Figs and dates...

It is not always easy to see the line in the sand between genuine zeal and fanaticism.

Wishful thinking does not a prophecy make... nor does the false fervor of prophecy mongers needing visible validations to keep the offerings rolling in.

Back in the day, we attended one of those crusades. Yes, God's simple plan of salvation through what Jesus did for us on the cross was wonderfully proclaimed. But, parallel to that was this also: based on the evangelist's calculations, within 90 days of his crusade (circa 1973) the invasion of Israel from the north, Gog and Magog (i.e. the Soviet Union) would materialize. That meant that the Rapture was imminent. I wrote letters to family and friends warning them that if they were considering being saved, they needed to do it soon because there was little time left to make that decision.

Imagine my chagrin forty years later.

Then, from another quarter, came a similar noise: the rapture was set to take place on a first Sunday in September... 1974, wasn't it? Oh yes... and we all bought the little book written by a now long forgotten famous authority on the West Coast. On the day of the "Rapture", our pastor preached on why it did not - would not- happen on that day.

Only problem with that was... I had already made some decisions about quitting seminary without graduating and moving to the mission field while there was still time to do something before the end. It has all worked out fine. I am not writing out of regret or bitterness. But, all the same, I made some life-altering decisions based on bad information... more specifically, based on other people's misguided fervor and erroneous exegesis of the Scriptures.

They are accountable for influencing me with false teaching; I am accountable for having swallowed it.

Anyway... back to figs and dates: how, exactly, do you get dates from a fig tree? Dates come from date palms... you do not get one from the other. Nor can you get a prophetically important calendar date from a fig tree.

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Mt 24:32-34)

My formative years included that piece of the prophecy jigsaw puzzle that so many used to substantiate that the Lord was returning soon; that we truly were part of that last generation that Jesus described:

Drum roll..... sound the trumpets...    14 May 1948 

Quoting from a current prophecy website:

In the parable of the fig tree, we see a symbol of the nation of Israel. We believe in the parable Jesus is telling us that when Israel comes back to life (like a tree buds in springtime) that is, becomes a nation again, to expect that His return is near. ...you will notice that God’s word shows us that Israel would be restored as a nation on May 14, 1948.

Quite an unsubstantiated leap! from a fig tree to 1948. And, back then, the improvising did not stop there.

• 1948 + 32 yrs (generation defined as the length of the life of Jesus on earth) = 1980 for the return of Christ, take away 7 for the Tribulation period = 1973 rapture... pack your bags!
• No wait, a biblical generation is 33 years, so rapture roughly 1974.
• Ok ok ok... a biblical generation is 40 years, so  1948 + 40 = 1988 - 7 = 1981 rapture.
• Now, watch this!  2013 - 1948 = 65... surely there is a way to re-define "generation" to still make the fig tree prophecy about a United Nations declaration in 1948?

Or, is it possible that Jesus' words were intended to be less specific, reminding us to keep our heads up every day, especially as things seem to progressively worsen around us? He will come for us. He will take us home to heaven. And he will do it before "Great Tribulation" sets in.

It probably is significant that Israel now exists as a nation. It is important, however, to keep in mind that they survive on roughly one sixth of the "Promised Land" because they have big guns and because they have friends with big guns. That is a far cry from the victory and inheritance that God has promised them through their coming Messiah.

And, since what they have now is not yet what God promised to give them, it is equally important to be prophetically prepared for every contingency. If at some point Israel as we know it today were actually run out of Palestine and their government destroyed, it would not hinder in the least a future and complete fulfillment by God of His promises to them. It would simply mean that we made some really bad guesses about when He was going to do it.

The important lesson for me has been this: if anything about my passion takes people any direction but to a deeper, more objective investigation of the Bible, then it is misguided. God's work will not survive on borrowed enthusiasm and hand-me-down convictions.

Letting other people use their appreciable mental acumen to objectively discern the Scriptures complements us and safeguards us from foaming at the mouth with "private interpretations" that we need to impress on others. It collectively keeps us honest and centered.

God surround us with lots of "Bereans"!

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Ac 17:11)