Wednesday, November 30, 2016
“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to
sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all
these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I
tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all
these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words
will never disappear. However, no one
knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in
heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it
was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were
enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered
his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood
came and swept them all away. That is
the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
Matthew 24:32-39(NLT)
Parables, or stories, were told
by Jesus to teach one central truth.
They are like signposts, pointing to something much greater than their
own reality. When I want to go somewhere
I check the road signs against my GPS. The
sign that says Thomasville 19 miles
out on Interstate 85 is just a bit of metal. The reality comes later.
Teaching the reality of the coming
destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, Jesus uses the fig tree’s flowering to tell
us to stay alert, look at the signs, and be prepared. There’s a somewhat confusing, but specific
reference to the generation
that would still be alive. But that is the
way people of Jesus' day measured segments of time; a generation consisting of
40 years. The coming event was only a
generation away. But the later event, His
Second Advent (v.36)
would be sudden and unexpected by many.
Jesus illustrates with the
example of Noah. Noah took the abuse of
his neighbors as he built an ark in the sunshine for 120 years. But one day, when God was ready, the ark door
closed...the laughing subsided...Don't misunderstand the parable that tells you
God will someday take care of business.
The lesson from this bit of
practical advice is simply to accept the fact that God has set the time; and
Jesus will be back when He is back! You
will know about it. As a believer, He
has promised to come back for you. The
event will be very open, with Jesus coming
in clouds and glory. It will
be a little like the elephants at the circus; you never have to ask, have the elephants come in? You KNOW
when they've arrived! What you do while
waiting for His coming is prepare to meet the Lord at His arrival.
Martha Snell Nicholson was a
poet who spoke from her invalid’s bed of pain in the 1950’s. Listen to her beautiful words as she spoke
words of truth we should all heed:
The best part is the
blessed hope of his soon coming. How I
ever lived before I grasped that wonderful truth, I do not know. How anyone lives without it these trying days
I cannot imagine.
Each morning I think,
with a leap of the heart, He may come today.
And each evening, When
I awake I may be in glory.
Each day must be lived
as though it were to be my last, and there is so much to be done to purify
myself and to set my house in order.
I am on tiptoe with
expectancy.
There are no more grey
days – for they're all touched with color;
no more dark days – for
the radiance of His coming is on the horizon;
no more dull days, with
glory just around the corner;
and no more lonely
days, with His footsteps coming ever nearer, and the thought that soon, soon, I
shall see His blessed face and be forever through with pain and tears is the
joy that awaits.[ii]
For You Today
Whatever you do today, keep
the house of your relationship with God…in
order!
NOTES
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