By John Thiel, mp3

Amos 4:12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: [and] because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

For how long have these words been uttered in the ranks of Adventism? For a very long time already. Those who have been familiar with Adventism all their life will recall that some of the generations that have now passed away used to preach that they expected Jesus to come in their lifetime. But they have passed away. Their parents too have expected that Jesus would come in their lifetime, and He didn’t. The words of our present message come almost as a mocking to many Adventist people today. “Prepare to meet thy God”? Do the young people think that Jesus is coming in their lifetime? But just a moment, are you sure? So many before you thought they were sure too. Is it possible that we here, at such a time as this, with such a message as this, could be as much disappointed that Jesus will not come in our lifetime too? If that same question would have been asked in Sister White’s time, in the time of my grandparents, they would have said, No! just like you are saying no right now.

The hope of the coming of Jesus has been a hope that has been carried for many generations already. The disciples themselves approached Jesus on the subject because they wanted to know:

Mathew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 

Their interest was, The end of the world! Jesus is coming, and we want to be there. This has been the desire of generations – believers have had hopes to see Jesus coming again, and their hopes failed. Hope didn’t come to fruition. The Apostle Paul himself is telling the followers that we are to look for that blessed hope:

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.

And this grace teaches us that we are to be:

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Looking for that hope – this has been the utterance of God’s people. John the Revelator himself was told by the Lord, Surely I come quickly, and what were his words? Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).

As we look back at history, we realise that Christians have been looking for Jesus to come, and they died. There was this terrible persecution by Pagan Rome, and then came the persecution by Papal Rome – the Middle Ages (A.D. 538 to A.D. 1798). What was the cry of the souls under the altar? This is the Dark Ages:

Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

“How long?” has been the cry for generation after generation. Then we would have thought that it was finally over, but there came the sixth seal:

The Time of the End

Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

When was this great earthquake? 1755. Then came the darkening of the sun, 1780, and then the falling of the stars, 1833. What comes after that? The coming of Jesus. So that generation didn’t even see it. Those that saw the coming of the stars did not see the coming of Jesus. Yet when you read that scripture you would think they would have seen it, because they were living at the time which was immediately followed by the coming of Jesus, the heavens being rolled back. That generation saw the signs just prior to the coming of Jesus, and didn’t see His coming. They were again disappointed.

There comes then this very relevant expression of 2 Peter, after all these Christians have been looking for the coming of Jesus and He hasn’t come. They were preaching it so loudly in 1844, and yet He didn’t come. They were bitterly disappointed. After that, three generations have passed. We are now in the fourth generation. Here is the kind of taunt that comes to every mind as we think about these things:

2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation.

Are you tempted to harmonise with that statement? “Jesus hasn’t come yet, how do I know that He is going to come in my lifetime? Since the fathers died, everything has been going on. Yes, there’s always been earthquakes, there’s always been problems, and now see? The great Lisbon earthquake has happened; the sun has been darkened; the stars have fallen, and still the fathers have died; and how do I know that such a subject is relevant for me?” Is this just a lovely subject? Or is it a reality to your heart and mine today? Are you really taking it seriously? Or are you just saying, “We’ve heard all this before”? Is this not a danger? Is this not a danger for the Laodicean people? What is the expression of many in the period of Laodicea?

Laodicea – My Lord Delayeth His Coming

Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Jesus then asks the question:

Matthew 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Meat in due season – the right spiritual food at the right time. Is this the right time?

Matthew 24:46 Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

There are preachers of the second coming of Jesus who are servants of God; but what sort of servants are they? They are the servants who, while publicly preaching the coming of Jesus, are saying in their hearts, My Lord delayeth His coming. Are you sometimes tempted to say the same thing in your heart? How many of you have thought like that? I have; because when I was about twelve, with all the preachers preaching this, I used to think, Yes, I won’t even get married anymore, I know that Jesus is going to come within the next six to seven years. And here I am today, married, and I have seven children, and Jesus hasn’t come yet. There is this sneaking little suggestion that keeps on coming into my heart, and I think that in all of our hearts sometimes that happens, which says, How do I know that all these things won’t drag on another generation? How do I know?? I must be sure.

