Days of a Tree, and Infrequently-Used Machetes

Isaiah 65 describes the new heaven and the new earth, and some people take it as meaning the final state where there is no longer death, or sin, but it can't be because it says in verse 20, 'he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.'  It's talking about the Millennial Kingdom where Christ reigns on earth for 1000 years after the Tribulation.  Verse 22 goes on to say, 'For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people.'


There are many huge trees around, and there are laws in Asuncion to protect them.  Indeed  when there is a road to be built, if a tree is in the way and is large enough, the road will be built around it, and most of them seem sturdy enough to face any prangs with buses.  There is a huge tree outside the entrance to SIM HQ, and the other say, at a time when there was not even a breath of wind, a very large branch gave way and with much noise came crashing to the ground, reminding me of the verses above.  It filled the entire street and sidewalk (a street which is relatively busy), so it was a blessing nobody was driving or walking underneath when it went.  It also managed to fall between the parked cars.

It drew a bit of an audience, and some local dudes helped shove it out the way (so that it completely blocked the SIM entrance).  This brought out Paul and the Reich kids with saws and machetes to cut and hack it up.  It was most pleasing to see a machete in use.  Prior to coming to Paraguay I was mistakenly expecting jungles so was hoping to use a machete at some point.  Since coming I have seen a lot of people carrying them, but few in use save for a guy from church cutting sugarcane on his farm.

Machetes in a shop.

Guy carrying a machete (whilst on a fishing trip believe it or not) and looking somewhat menacing to a passer-by. 

Bravely cutting towards the hand to make some chewable sugarcane sticks for us.

After no blood, some sweat, and few tears, we got the tree hacked up and pushed against the SIM fence, and the shavings and bits were brushed up and everything was close to being super-tidy.  The very second we finished the job, a truck arrived with a bunch of workmen keen to cut up the branch and sweep up everything and leave it "super-tidy".  Doh!


What made the tree fall down was it was somewhat rotten yet still living -a picture of those who are outwardly God's people, but inwardly are rotten to the core and filled with sin and close to collapse without remedy.  Jesus said of such people -those who call themselves His servants, yet they act badly (in Matthew 24:36-51)- that such people, when the master returns to find them, the master will, "cut him into pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Goodbye rotten tree!

Men of action!

Machete in action, finally!