As someone who has traveled throughout the continental United States, every place has unique features. Over the past 50 years, I’ve been shaken by down drafts, earthquakes, tornadoes and waterspouts. When the earth stopped shaking and the winds died down, I had time to reflect upon what I experienced. Natural disasters are God’s way of showing me life is more important than physical possessions.
And the stars of the sky dropped to the earth like a fig tree shedding its unripe fruit out of season when shaken by a strong wind, Revelation 6:13.
One of John’s visions that comprises the Book of Revelation is something you’d see in a Science Fiction catastrophe film. Yet on this particular day rather than observing shooting stars in the sky, stars are plunging to the earth. Like a large meteorite striking the ground, this event will forever alter human life on earth. According to John, people will seek shelter in caves high in the mountains.
And as He saw [k]one single leafy fig tree [l]above the roadside, He went to it but He found nothing but leaves on it [[m]seeing that in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves]. And He said to it, Never again shall fruit grow on you! And the fig tree withered up at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled greatly and asked, How is it that the fig tree has withered away all at once? – Matthew 21:19-20
Fig trees are mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible. Fig tree were extremely important for both nutritional and economic reasons in ancient times. When Jesus came across an unproductive fig tree in the passage above, he curses it and immediately this tree withers. One of Jesus’ disciples uses a similar analogy in the top passage. As seasons change, the wind will either die down or intensify. Therefore, as seasons in life signal a transition, keep in step with the Holy Spirit so you’re not shaken by the wind.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 