Let us turn to the book of Revelation, Chapter 22, Verse 20.
He who testifies to these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord Jesus.
Let us have a word of prayer before we proceed.
Dear Lord, thank You so much, because it is Your word. You said that You will come quickly. So, according to Your word, we pray and we plead with You, Lord, come quickly. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
As you know, this is a very important conference. We are discussing, talking, and meditating upon the coming back of our Lord. Now, it is my responsibility to share concerning the imminent return of our Lord.
How do we know that the Lord will come back very soon? I think it is very clear from the word of our Lord Himself:
Surely I come quickly.
This word is at the very end of the book of Revelation, and also at the very end of the whole Bible. When John was about to finish this book, when he was about to conclude it, when he was about to give the final benediction to the churches, we come to almost the last verses in the whole Bible:
He who testifies to these things saith, Surely I come quickly.
John wrote the whole book by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He wrote so many things, but finally Someone had to testify; Someone had to approve it.
More than once, John quoted the words, “Behold, I come quickly.” In Revelation 22:7 we read:
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.
Again, “Behold, I come quickly.” But these were recorded by John. Finally, Someone had to verify it: “Yes, what he said is what I am saying.” So finally we hear the word:
Surely I come quickly.
So, brothers and sisters, that is the reason we believe that our Lord will not only come back, but will come back very soon.
What is our response? What is our attitude toward His imminent appearing? Immediately, the one who wrote down this wonderful book of Revelation says:
Amen: come, Lord Jesus.
This ought to be our prayer. We are here not only recognizing the fact that He is coming back, but we should actually live a life according to this light. This is our burden, especially for this morning and tomorrow: we will focus on the imminent return of our Lord.
If we go to the dictionary, we will get a definition of the word imminence. For example, according to Random House Dictionary, it means “likely to occur at any moment.” According to Webster’s Dictionary, it means “threatening to occur at any moment.”
So, the true definition of the imminent return of our Lord is that He is expected to come back at any moment.
I like the statement from A. T. Pierson, who has been recognized as a great Bible scholar. He said, “Imminence is the combination of two conditions: certainty and uncertainty. By an imminent event, we mean one which is certain to occur at some time, uncertain at what time.” That is why we ought to watch and pray.
Let me quote a very important phrase. We have just sung a hymn, one of the forty-three hymns written by M. E. Barber, who helped Watchman Nee greatly.
One day, Watchman Nee read her poem and came to the hymn we have just sung. We have given you a handout. If you read “The Rapture,” and come to the second verse:
Teach us, Lord, to wait for Thee,
Our Hope, our Joy, our Friend;
Himself we long to welcome,
And just beyond the bend,
Hidden, perchance, to meet us
Before the day is done;
The waiting will be over,
And heaven will have begun.
Watchman Nee could not understand why Miss Barber used the phrase, “just beyond the bend.” One day, when they were walking together in the street in Fuzhou, Miss Barber said to young Watchman Nee, “Look, probably at that corner, probably at that bend, we will meet Him.”
That is exactly the meaning here: “And just beyond the bend, hidden, perchance, to meet us before the day is done.”
According to my knowledge, probably the best hymn in church history concerning the imminent appearing of Christ is this one. You may read many other hymns about the second coming, about how He will descend and how He will come in glory. Even among the Brethren, you will find many good hymns about the Lord’s coming back. But here is the most poetic expression, the deepest and most profound way, in just a few words, to tell us the wonderful truth of the imminence of the Lord’s return.
I would also like to quote a wonderful statement by G. Campbell Morgan. G. Campbell Morgan was considered the prince of expositors. He knew the Bible well. Before he took notes on any book of the Bible, he would read it through fifty times. That is why we have been greatly helped by this wonderful Bible scholar.
Of course, he knew the truth of the Lord’s coming back. Of course, he knew the truth of the second coming. Of course, he had preached many times concerning the Lord’s return. But what kind of life did this messenger live? He said:
I never lay my head upon the pillow without thinking that maybe before the morning breaks, the final morning may have dawned. I never begin my work in the morning without thinking that perhaps He may interrupt my work and begin His own.
