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Friday, November 20 2009
The Messiah's parable of the fig tree:
"13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard [see also Grafting]; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?13:8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 13:9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." (Luke 13:6-9 KJV)
"If it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down"
The LORD gives people the necessary time to grow toward harvest, toward salvation. The "taking root" is genuine repentance, and then "3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance" (Matthew 3:8 KJV). John the Baptist (see John's Testimony; also How Long Was John's Ministry?) warned the self-righteous Pharisees (see also Was Paul Among Them?) that they were headed toward the fire if they did not repent and "bringeth not forth good fruit."
"3:5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan [see The Jordan River], 3:6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 3:10 And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with The Holy Ghost, and with fire [see Baptism Of Fire]: 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:5-12 KJV)
Bearing fruit is not in itself good if the fruit isn't good. Bad fruit is no better than, or in many cases is worse than, no fruit at all because of the damage that the corrupt often do to those who are growing well (the reason that the man in the parable wanted to cut down the unproductive tree that was taking away sunlight and soil nutrients from the other trees). True Christianity isn't about merely claiming Christ's Name for the religion that one has invented for one's own convenience i.e. "7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21 KJV).
"7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves [see Wolves In Sheep's Clothing]. 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of Thorns, or figs of thistles? 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:15-23 KJV)
Fact Finder: How is "good fruit" produced?
See Growing In The Grace And Knowledge
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This Day In History, November 20
269: Diocletian was proclaimed emperor.
1272: Edward I became King of England.
1541: John Calvin, 32, established a religious government at Geneva, creating a center for growing Protestantism in Europe.
1620: Peregrine White was born aboard the Mayflower.
1759: In the Battle of Quiberon Bay during the Seven Years War, the British fleet with 23 warships under Admiral Hawke destroyed the French invasion fleet of 21 warships under Admiral Conflans.
1780: Britain declared war on the Netherlands after the Dutch had supplied French and Spanish arms to American rebels.
1873: In Hungary, the rival cities of Buda and Pest were joined to form the national capital - Budapest.
1889: Edwin Hubble was born. The astronomer made the discoveries that there were galaxies apart from our own, and of the red-shift (indicating that entire galaxies are traveling through the universe).
1917: During the First World War, 324 British tanks struck at the German lines in the Battle of Cambrai, France, the first major battle involving tanks. By the end of the battle, no gains had been made and the British lost 43,000 men.
1922: In Switzerland, the Lausanne Conference began to resolve differences between the allied powers after World War 1.
1941: During the Second World War, General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps stopped an advance of British armor at the Battle of Sidi Rezegh.
1943: During the Second World War, U.S. Marines began their attack on Japanese forces on Makin and Tarawa in the Pacific.
1945: The war crime trials of 24 Nazi leaders began at Nuremberg, Germany. On the same day, the Allied Control Commission approved the transfer of 6,000,000 ethnic-Germans from Austria, Hungary and Poland back to West Germany.
1947: Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) married Philip Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh, in Westminster Abbey.
1967: The U.S.population reached 200 million.
1977: Egyptian president Anwar Sadat addressed the Israeli Knesset.
1992: A fire that burned for 15 hours before being brought under control severely damaged part of Windsor Castle in London.
1992: 20 paintings by Adolf Hitler went unsold at an auction after they failed to receive a single bid.
