Parable Of The Tree And The Storm : Part 2

PARABLE OF THE TREE AND THE STORM : PART 2

Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Net

Last Updated : July 23, 2006

Purges And Chastisements Equal More Fruit, Comforting Others
Healing In His Wings, Spiritual Flexibility, Faith Of Little
Children, New Wine In New Bottles, Sensitive To The Wind Of
The Holy Spirit, Wind Of False Doctrine, Prince Of The Power
Of The Air, John The Baptist, Parable Of The Tares, Evil
Tree And Evil Fruit, Chaff Of The Wicked, Concluding Remarks

As I concluded in part one, due to our sinful and sometimes
rebellious nature, Divine Chastisement is a necessary part
of our Christian growth process. While we may not like the
Lord dealing in our lives, and while it may not make us feel
very good to be the object of His fiery purges, and may even
hurt our pride, the Lord certainly knows what is best for us
and for His Kingdom. Where the real danger lies, is when we
become such unfruitful branches, that the Lord decides that
it is no longer worthwhile to purge us, and instead, He
chooses to cast us into the fire. Consider the following
verses:

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:
and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it
may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the
word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I
am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and
I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me
ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast
forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and
cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in
me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father
glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples." John 15:2-8, KJV

"He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree
planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit
thereon, and found none. 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? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it
alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung
it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that
thou shalt cut it down." Luke 13:6-9, KJV

"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every
son whom he receiveth...Now no chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward
it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them
which are exercised thereby." Hebrews 12:6, 11, KJV

So clearly then, the purpose of Godly Chastisement, is to
make us more fruitful branches for the Lord. They are acts
of Divine Love, and not acts of Divine Hate as some worldly
people seem to think who do not understand the ways of the
Lord. While some branches may be violently ripped from the
tree during such a severe storm, as I mentioned in part one,
we can find consolation in the fact that new branches will
eventually grow to replace those whose which have been
destroyed. In a similar manner, after we have gone through
certain trials in our lives as Christians, in which God may
have found it necessary to prune a few of our branches, we
can also offer words of encouragement, comfort and support
to those who may be going through similar trials. Consider
the following verses:

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to
man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
1 Corinthians 10:13, KJV

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who
comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to
comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort
wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4, KJV

Sometimes, just letting a person know that there is light at
the end of the tunnel, that there is definitely a way out of
the trial, and that there is a sure victory to be had, will
give them the faith that they need in order to weather the
storm, and to persevere to the end. While God may be forced
to afflict us on occasions in order to straighten us out, He
is also a merciful God who understands our weak frame, that
we are but dust; and there is both spiritual and physical
healing in His wings for those who cry out to Him. Here are
some additional verses for your encouragement and thoughtful
consideration. Please note that due to the fact that there
are so many verses in the Bible regarding healing, that I
cannot possibly list them all here; thus, I am omitting
those where Jesus and the Disciples actually performed
miracles of healing:

"So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and
his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children."
Genesis 20:17, KJV

"And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of
the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his
sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all
his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee,
which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD
that healeth thee." Exodus 15:26, KJV

"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me:
I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is
there any that can deliver out of my hand."
Deuteronomy 32:39, KJV

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin, and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV

"And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people."
2 Chronicles 30:20, KJV

"And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast
the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have
healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more
death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this
day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake."
2 Kings 2:21-22, KJV

"Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people,
Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have
heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal
thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of
the LORD." 2 Kings 20:5, KJV

"O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me."
Psalms 30:2, KJV

"He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from
their destructions." Psalms 107:20, KJV

"And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it:
and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be
intreated of them, and shall heal them." Isaiah 19:22, KJV

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon
him; and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5, KJV

"I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him
also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I
create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is
far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will
heal him." Isaiah 57:18-19, KJV

"Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your
backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the
LORD our God." Jeremiah 3:22, KJV

"For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee
of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an
Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after."
Jeremiah 30:17, KJV

"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn,
and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us
up." Hosea 6:1, KJV

"I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for
mine anger is turned away from him." Hosea 14:4, KJV

"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of
righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall
go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."
Malachi 4:2, KJV

"And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him."
Matthew 8:7, KJV

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed
me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal
the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised," Luke 4:18, KJV

"Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble
knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that
which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be
healed." Hebrews 12:12-13, KJV

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:
by whose stripes ye were healed." 1 Peter 2:24, KJV

If you possess an interest in learning more about the Lord's
loving chastisements, allow me to suggest that you consider
reading such articles as 'Are Personal Tragedies Due To
Sin?', 'Love, Mercy Forgiveness And Chastisement' and
'Beholding The Evil And The Good'.

