Has the Fig Tree Ripened?

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.
Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Mathew 21:18-22

We have to remain faithful to Jesus, that is the only way we can bear fruit.

One important thing to remember is that mountain moving faith is simply believing that nothing is impossible with God and nothing will alter God's perfect plan.

"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its 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. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Mathew 24:32-35

To understand what's being said here Mathew 24, we have to look at the whole chapter.

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many.
Mathew 24:1-5

Here are the signs Jesus gives of the end age:

1. There will be false Messiahs

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Mathew 24:6-8

2. There will be wars
3. There will be Natural disasters

But Jesus says we should be calm during these disasters and wars.

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Mathew 24:9-11

4. Christians will be persecuted
5. Many will turn away from God
6. There will be false prophets

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time. "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the wilderness,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. "Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Mathew 24:21-31

7. The tribulation will be "unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again."
8. The return of Christ will be seen all across the world

"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its 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. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Mathew 24:32-35

Knowing the context of this verse, I we can conclude that we need to be watchful as we await the return of the king.

Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
Psalm 27:3

But we also must be calm. Christians should be the calmest people in disasters.

Be faithful, fruitful, and watchful. Jesus is coming. He may be coming tomorrow or one hundred years from now, but Jesus is coming and we need to make the most of every moment.

Sources:
My Pastor

Photo Credit:
http://littlegardenmelbourne.blogspot.com/2008/12/fig-tree.html

2 Peter: Everything Goes On (Part 6)

1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."
5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2 Peter 3:1-7

This reminds me of evolutionist. "they deliberately forget...the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water" The bible predicts so many things, and one of them is that people will indeed deliberately forget about God. And the bible also says that there will be a "destruction of ungodly men."
And what about the phrase "the present is the key to the past"? Well it's not. The bible is the key to the past. And the bible says that present is not like the past.

The evolutionists tell us that since we observe mutations (accidental changes in our genes) occurring today, these must have occurred ever since the beginning of life. Thus they must be one of the tools used in the process of evolution. The mutations commonly cause disease. But the Bible tells us that there was a time when there was no sin, and, therefore, there was not animal death, human death, disease, or mistakes!

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
2 Peter 3:8

This is one of the most misquoted verse of all time. This verse is used to prove evolution. By saying just 'a day is like a thousand years' you could easily make the a point that creation could have taken 7,000 years, but the after that, it says 'a thousand years are like a day' so the statement cancels itself out.

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
2 Peter 3:9-10

It's very important to understand that God is not lazy, but patient. "not wanting anyone to perish" And also, God's definition of slow and our definition of slow are entirely different. God is lot limited by time, since he is infinite.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
2 Peter 3:11-13

We can be negative (as I tend to be) and say that day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. Or we can be positive and say that God is keeping his promise. We ought to be looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

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Sources:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v8/n2/flood

Photo Credit:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v8/n2/flood
http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/overheads/pages/oh20030131_159.asp