Good Figs and Bad Figs

 There are many so-called Jews, today, that are not descended from Abraham, that claim to be God’s people ‘ Israel ’, because some of them are of Judah. However, being of Judah does not necessarily mean they are still His people, for some of Judah were cut off from the promises to Israel. In Jeremiah we find God showing the prophet how He separated the bad figs (mixed seed) from the good figs of Judah who were to be Christian people for only of them could God say ‘ I will give them a heart; to know me that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart ’.” (Jer. 24:7)

 Josephus further reports that many non-Israelites joined themselves to the returning Judahites. Later, Christ identified these people, also called Jews, as not of Galilee, (John 7:1-13) not of Abraham or of God, (John 8:39-47) and not His sheep (John 10:26-30).  These Jews themselves testified to not being a part of Israel by their answer to Christ’s words, ‘ the truth shall make you free ’, that they ‘ were never in bondage to any man ’ (John 8:33). All Bible students know every tribe of Israel was in bondage in Egypt (Deut. 5:6).

“ It was this mixed remnant of Judah, upon returning from the Babylon captivity in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, that became known as the nation of the Jews; a name not applied to Judah prior to the Babylonian captivity. Included in this nation were the Edomites (known to the Greeks as Idumeans) who had occupied Jerusalem during the captivity period. King Herod the Great was an example of this as he was of Idumean (Edom) origin and thus not an Israelite. King Herod filled the ranks of the Sadducees with his own kind. This explains why the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection and said there was no angel, nor Spirit (Acts 23:8).

“ By the time of Christ, continued mixing with Amorites, Philistines, Canaanites, Babylonians and Hittites resulted in a racially mixed nation. From the Hittite infusion came the so-called ‘Jewish nose’ (Hammonds World Atlas 1954 – page 266) …

“ It is evident that among these mixed people in Israel (Judah) at the time of Christ were literal descendants of Cain, for Christ said of these ‘ Jews ’: ‘ Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God ’ (John 8:44-47). (underline emphasis mine).

“ But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my father’s hand. I and my Father are one ’ (John 10:26-30) . …

“ Christ clearly shows the separation of the people of Palestine into two classes in His answer to the question as to why He spoke in parables, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but to them it is not given” (Matt. 13:11).

“ The parable of the tares (Matt. 13:24-30) again points up two classes of people, and Christ’s explanation (Matt. 13:37-43) identifies one class (the good seed) as the children of God, and the other class (the tares) as the children of the wicked one (devil) ’.” Thank you, Mr. E. Raymond Capt!

For more information on this subject and period of time, you will need my Watchman’s Teaching Letters #8, #9, #10 and #11. Jeremiah the prophet made a prophecy (Jeremiah chapters 18 &19) that this bad branch of Judah would in time cease to exist forever. Yet, many today arrogantly want to dispute this foretold Scripture. For a narration on this passage, I will quote from Destiny Magazine (Yearbook), July, 1946, pages 244-246:

“ The Clay Vessel. God next instructed Jeremiah to go down to a potter’s house. The prophet obeyed the command and there he found the potter working upon a vessel on the wheels.

“ The shaping of vessels on the wheels dates back to very early history. In their original form the wheels were stone disks arranged to be turned by hand on a vertical axis. The wheels used in Palestine and Syria today probably differ in no respect from those used in Jeremiah’s time. The wheel or, to be more exact, the wheels, are fitted on a square wooden or iron shaft about three feet long. The lower disk is about 20 inches in diameter, and the upper one 8 to 12 inches in diameter. The lower end of the shaft is pointed and fits into a stone socket or bearing in which it rotates. A second bearing just below the upper disk is so arranged that the shaft inclines slightly away from the potter. The potter leans against a slanting seat, bracing himself with one foot so that he will not slide off, and with the sole of his other foot he kicks the upper face of the lower wheel, thus making the whole machine rotate. The lower wheel is often of stone to give greater momentum. With a marvelous dexterity, which a novice tries in vain to imitate, he gives the pieces of clay on the upper wheel any shape he desires. Jeremiah watched the potter at work moulding the clay upon the wheel and the vessel he was making was spoiled in his hands so he remoulded it until he was satisfied.

“ The Divine Potter. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying: ‘ O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hands, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.’ (Jer. 18:6) Now the House of Israel [along with those of Judah captured by Sennacherib] was in exile and away from Palestine as a result of the Assyrian invasions and captivity. They had been living in the land of their captors for over a hundred years at the time Jeremiah was speaking.

“ The Broken Bottle. In contrast with the illustration of the House of Israel the condition of the House of Judah [that part of Judah which Sennacherib was unable to capture, being the city of Jerusalem itself] was depicted in the command of Jeremiah to get a potter’s earthen bottle (fired pottery) with which he was to demonstrate the judgment upon [the remaining portion of] Judah. Jeremiah was told to take with him some of the leaders among the people and the priests and to the valley opposite the pottery-gate where he was to proclaim a message of judgment upon them for their evil ways. He was then to break the bottle in the sight of those who went with him and say to them: ‘ Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again.’ (Jer. 19:11.)

“ The captivity of [this portion of] Judah was imminent for, together with Benjamin, a tribe of Israel, they were about to be carried away into Babylonian captivity. We know the fate of [this portion of] the House of Judah for nationally they were broken and after 70 A.D., ceased to be a nation any more …

“ Judah, the nation, likened to a fired bottle, was broken in pieces and could never again be restored to nationhood. Though the Zionists are today endeavoring to set up a Jewish state in Palestine, an abortive attempt to restore the Kingdom of Judah, their efforts are doomed to ultimate failure. There is not one shred of scriptural justification whatever for their sponsored program for an independent state in the endeavor to make Judah a nation among the family of nations once more … This is confirmed in the fig tree emblem (symbolical of the Jews) which Jesus cursed for being unfruitful with the consequence that it withered and died. When the Kingdom was taken from the Jews for their unfruitfulness and given to a nation which would bring forth the fruits thereof (Matt. 21:43) the end of the Jewish nation was at hand. They withered and died to nationhood when the Roman armies destroyed the city and Temple in 70 A.D.”

It should also be mentioned that the Tribe of Benjamin left the area of Palestine and headed into Europe just before Titus besieged Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (the “light” was totally removed never to return). That the meaning of the breaking of the bottle was the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. is confirmed by the Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, Abridged By Ralph Earle, page 628, concerning Jeremiah 19:11 (this is a view from about 1830 A.D.):

“ 11. Even so will I break this people and this city. The breaking of the bottle was the symbolical representation of the destruction of the city and of the state. That cannot be made whole again. This seems to refer rather to the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, than to what was done by the Chaldeans. Jerusalem was healed after seventy years: but nearly eighteen hundred years have elapsed since Jerusalem was taken and destroyed by the Romans; and it was then so broken that it could not be made whole again.”

We should include the comment of verse 9 of this chapter from this same commentary:

“ 9. I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons. This was literally fulfilled when Jerusalem was besieged by the Romans.”