Brothers and sisters, here is one who was waiting for the return of our Lord at any moment. This is the matter with which we would like to be occupied during these two mornings.
But here is a question: How can we be sure that He definitely will come back soon? Of course, the reason we are sure is because our Lord said it Himself:
Surely I come quickly.
If we read 2 Peter 1:19:
And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts.
The reason we are so sure that the Lord will come back soon, that He can come back at any moment, is because of the word of God.
Especially when John had almost finished all the prophecies in the book of Revelation, when he was about to conclude the whole book, he quoted the Lord:
Surely I come quickly.
I have already mentioned the phrase in Revelation 22:7 and Revelation 22:12. In Verse 7 we read:
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.
The Bible was about to be concluded. The Bible was about to become a closed system. Then we could understand and receive the full revelation. Now we can be sure that He is coming back.
How can you keep the word if you do not know the word? If the Lord had not finished His word, how could you keep His word? Sometimes we tend to interpret something before the sentence is concluded.
For example, suppose a mother says to her teenage boy, “Go out.” If you stop there and try to explain your mother’s word, you may misunderstand. You may be hurt. Why did your mother say, “Go out”?
But listen. If she continues, “Go out to the street corner to buy a dozen eggs for us, please,” then she has finished her sentence. Now you are able to understand what your mother meant.
The same is true, brothers and sisters. Before John finished the book of Revelation, God had not finished His word yet. But after the whole Bible was concluded, it formed a closed system. The word of God is able to explain the word of God.
It is not up to you or me to decide what a statement means, or what a verse means. We are not qualified to do that. Only the word of God can explain the word of God.
Because of that, brothers and sisters, we have the words of prophecy of this book. Because we understand and because we have His word, it is our duty and obligation to keep the word of prophecy.
The Lord said:
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.
Based on this book, based on His word, we are sure that He is coming back very, very quickly.
The coming back of our Lord is our blessing. It will bring us blessing. But more than that, Revelation 22:12 says:
Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to each man according as his work is.
The Lord’s coming not only brings us blessing; it also brings us reward. Today people tend to emphasize blessing and grace, but they forget that the reason we are waiting for our Lord to return is because He, and He only, is our greatest reward.
These are the two places where the Lord says, “Behold, I come quickly.” Then, before John concluded this book, he said:
He who testifies to these things saith, Surely I come quickly.
Brothers and sisters, thank the Lord. We have the book from Genesis to Revelation. Genesis is the book of Alpha; Revelation is the book of Omega. From Alpha to Omega, we have the sure word of prophecy. Based on that, we are able to know that He is really coming back very soon.
For the young people, I would like to show you some facts. We do not have time to go through all the prophecies in the Bible, but I think we all need some common sense concerning prophecy.
If you consider the whole Bible, you will find that there are 31,124 verses. Among these many verses, 8,352 verses concern prophecy. In other words, about 27 percent of the Word of God belongs to the prophetic word.
If you count the prophecies, there are roughly 1,870, though some Bible scholars count about 1,000. In any case, there are about 1,800 prophetic statements altogether. Many prophecies are repeated again and again.
If you sort them out, you find 737 predicted events recorded in the Bible. These are separate matters. However, not all these events are major ones. When you sort them further, you find about 590 major events predicted in the Word of God.
What is the fulfillment rate of the Word of God? One can speak many prophecies and not fulfill them. Of the 590 major events, 570 have been fulfilled. In other words, only twenty major events remain to be fulfilled. The rate of fulfillment is more than 97 percent.
This is the Word of God. The Bible, the Word of God, will stand or fall with the prophecies recorded in it. Brothers and sisters, that is one reason we know that the Bible is indeed the Word of God. From this prophecy, from this word, we are sure that the Lord will come back soon.
If you go through these twenty events, the handout gives you a list of them. These are the major events yet to be fulfilled in the Word of God.
If we read the Word of God correctly, and if we go through these twenty prophecies, we find that the first one is the rapture of the saints. Then you have many others.
In other words, before the Lord’s return, before the Lord comes back and takes us away, we do not have to wait for any other prophecy to be fulfilled. Yes, there will be Antichrist, but we are waiting for Christ. We are not waiting for Antichrist.
Many other things will happen, and all will be included among these twenty major events. But the first one is the rapture of the saints.
I think, brothers and sisters, this is the result of many hours of study and much diligent study of the Bible. I simply give it as common sense for the young people, that you may know from the Word of God that our Lord is coming back very, very soon.
Before I proceed, I would like to mention a little more. When John wrote his last book, the book of Revelation, and wrote, “He who testifies to these things saith, Surely I come quickly,” he was the disciple whom Jesus loved. At least, he certainly felt that way.
He was on the island of Patmos. He had been exiled. He was lonely on the Lord’s Day, and then he received the word from the Lord and wrote this book.
As he was about to conclude the book, somehow he could still remember why he wrote it. On that day, especially on the Lord’s Day, while he was meditating and thinking, his heart surely went out to the saints in Asia Minor. From Patmos, on a clear day, one can almost see the shoreline of Ephesus.
But do not forget: John was the one who had seen our Lord ascend to heaven about sixty years earlier. John vividly remembered how he and the other disciples stood on the Mount of Olives. As the Lord ascended slowly to heaven, he saw with his own eyes a cloud take his Master away.
Before that, John was a follower of the Lamb. When he first met his Master, he had been helping John the Baptist. Then he heard the testimony:
Behold, the Lamb of God.
Because of that revelation, John became one of the first followers of the Lamb. That is why Revelation 14 speaks of the overcomers:
These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.
From that time, for three and a half years, John followed the Lord. Finally, they said farewell in Bethany, and on the Mount of Olives our Lord ascended to heaven.
John looked at the Lord intensely. When our Lord was about to say goodbye and ascend to heaven, unexpectedly John saw a cloud, and that cloud took his Master away.
According to Acts 1:9-11:
And when He had said these things, as they were looking, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven?
This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven.
When John was about to finish the book of Revelation, he probably still remembered how our Lord ascended to heaven sixty years earlier, and how the two witnesses explained the Lord’s ascension and His return.
Sometimes we consider these two witnesses to be angels. But the Bible never calls them angels. It only says that they were two men in white apparel. If you go to a hospital, you also find many nurses wearing white clothes.
The only thing I know is that these two witnesses had sufficient knowledge to penetrate into the heart of the Lord. They were qualified to explain the Lord’s ascension and the Lord’s coming back.
John remembered clearly what the two witnesses said:
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven.
In other words, the way He ascended to heaven is the same way He will come back.
John knew the way of the Lord’s ascension: from the Mount of Olives to the cloud. That is all he knew. He knew with his own eyes that this ascension was public, not secret. Everybody saw His ascension.
From the Mount of Olives to the cloud, John understood. Theoretically, he knew that from the cloud the Lord reached the throne. Especially on the Day of Pentecost, Peter explained the whole matter, most likely according to Daniel 7.
In the Old Testament, there is indeed prophecy concerning our Lord’s ascension. From the Word, John knew that the Lord ascended in two stages: first from the Mount of Olives to the cloud, and then from the cloud to heaven.
He had heard the good news that our Lord had arrived in heaven. How did he know? Because the Holy Spirit had been poured out.
When Jacob learned that his son Joseph was still alive, we are told that his heart was cold. But gradually he revived, because he saw the wagons from Egypt. Then he knew that his son was alive.
Because of the descending of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples’ eyes were opened.
But somehow, brothers and sisters, John, who had leaned upon the breast of our Lord Jesus, loved the Lord so much and missed the Lord so much. He had followed the Lord for three and a half years, day and night. Wherever the Lamb went, he went.
He could not live without the presence of his Master. But somehow that cloud took away his Lord. He wanted to know everything beyond the cloud.
He knew something on this side of the cloud. That is why he wrote the Gospel of John: everything concerning our Lord Jesus on this side of the cloud, from John 1 through John 21.
But in the heart of John, there remained a veil. What happened to his Lord beyond the cloud was still a riddle. He could only guess, suggest, and imagine, but he wanted to know more. He wanted firsthand revelation.
He loved the Lord so much and waited for his Master to return because he had the Lord’s promise. Yet one thing remained a mystery in his heart. According to the two witnesses, the way He ascended to heaven would be exactly the way He would come back.
