teaching
us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world:
13.
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
14. Who gave Himself for
us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."( Titus 2:
11-14)
And Jesus Christ gave us a command found in Luke
,
“watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be
accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of man.”( Luke 21:36,)
Jesus
commands us to be watchful, alert, studying to “show thyself
approved” (II Timothy 2:15) and not neglectful, sticking our heads
in the sand and trying to blend into this world. This should be, for
each of us, a time of joyous anticipation of the soon return of our
King, our Savior, and our Redeemer. Not a time to be fearful , but
sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world.
ISRAEL’S
REBIRTH, AN END TIME EVENT
Now to the topic of this
message. Jesus gave us hints in the Word of God to the time of
the signs of His return. Let us look at what our Lord said in
Matthew:
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon
as its twigs get tender and it’s leaves come out, you know that
summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know
that it is near, right at the door.”( Matthew 24:32-33)
I
have often pondered what Jesus was saying concerning the fig tree.
What do you think? Let’s look at examples in the Bible where the
fig tree was used, as in these scripture passages to prove a
point.
Matthew 21:18-20:
“In the morning, as Jesus was
returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree
beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs on it,
but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, ‘may you never
bear fruit again!’ And immediately the fig tree withered up. The
disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, ;How did the fig
tree wither so quickly?”
At first glance, it appears that
Jesus was upset and disappointed because He was hungry and no figs
were found, but was that all He meant? Jesus knew when He went to
the fig tree that He would find no figs, as it was not their season.
Jesus never did or said anything that did not have a deeper meaning.
Figs are symbols of the nation of Israel and its faith, or the lack
thereof. Israel was like the fig tree with full leaves. It looked
righteous, and looked like it was following Jehovah, but produced no
fruit of righteousness, faith, or obedience.
In other
places in the Bible, Israel is compared to either a fig tree or an
olive tree. Let’s go to Jeremiah chapter 24
1 "The
LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the
temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had
carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah,
and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from
Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2 One basket
had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the
other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they
were so bad.
3 Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou,
Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil,
very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
4 Again
the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 Thus saith the
LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge
them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of
this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good."(Jeremiah
24:11-5)
The people of Israel are compared to figs here, both
good and evil in the mentioned verse above.
When Jesus cursed
the fig tree, He symbolically and prophetically placed a curse on
Israel for their unbelief. The reason for the curse is
straightforward. The fig tree, (Israel) failed to bear fruit (faith)
even though its leaves indicate it was in season (the appointed time
for the coming of the Messiah). Due to it’s lack of fruit, the fig
tree withered,. Likewise, Israel’s lack of faith when presented
with her Messiah led to the eventual destruction of the Jewish
Temple at the hands of the Romans in AD 70. For 2000 years,
the nation of Israel ceased to exist and its people persecuted and
cursed. They were sent into exile and dispersed into all the other
nations. And Israel was no more.
Let’s look at another
parable concerning the fig tree, Jesus speaking:
“He spake
also this parable; a certain man had a fig tree planted in his
vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found
none..
then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard,
Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig
tree and find none; cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
And
he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till
I shall dig about it, and dung it:
and if it bear
fruit, well, and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it
down.”(Luke 13:6-9.)
For three years, Jesus spread His
message throughout Israel performing miracles, exhibiting
unprecedented knowledge of the Scriptures, and offering ample
evidence of His claim to be the long awaited Messiah. Yet despite
three years of testimony, Israel refused to believe in the One whom
God had sent.
But God in His mercy, will give Israel another
chance very soon and the dung He speaks of will be intense
persecution, so He may refine them as silver in a hot fire, until He
can see His image in them. (Malachi 3:3). The coming
Tribulation is a time of God’s wrath and judgment on the earth,
and for refining Israel, as she has had 4000 years with God trying
to teach and reach her. A question to you. Is it meant for
God’s church to be caught up between God’s wrath, and judgment
of the earth and refining Israel in the fire? We will answer that in
a moment.
ISRAEL IS THE KEY
Everyone knows that
Israel became a nation again after almost 2000 years of not being a
nation. Never, I repeat, NEVER in the history of mankind, has a
fallen nation resurrected to become that nation again, except
Israel. Israel is compared to a flowering fig tree and putting on
new growth in yet another parable found in Luke chapter 21,
starting in verse 29,
29 “And he spake to them a parable;
Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30 "When they
now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is
now nigh at hand.
31
So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye
that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32 Verily I say
unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be
fulfilled.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my
words shall not pass away.........
36 Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to
escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before
the Son of man."(Luke 21:29-33,36)
This whole 21st
chapter is pregnant with meaning. I see Jesus putting the order in
reverse and the fig tree is stated last, when time wise, it would
have been stated first. In verse
29. - And
he spake to them a parable. "It is certain," went on the
Lord to say, "that summer follows the season when the fig tree
and other trees put forth
their green shoots. It is no less certain that these things - the
fall of Jerusalem, and later the end of the world - will follow
closely on the signs I have just told you about."
But I would like to key on the word “generation” in verse 32.
