Winter is Coming

“Luke 21: 29-31 says “… Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”

The fig tree is symbolic of Israel, and the other trees are nations (Hab. 3: 17, Hos. 9: 10, Isa. 61: 3). Jesus told them when these things begin to come to pass, know that summer is near.

According to the Jewish ceremonial calendar, the beginning of the year is from April to March. So, in this calendar the summer comes before the winter. The summer is the tribulation period in A.D. 70, the first day of the Lord. And the winter is in the second day of the Lord, the Sabbath (Matt. 24: 20,21, Jer. 8: 20). Jesus explains in Matthew 24 that you should pray that your flight, or escape would not be in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. The reason being is because the winter and Sabbath day are another type of tribulation greater than what was coming in the first century A.D. Daniel 12 is quoted by Jesus letting us know that this tribulation will be a horrible time.

There is a television show on HBO called “Game of Thrones” and they often in the early seasons of the show kept saying this one all-important phrase; “Winter is coming!”. This wouldn’t be just an ordinary winter, but the long night of winter as the show suggest. Much in the same way, Jesus warns future generations after the first century that “Winter is Coming!” So, we must be ready. The Sabbath is the heavenly Millennial reign of Christ. The millennial view that best describes what the millennium would look like is the Amillennial view which doesn’t suggest a literal reign of Christ on a literal throne in the earthly Jerusalem. The 1000 years are symbolic for an extended period of time. After the millennium Satan is released to deceive the nations.”