As I explained earlier in part one, one of the reasons why
the tree is able to endure so many violent storms, is due to
the fact that, similar to those fields of wheat which are
blown by the prairie winds, it possesses a certain degree of
flexibility in its branches. It is interesting to note that
the younger the age of the branches, the more tender and
flexible they are. Similar to those young branches, we must
also possess some spiritual flexibility in our lives. While
our faith must surely grow and become strong, it must also
remain a childlike open faith. Consider the following story
found in the Gospel of Luke:

"And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch
them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But
Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children
to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the
kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no
wise enter therein." Luke 18:15-17, KJV

This childlike flexibility in our faith is rather important
when it comes to our desire to understand God's Word. If we
don't possess this quality; if we behave as if we already
know it all; or if we are so bound and blinded by the false
doctrines and traditions of men, so that we resist the truth
that God may be trying to reveal to us; we too may become
spiritually damaged; and our spiritual growth may become
stunted. In a sense, we may be just like those dry, brittle,
old branches, which are so rigid, that they easily snap off
when the strong winds of adversity and persecution begin to
buffet the tree. If this is the case in your life, allow me
to remind you that it is those dry, brittle, fruitless
branches which make the best firewood, as we saw from the
verses in John chapter fifteen. So the lesson is clear; we
must remain open to treasures both new and old in God's
Wonderful Treasure Chest, which are much better than silver
and gold; because they are God's Good Gold of His Word. We
must be new bottles which can hold the new wine of the
Spirit; for as Jesus Himself and other writers of the Bible
tell us:

"...Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the
kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder,
which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and
old." Matthew 13:52b, KJV

"The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of
gold and silver." Psalms 119:72, KJV

"The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the
judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine
gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
Psalms 19:9-10, KJV

"And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new
wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles
shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and
both are preserved." Luke 5:37-38, KJV

So as you can see, it is important that we remain flexible,
sensitive and receptive to the Wind, and to the Voice of
God's Holy Spirit, which instructs us in wisdom, knowledge
and the way of righteousness. We must listen attentively to
the things which the Lord is trying to teach us from His
Word; and He will indeed teach us if we are listening; for
as Jesus Himself promised us:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said
unto you." John 14:26, KJV

At the same time, it is also important that you realize that
there is a balance to be found in my words. While we must be
flexible reeds of wheat who bend to the Wind of God's Will,
and flexible branches which yield the fruits of the Spirit,
it is also possible to become overly flexible; so much so,
that we actually become politically-correct manpleasers who
compromise the doctrinal purity of our faith, by embracing
doctrines and ideas which are clearly in conflict with the
written Word. This situation is nothing new. As I point out
in other articles, it existed during the time of Christ as
well. In fact, as we saw in part one, it existed for many
centuries before that. It is for this very reason that when
the Lord called Jeremiah to be His Prophet to Israel, He
specifically told him that before he could plant the truth
in the hearts of men, he had to root out, and to pull down,
the lies and false doctrines which had been planted by the
false priests and prophets of that era. Consider this verse:

"See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the
kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and
to throw down, to build, and to plant." Jeremiah 1:10, KJV

Sadly, as I explain in other articles, such as 'Revelation's
Babylon The Great Whore', the Jewish leadership did not want
to have anything to do with the Lord's fiery Prophets, and
the uncomfortable truths which they revealed. In fact, they
eventually succeeded in shutting up the mouths of God's true
Prophets through severe persecution, and quite often death.
Thus, it should come as no surprise to us, that this same
false, lethargic spirit existed during the time of Christ
several hundred years later; and it was being promoted by
the same Jewish leaders who sought to preserve their power
and the status quo, through their sickening compromise with
their Roman conquerors. Such was the case of Caiaphas and
the Sanhedrin, and the Herods.

