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Day 89 Luke 21:29 Luke 21:29 And he spoke 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. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 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. 37 And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. 38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him. Do you know what will happen today or tomorrow? In most cases the answer is no, we don’t know. We can make plans and hope our plans succeed. However, knowing they will ahead of time is not guaranteed. Jesus told his disciples what would happen before the end times and what to look for. Here he concludes his prophecy about what to expect with the end times with a parable about the fig tree. He told his disciples that just as they knew when the seasons would change, by how the trees grew and leaves shot forth in summer, so too, we can know when the end is drawing near. He also said this generation would not pass away until everything happened as he prophesied. What did Jesus mean by that, considering all the disciples died and the people of that time. In this case, a generation is not the length of time a person lives on the earth. A generation refers to the different time periods of the earth. For instance, God set in order dispensations to carry out his divine purpose. The first three dispensations are found in the Old Testament – Innocence, Patriarchal, and Mosaic. The dispensation of innocence took place in the creation of the world up to the time when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. The patriarchal dispensation established the lineage by which Jesus the Messiah would be born. The Mosaic dispensation gave the Law by which the Jewish people lived. Today we live in the dispensation of Grace or the Christian dispensation which started with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This time will come to an end when Jesus returns for his church. Then the final dispensation will take place – the Tribulation and Satan’s final defeat. As Christians, we wait for the return of Jesus Christ and the final dispensation, which will bring about Jesus’ reign of peace and eternal life for all believers. A time when Satan will be cast down forever and thrown into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, never to tempt mankind again. Jesus also said, though heaven and earth pass away, his Words never would. Many people throughout history have tried to destroy God’s Word, make it of none effect, ban it from society, yet God’s Word stands, and will stand throughout eternity. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for showing me your divine purpose and plan for mankind. Help me live according to your will as you bring about your purpose in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 19 November 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay