Can we trust everything that Jesus says? Of course. He is trustworthy and always true. We must trust only what scripture says about Jesus and what Jesus himself said about salvation and the kingdom of heaven, but we can also trust the teachings of Jesus by HIS own actions. Eschatology is the theological category of thinking about Christ's second coming and the last days of judgment. Scripture often refers to that day as the great Day of the Lord. In today's passage, Jesus uses the illustration of a budding fig tree as a lesson to his disciples about trusting what HE says about the events of the parousia (παρουσία). This is the Greek word used to describe the second coming of Jesus Christ at the end of history. Literally, this word means ‘the personal presence’ or ‘coming’. When Jesus returns he will be fully and unmistakably present just as royalty is mistakenly present upon arriving at a place. In this context, trusting Jesus’ words concerning the last days and the birth of an eternal kingdom ushered in by 'the sign of the Son of Man' [v. 30] are as sure as events we witness every day. Just as a fig tree does not speak with audible language, but with trusted action blooms faithfully each spring, so too will be Christ’s parousia. Jesus' words are trustworthy through HIS actions that speak about HIS future advent and final judgment. Let’s dig into Matthew 24:32-35 together.