Today on real life radio. Does your God know the future? Yes, if you have a God that doesn't know the future, you got the wrong God. This is real life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs.
I'm David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's Word, the Bible. What do you say when a friend says their marriage might end? Or how do you help a coworker dealing with depression? Do you have the right words when your child opens up about school stress or family issues or something else? The Biblical Counseling Reference Guide by June Hunt.
It's your go-to resource when real-life problems demand some real answers.
Now it's an easy to read book and it's simple to find answers that are from the Bible for every situation. With more than 580 topics and over 11,000 scripture references, you'll find what God's Word says about pretty much anything from anxiety and anger to loneliness, death, and a whole lot more.
Now this isn't a book that you're gonna pick up and read cover to cover, but it is one that you'll reach for in a moment of need. And it's our thank you gift for your donation of any size to real life this month. And if you'd like to order your copy, and we hope you will, just visit jackhibbs.com slash real radio. That's jackhibbs.com slash real radio. Order your copy right away.
On today's edition of Real Life Radio. Pastor Jack continues his series now called The Parables of Jesus and a message titled Parable of the Fig Tree, Part 2. A parable is a sort of picture story painted by Jesus that makes the truth absolutely crystal clear. And in this parable, we're taking a unique approach to its message by taking the time to lay its foundation.
Now, as we learned in part one, this parable is a comparison of the natural sequence of a tree blooming in the summer to the surety of the prophetic event of Jesus when he returns.
So today Pastor Jack teaches why this parable is so important and why Jesus does not want us to miss its message. There's a joy in being ready for his return, and he's holding us accountable to know that the time is near.
Now with his message called Parable of the Fig Tree, Part 2, here's Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs. Thank you, Lord, for your truth and for the power of your word. And tonight, as we get into your word again, Lord, as we pick this up in our study, Father, regarding the parable of the fig tree, and for that matter, the parable of the tree regarding springtime and the revelation of a season changing and a season coming, that we would have ears to hear what the Spirit would say to us this night. And Father, cause I pray in a setting like this. I know there's a lot of us here and we're in a big room, but Lord, may you make it real personal tonight?
Lord, allow us just to march through your word and leave tonight really equipped, knowledgeable, understanding, and more appreciative of the Bible than ever before. We're one day closer to eternity. We're one day closer now to your coming. And, Father, since we met last week, how amazing is it? Lord, we're a whole week closer to your return and for us to see you.
So, Lord, Prepare us. We ask in Jesus' name and all God's people said. Amen. Grab your Bibles tonight and turn to the title. to Matthew chapter 24.
And Matthew 24. And the really the parable is in verses 32 to 33. But you know that we're taking a unique approach to this if you were here in our last study, part one of this message. And We're asking the Lord tonight to make this a time of uh personal Appreciation for the Word of God, the exactness. I may bore you silly tonight.
And I understand that. I'm not just saying that to be cute or funny about it. I may bore you, but if you have the appetite. Uh to hang on. As we go through this Uh Parable of the fig tree, I think that you'll appreciate the word of God and have a have a, I think, more holy view.
regarding God's promises to us and His amazing word. We're looking at the verses and we'll we'll read them in a moment of this parable that took place that Jesus gave in what is called the Olivet. Discourse, the Olive It Discourse. It's a discourse Jesus gave, it's his last. Time of public teaching on the Mount of Olives.
That's why it's called the Olivet Discourse. If you've watched the news and you've seen the Dome of the Rock Mosque and the Temple Mount to the right of the Dome of the Rock Mosque. Um There in Jerusalem, that camera that you're watching on the news is looking from the Mount of Olives. It's on the Mount of Olives. And imagine now, in your mind's eye, if you've seen that Angle of the camera.
Jesus is with the disciples, seated with that same view. Of course, the dome of the rock Islam had not been invented yet, and so it's not there. The dome of the rock mosque is not there. The temple's there, and we showed you last time. Remember the pictures of the stones that had been thrown down?
But the temple and its glory is there. And the disciples had said to Jesus, Look at all the stones, look at the magnitude of the temple and of this area. And remember what Jesus said? We looked at it last time, the shocking announcement. Jesus said, I'm going to tell you something right now.
Not one stone will be left upon another. And it shocked them. Because that was not only Jerusalem he was speaking about, but he's talking about the. Nucleus of Judaism and of The Jewish Religious practices, the temple, everything was wrapped up in the temple.
