when its branch has already become tender
and puts forth leaves,
you know that summer is near.
So you also,
when you see all these things,
know that it is near--at the doors!
Assuredly, I say to you,
this generation will by no means pass away
till all these things take place."
--Jesus, Matthew 24:32-34, NKJV
Have you heard the parable of the fig tree? A surface reading might suggest that the entire meaning of the parable is found right here, while Jesus is answering his disciples' questions about the things to come. They asked for signs and timetables; he told them what to look for but refused to tell them the "when" of his return. In one gospel he even goes so far as to say he did not know the timing of his own return. No one know the day or the hour, he says. Of course, there is a deeper meaning to those words, but I'm going to leave them alone for now. Nobody can know the exact when of Christ's coming, but Jesus said the fig tree gives us a good illustration. When you see that the branches have grown tender and sprouted leaves, you know that summer is on its way. In the same way, when you see all these signs coming to pass all at once with increasing intensity, you will know that the day of Christ's return is near. You will know that He is at the door!
But there is more to the parable of the fig tree than just that. An acquaintance of mine, a well-respected prophecy teacher, once asked a Jewish guide in Israel (and often those Jewish guides in Israel know more about the Scriptures than we do) if he knew the parable of the fig tree. After a brief exchange of clarifying questions, the Jewish guide exclaimed, "You're talking about the Song of Solomon!" And quickly they turned there and the guide showed the teacher this passage:
The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains,
skipping upon the hills...
My beloved spoke, and said to me:
"Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
and the vines with tender grapes give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away!
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff,
let me see your face, let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely."
Song of Songs, 2:8-14, NKJV
It's hard to pick a favorite book of the Bible, because they are all richly inspired and inspirational. But if I had to name one that stands out as personally significant to me, I'd have to say it is the Song of Songs. Such beautiful imagery, such powerful verse. It is intricate and intimate and mysterious, all at the same time. And though there are many layers to look through, the outer and most obvious is the wonderful love story of Solomon and his Shunemite bride. And here the bride is recalling the day her bridegroom came for her, calling to take her away. He did it in the spring time, when the bad times and sad times of winter were over and gone, when the flowers were blooming and the birds were singing, when the fig trees and the grapevines were putting out their fruit.
And here he comes, running on the mountains, skipping on the hills, calling the name of his beloved to rise up and come away with him to their secret and sacred place! If you are familiar with rapture imagery in the Bible, you will immediately recognize the significance of this passage to our discussion. If you aren't familiar with such imagery, let me tell you: Jesus himself used it to describe his coming, it's employed again in the epistles and the Revelation, and there is no brighter and more exciting picture (in my opinion) than the wedding imagery presented here.
Because one of these days, we are going to hear the cry of our Jesus, the beloved bridegroom of the pure and spotless church. We will pause in our labors to listen, and our hearts will quicken with the realization that today is the day! He won't be running on the hills of earth, but rather racing across the clouds of heaven, shouting for his glorious bride. The first call of "Arise, my beloved, and come away!" will be heard in the grave, where the bodies of those who have fallen asleep in Jesus have been laid to rest. And as they rise up from their graves to meet the Lord, he will call a second time "Arise, my beloved, and come away!" and we who are alive and remaining in him will be transformed in a moment, in a blink of an eye, changed to glorious incorruption as we join the resurrected saints for that great reunion in the sky!
What a day, a glorious day that will be!
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