The only way John knew experimentally was from the Mount of Olives to the cloud. But what happened beyond the cloud?
For almost fifty or sixty years, he waited for the Lord’s return. That mystery had never been disclosed. Heaven was still closed. He still remembered that it was the cloud that took away his Master.
If he was waiting for the Lord’s return, whenever he saw a cloud, perhaps he thought that his Lord could come back at any moment. Any cloud could bring his Master back.
I do not think our intention is merely to give you more knowledge concerning the Lord’s return. The important thing is this: how many of us are like John?
Whenever John saw a cloud, a piece of cloud, he remembered that it was the cloud that took away his Master. But now he was waiting for the cloud to appear again.
How do we know anything beyond the cloud? Thank God, that mystery was disclosed. That veil was opened to John on that lonely island.
John saw heaven opened. For the first time in his spirit, he was able to catch a glimpse of what happened from the Mount of Olives, from the cloud, to the throne.
That is why the first verse of the book of Revelation says:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel of John, of course, is the revelation of Jesus Christ. But it concerns what happened on this side of the cloud. What happened beyond the cloud? What happened from the cloud to the throne? Later, what happened from the throne to the cloud and to the Mount of Olives?
The two witnesses gave only the outline of what would happen. But John, who loved the Lord so deeply, was entitled to know the secrets and details within that outline. That is why we have this wonderful book of Revelation.
John tells us that our Lord was crucified in a garden. Peter tells us that our Lord was crucified on a tree. Here you find a tree in the garden. Jesus died for you and for me.
Suddenly we realize that this is the meaning of the tree of life. Because He sacrificed Himself and died for us on the cross, even though the cross was a curse to our Lord, this tree has become the tree of life to every one of us.
This is the beginning of the gospel, the beginning of salvation. When the Lord said, “It is finished,” the work of redemption was definitely finished.
From that time on, something happened: the universe changed. Our planet was given a spiritual meaning. Before that, it was merely a material world. Yes, God created heaven and earth, but what was the meaning of our planet? What was the meaning of the whole universe?
Only after our Lord was crucified on the cross did our planet become the outer court. Wherever you find the altar, you find the outer court.
When you study the Old Testament temple, you know that its first part was the outer court. How do you know that it is the outer court? There you find the altar.
How do you know that our planet is the outer court? The true altar has come. The altar was only a shadow; the reality is the cross. When Jesus died for us on the cross, our planet became the outer court.
What does that mean? It means that the whole universe has been turned into the house of worship. Now we understand the meaning of the temple in the Old Testament. That was only the shadow, but because of the work of redemption, the whole universe has become the temple of God.
Our Lord was crucified for us. Then He entered into the holy place, and then into the holiest of all. What does that mean? After His crucifixion, He ascended to heaven.
From Revelation 1 through Revelation 3, we know that He entered into the holy place. When we come to Revelation 4 and Revelation 5, we see that He is in the holiest of all.
John was able to understand how our Lord went from the cloud to the throne. Then many events happened until we reach the end of Revelation 11.
The whole book of Revelation can be divided into two parts: the first eleven chapters and the last eleven chapters. What are the first eleven chapters? His ascension—from the cloud all the way to the throne.
How about the rest of Revelation, from Revelation 12 through Revelation 22? In simple words: His return.
From Revelation 12, we see how the return of our Lord—how the parousia of our Lord—begins. When we come to Revelation 14, we see the cloud again. The word cloud is repeated often in this wonderful book.
Finally, when we come to Revelation 19, the feet of our Lord are upon the Mount of Olives.
When we go through the whole book of Revelation, John not only heard the testimony of the two witnesses; in his spirit he was able to penetrate into that wonderful mystery. He was able to give us all the details, not merely for our curiosity, but to stimulate and awaken us, that we may be like John and say with John:
Come, Lord Jesus.
This is the prophetic word. John was not only one who knew the word and received the word; he was truly one who waited for the Lord’s return.
He waited for the Lord’s return so much that finally the Lord opened that veil to him. Remember: to know prophecy is one thing. To be a student of Bible prophecy is very exciting, because the Word of God is indeed very accurate. However, this is not our point.