There are indeed people who because they think in their hearts that the Lord delayeth His coming, have this mentality that, “All of our fathers who preached the coming of Jesus, have died, and they used to preach, Prepare to meet thy God! so I think I’ll just have a bit more fun yet.” That is why we think, “He is not going to come straight away; I don’t have to get ready just now; because He’s not coming just yet, so I don’t have to really prepare. And this is just another sermon; this is just another meditation which is going to be over soon, and then we will just get on with our sweet life thereafter.” Many Christians who have sincerely hoped and believed that Jesus would come, have been disappointed generation after generation, and the hope that they have had is deferred. How do they feel?

Hope Deferred and Heart-Sickness

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

I want to see the tree of life when my hope of seeing Jesus is fulfilled. But how many have had a heart sickness, O Lord, You still haven’t come, and I expected You to come long before this. The heart gets sick, and there is a taunting of those around us that are saying, See? Look at that; you’ve been preaching this for years. Then comes the other terrible taunt, a heart-sickening experience which we are surrounded by if we are truly yearning for the coming of Jesus and it keeps on dragging on and on and He hasn’t come yet:

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

What are we reading here? People have said to me, Oh, this has always been the case; children were always disobedient to parents. If you read Sister White’s writings, she talks about the generation which were our great grandparents, and she describes them as wicked children. What are we today? Do you know what real obedience is, children? Like they often say, when the parents say you should jump, you should say, How high? That is true obedience. When Mother and Father say something and you do it cheerfully, without any grumbling; you do exactly what Mother and Father say; you don’t go to them and say, Oh, Mom and Dad, I love you, and then you don’t do what they say. Is this the case today, that children are obedient to their parents like that? Many times they are not because the parents are giving them a hard time, but many times it’s the other way around. We are living in a time today when women and children rule this world. Is that right? The dilemma in which we are living today is just horrendous when you compare it with the time of Sister White; and it is going to get worse; and Jesus hasn’t come yet.

A profession of godliness, and denying the power thereof – I have seen this in my whole life, and it has made me heart-sick. I loved the Lord from a very early age, and the things I am sharing with you here have been things that have been going through my mind year after year after year. I was looking for a very concrete, clear answer as to whether I can be sure that my generation will not pass before I see Jesus. I want to know that. Do you? I want to know it, and I want to be sure, or else I might just end up like one of those wicked servants that says in his heart, Well, yeah, we know; we’ve heard these sermons before. I’ll go back home and enjoy myself; and I’ll just worship God, and be a pew-warmer in the church; it’s good enough for me.

Jesus made a very interesting statement in reference to this dilemma in which we are situated today. He describes these different preachers/prophets. All the different churches that exist today, they are all different kinds of prophets, people following different leaders:

Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

What does that mean? It’s all around you. If you are continually surrounded by iniquity, what sort of an effect will that have on you? You become what you behold, don’t you? Do we wonder why we have such difficulties in the church to bring the standards up? It is not surprising; we are affected to some degree by the prevailing iniquity around us. And what is happening to us because iniquity abounds? The love of many waxes cold. They are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Their love for the Lord has waned so much that they don’t even know what it means to obey because of love. The love has grown cold.

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Are you a person who can endure all this horror around you, and not be swayed by it? who can keep this subject an on-going exercise in your life in the mist of circumstances and suggestions that come across to you, saying, Don’t worry, it’s going to go on for a quite a while longer yet?

There is then on one side the heart-sickness of the Christian, and on the other the person who is just a professor of godliness and who is going to eat and drink with the drunken. That is what happens. Do we have any crystal-clear assurance of where we stand today so that this meditation here will strike stronger than it has ever done before? When you are heart-sick, you need some comfort, don’t you? You need some comfort of the word of God. Here we come across a most beautiful indicator as to where we should look for comfort when we want to know if we should expect Jesus to come in our lifetime:

Prophetical Comfort

Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

We need patience and comfort. We need to endure to the end. There is something somewhere in this Bible, hidden away in a little crevasse of God’s prophecies, which can give me comfort in this generation. This meditation is not just another lovely subject. Here is a comfort that I want to share with you; it is found in prophecy. When you read the context of the following scripture, you see that the disciples had been preaching for many years and they had told the people around them, Look, we know it’s true. Apostle Peter tells them:

2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

How many times have people said, It’s just a fable, we know Jesus isn’t coming yet?

2 Peter 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

If you were there you would have heard that voice, and you would have probably shaken in your shoes and been absolutely frightened. They heard Him, but you didn’t. So what does Apostle Peter now say?

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

Prophecy is more sure than the testimony of someone else; because, what will happen to you if you study prophecy on any subject that you need to know for this time? The day star will arise in your heart. You will see. You will become convinced, Oh, really? I can hear it; I can see it. That is what prophecy will do for us. It is more sure than any person telling you his own testimony and experience. You need to be convinced in your own heart by the Holy Spirit, and prophecy will do it for you.

Let us see now, with this question uppermost in our mind, is this message relevant for me because I am definitely going to meet Jesus very soon, not just like the other generations which have preached it? Is there something here in prophecy that will cause the day star to arise in my heart? The generation in which Jesus will come, do they have a comfort in the Scriptures to know that they are definitely the generation?

Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

What days is Jesus talking about? The Dark Ages. This is speaking about the days which had to be shortened because otherwise all of God’s people would have been persecuted and destroyed in the Dark Ages. Those days were shortened [the persecution ceased before the end of the 1260 years of papal supremacy]. 1798 is the time of the end; and what would happen after 1798?

Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Immediately after the Dark Ages. Wasn’t that the case? There was the darkening of the sun, and the falling of the stars. Here is the end of the Middle Ages, and now come the signs of the coming of Jesus, immediately after that. Now Jesus describes a prophetical picture since that time.

Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Many people expected that. They expected that after they had witnessed the signs Jesus would come; but notice what He goes on to say:

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

What is He emphasising here? You can be sure that heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. What I am telling you here is an assurance that you can have. He said, This generation shall not pass. Which generation is He talking about? This has been a puzzle in my mind for decades. I didn’t discover it completely until about twenty years ago. What is this last generation? I had many explanations that didn’t satisfy me at all, until I was triggered into an old-fashioned Seventh-day Adventist belief that was taught way back. What is the generation that He is talking about?

He says that it is a parable of the fig tree. He has just talked about the falling of the stars, etc. and then will be the coming of Jesus. But in between the falling of the stars and the coming of Jesus there is a set of events that you have to study other prophecies to understand. But here He comes now, and He says, Look at the parable of the fig tree. When you look at prophecy, is prophecy given in parable form, or in straight-forward words? It is always in parable form, in symbolic language. He says, Look at the parable of the fig tree; that generation that sees all these things happen will not pass, until all things are fulfilled.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

Most people read this simply looking at the events of the seasons. When the summer is coming they look at a literal fig tree and they see that, Yes, it’s starting to shoot, and there is a little bit of fruit coming on the end of those fig tree branches, that means summer is coming near. That is true, that is what Jesus meant; but is that all He meant? When Jesus speaks in parable there is a wonderful scope of meaning. This is a very valuable, prophetic picture to help us understand that this subject is relevant for us to the very enth degree:

Luke 21:29 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.

What other terminology is the coming of Jesus identified with? The harvest (See Matthew 13:24-43). When is the harvest? In the summertime. When the fig tree and the other trees shoot, you know that the harvest is soon to come. It is the same picture: the summer is near; and you know that it is all heading up to the final scenes. Jesus is here giving a picture, from the time that the stars are falling, etc. and from 1844, there is a prophetic picture of symbolism – the summer/the harvest time of this earth’s history. It’s coming. And those who study it carefully will be able to tell exactly what situation on earth will tell us.

What Do Trees Represent?

What are trees, in God’s parable prophetic pictures? Here God is speaking in a parable form to the generation that was then living:

Ezekiel 31:3 Behold, the Assyrian [was] a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.

What is the king of Assyria equated with? A cedar tree.

Ezekiel 31:5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.

What is He talking about? You have the Assyrian empire and all the other nations. He was the biggest tree over them all because he was the empire that ruled over the other nations. Can you see the picture? There was the cedar and all the other trees. They were all smaller, and he was the big one.

Ezekiel 31:9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that [were] in the garden of God, envied him.

This is symbolic language. All the nations envied this great empire.

Ezekiel 31:10 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;

Notice the language here: He hath shot up his top. Remember the words of Jesus in Luke: “When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.” What is He talking about? This nation was shooting and penetrating all the other trees over and above them. He was full of pride and joy of his development as a powerful nation. The nation is shooting; the tree shoots.

Then it goes on to describe the experience of this nation, and of the other trees:

Ezekiel 31:13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: 14 To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.