What is a generation? Many people have tried to develop a time line
for the return of our Lord. The Jehovah Witnesses have been doing
that since the late 1800s and failed. You and I can’t do that. But
when does a generation start? Speculation had it that a
generation started in 1948. Makes sense, as there are numerous
illustrations found in your bible that shows God deals with people
in lots of 40 years, before judgment is passed. But is that
applicable here?
1. so Jesus would return in 1988, as a
generation was theorized to be those 40 years…as previously
mentioned. Did not happen.
2. They reasoned further, that a
generation started when Jerusalem became the capital of Israel again
in 1967, so 2007 was calculated to be the time of His return. Wrong
again. Those dates have come and gone. Symptoms of the end time are
piling up even faster, as time goes on and we’re still here.
I
believe here that God is speaking of the life span of those born
around this time, as some will be alive to witness His coming. The
bible speaks of that generation being 70 years, 80 years by
strength. (Psalm 90:10). Do the math.
The whole point of the
parables about the fig tree is that the fig tree is Israel. It’s
been seven decades plus since Israel was once again declared a
nation against all worldly odds. In Matthew 24, again, Jesus
promises that the generation which witnesses the birth of Israel as
a nation again, will not die off until the end of the age comes to
pass….What is the end of the age? The return of Jesus Christ as
Lord and King and ruler of this world for a 1000 year reign. A
lot of you reading this article were born in the 1950s or earlier,
right along side the people who were born in Israel during this time
of Israel being gathered and becoming a nation. I was born in 1951,
so it is possible that I will see my Lord coming in the clouds for
His elect before tribulation starts and so will you, if the Lord
wills and you have a long life proclaimed..
Given the Bible’s
impeccable track record, we have every reason to expect the soon
return of our Lord to this earth and a wise person will prepare
accordingly.
But of this time, Jesus, God of the Old and New
Testament gave us comforting words to show us that we have nothing
to fear. Let’s ponder on a few scriptures that speak of this
comfort and our hope in Christ Jesus and answers my question, will
the church be caught between the wrath of God and refining Israel?
JESUS
REMOVES HIS BRIDE BEFORE THE TRIBULATION
Let’s
go to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, but after we read it, I will go to
Isaiah 26:19-21. After we have read these two passages, if you
put them side by side and look at each verse, you will see that
Isaiah in the Old Testament states in different words the same
thought pattern that Paul expressed in 1st Thessalonians
chapter 4:
"13 But
I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
- 14 For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Again
in Revelation 3:10..when He speaks to the church in
Philadelphia:
"Because thou hast kept the word of my
patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which
shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the
earth."
I
have used these passages many times, as the last one with the
phrase, “Keep thee from” in Revelation 3:10 is the Greek word
“EK” which is a small word that means :
'ἐκ
• (ek)
(governs the genitive) (of place) (of motion) Out of, from. from,
with the source of. to denote change from one place or condition to
another.”
We
are removed from the time and place of His coming wrath, as the
wrath of God will cover the whole earth, but His church is not found
on this earth.
Note
how these verses sprinkled all over your Bible which are just a few,
as there are many more, speak of a time when God our Lord Jesus
Christ will remove His bride from this earth before His wrath of
Almighty God is poured out on an unbelieving world.
Till
He comes again, He tells us how to be ready and not be found
wanting:
In 1st Thessalonians Paul writes under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit:
1, "But of the times
and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as
a thief in the night.
3. For when they shall say, Peace and
safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a
woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4. But ye, brethren,
are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief.
5. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of
the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6. Therefore
let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are
drunken in the night.
8. But let us, who are of the day, be
sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an
helmet, the hope of salvation.
9. For God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10.
Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him."(1st Thessalonians 5:1-10)
I
have heard sermon after sermon dealing with these scriptures and you
could go into great detail of doctrinal teachings of their meaning,
but without rambling on the subject and just letting the Words of
the Living God speak for itself, we can read these verses and see
that in the first 3 chapters of Revelation, that God is dealing with
His church. Then taking all the other scriptures that I have quoted,
supports that God will remove us from His coming wrath and move us
out of the way, as many examples are shown in the Word of God. These
examples show God’s people being removed before His Wrath is
unleashed. When will that be? Many have tried to speculate the
Lord's return just as the Jehovah Witness have done to their
error.
We don’t know for sure, not with any certainty, as
Jesus told us. Only the Father knows the exact date and the exact
hour, BUT we know the season. And that my brethren, we are living in
the last days of that season. Are you prepared and waiting for His
blessed return? Have you put on the likeness of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Have you put on the whole armour of God (Ephesian
6:11-18) and seeking to endure to the end. If not, I believe it’s
time to get prepared based on the clear instruction of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
BACK
TO ISRAEL
But
getting back to Israel as the sign of the end of the Age of Grace,
we notice through news sources the unrest in the Middle East.
Russia, along with Turkey and Syria have made the Middle East on the
verge of war. Iran now building more missiles and seeking to
enrich enough uranium to build a nuclear weapon to use on Israel.
