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Luke 13:6-9,
"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."
This comes immediately after Jesus says "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Later on in the chapter we have this:
"Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.' (13:23-27)
What a dreadfully frightening thing if that door gets shut! But a time will come when this happens, and it will be when the harvest is ready: "But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." (Mark 4:29) Equally frightening is if you're not bearing fruit and Jesus orders the "tree" to be cut down. That can happen any time, prior to the end. It can happen to the unsaved, and it can happen to the backslider. Ananias & Sapphira were "cut down" in Acts chapter 5 for lying to the Holy Spirit, and they dropped quick.
Look at Revelation 14:14-20
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."
And Joel 3:13-16,
"Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel."
You see, the LORD does give one more chance, and we need to be aware of this: it is not continual, everlasting chances. This should be a warning for those who think they can put off Salvation, or are in a backslidden state and putting off getting right by repentance. The parable is clear with the fig tree that's not bearing fruit. Jesus gives it one more season. At the end of that season, even with the tree being fertilized, if it doesn't produce fruit, it will be cut down.
There will come a time, and we never know when, that the tree may be cut down. There will also come the time at the close of all things, that Christ will shut the door, and all ordained to eternal life will be accounted for: the rest shall be cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God. That's when it's too late.
"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."
This comes immediately after Jesus says "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Later on in the chapter we have this:
"Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.' (13:23-27)
What a dreadfully frightening thing if that door gets shut! But a time will come when this happens, and it will be when the harvest is ready: "But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." (Mark 4:29) Equally frightening is if you're not bearing fruit and Jesus orders the "tree" to be cut down. That can happen any time, prior to the end. It can happen to the unsaved, and it can happen to the backslider. Ananias & Sapphira were "cut down" in Acts chapter 5 for lying to the Holy Spirit, and they dropped quick.
Look at Revelation 14:14-20
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."
And Joel 3:13-16,
"Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel."
You see, the LORD does give one more chance, and we need to be aware of this: it is not continual, everlasting chances. This should be a warning for those who think they can put off Salvation, or are in a backslidden state and putting off getting right by repentance. The parable is clear with the fig tree that's not bearing fruit. Jesus gives it one more season. At the end of that season, even with the tree being fertilized, if it doesn't produce fruit, it will be cut down.
There will come a time, and we never know when, that the tree may be cut down. There will also come the time at the close of all things, that Christ will shut the door, and all ordained to eternal life will be accounted for: the rest shall be cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God. That's when it's too late.