Now, you got to remember something. During the time of Christ, the Ark of the Covenant was not there. It was almost or if not fully, somewhat of a sham. You say, can you say that? Listen.
Jesus made it very clear. You've taken my father's house and you've converted it into a den of thieves. And notice that when the Bible says Jesus taught at the temple, that's the temple precinct area. That would have been the temple mount area. Jesus never went into the temple itself and even gave it any homage or acknowledgment.
Do you understand that? It's almost as though he, and I think he did, intentionally ignore it. Though he taught on that passage. Passion Week often there.
So you're seeing this grand structure. of religion, but the spirit had long been gone. It had the outward manifestation of Following God, pursuing God, going through all of the rituals of. Religion, but the internal, can I say the word guts of it? The guts of it were completely hollowed out.
No Ark of the Covenant. No Shekinah glory, no manifestation of God's presence over the cherubim. Remember that? And you've read in the Old Testament? All that's gone now, it's been gone.
There had not been any profound manifestation for over 400 years. But people just kept going through the motions. Very serious stuff. And then Jesus launches The all of the discourse, which listen everybody, is a prophetic. Discourse.
Jesus's last teaching. This teaching was given, by the way, as I mentioned last time, on Tuesday of Passion Week. A massive week of Jesus' instructions leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection, but this Tuesday before. the Good Friday, Jesus gives this incredibly elongated day of teaching and the all of it discourse. And it's extremely powerful.
And listen, it's prophetic. And I got to tell you something. I need all of you to hear this. There is a A breeze, I should say it is a wind blowing in and through churches in America that if you don't know, if you're not aware of, you must become aware of, and that is avoid. The prophetic teaching of God's word.
Avoid it. Don't do it. Don't teach on it. As a denomination or as pastors, don't get into it. Number one, listen, people will say, pastors will say, it's controversial.
Don't go there. Last time I read my Bible, a pastor is supposed to be controversial just by the nature of the gospel. The gospel is controversial. Second thing is this: a pastor is supposed to, by God's decree, inform people of the whole counsel of God from Genesis to Revelation.
Okay? The happy stuff and the serious stuff. The warm and fuzzy and the Stuff that just causes your teeth to be set on edge. And the next thing is that It's estimated that some 27% of the Bible is prophetic in nature. I personally don't believe that.
Though scholars say it is. I believe Over 27% of the Bible is prophetic, probably more like half, when you put all of the scriptures together that prophesy, for example, the first coming of Jesus Christ or the Old Testament promises that God would save by the sacrifice of the Messiah coming. There's things that God promised prophetically. Look, Genesis chapter 3 announces that you and I would experience salvation by the seed of the woman. Through Eve.
That's a prophetic announcement. Our God is prophetic when He speaks. And there's a teaching today. If you don't know, thank God you don't know. But for those of you who are struggling with it, there are teachings out there from pulpits in America.
By the way, some of them are the biggest churches in America saying, don't go there, don't talk about it, avoid the books, don't go to those chapters, and don't have the people even get into it. And yet, listen, the Bible tells us. The Bible tells us That what makes, among other things, the God of the Bible so absolutely radically unique for us to be concerned about is that He is the only one that knows the future in advance. The God of Islam does not know the future in advance. the god of uh Hinduism or the gods of uh the It does it there are no others.
And you'll never appreciate that if you don't know the prophetic teaching of the Word of God. And sadly, today, there are people who will say. Oh, you're going to teach on Bible prophecy? From the b the Bible? I'll come back in a few weeks when you're done teaching on it.
Those people Are either aligning themselves for deception or they've already been deceived. Very serious business. Because God announces that He sets Himself apart from all the idols of the world because He and He alone knows the future. In fact, I'm going to give you some verses. Are you ready?
Hold up your pen. Do you have a pen? Hold it up. Hold it up. Okay?
But if you don't have a pen, then Then you need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior tonight. You need to take notes. You need to take notes. And this is, listen, as we look to the parable of the fig tree in Matthew 24, and as we have already announced that we're going to go through this very, very methodically and carefully. Revelation 19, verse 10.
Revelation 19:10 says, Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophet. Prophecy. Um yeah. Isaiah 46, 9. Isaiah 46:9, remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other.
I am God, and there's none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times, things that are not yet done. Done. Oh man. Good night and God bless.
