Thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon this week. I am glad that you are reading the blog, and I hope that everyone is having a good day.
I have been having a good week in writing. I am thankful to the Lord Jesus for all of the writing jobs that He's allowed me to work on. I am praying that I will get enough work to keep writing full-time, and do ministry work as well.
In prayer this week, please pray for all of those who were affected by Hurricane Irma. Many people in the Caribbean are suffering greatly as a result of this storm, and much of Florida is still without power. Please pray that these areas will receive the aid that they need. Also, please continue to pray for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Many were also affected by flooding in India and Bangladesh, and they certainly need our prayers as well.
Please continue to pray for peace in this troubled world. Pray for peace in Myanmar, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Sudan. Wherever you know of war and violence, pray for peace in that place.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for those in Morocco and Taiwan. Pray that many in these nations will hear the message of the love of Jesus.
We are drawing near to the end of our series on the parables of Jesus. We have today's message and two more after this. I am not doing messages on the parables that were in the Sermon on the Mount as we covered those in our series on Jesus' message. I am also not bringing messages on the parable of the growing seed and the dragnet because messages I've already posted on those have been read by many, and they are still available on the blog.
Today, I want to focus on the parable of the budding fig tree as it is recorded in Matthew 24. Matthew 24 is a complex discourse by Jesus that deals with the destruction of the Temple that would occur in 70 AD. At the same time, Jesus is telling us what the signs of His ultimate coming will be.
There are various interpretations of this chapter and the section that contains the parable that we will study. I will give an overview of the two main interpretations, and then I will present my ideas as to what Jesus is saying here.
Jesus has just told His disciples what the signs of the end were going to be. He said that there would be famines and earthquakes. He said that there would be a time of great tribulation. He said that people would look up and see the Son of Man coming in power and great glory.
Jesus then told this parable. He said just as the branch of the fig tree becomes tender and sprouts buds as summer is near, when all of the things He predicted begin to take place, we would know the end is near. Jesus said that this generation would not pass away until all things that He had predicted came to pass.
So, what are we to make of this passage. There are two prominent interpretations of Matthew 24 and this parable. One view holds that Jesus is speaking entirely of events that would take place prior to the destruction of the Temple. They believe that Jesus words about this generation not passing away were fulfilled because most of Jesus' listeners were still alive when the Romans destroyed the Temple.
The other main view holds that Jesus is mainly speaking about the time before the rapture. This view interprets the fig tree as a symbol for Israel. This view states that when the nation of Israel once again becomes an independent state, the generation that sees that happen will not pass away before Jesus comes and raptures the church before the time of the Tribulation.
I don't fully agree with either of those views. I believe that Jesus is speaking in much the same way that the prophets in the Old Testament spoke. They often spoke about two things at once. Their prophecies often had both a near term and long term fulfillment. I'll give you an example. In Jeremiah 31:15, Jeremiah speaks about Rachel weeping for her children. This refers to the people of Judah being taken captive by the Babylonians. However, we learn in Matthew's Gospels that this was also a prophecy of Herod's massacre of the infants in Bethlehem.
I believe that in Matthew 24, Jesus is speaking about what will transpire before the destruction of the Temple and what will transpire before He returns in His glorious Second Coming.
The reference that Jesus makes to the fig tree is a symbol. Just as trees bust forth in blossoms in the spring, we know that summer is coming fast. So too, when we see those things that Jesus predicted coming to fruition, we know that He is about to come again.
Let me be clear, Jesus will say that no one knows the day or the hour when He will return. He may come today, or it may be a long time yet. Only the Father knows.
I do not believe in the theology that states that Jesus will come and rapture the church and then their will be a seven year tribulation and then Jesus will come to earth in His Second Coming. I believe that Jesus was clear in teaching that He will come in power and great glory at the close of the age. When He returns, He will judge those on earth. Those who have put their faith and trust in Him will spend eternity with Him in His kingdom that will have no end. Those who have rejected the message of the love of Jesus will be excluded from the kingdom of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus calls on all of us to be watchful and to be ready should He return at any moment. We do not want to be engaged in something that is displeasing to the Lord should He return. We need to be out sharing Jesus' love with others should He return.
I am longing for the return of the Lord Jesus. When He comes, He will restore everything to the way it was in Eden before sin entered into the world, and before the earth was cursed because of humanity's wrong doing. The curse will be lifted, and sin will be no more. The lion will lie down with lamb. Swords will be beaten into plowshares. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and He shall forever more be praised.
You can be part of that great and glorious day. Jesus invites you to come to Him and repent of your sins. He asks that you believe that He died and rose again. He wants you to accept Him as the Lord of your life. You can turn to Him in repentance and faith today. Jesus said that whoever would come to Him, He would not cast them out.
Next week, we will continue with our series on the parables of Jesus. I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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