Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

What I want is for Christ’s second coming to put an end to all the evil in this world.

What I want doesn’t change anything. What can I do to bring about the results I want?

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

So in my reality, I am doing what I can to bring an end to all this. That is my idea of an end. Jesus does not actually say here to what end. End of the world? End of sin? End of the church age? Perhaps it is an end I haven’t thought about. Which of these endings will satisfy my wants?

Many years ago my wants were different, worldly, sinful and I wanted an end to that. God in His mercy relieved me of some of it by redeeming me. I didn’t know what that meant then, I do now.

My wants changed as I changed. Praise God. I still have wants, only the things I want have changed.

Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

I discovered that the only sacrifice I can make to satisfy God is the One He provided.

Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

His sacrifice put an end to the need for ordinances in order to know God.

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

This is my spiritual bomb shelter. Is today the day of trouble? Probably not.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Now I want to know the lesson of the fig tree.

For some of my readers the passages missing chapter and verse were known to be from 2nd Peter. If the ESV is not their favorite version it might have been vaguely familiar. I left the chapter and verses out intentionally.

We do not live in a time when the bible existed without chapter and verse and was written in three ancient languages we do not speak and cannot read. We appreciate the hard work of others. Those theologians that worked so tirelessly to do the work had to be linguists as well as believers.

Add to that the ease of having apps on our phones and computers where we can type in or speak, a few lines quoted and modern technology shows us where those words came from.

There is no app to read what is written on the heart.

2 Kings 23:3 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.

Jeremiah 34:18-19 English Standard Version

18 And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf.

Man makes a covenant with God they cannot keep because man by nature is a sinner and prone to failure. History has proven that over and over again. The covenant that God has made with man has never been broken because they were forged in the fires of righteousness.

Psalm 119:69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.

I am not saying that when we swear to keep our word that we know we are lying. 

James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

Doing the will of the Father is impossible if His Word is not written on our hearts. Our words will fail us if they do not come from the heart.