Can you see here the language? Trees were nations. All these different nations were watching the Assyrian nation shooting and becoming more powerful than all the others. Then, as he comes crashing down, the other nations stand back and say, Oops, we better not shoot too much either; we better not become too proud about ourselves. Here you have the symbolic setting of the politics of this world represented by trees shooting. Then God talks about the fall of the Assyrian empire:

Ezekiel 31:16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 17 They also went down into hell with him unto [them that be] slain with the sword; and [they that were] his arm, [that] dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.

The other nations dwelt under his shadow.

Ezekiel 31:18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with [them that be] slain by the sword. This [is] Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.

Here we have a typical, symbolic picture of trees representing nations. We have dwelt on that so that we can get it very clear from Scripture that besides natural trees, trees that shoot in the spring time, there are also, in God’s prophetic view, nations that are symbolical trees that shoot.

What Nation Does the Fig Tree Represent?

Joel 1:6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. 7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast [it] away; the branches thereof are made white.

What is this? What is God talking about when He says, My fig tree? Is He not talking about His Jewish nation? His fig tree.

Luke 13:6 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. 7 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? 8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung [it]: 9 And if it bear fruit, [well]: and if not, [then] after that thou shalt cut it down.

What was Jesus talking about? Wasn’t He talking about the last opportunity that the Jewish had? He was warning the Jewish people that if they would not respond to the nurturing care of Jesus Christ for their salvation, they would ultimately be cut down. Sister White quotes this very text, and then says:

Christ’s hearers could not misunderstand the application of His words. {COL 214.2}

They could not misunderstand. Why? What did the Jews know about what they were? They knew they were the fig tree. They read it in the Old Testament.

David had sung of Israel as the vine brought out of Egypt. Isaiah had written, “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant.” Isaiah 5:7. The generation to whom the Saviour had come were represented by the fig tree in the Lord’s vineyard–within the circle of His special care and blessing. {COL 214.2}

We now have a very clear appreciation about the parable of the fig tree and the other trees. Jesus is telling a prophetic story that the Jewish nation and all the other nations are going to shoot, and when they do, then you know that the end of the world is coming – the summertime/harvest.

I would like to take you through a very brief study to help us appreciate the understanding of this prophecy of Jesus in Luke:

The Time of the Harvest

Joel 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I [am] strong.

What does that mean, according to the representation of the tree? What did the cedar of Lebanon do? He thought he was strong, and he was shooting above the other trees. Let the weak say, I am strong; let the trees shoot.

Joel 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness [is] great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD [is] near in the valley of decision.

Here is a prophetical picture of how God is going to bring all the nations together. What is He going to do with them there? It is the time of the harvest. It is the time when the cutting of the harvest and the squashing of the grapes is going to take place, and there is going to be a bloodbath. Who will to be gathered there? The nations – all the trees – including Israel. Why? We know today that Israel exists as a nation, but did it always exist as a nation after Christ finished His work with them? No, they were cut down, and there was no Israel at all.

Let me take you through some history:

“To many Jews throughout the world, a Jewish nation in Palestine seemed the best escape from the religious persecution they often faced in other lands. During the 1800’s, in the hope of establishing such a nation, Jewish immigrants began arriving in Palestine.” {The World Book Encyclopaedia (Israel), p. 388}

When did the Jewish immigrants begin to arrive in Palestine? During the 1800’s! When was that? During the time of 1844, the time of the beginning of the harvest. There a fig tree was beginning to shoot. It wasn’t yet a nation bearing fruit, but it was beginning to shoot. They were developing a nation.

“They drained the swamps, irrigated deserts, sank wells and planted forests, farm settlements appeared and useless land became fertile. By 1948 the Jews had become strong enough to declare Israel independent. After the birth of Israel the people improved the land even further. The Israelis also built factories schools towns and manufacturing became their leading source of income. Today Israel is the most advanced country in the Middle East.” {The World Book Encyclopaedia (Israel), p. 388}

What sort of a country? It has shot into the most advanced country in the Middle East.

1948

Remember the words of Joel: “Let the weak say, I am strong.” “Beat your plowshares into swords.” What was the United Nations logo? It was the opposite, Let us turn our swords into plowshares. But now this is going to turn around the other way. However, how is it going to happen first?

“During World War Two most Palestinians, Arabs and Jews stopped their resistance to British rule. Many joined the allied forces but by the end of the war the Nazis killed about 6 million European Jews. Many of the survivors were refugees in foreign countries. Britain continued to limit Jewish immigration.” {The World Book Encyclopaedia (Palestine), p. 87}

Can you see the pressure that was on the Jewish nation?

