TELL- TALE TREE TALES!!!
OK Folks let me begin by acclaiming the universal truth that minus the trees there would be no human life on Earth. Let’s all praise the Almighty God who in His Sovereign wisdom set-up the “stage”, so to speak, before bringing the principal actor- man- into the picture. Trees, mind you were created before man was (Genesis 1) to facilitate human life. It is indeed scary to think of our Planet being without for instance trees of Amazon rainforest which contribute about 20% of life-sustaining oxygen to the Earth’s atmosphere. Frankly speaking, we would be lost in the woods without those wondrous South American woods!!!While trees are indispensable in the natural realm, what about the trees which have affected mankind in the most important eternal spiritual realm (hey, there is death to the human body but the eternal spirit would live on)? Well, in this message Yours Truly endeavors to bring to the fore the different trees’ in the Scripture and their significance thereof…
Pleasing…
Hmmm…the tree of knowledge appeared quite pleasing to the eye of our first parents (Gen 3:6) though there were commanded by their loving Creator to stay away from it, leave alone admire its beauty from a distance. The result of their “adulterous advance”, so to say, towards it is now history. Oh yes, they ate of its fruit at the behest of the crafty tempter bringing curse upon themselves and all mankind (Gen 3:1-19). Tree of knowledge truth to tell brought in its wake spiritual darkness to all of mankind which can be dispelled only when one comes near yet another Tree which by its appearance ironically is at once ugly. Friends let’s travel to the Tree at Calvary…
Palaver…
If love for God which can be exhibited only by implicit obedience to His commands (2 John 1:6) was conspicuous by its absence in the behavior of the First Adam when exposed to the lure of Tree of Knowledge, then by stark contrast the Final Adam (read Jesus…1 Cor 15:45) personified obedience by willfully hanging on the Cruel Tree (Gal 3:13) as per the Father’s will (John 6:38/14:30-31) right in the middle of the Earth (Ezekiel 5:5).
If the Tree of Knowledge proved to be a bane for mankind bringing in its wake spiritual ignorance, then again ironically the Tree of foolishness (so-called by the scholarly Greek peers of Apostle Paul-1 Cor 1:18) has been a cause for manifold blessings to it ushering in spiritual emancipation and enlightenment. Stretching the comparison further, if the enticing words of the sly snake spoken even while “hanging” onto the former brought forth terrible curse to mankind, the energizing words proclaiming completion of redemption plan (John 19:30) spoken by the suffering Saviour even while "hanging" on the energy-sapping cruel Tree of execution (Gal 3:13/Deu 22:21) have heralded from the First Good Friday onwards the free release from that curse to anyone appropriating it in his/her life (Romans 10:8-10). We who are all connected to the First Adam (genetically and spiritually) need not remain “chained” to the Former but seek our liberty by looking with saving faith (John 3:14-15/Numbers 21:4-9) at the Latter where the Final Adam completed the onerous work of providing free salvation at a great cost (can anyone put a price tag on the Saviour’s sufferings?).
Gospel would be a palaver only to the perishing, blinded as they are, by the arch-enemy of every human soul (2 Cor 4:4) but to those being redeemed by it, it is the power of God in action (1 Cor 1:18-TLB). Only those who have experienced redemption at the Tree of Calvary, have access to yet another important tree of the Spiritual realm. So fellow pilgrims liberated at the Cross, now join me on a journey to the Tree of Life.
Perpetual…
Oh yes, if we observe a trouble-causing Tree of Knowledge at the beginning of the Bible, trouble-shooting One in the middle of our Planet (Eze 5:5-in Jerusalem where Redemption plan was completed), then there is a Tree towards the end of the Scriptures -in a realm where all problems shall end (Rev 21:4)- guaranteeing perpetual good health and abundant life (Rev 22:2).
Oh, how we feel like fast-tracking time and reaching that state of eternal bliss of being under the cooling shade of Tree of life! Yes, there are troubles en-route for those of us who have begun the journey of faith at the Tree of Calvary but cheer-up for the present troubles pale into insignificance when compared with the glories awaiting us in the days to come (Romans 8:18-25).
Pattern…
I came across a fascinating piece of information recently in a devotional magazine. It pertains to the history of the indigenous people in northern Michigan. In the said location, there are along the road, sign designating “Trail Trees.” It’s believed that long ago the Native Americans bent young trees to point the way to specific destinations and that they continued to grow in an unusual shape.
