Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Luke 21:29 and following. Indeed, the parable of the Fig tree, or the Budding Fig Tree, is a parable of Jesus Christ told in the three synoptic Gospels: Mt 24. 32-35; Mk 13. 28-31; and Lk 21. 29-33. It should not be confused with the parable of the sterile fig tree recorded in Luke 13. 6-9 which exposes what man risks by turning to the things of the earth. This parable is immediately followed by an exhortation to vigilance. Jesus goes on to explain that this parable must be understood from a late-day perspective. In his Discourse on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus uses an apocalyptic vocabulary, he uses the fig tree to evoke the last ends and the arrival of the time of the Passion. These will be terrible times. The most stable things will be upset, and so will the souls of men. Already fear hangs over the world. Men think they can escape by digging shelters for themselves (Rev 6:12-17). But for the faithful of that time, deliverance (called their redemption in verse 28) will come from above. It will be the return of the Lord in glory; and for us believers today, what we expect is His coming on the cloud. Promise certain! Yes, for heaven and earth will pass, but His words will not pass.
Excesses in eating are not generally considered a very serious sin. Yet it is associated with drunkenness, because it helps to soothe the heart. It cultivates selfishness; we forget the needs that surround us (Lk 16:19-31). The joy of waiting for the Lord disappears from a restless heart; the worries of life invade him. For this reason, epistles often associate exhortations to be sober and to watch (1 Th 5:6-7; 1 P 1:13; 1 P 5.8-9); and here the Lord counsels us “beware of yourselves… watch, therefore, praying at all times.”
Thus, by a parable, the Lord again warns the disciples of what will take place before His coming; he exhorts them as to how they walk until that moment. “See,” he said to them, “the fig tree and all the trees: when they have already begun to grow, you know for yourselves, seeing them, that summer is already near. Likewise you, when you see these things coming, know that the kingdom of God is near.” During the time of its rejection, Israel remained without the appearance of life, like trees in winter; but when all the things of which Jesus speaks arrive, they will constitute as the first manifestations of life among the Jews, after the long winter they have gone through, like the buds of the fig tree at the return of spring.
Disciples seeing this will know that the kingdom of God is near. Luke, who always leaves the door open to the nations, speaks not only of the fig tree, but of “all the trees”, which represent other peoples. These precursor movements of the end extend to nations as well as to Israel. Luke says that it is “the kingdom of God” that has approached, to know a state of affairs that will respond to the characters of God, in contrast to previous events that will have carried the characters of the falling man and Satan. In Luke, the Spirit of God presents the moral side of things. In the first two Gospels, what is close is the glorious coming of the Son of man. Both are true; but everyone has their own different point of view, under divine inspiration.
Jesus said, “Truly, I tell you that this generation will not pass until everything has happened. Heaven and earth will pass, but my words will not pass.” “This generation” means the distinguishing feature of the race, not the length of a person’s life. The Jews, except for the residue, will find themselves with the same character of unbelief and opposition to God and Christ as in the days when the disciples lived. Judgments will fall on this generation with the certainty of the lord’s unchanging Word. Everything she says will surely be fulfilled, in blessing for some and in judgment for others. When heaven and earth have passed, the truth of what has been pronounced will be proved by the establishment of eternal things and the fulfillment of all that has taken place until the dissolution of the first creation.
What a privilege to possess such a Word in the midst of all that is unstable and transient here on earth, and to be able to rely on it in faith! She was a great source of strength and courage for disciples of all times. In the expectation of the kingdom of God, through the difficult times that precede it, the disciples should not seek their satisfaction in the things of this world, nor let themselves be preoccupied with the worries of life, for this would harm the vigilance they will have to exercise and divert them from their hope; instead of waiting for that day, they would be surprised by him, because he will fall unexpectedly on those who are not waiting for him as a net that they will not be able to get rid of. “Beware of yourselves,” Jesus said, “lest your hearts be appetized by gluttony and drunkenness, and by the worries of life, and that this day may surprise you unexpectedly; for it will come as a net upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be considered worthy to escape from all these things that must happen, and to stand before the Son of man.”
These exhortations contain the principles by which we must also conduct ourselves in waiting for the Lord. Those who have the privilege of knowing and waiting for Him have to live apart from the world and from all that can divert their hearts from this expectation. Our conduct must be governed by the hope of being, from one moment to the next, delighted to meet the Lord. If His coming delivers judgments that will reach this world, let us not practice the things that attract those judgments. Thus, by their conduct, the disciples and all believers will be deemed “worthy to escape” judgments and “to stand before the Son of man.”