How many people give messages, but what about the messengers themselves? May the Lord speak to our hearts. To know that the Lord is coming back is one thing, but to wait for His return and to live a life that matches our understanding is quite another.
Even if we are foolish, even if we are not knowledgeable in many things, it is all right as long as we have a pure heart—as long as we have a heart like the Shulamite, like Paul, and like John.
The whole book of Revelation opened to John, and thank God, this book also opens to you and me. When Revelation was completed, the sixty-six books were completed. They form one closed system. Then we are able to interpret, see, receive, and obey the word. Then we will be blessed, and we will know that He is really coming back soon.
Among these many prophecies, how do we understand them? Fortunately, there is a governing law behind these prophecies.
If you look into heaven and see a heavenly body moving in the sky, every point of movement appears complicated—here and there. But behind all the heavenly movements, there is a law governing the whole thing.
Suppose you have circular motion. Everybody knows there is a center. Even when a particle moves in a circle, it is under the control of that focal point.
When God moves in history, we can see the traces and trail of His movement. But if you try to go through every event, like all these 1,800 events, you will get lost.
Fortunately, behind these 1,800 events, you find two focal points. In other words, just as heavenly bodies move according to two centers, all Bible prophecies can be summarized by two focal points.
What are these two focal points? If you study all these prophecies, you find that there are only two classes. One concerns the Lord’s first coming; the other concerns the Lord’s second coming.
You find one group of prophecies surrounding the focal point of the Lord’s first coming. For example, there are at least 333 prophecies concerning the Lord’s first coming, and they were fulfilled accurately.
Then you find another group of Bible prophecies surrounding another focal point: the Lord’s second coming.
There are many prophetic books in the Bible, but two stand out: the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation. Daniel stands at one focal point, and Revelation stands at the other.
No matter what page of prophetic Scripture you turn to, even a prophecy concerning Damascus, it is only one prophecy. But when you put them all together, the prophetic word announces two great events in the history of mankind.
These events are connected with the redemptive work of God and with our salvation. More accurately, they concern the eternal will of God.
God, in eternity past, had a plan, a will, and a purpose. He desires to work out that purpose. When He began to work, time began and history began. When He finishes His work, time ends, and that is the end of history.
When God moves in history, it simply means that He works and works and works. We know the history of mankind and how man fell. God began His work and continued His work.
Before an event happens, God, by the Holy Spirit in His word, announces the coming event. That is prophecy in the Bible.
But remember, prophecy is not for your curiosity or mine. It simply tells us when Jesus would come the first time and when He will come back the second time.
If we study the first group of prophecies concerning the Lord’s first coming, it is very useful. Why? Because the law of fulfillment concerning the first coming is the same law of fulfillment concerning the second coming.
When we study the prophecies concerning the Lord’s first coming, we know that they happened before our eyes. Tomorrow, I think we will go a little deeper. You will see that the way the prophecies concerning the Lord’s first coming were fulfilled is exactly the same way the prophecies of His second coming will be fulfilled.
You can see the parallel between these two events and between these two groups of prophecies. If you know how to interpret one, you can interpret the other.
From the Lord’s first coming, your eyes are opened. Then, when you come to the prophecies of our Lord’s second coming, you not only know the fact that the Lord will come back soon, but you also understand why there has been delay and many other matters.
This is the sure word of prophecy—the Bible. From His word, we should be able to see and know what the Lord is doing. Our God is moving in history. Our God is still moving today. From His word, we are sure that He will come very, very quickly.
There are many prophets who uttered the word of prophecy. That is why you have many prophets in the Old Testament: Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Joel, and many others. In the New Testament, John and others were great prophets. They predicted the future accurately, and we know that these prophecies have been wonderfully fulfilled.
But do not forget: in the Old Testament, not only kings were anointed, not only priests were anointed, but prophets also were anointed.
When we speak of our Lord as the Messiah, it means that He is the Anointed One. When He came, He came as the anointed King, the anointed Priest, and the anointed Prophet.
Among all the prophets in the Word of God, the greatest One is our Lord, without doubt.
How do we know that the Lord will come back soon? Many prophecies were uttered by many prophets, but this morning I mention only one prophecy. We will probably be occupied with this prophecy today and tomorrow, because it was uttered by our Lord Himself.