Those of us who have been redeemed at the Tree of Calvary and are having foretaste of Heaven right here on Earth (Romans 14:17), do not we have the responsibility of playing faithful “trail trees” showing the unsaved ones’ the way to the Tree of Salvation, even if it means “bending our backs” (thanks Cricket pace bowlers) in that exercise?
Jesus has not asked all His followers’ to be preachers’ but witnesses’ leading lives which personify His traits in us (John 13:34-35). Our lives right here on Earth ought to be a pattern of Eternity “when and where His will would be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” meaning our God-fearing lives exemplifying implicit obedience and exuding Heavenly joy at all times should attract the unbelievers’ to the Tree of Calvary, where it shall ALL begin for them (spiritual journey) as it did for us!!!
Pervert…
In the aftermath of cruel slaughter of 69 sons’ of heroic Gideon by fratricidal Abimelech (incidentally also a son of Gideon), his brother Jotham who escaped the carnage relates prophetically a tale of…yes… trees (Judges 9:1-21) which besides being of immediate importance also portends the things to happen in the History of the Nation of Israel. It is not an understatement to say that events in the history of God’s Chosen Nation act as a time-piece to cross-check the Future apocalyptic events beginning with the Rapture of the Church which would be followed by the advent of perverted Anti-Christ, seven years of tribulation (which would in its latter part include three and half years of severe suffering for the Jews), Second coming of Christ, the Armageddon War and establishment of the Millennial rule of Christ.
The thornbush in the parable of the trees, to which the other trees foolishly owed their allegiance, is none than the coming Anti-Christ who very much like the wicked Abimelech of yore would be of Jewish ancestry (though coming from EU). He like Abimelech would also craftily win over the trust of the Jews to begin with (at the beginning of 7-years of tribulation to achieve his own “selfish ends”) before breaching it (Daniel 9:27) and then severely persecuting them.
Since advent of Anti-Christ would only follow the Rapture of the Church, the Good News is (if you will pardon the expression) if the coming of the perverted villain seems at hand, then more imminent would be the rapture of the Church!!!
While on the subject of the stage being readied for the Anti-Christ’s entry, now consider the mounting tension in West Asia (everyone is entitled to his own ideological stance on that issue). Tiny Israel, pursuing its right for survival is proactively taking the terror to the terrorists.
That Jews and Arabs are at each other’s throat baying for each other’s blood is a universally accepted fact. It is all because Israel has taken a re-birth as recently as May 14th, 1948, as it were to give Anti-Christ a role to play in tribulation times. The Proverbial Fig Tree (oh tree yet again....Israel -Matt 24:32) after having been in a withered condition for nearly 2000 years is once again budding and blooming so as to foreshadow the imminent rapture of the Church and the subsequent advent of Anti-Christ!!! Even as situation in the smouldering West Asia becomes more grim, imagine the entry of a charismatic leader who brokers a peace accord between these two warring factions and not only that, imagine he facilitating the re-construction of a Jewish temple (long-awaited by the Jews) in the very place where the original Solomon’s temple stood (presently, there is a mosque in that place). Now would not Jews, who rejected the original Messiah 2000 years back, much to their detriment, accept this 21st century magnetic leader to be their anticipated Messiah and the World on its part with Arabs included look upon such a man who accomplished “Mission Impossible” as some kind of God? Hmmm… “The secret power of lawlessness is already at work;…” (II Thess 2:7).
Hey, in the Book of Revelation, Anti-Christ is initially portrayed as a Man riding a white horse and carrying in his hand only a bow but no arrows (Rev 6:1-2), for us to infer that his initial methods’ to win over the hearts of not only the Jews but also the also that of the World at large would seemingly ooze purity and peace. At the cost of sounding repetitive, I want to reiterate that Anti-Christ’s advent is at hand. What does it mean? Church rapture is more imminent. Should we not consider the spiritual dimension to the worsening West Asian crisis in recent times and adopt a Biblical world-view? Two hundred years back, for instance, with Israel itself not being there, what scope would have been there for the Master deceiver to play the role of peacemaker deceitfully to win the hearts of the people? No role at all. Rebirth of Israel, if anything is a tell tale sign that the prophecy related to the tale of trees is soon coming to pass. By the way, Dear Fellow Pilgrim you who has been liberated at the Tree of Calvary, are you alert to the Rapture of the Church, are you also alerting others about it responsibly??? If so, rejoice for you soon would be having your fill at the Tree of Life!!!
Suresh Manoharan
An unworthy Servant
ps...This message replete with pics is also available in the following URL
http://www.jandsmministries.com/message_may1_15.asp
