When on a cycle ride recently in the late afternoon sunshine, I was delighted by a wonderful autumnal aroma of wood smoke. A mist was settling in the valley, leaves on the trees were starting to display beautiful reds and yellows and through this vision, the silhouette of a church tower in the next town created within me thoughts of chestnuts roasting on a fire and the joys that come with winter.

And then another thought popped into my head - different season, but the same principle. When His disciples asked what the signs will be of His coming and the end of this age, Jesus taught them:

Now let the fig tree teach you its lesson: when its branches begin to sprout and leaves appear, you know that summer is approaching. In the same way, when you see all these things, you are to know that the time is near, right at the door. (Matthew 24:32-33)

Staying Alert

So, following the principles of this lesson, I need to be watching for the signs Jesus gave in chapter 24, in order to understand when “the branches begin to sprout”, so I can get ready for the approaching summer. Or, in my own autumnal picture, having seen the start of autumn I know I need to prepare for winter.

Paul gave a similar lesson in 1 Thessalonians 5:3-6:

When people are saying ‘Everything is so peaceful and secure,’ then destruction will come upon them, the way labour pains come upon a pregnant woman…But you brothers, are not in the dark, so that the Day should take you by surprise like a thief…so let’s not be asleep, like the rest are; on the contrary, let us stay alert and sober.

None of us know the day when summer, winter or a pregnant woman’s labour pains will start, but we all understand the signs when these are drawing close and the wise ones among us start to get ready in good time. Now, I believe that the miraculous re-birth of Israel back in 1948 was such a sign. We need to be watchful and ready for the last prophecies of this age to unfold, culminating in the return of Jesus. On a national scale I believe God is giving us warnings of coming judgment upon our land.

Riding the Wave

I remember another analogy along similar lines: surfers have to always be watching for the wave. If they see and time it right, they then ride the wave - with all the exhilaration it brings. If they get distracted and don’t see the wave, they get embarrassingly dunked! Jesus also says in Matthew 24:43:

…had the owner of the house known when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you too must always be ready, for the Son of Man will come when you are not expecting him.

Author: John Quinlan