All the while hiding that they were not living up to their “nuclear
deal” that the last idiot in chief forced onto the world. We see
Hezbollah in the north of Israel, Hamas in the south, and Iran on
the borders of the Golan Heights and wonder, is Israel prepared for
a war on three fronts? War could break out at any moment, but never
fear, God is on the side of Israel and will destroy those who come
against His land and His people....God said it, it will be done.
THE
THIRD TEMPLE GROWS CLOSER TO BEING BUILT
I
read in the news that the Sanhedrin has asked President Trump to
support their effort to build the Third Jewish Temple. As the
Persian King, King Cyrus gave Israel the command to build the second
Temple, Trump is compared to this Persian King to be the “king”
who allows the building of the Third Temple, and that is how the
Sanhedrin are looking at our USA President to be that man. Trump has
already moved the embassy of the USA to Jerusalem, recognized
Jerusalem as the sovereign capital of Israel, and has proclaimed the
Golan Heights as belonging to Israel much to the anger of the Arab
nations. Trump has shown himself a friend of Israel and the blessing
brought upon the USA because of it, are showing in our economy. But
will it last?
My
question is this. If the plans for the building of the Jewish Temple
in Jerusalem are being planned and supported by the USA, then how
close is the Anti-Christ who will confirm a covenant with Israel and
allow the Temple to be rebuilt?? I don't believe Trump is that man,
but he is setting up a plan the “Real” man of sin will use to
usher in the Tribulation. And if the man of sin is close to being
revealed, then we are even closer to the rapture of the Church.
24 “Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to
finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint
the most Holy.
25 Know
therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the
Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the
street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And
after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy
the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And
he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the
midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be
poured upon the desolate.”(Daniel 9:24-27)
There
are many things happening right now that says we are at the end of
this age:
From
many sermons on the end times, we know that 69 weeks passed till
Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross, and the time clock stopped. We
still have a week of years, or 7 years that God promised Israel and
God will fulfill His promise to them.
President
Trump is trying to hammer out a “deal of the century” for peace
between Israel and the Palestinians, but I believe it will fail, as
the Palestinians led by Abbas are not interested in peace, but the
annihilation of Israel being driven into the Mediterranean Sea.
Could
this be the covenant that the Anti-Christ confirms with Israel and
allows the temple to be built, or possibly even finish its
construction? It says he will “confirm a covenant”, not make a
new one, but enforce one that has already been presented.
War
is on the horizon within the Middle East and may even lead the
Gog-Magog war found in Ezekiel 38-39. I believe that this war will
be so Divinely one sided, as those who attack will die on the
mountains of Israel destroying 5/6 of this invading army with only
1/6 having a chance to go back home to their countries, and the
plagues possibly following them to their home towns. Thus the
Anti-Christ will reveal himself by confirming an already present
treaty to prevent another disaster in the heart of his rising
empire. As the verses above tell us, he will make a 7 year treaty
with Israel, but will break it in the middle of it, and abolish
sacrifices in the Temple of God and set himself in the Holy of
Holies and proclaim himself to be God.
I
am a firm believer that we may see the run-up to this war, but will
NOT see its devastation, as Jesus will remove us before the
Anti-Christ is revealed.
6 “And
now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For
the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth
will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And
then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with
the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of
his coming:
9 Even
him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders,
10 And
with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved.”(2nd Thessalonians 2:6-10)
Many
have tried to theorize who “HE” is....but the only “PERSON”
who is holding back the complete assault on this earth of
unimaginable evil, is God's HOLY SPIRIT that resides in each born
again, washed in the blood Christian residing on this earth. So if
“HE” is holding back evil through residing in His people,
Christians on earth when “HE” is taken out of the way, then His
people will be taken out of the way as well, as Jesus said He would
never leave us or forsake us and God does not lie. But notice that
Israel is the “KEY” to this mystery of when the Lord will enter
our world again and shout with a loud trumpet voice “come up
hither”.
MAKE
DECISION THIS SIDE OF THE TRIBULATION
Reader,
time is growing short, and the end of this age we call the “age of
Grace” where salvation is by faith through grace. The coming
tribulation will be a faith drenched in the believing martyrs blood.
None of these new believers will be guaranteed to endure to the end,
as the Holy Spirit has been removed back to Old Testament times, and
a man or woman could very well succumb to the trials, torture and
threat of death and loose their salvation and take the mark of the
beast. With all the evidence surrounding us, and the drums of war
beating continuously, what should you do right now to be taken away
from the literal “Hell on earth” that is coming....easy because
it only takes faith and true belief in the One Whom God hath sent.
15 “That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
17 For
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through him might be saved.
18 He
that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:15-18)
Believe
and put your faith in Jesus Christ and ask Him to come into your
life as your personal Savior, in true repentance of your sins, and
you shall be saved...what saith God through the apostle Paul?
8 “But
what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy
heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved.
10 For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
11 For
the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed.
12 For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved.”(Romans 10:8-13)
Do
it today, my friend, as the Tribulation and the Anti-Christ are just
out of sight, and the rapture is even closer. Don't be left behind
to face what is coming.
This
is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying God’s mercy on all who seek Him. If
you have troubles, need counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear,
email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com,
or visit me online for more biblical commentary at
www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com,
. God bless you all,
till
we meet at Jesus feet.