That's enough. That's enough right there. Does your God know the future? Yes. If you have a God that doesn't know the future, you got the wrong God.
Next verse, Isaiah 42:9. Behold, the former things have come to pass. And new things I declare before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
Okay, now look everybody, look at that verse, because of where we're going, check it out. God announces in Isaiah 42, 9, Isaiah 46, 9. That he knows the future in advance. And he's the only one. Did you guys all hear that?
He's the only one who can do this. God alone.
So hang on to your seats. It shouldn't surprise you in this church, but if you're visiting tonight, May this freak you out. John 14, 29. John 14, 29. And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it is come to pass, you might believe.
Who said that? Jesus Christ. John 13, 9.
Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am. And look, you see the word he?
Some of your Bibles, if you have a good, good, accurate Bible, is the word he in italics. And your Bible. You have a good Bible then? Did you know that? The letter he in John 13:19, in the original manuscripts, the word he does not appear there.
Did you know that? He said, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, no, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Good, good, good, good, good. Watch this.
Now I tell you before it comes to pass, Jesus is speaking, that when it does come to pass, remember who's the one who knows everything in advance before it happens? It's Almighty God, right? That you may believe that I am. The word he does not appear in the original scriptures. In 1610, the King James translators in England put the word he in there to cause you to understand that it's Jesus is the one that's speaking.
And that good intentions, no doubt about it. But that's why your Bible has it in italics. It doesn't appear in the original manuscripts, okay? The awesome thing is, Jesus said, I'm telling you in advance.
So you'll know that I am. E go e me. What is that? What is that? What'd you just say?
I'm telling you in advance.
So that when it comes to pass, you'll know that I'm the one who is in the burning bush. that met with Moses. Yeah, no. That's pretty exciting stuff. You're listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs.
You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series, just go to jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com. And for now, let's get back to our teaching. Once again, here's Pastor Jack. 2 Timothy 3:16 then should not surprise us when the Bible says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine.
For reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. One more passage, and then we'll get back to this. Excellent, wonderful parable. Second Peter chapter three. You sitting down?
You ready for this? Because you are officially living in the age of this not only being propagated, But It's picking up. Momenum. Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle, in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembering. Or reminder, or verse 2, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the who?
Holy prophets, Old Testament, and of the commandment of us. The apostles of the Lord and Savior. Verse 3, knowing. This is the command. The Bible tells you, know this.
No what? This verse, that scoffers will come in the when? Last days, walking according to their own lust, and this is how you're going to recognize them. Where is the promise of his coming? Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.
Where is the promise of his coming? Do you know any Christian? Christians who say, oh man, I don't want to talk about that stuff. I don't want to know about that stuff. That's ridiculous.
Causes confusion. Causes people to get all in an uproar. Who knows? Don't get involved in that kind of stuff. Besides, you know what?
My grandmother said Jesus was going to come back. Oh, yeah, that's nothing. Your grandmother's grandmother said Jesus was going to come back. That doesn't make, listen, just because a generation of grandmothers have told you that he's coming back doesn't mean that he's not coming back. Wake up, knucklehead.
Knucklehead's a Hebrew word. For get smart, will you now? It means this. It means if your great, great, great, great grandmother said Jesus was coming back, you, my dear friend, are closer than your great granny was ever. To Jesus coming back.
It doesn't mean he's not coming back, it means it's very near. And you need to be ready. But if, listen, if you are not studying this stuff, if you're not looking at it, you are going to miss. The joy of being ready, which by the way, the Bible says God commands us to be ready. And not to miss him.
Very serious stuff. So, Regarding the parable of the fig tree, I had you turn last time to Matthew 23. You remember that? Matthew 23 at verse 37, we began reading, and we went into chapter 24, and the plan was to get all the way down to verse. 34, and we made it really good.
We came to Matthew twenty-four, thirty-two, which is, of course. The actual announcement of this parable, Jesus says, now learn this parable. It's the only parable that Jesus says, know this. I'm holding you people accountable to know this. And he doesn't say this about any other parable.
This is mandatory. This is not an option to the Christian. Jesus says, know it. What is it? Which one?
The parable of the fig tree. When its branch is already become tender and puts forth its leaves, remember we said that means it's springtime. You know that summer's near, it's coming. This is very interesting. This is awesome.