Precisely as the Apostle Paul would warn the young Church
some years later, these false shepherds and teachers taught
a watered-down version of the truth; and those people who
swallowed their lies were weak reeds who had been blown over
by their wind of false doctrines; and the force behind that
deceptive wind was none other than Satan himself; also known
the Father of Lies, and the Prince of the Power of the Air.
Consider the following verses which verify these points:

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive;" Ephesians 4:14, KJV

"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For
it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace;
not with meats, which have not profited them that have been
occupied therein." Hebrews 13:9, KJV

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall
turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned
unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4, KJV

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:13, KJV

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a
liar, and the father of it." John 8:44, KJV

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience:" Ephesians 2:2, KJV

Of course, as we also know from the Scriptures, there was
one man, there was one strong reed of wheat, who did not so
easily bend to the deceptive winds of false doctrine which
were prevalent in that day; and it is for this very reason,
that he eventually lost his head. Instead, he stood out as a
burning light who called all of Israel to repentance before
the great and mighty Day of the Lord arrived. This man, John
the Baptist, so stood out from his peers, as one who told
the truth, instead of bowing to political correctness and
the doctrines of devils espoused by the blind, legalistic
religionists in Jerusalem, that even Jesus said of him:

"...What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed
shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man
clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously
apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. But
what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you,
and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is
written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which
shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you, Among
those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet
than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom
of God is greater than he." Luke 7:24b-28, KJV

So as you can see, John the Baptist was not a reed shaken by
the winds of false doctrine and political correctness. John
was not a sickening manpleaser like all of the rest of them.
He was willing to stand firmly for the truth to the very end
of his ministry. He was willing to stand firmly against the
strong winds of adversity; because like the righteous tree
we discussed earlier, he was firmly anchored in the true
Word of God. John was listening to the right Wind, and to
the right Voice, and not to the false one being promoted by
the Jewish Elders.

Sadly, as is evident in our modern day, the situation has
not changed. Not only has modern Judaism continued down the
destructive road to hell, but Christianity has also become
filled with many false prophets and deceptive teachers, who
tickle the ears of their followers for profit. These people
are not true wheat. As I discuss in other articles, they are
tares. They may act and appear like wheat, but they are not.
While they may be currently growing amongst the true wheat,
someday soon, the Lord will pluck them out by the root, and
cast them into the fire, as we see in the following Parable:

"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom
of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his
field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares
among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was
sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares
also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto
him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from
whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath
done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that
we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye
gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of
harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first
the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather
the wheat into my barn...He that soweth the good seed is the
Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the
children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of
the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the
harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the
angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in
the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world."
Matthew 13:24-30, 37b-40, KJV

In another Parable, Jesus also tells us that these wicked
deceivers are evil trees which bring forth evil fruit, and
that someday, they too will be cut down and burned in the
fires of God's righteous judgments:

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth
good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
Matthew 7:15-20, KJV

In yet other places throughout the Bible, we are told that
the wicked are like the useless chaff which will be blown
away by the winds of God's chastisements. Consider these verses:

"The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the
wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in
the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous:
but the way of the ungodly shall perish."
Psalms 1:4-6, KJV

"How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft
cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows
in his anger. They are as stubble before the wind, and as
chaff that the storm carrieth away." Job 21:17-18, KJV

"Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the
gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff
of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them
away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that
smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the
whole earth." Daniel 2:35, KJV

"But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly
Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up."
Matthew 15:13, KJV

"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: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will
throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the
garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire." Matthew 3:11-12, KJV

So as you can see, in quite a few places throughout the
Bible, the Lord compares the wicked unbelievers, and even
those who feign to be our Christian brethren, to fruitless
trees, to useless tares, and to empty chaff which will all
be destroyed at His glorious Coming.

What about you? Are you a healthy tree which is firmly
rooted in the fertile ground of His Word? Are you a truly
submissive tree which knows how to bend to the Wind and Will
of His Spirit? Are your branches fruitful branches which are
bearing new souls for the Kingdom of God? Do you allow Him
to prune your branches occasionally, so that you will become
an even more fruitful tree? If so, then you will surely have
your place in God's Glorious Kingdom in the near future; for
as the Psalmist and the Apostle Paul wrote:

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee
the desires of thine heart." Psalms 37:4, KJV

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him."
1 Corinthians 2:9, KJV

In fact, symbolically-speaking, you just might be a tree
planted by the River of Life within the Golden City itself!
Compare closely the following verses. The similarities are
truly amazing! Notice that in both verses, we find a tree, a
river, fruit being produced each month, and leaves of a
special nature. God's Word is truly profound!:

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also
shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
Psalms 1:3, KJV

"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side
of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve
manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the
leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
Revelation 22:1-2, KJV

If you are interested in reading more about the possible
symbolism behind John's description of the Heavenly City,
please refer to such articles as 'The Born-Again Experience:
Now Or Later?'. With these inspiring thoughts, I am going to
bring another article to a close. I trust that it has been a
blessing, and an inspiration in your life.