Other prophets are servants of God, but our Lord is the Son of God. He gives us the following very important prophecy. Let us turn to Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:32-33:
Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;
even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that He is nigh, even at the doors.
Perhaps these verses are too familiar to you. But let us be humble before the Lord. Let us ponder before the Lord: what is the meaning of this familiar prophecy?
It was John who told us that after Judas went out from the upper room, “it was night.” Why? Because the Sun of righteousness was about to set, about to go down.
After our Lord ascended to heaven, the Sun of righteousness disappeared below the horizon. From that time on, it has been a long and dark night.
We have been given a wonderful time together every week: the breaking of bread. According to the Bible, it is the Lord’s supper. Why do we have supper? Because morning has not come back yet.
During the last two thousand years, the church of Christ has always had the Lord’s supper, but never the Lord’s breakfast. Why? Because our Lord has not come back yet.
When He comes back, the morning will come. Week after week, when we have the Lord’s table, we comfort ourselves as we come together in remembrance of Him until He comes.
One thing we know is that this week is closer than last week. This supper is closer to the last supper since the Lord’s ascension.
There have been many thousands of suppers in the history of the church—supper after supper. There is only one desire: we are waiting for His return.
In every generation and every century, believers have said, “This is probably the last one.” Yet somehow the Lord has not come back. But thank God, among so many prophecies, this prophecy comforts our hearts.
The parable says:
Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;
even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that He is nigh, even at the doors.
How has this prophecy been fulfilled? I know this may seem like a kindergarten lesson to you, but let me review it a little.
When our Lord uttered this prophecy, He spoke of the fig tree. A few days earlier, in the early morning, our Lord Jesus went out from Bethany and saw a fig tree from a distance. Somehow, He was hungry.
Can you believe that? He had just left the house of Mary and Martha. Do you think they would allow our Lord to leave hungry? Never. It was not biological hunger; it must have been spiritual hunger.
When He came under the tree, He found no fruit—only leaves. It was full of leaves and outward splendor. From outside, it gave a wonderful impression. But what our Lord wanted was reality.
The Lord wanted something from the fig tree, and He was disappointed. He cursed the tree. Brothers and sisters, that is another prophecy.
When you study prophecy, there are not only verbal prophecies but also nonverbal prophecies. This time our Lord put something into action to tell us that this was a prophecy.
If you read the whole Bible, you know that the fig tree in the Bible represents Israel. Here you find the history of Israel.
When you look at the tree full of leaves, you need to know a little history. At that time, because of King Herod, the Jews had pride and glory. Herod was greatly involved in building. The temple complex was probably the largest religious complex in the world.
According to Josephus, especially in the early morning, when you looked at the temple, it was splendid. No wonder this time represented what seemed to be the prime of Israel’s history.
But only our Lord knew the reality. He was hungry, and He cursed the tree. This was a prophecy.
Finally, it came true. Beginning in A.D. 70, when Jerusalem was destroyed, and continuing to A.D. 135, the nation of Israel disappeared from the earth.
With this background, we come to Matthew 24:32:
Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh.
What does that mean? The tree had been cursed from the root. From that time on, appearance and reality were one: it was all gone. You did not see anything there for nearly two thousand years.
But thank God, according to our Lord’s prophecy, one day something would happen. When the branch of the fig tree became tender and put forth leaves, we would know that summer was near.
According to this prophecy, one day the nation of Israel would be reborn. This is a wonderful prophecy, brothers and sisters.
According to political science, any nation that disappears from the world for more than five hundred years will never arise again. This is a miracle. The only miracle of this kind in human history happened on May 14, 1948.
It was a surprising shock to the whole world. A miracle happened. God worked in history. He not only predicted that something would happen; this is the prophecy of the greatest Prophet in the whole universe.
It is a sure word of prophecy. Something had to happen. Thank God, before our very eyes we have seen the rise of the nation of Israel.
When this happened on May 14, 1948, remember Matthew 24:33:
Even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that He is nigh, even at the doors.
Students of prophecy remind us that “doors” in Greek is plural. What does that mean?