“The terrible experience of the holocaust in Germany only pressed the Jews more firmly into a desire to gain control of the homeland and they exerted pressure on Britain. The Jews protested and organized large scale resistant movements. In 1947 Britain finally asked the United Nations to handle the Palestinian problem.” {The World Book Encyclopaedia (Palestine), p. 87}

Can you see how this shooting is taking place?

“The United Nations special commission on Palestine recommended that Palestine be divided into an Arab state and a Jewish state and further recommended that Jerusalem be put under international control. The United Nations general assembly adopted this plan November 29, 1947. The Jews accepted the United Nations decision but the Arabs rejected it. Fighting broke out immediately. On May 14, 1948 the Jews proclaimed the independent state of Israel. The British withdrew from Palestine. The next day May 15, 1948 neighboring Arab nations invaded Israel.”  {The World Book Encyclopaedia (Palestine), p. 87}

Notice the description of this event:

“On May 15, 1948 troops from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan invaded Israel.” {The World Book Encyclopaedia (Israel), p. 392}

On the 14^th of May they declared their independence, and on the 15^th what sort of an army came against the Israelites? Egypt, Irak, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. That is a formidable host. The Jews had only just started. What did they do?

“The Israelis were greatly outnumbered and poorly armed but they halted the invaders and they defeated the Arabs by the end of 1948 and controlled half the land that the United Nations had planned for the Arab state. The other half was divided between Jordan and Egypt. Israel occupied the western half of Jerusalem all of which the United Nations had planned to put under the international control. Jordan controlled the eastern half of the city.” {The World Book Encyclopaedia (Israel), p. 392}

Here you have a very brief history of the shooting of the fig tree. It was a direct and supernatural intervention that Israel, so poorly armed, could withstand the host of those Arab nations that was against it. Why? Because Jesus had said that the fig tree would shoot. And at the same time as the fig tree shot and was a tiny little nation that started becoming big and strong, what other nations began to develop? Other trees were shooting, the small ones. We have seen this through the history. At first there was the Yugoslavian complex, which then split up into the Croatian and the Serbian and the Montenegrin. They all began to have their own nations. So it has gone on, even to the point, for instance, of the little island off the top of Australia, East Timor – it has become a nation too. Every nation of the world that is gathering momentum is part of the United Nations’ counsel. They are all making an impact in this world. The fig tree and all other trees are shooting. We have it all around us since 1948. What did Jesus say?

Matthew 24:34 …This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

What conclusion can you draw? The generation that He is talking about is my generation. My oldest brother is 65, and my youngest brother is 40 years old. That generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. That includes all you young people. Have you got a whole generation to live? Not at all. How relevant is this then? Prepare to meet thy God. If I was you; if when I was a youth I had heard a message like this, I would have taken hold of this with determination. And that is exactly what I did, but I didn’t quite understand what I understand now. I said, I am going to make a decision to make Jesus everything in my life. I want to get ready for Him and I want to know how.

It is going to happen to us. We are not going to be disappointed anymore. He says, My words shall not pass away. This generation is it! Jesus is coming in this generation. We know not the day or the hour, but we know it is near at the door. We are not talking about time prophecy; we are talking about the door ready to open. We want now to understand what I must do to prepare, because this is for real. As real as we can see Irak being destroyed and being rearranged, we know that one day in the Middle East there is going to be a great conglomerate of nations, as we read in Joel, and we can see it happening in front of our eyes! Say, does the day star arise in your heart? Are you beginning to see Jesus coming? Not just because there are all those other things that we often quote so glibly, like all the terrible things that are happening in the world, earthquake, wars, misery, ungodliness; and because we see these things we say, It must be near. But they’ll just say, All that has happened way back already; and you have no argument. But when you have this argument they can’t say another word, they cannot wipe the floor from under your feet anymore. You know full well that this is happening in front of our eyes. Now, as it is happening in front of our eyes, and this world is about to be destroyed, Prepare to meet thy God.

God grant us a receptive heart to the most serious message that has ever been given, worst even then Noah’s ark. It is going to be not by flood, but by fire. We need not to step into Noah’s ark today; we need to have such an experience that we will know what it means to be under the protection of Christ and His angels.

Amen.

Related: http://www3.telus.net/thegoodnews/finalgeneration.htm