So, you also, when you see all these things, know that it, circle the word it, is near. Even at the doors. And I want you to mark this down in your margins next to your Bible. Just write this down: that this is a parable about timing. It's a parable about global events.
It's a parable about the second coming of Christ. And it's a parable about recognizing the signs of the last days. Jesus said 2,000 years ago that when you, whoever that generation is, in the end, You'll be able to recognize the time by all these things coming to pass. That means the disciples saw some things, but not all the things. That in the last 2,000 years, people saw some things, but not all the things.
And the generation that is yet ahead of us. Think of it, there's going to be a time. We know this. You know what? We know that it's.
Safe to say it's more than seven years away from now. They are going to see all these things come to pass, and that includes. The physical return of the second coming, not the rapture of Jesus Christ. to Jerusalem. And don't you, isn't it amazing that tonight Jerusalem is in the news again tonight about dividing it up?
Oh man, listen, are you a skeptic in the house? This is not in my notes. I'm sorry, but listen, you got to hear. Are you not a believer? Can I just kind of introduce you to something right now?
Jerusalem's in the news tonight. For that matter, This is hard for an American to swallow. But What city is in the news more than any other city around the world and other and in other national publications? What city appears more in news broadcast and printed news than any other city in all of the globe? Let me give you a clue.
It doesn't have any oil, it doesn't have an airport, it doesn't have a river. It doesn't have gold. Uh it doesn't have uh freeway. It doesn't have It doesn't have a capital. Building It doesn't have w the Washington Monument.
It's Jerusalem. You think that's a coincidence? It's a coincidence.
Okay, how about this? that tonight is uh Hmm. May 14th. Tan tonight is Israel's birthday.
So what? You say so what?
Well What is it? 60, how many years? 66? 66 years old today, Israel? Isn't it funny?
You say, Jack, it's only 66 years old. Seems like it's been around a lot longer than that. Yeah. Ah, like thousands of years. But it's having its second Birthday Run Why?
Because no other nation in the history of the world, according to the Bible and world history, was a nation. And then God said, if you turn your back on me, I'm going to stop blessing you. And when I stop blessing you, you're going to be driven out to all the nations to the ends of the earth, and I won't talk to you. Until The end days come. And when that time comes, you'll know that I'm setting up the last days because I will call you from all corners of the globe back into your own land, and I will cause Israel to become a nation again in one day.
Day. I'm talking from the book of Isaiah. And listen, no nation has ever had that happen in the history of mankind, but one, here's the fun part: but one, and it's the nation Israel. And here's the cool thing. God wrote it down before it ever happened.
That is science, my friend. That's pure science. Absolute science. You cannot refute it. You can run out of the building tonight with your hair on fire.
You can be grinding your teeth. You can be furious. Listen, listen. One word proves the existence of God. One word: Israel.
Good night and God bless. Think of it. Absolutely awesome.
So this parable comes about as the disciples ask Jesus. Regarding the destruction of the temple. Matthew chapter 24, verses 1 and 2. When Jesus went out and departed from the temple, his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things?
Assuredly I say to you, not one stone shall be left upon another. That shall not be thrown down. And now, as he sat, on the Mount of Olives. The disciples came to him privately, and they must have been freaking out. Saying tell us.
First question, when will these things be? Second question. What will be the sign of your coming? That's a pretty insightful question. And third, and of the end of the age.
And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you. What a funny answer! When, Jesus, is all this going to happen? His answer is. Watch out that you don't get deceived.
Did you guys all hear that? There's this This should cause you to sit up and take notice. This causes me to ask the question regarding last day's things and end time things and parable of the fig tree thing, am I being deceived? Are you being deceived? Who tells you what?
It better be the Bible instructing you. Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio with his message called Parable of the Fig Tree Part 2. We're so glad you took the time to be with us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called The Parables of Jesus. It's a series that highlights the teachings of Jesus while he was ministering right here on this earth and will continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.
Hey, this is Pastor Jack, and I want to encourage you to join me every morning this year at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, where we literally get together online in a prayer group. And there are thousands who are joining us. I'd love for you to participate. That's 5 a.m.
every day throughout the entire year. We get together and pray. I look forward to meeting up with you. Come get prayed for and join Pastor Jack in the Word. That's the Lyft Daily Prayer every day this year on Pastor Jack's Facebook page.
This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in His Word. We'll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.