In a Western house, when you knock at the door, you are already entering the living room. Sometimes, when somebody knocks at the door, I cannot find my slippers. It is embarrassing, because without slippers I feel as though I were naked.
Are you ready when the Lord knocks at the door and you open it? But here the word is not merely “door”; it is “doors.”
Why? Because in an Oriental house, even in ancient China, a large and well-to-do home had several courtyards. You might come to the main entrance, then a second door, then a third door, perhaps a fourth door, and only then reach the living room.
Can the word of our Lord be clearer than this? It is impossible. Since 1948, when we witnessed the rebirth of the nation of Israel, one thing is very clear: our Lord is already at the doors.
Perhaps we do not know which door. But it does not matter. He is already at the doors—perhaps at least at the first door. You may say there are still four doors away, and you can still wait and plan your life. But we cannot be sure whether He is at the first, second, third, or fourth door.
One thing is sure: those who lived at the time of 1948, or after 1948, should know from the Word of God that He can come back at any moment, because He is at the doors.
Are you ready to hear the knocking of our Lord? That means He is very, very near.
Today, when we study this portion of the Bible, we may not be surprised. But if you know something of the history of the interpretation of this prophecy, you will be surprised.
As early as the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth century, many people noticed that the Lord’s coming was connected with the restoration of the Jews.
A famous example is Increase Mather, one of the earliest presidents of Harvard University. He studied the Word. Remember, he was a Puritan, considered the last Puritan in America.
If you understand replacement theology among Reformed people, you know that they taught that the church had replaced Israel and that God had laid Israel aside.
In the minds of many followers of Calvin, God was finished with the people of Israel. They interpreted everything spiritually. Their eyes no longer looked to the earthly people of Israel.
But they loved the Lord and wanted to know when He would come back. Increase Mather wrote more than one hundred books. When they came to the Lord’s prophecies, however, they had no way around the plain meaning of Scripture.
The fig tree is a unique plant. It tells you the season. When the fig tree has no leaves, you know it is winter. When it has small green figs, you know it is spring. When it puts forth leaves, you know it is summer.
If you want to know when our Lord will come, thank God that He uses Israel as an alarm clock to wake us up.
These Bible scholars had thought that God was through with the earthly people of Israel. But when they came to the Word of God, they saw that one day the people of Israel would return to their homeland. This was called the restoration of the Jews, and the teaching was called restorationism.
To our surprise, this teaching spread widely among the Puritans.
About the same time, there was a very famous scientist named Isaac Newton. We know the story of how he slept under an apple tree and an apple fell, waking him to the scientific world. Then he discovered certain laws.
But not many people know that he was also a Bible scholar. Those who write his life story usually write only up to about forty-five years of age. He lived to be eighty-four or eighty-five years old.
His contributions to optics and physics were made before he was forty-five. But after forty-five, he spent his time studying prophecy in the Bible—Daniel and Revelation.
When he wrote his book on prophecy, it was almost like reading a thesis in physics. He applied his heart to it.
To my surprise, even at that time, he dared to challenge other people. People said that God was through with the Jewish people. But Newton challenged that view.
He told us that there would be two returns, what he called “double returns.” He quoted Isaiah 11:11. One day it would definitely happen.
We know that it was realized according to the prophecy of our Lord. This is not a matter of seeing something happen and then going back to the Bible to make it fit. No, long before it happened, believers had understood it from Scripture.
I remember when I first knew the Lord, I liked to read Brother Nee’s writings, especially his magazine The Christian. There was one section concerning prophecy.
Even before 1948, that magazine said according to the Word that the nation of Israel would definitely be reborn. Brothers and sisters, you can see that the Word of God is sure.
When our Lord says that He is “at the doors,” that is enough. If we speak of the imminence of the Lord’s return, I cannot find a better expression than what our Lord Himself said: “At the doors.”
There may be much discussion in Niagara and in other places concerning how to define imminence. I do not care. I only know what our Lord said: “It is at the doors.”
So, brothers and sisters, are you ready? Are we really ready? Can we say with John:
Come, Lord Jesus.
May the Lord speak to our hearts. Let us pray.
Dear Lord, thank You so much for Your word. We commit this word into Your hands. Speak to every one of us. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.