Luke 21:29-33
Jesus gave the people this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. In the same way, when you see the events taking place that I’ve described you can be just as sure that the Kingdom of God is near.
“I solemnly declare to you that when these things happen, the end of this age has come. And though all heaven and earth shall pass away, yet my words remain forever true.”
Food for Thought:
There are two main considerations in this reading.
(i) There is the conception of the second coming of Jesus Christ. There has always been much useless argument and speculation about the second coming. When it will be and what it will be like, are not ours to know. But the one great truth it enshrines is this: that history is going somewhere; that each one of us is en route; that we are not to stay on this earth forever; that there is an end; and that at the end stands Jesus. The Christian conception of history is that it has a goal and at that that goal is Jesus Christ. That is all we know from the Bible, and it is all we need to know.
(ii) There is the need to be upon the watch; to be ready; to be on standby. The Christian must never come to think that he is living in a settled situation. A Christian must be a person who lives in a permanent state of expectation. We must live forever in the shadow of eternity, in the certainty that we are people who are fitting or unfitting ourselves to appear in the presence of God.
Because we're passing by, we must take each day as it comes. Live each day to the maximum; live each day to the best of your ability. Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today; don't procrastinate. Live in the present and presence of God. Don't neglect prayer; it is a rehearsal of our appearance before God. At the end of our earthly journey, there is Jesus.
If our end is heaven, let us leave a life befitting heaven. "Our final end is heaven, and from it we await to meet the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20)
Jesus gave the people this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. In the same way, when you see the events taking place that I’ve described you can be just as sure that the Kingdom of God is near.
“I solemnly declare to you that when these things happen, the end of this age has come. And though all heaven and earth shall pass away, yet my words remain forever true.”
Food for Thought:
There are two main considerations in this reading.
(i) There is the conception of the second coming of Jesus Christ. There has always been much useless argument and speculation about the second coming. When it will be and what it will be like, are not ours to know. But the one great truth it enshrines is this: that history is going somewhere; that each one of us is en route; that we are not to stay on this earth forever; that there is an end; and that at the end stands Jesus. The Christian conception of history is that it has a goal and at that that goal is Jesus Christ. That is all we know from the Bible, and it is all we need to know.
(ii) There is the need to be upon the watch; to be ready; to be on standby. The Christian must never come to think that he is living in a settled situation. A Christian must be a person who lives in a permanent state of expectation. We must live forever in the shadow of eternity, in the certainty that we are people who are fitting or unfitting ourselves to appear in the presence of God.
Because we're passing by, we must take each day as it comes. Live each day to the maximum; live each day to the best of your ability. Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today; don't procrastinate. Live in the present and presence of God. Don't neglect prayer; it is a rehearsal of our appearance before God. At the end of our earthly journey, there is Jesus.
If our end is heaven, let us leave a life befitting heaven. "Our final end is heaven, and from it we await to meet the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20)
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