Shalom,
May the Holy Spirit continue working in our midst because without the Holy Spirit we do not know the right direction; consequently, we tend to live according to the flesh which leads to destruction. We also need the guidance of the Holy Spirit every time we listen and read the Word of God so that our hearts are touched to understand His word that is able to change our lives from day to day until we are found blameless before Him.
What lesson can we take from Luke 21:29-33?
The word of God has reminded us many times to be watchful in waiting for the fulfillment of His Word. Indeed we have been saved and His Word repeatedly announces that His coming is near, even though the Bible was written thousands of years ago.
The problem is no one knows when the Lord will return. As a result, even though we are always reminded to be on guard while waiting for the fulfillment of His Word, many of us become careless, bored and even sleepy when listening to and reading His Word. Remember, God never breaks a promise! It’s easier for heaven and earth to pass away than a single dot of the law to be void (Luke 16:17). Do we know that God's Word is the Person of God Himself (John 1:1)? He gives a time limit for heaven and earth but His Word will surely be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18).
How can we be watchful in waiting for the fulfillment of God's Word?
- By watching the trees that are sprouting, a sign that summer is near (Luke 21:29-33) → The Table of Showbread.
“When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.”
In a four-season country (autumn, winter, spring, summer) the conditions differ in each season. For example: in autumn the leaves turn brown and fall down in preparation to face an extreme winter that leaves the trees bare without leaves and animals rarely leave their "homes". When winter turns to spring, plants begin to sprout and even bloom to welcome summer and it's time for us to work hard again freely. When we are lazy in the summer, we are wasting time and are not prepared well to enter the fall season.
What should we do in summer? The Bible advises not to be lazy that brings poverty. Let’s learn from the ants which, having no ruler, provide bread in the summer and gather food in the harvest (Proverbs 6:6-11; 10:5). Also, take an example from Joseph who wisely worked hard to gather all the food during the seven years of abundance, stored them in the cities and heaped up huge amount of grain like the sand of the sea (Genesis 41:48-49).
Application: While we are still given the freedom to worship at anytime and anywhere, let's make the most of the time and opportunity to listen to God's Word to the fullest. In so doing, we gather “the bread that comes down from heaven” (John 6:33) which has the power to purify and transform our souls and spirits so that we may shine without blemish and wrinkle before Him (cf. Eph. 5:26-27). Just because we are given the comfortable flexibility to attend the church service online doesn’t mean that we can carelessly do it on hit-and-miss basis. Beware, the time will come when a famine of hearing the words of the Lord sweep over the world. “People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. In that day the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst” (Amos 8:11-13).
Now we don't need to wander around islands, seas and continents because Indonesia is so abundant with God's Word. But let's not be careless because the abundance of the harvest season of God's Word doesn’t last long as it will quickly turn to winter, causing spiritual hunger to young men who rely on their strength and young women who rely on their beauty. They will have no strength “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
As there will come a time when we can no longer find food of God's Word, let's now work hard, heaping it up. That way, our faith will grow and we can stand tall and even share the blessings of His Word with others when the season of hunger arrives.
The watchful attitude of heaping up the bread of life from Heaven in the Tabernacle teaching refers to the Table of Showbread on which there are two stacks of bread, six in each stack (Lev. 24:5-6).
- By doing what Luke 21:34-35 says, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.” à The Gold Lampstand.
When we are lazy and refuse to work hard in the summer, the devil is ready to give an enchanting offer to our flesh to make us drunk and lose self-control.
Starting from the fall of the first human, Adam-Eve, who obeyed the whispers of the serpent, human’s character and morals have been declining. People were increasingly wicked and their hearts tended to produce evil, only to anger God, so He planned to destroy all mankind, but Noah found grace in His eyes (Genesis 6:1-10).
Noah survived the flood that destroyed the world, then became a farmer, planting a vineyard. Unfortunately, after drinking the wine Noah was so drunk that he couldn’t control himself and was naked in his tent (Gen. 9:20-21). Drunkenness doesn’t stand alone because its aftermath— the works of the flesh—will immediately ensue, causing man not to inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21). Therefore, in order not to become the prey to Satan, God urges us to live in the Spirit (vv. 22-26).
Application: We should diligently work to find the Word of God that has the power to purify us and suppress the desires of the flesh. By living under the control of the Holy Spirit, we are able to control ourselves while being watchful in waiting for the fulfillment of His Word.
A life led by the Holy Spirit in the Tabernacle teaching refers to the Gold Lampstand that shines brightly as a witness for others.
- By applying Luke 21:36 → The Altar of Burnt Incense.
“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
We must remain on the watch and prayerful because we don’t know when the Son of Man will come. By praying all the time in the spirit, we acknowledge our inadequacy so that we can ask for strength from Him, the Creator of heaven and earth. The Holy Spirit will also help us imitate Jesus who emptied himself of His divinity to be in the likeness of man but without sin (Phil. 2:6-7). As a man, Jesus could also be afraid; He was so frightened and prayed more earnestly that His sweat became like drops of blood, dripping on to the ground while facing the cup. However, Jesus remained on guard, not failing in doing the Father's will; and God, knowing Jesus' human weakness, sent angels to give Him strength (Luke 22:41-44). Jesus knew the benefits of praying; that's why He told His disciples to watch and pray but they fell asleep (vv. 45-46).
Application: We should watch and pray so that we don’t easily fall in the face of temptations posed by the devil and his minions. In addition to being on guard to defend ourselves, we must also have the courage to attack using the armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-17) to win over them.
It’s important to know that the wine of God's wrath will fall on Babylon (Rev. 16:19), and that Satan and his minions will be thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur (Rev. 19:20; 20:10) as well as those who don’t watch and don’t believe even though God has given them time and opportunity (v. 15). The heavens, the earth and other created things which were considered very good by God on the days of the creation (Gen. 1) will eventually be obliterated and replaced with a new heaven and earth where the sun and moon are no longer needed to shine on them because the glory of God illuminates them and the Lamb is the lamp (Rev. 21:1,23). Only His Word that continues to exist and is fulfilled by His coming when He will bring a reward to everyone according to his deeds (Rev. 22:12-13).
A watchful and prayerful life in the Tabernacle teaching refers to the Altar of Burnt Incense.
God wants us to be active in gathering God's Word while there is still time to have our lives transformed and purified. May the Holy Spirit lead and give us a self-control. In addition, let’s continue watching and praying until the time comes for God's Word to be fulfilled and we welcome His coming to live with Him forever in the New Jerusalem. Amen.