When it comes to God’s government, the final deliverance is always seen as a consequence of walking. From the point of view of grace, where it is a question of God’s love and the fulfillment of his eternal counsel, our salvation depends on faith in Christ’s work; but the two things do not contradict each other in any way: if by faith, one possesses eternal life, it must be manifested in deeds, which the Word calls “good works”; they contrast with the life of the world alien to that life; by its Driving one proves that one is saved. Who, then, in the end, will be raptured to meet the Lord, in the air, to escape the judgments to come? Won’t it be those whose march proved to be from heaven? Therefore, in considering it, the Lord says, “That you may be considered worthy to escape from all those things that must happen and to stand before the Son of man.” For by God’s government is meant the way in which God acts in relation to conduct.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The approach to God’s reign:
· Lessons from nature
Ps 8:4 When I contemplate the heavens, work with your hands, The moon and the stars you have created. Mt 6.28 And why worry about clothing? Consider how the lilies of the fields grow: they do not work or spin; Mt 13:31 He offered them another parable, and he said: The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of seed that a man has taken and sown in his field. Mk 4:28 The earth produces by itself, first the grass, then the cob, then the grain all formed in the cob; Mk 13:28 Learn with a comparison from the fig tree. As soon as its branches become tender, and the leaves grow, you know that summer is near.
· Kingdom of God, near
Mt 3:2 He said, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. Mt 4:17 From that moment Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. Mt 10:7 Go, preach, and say: The kingdom of heaven is near. Lk 21:31 Similarly, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
· Warning against Attachment to the World
Mt 16:26 And what would be the point of a man gaining everyone, if he lost his soul? or, what would a man give in exchange for his soul? Luke 21:34 Beware of yourselves, lest your hearts dwell on the excesses of eating and drinking, and the worries of life, and this day may come upon you unexpectedly; Col 3:2 Be fond of things above, not those on earth. Tt 2:12 It teaches us to renounce ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live in the present century according to wisdom, justice and piety, James 4:4 Adulterers that you are! do you not know that the love of the world is enmity against God? He who wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
· Own justification, the sinner cannot be approved by God
1 Sam 6:20 The people of Beth Schémesch said: Who can subsist in the presence of the Lord, of this holy God? And to whom should the ark ascend, moving away from us? Ezr 9:15 Jehovah, God of Israel, you are righteous, for today we are a remnant of escapees. Here we are before you as culprits, and we cannot thus subsist before your face. Jb 41.2 Who am the debtor of? I will pay for it. Under the sky everything belongs to me. Ps 76:8 You are fearsome, O you! Who can resist you, when your anger erupts? Ps 130:3 If you kept the memory of iniquities, Jehovah, Lord, who could subsist? Ml 3.2 Who will be able to support the day of his coming? Who will stand when it appears? For it will be like the fire of the founder, like the potash of the fullers. Rev 6:17 for the great day of his wrath has come, and who can subsist?
From all of the above, we note that one is inclined to rest on the salvation one possesses by faith. We know that It does not depend on our works, but we do not care enough about walking, the only way to prove that we are children of God, and to show the Lord the gratitude we owe Him. Our life cannot find its satisfaction in the things of the world. It is to be desired that all young Christians be penetrated by these truths from the beginning of their Christian careers; for without it there is no testimony; God is dishonored by a life that does not respond to the position His grace has given us. If we do not live to please the Lord, to whom we owe our lives and ourselves in full, we seek only our own satisfaction in a selfish existence that appropriates what is due to the Lord. Jesus continued his work of love as long as the day of his service lasted; this day was coming to an end. “He spent the days in the temple teaching; and at night he went out and dwelt in the mountain which is called olive trees. And all the people, from the point of day, came to him in the temple, to listen to him.” Jerusalem was already on trial; though the Lord performed his service to the crowds, he could not dwell there for his rest. We have to be in certain places to fulfill the task that the Lord places before us, but not to seek our comforts, a general principle to which it is good to be careful. We are “in the world,” but not “of the world,” as Jesus was not; but we all have a service to perform there. May it be given to all of us to fulfill our duty by imitating the perfect Model! Our prayers accompany you all, in the name of Jesus.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” the parable of the Strong Man.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.