into his body, which in Romans 11 is symbolized by those believing him being grafted in to the olive tree, whether naturally (Israelite) or foreign (Gentile).
The effects of such a resurrection meant no less than the reconciliation of God and humanity. The "good tree" and the "bad tree" could know one another by their fruit. What is the nothing from the fig tree if not death which is none other than disconnection from God?
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you beforehand, as I also said before, that the ones practicing such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
God is present with everyone today. Before such a thing is realized, don't people possess the sufferings listed above? Those disconnected with God, and therefore love, were unable to fulfill the law and so could not and would not inherit the Kingdom. The Kingdom was inherited, though those who are unable to connect with God are unable to experience the blessings thereof. It truly is as if they were still dead - just because they believe it to be true. God demonstrated through Jesus that it is not true! God does love unconditionally! Though religion might steal what Jesus did for themselves and claim otherwise, where is the plague of boils proving the preacher right?! You won't find it.
That is because reality has changed. What will the fruit of such a change look like?
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 meekness, self-control. Against such things there is not a law.
If you believe that everything has been fulfilled, then you can know that the fig tree has been hewn down and cast into the fire. The "old man" who is "bad" and brings forth death has passed away.
Here's the amazing thing imo.. The tree of life is eternal.
Rev 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, coming forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2 In the midst of its street and of the river, from here and from there, was a tree of life producing twelve fruits: according to one month each yielding its fruit. And the leaves of the tree were for healing of the nations.
Israel was once clothed in animal skins over fig leaves. The skins passed away, and the fig leaves burned away. Surely those who did not clothe themselves with white robes ("washed in the blood of the lamb") were found naked and in their fear and shame. There are many who feel such shame and fear today. Did you notice above though? God has given a new covering.. olive leaves.
(Deu 24:20 When you beat your olive tree, you shall not search the branch behind you. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.)
So, the "good man" vs the "bad man" isn't individual at all. It cannot be because we can't do ourselves into being good. The work of God is bringing forth good fruit, whereas the work of man did not.
Thoughts?
Amie
