WEBVTT 00:00:00.110 --> 00:00:04.190 You've heard me quote it over and over again 00:00:04.190 --> 00:00:07.589 every time I would bring a message on the second 00:00:07.589 --> 00:00:11.410 coming of the Lord Jesus Christ or about the 00:00:11.410 --> 00:00:15.689 perilous times in which we are living. When I 00:00:15.689 --> 00:00:20.949 would speak regarding the word of prophecy, I 00:00:20.949 --> 00:00:26.149 would quote that portion of God's word as found 00:00:26.149 --> 00:00:31.679 in the 24th chapter of Matthew. The 32nd verse, 00:00:31.899 --> 00:00:35.960 when the master himself gave a parable of the 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:42.899 fig tree. And he gave this parable in answer 00:00:42.899 --> 00:00:47.060 to a question that the disciples had asked him. 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:54.299 They were sitting on the Mount of Olives, having 00:00:54.299 --> 00:00:58.210 a good heart -to -heart talk. probably talking 00:00:58.210 --> 00:01:02.829 about the future, and then one of them asked 00:01:02.829 --> 00:01:08.409 him, Tell us, when shall these things be, and 00:01:08.409 --> 00:01:12.849 what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the 00:01:12.849 --> 00:01:19.349 end of the world? Now, it was in response to 00:01:19.349 --> 00:01:26.280 this question that Jesus said these words. Now 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:30.959 learn a parable of the fig tree. And there's 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:34.480 something about that fig tree that has always 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:37.799 intrigued me. Oh sure, you've known for years 00:01:37.799 --> 00:01:44.560 that Israel is likened to a fig tree. The fig 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:49.640 tree has always been symbolic of Israel. Therefore, 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:54.980 we knew that he was referring to Israel. when 00:01:54.980 --> 00:01:58.879 he gave this parable the fig tree. When his branch 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:02.879 is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:05.719 that summer is nigh. And so likewise ye, when 00:02:05.719 --> 00:02:09.360 ye shall see all these things, know that it is 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:14.860 near, even at the door. And when somebody's at 00:02:14.860 --> 00:02:21.979 your door, when something is at your door, they're 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:24.800 almost... In the house, all you have to do is 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:28.620 to open the door. And haven't you opened the 00:02:28.620 --> 00:02:33.379 door and something has literally fallen in? Yeah. 00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:38.539 But he didn't stop there. Verily I say unto you, 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:43.039 this generation, and this is vitally important, 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:49.520 what generation? The generation that is living 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:56.129 when the fig tree begins to put on lees, and 00:02:56.129 --> 00:03:01.750 the lees are yet tender. This generation shall 00:03:01.750 --> 00:03:04.930 not pass till all these things be fulfilled. 00:03:05.169 --> 00:03:08.270 Then he doesn't stop there. He continues by saying, 00:03:08.389 --> 00:03:11.789 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words 00:03:11.789 --> 00:03:17.469 shall not pass away. If these things seem to 00:03:17.469 --> 00:03:23.120 be fantastic, If you feel as though they cannot 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:32.620 be, remember, I cannot lie. A God who is promised 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:37.460 will keep his word. It is impossible for God 00:03:37.460 --> 00:03:42.560 to lie. Heaven and earth shall pass away but 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:48.520 my words. And remember this scripture. Every 00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:53.780 time you read your Bible, my words shall not 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:59.979 pass away. All right? Let's go back to this fig 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:03.240 tree, the parable of the fig tree. We're going 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:07.280 to leave it for just a moment. Then we will return 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:12.520 to it. Let's examine another passage of Scripture 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:16.860 which confirms that the fig tree is symbolic 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:20.160 of Israel. And that's where I left you in our 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:27.079 last heart -to -heart talk regarding Israel in 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:32.079 prophecy. The confirmation is found in the 24th 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:35.959 chapter of Jeremiah. I'm sure you have read the 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:39.899 entire chapter if you heard my last heart -to 00:04:39.899 --> 00:04:44.040 -heart talk on the subject. The Lord showed me. 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:49.110 Behold, two... baskets of figs were set before 00:04:49.110 --> 00:04:54.569 the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good 00:04:54.569 --> 00:04:58.389 figs, even like the figs that were first ripe, 00:04:58.550 --> 00:05:04.889 and the other basket had very naughty figs, which 00:05:04.889 --> 00:05:08.209 could not be eaten, they were so bad. Then said 00:05:08.209 --> 00:05:11.569 the Lord unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? 00:05:12.529 --> 00:05:18.240 And I said, Figs. The very good things, very 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:23.579 good, and the evil, very evil, that cannot be 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:27.759 eaten, they're so evil. Again, the word of the 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:30.240 Lord came unto me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:36.100 the God of Israel, Like these good things, so 00:05:36.100 --> 00:05:38.360 will I acknowledge them that are carried away 00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:42.120 captive of Judah, whom I have sent out to this 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:44.639 place in the land of the Chaldeans for their 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:48.189 good. for I will set mine eyes upon them for 00:05:48.189 --> 00:05:52.389 good. I will bring them again to this land. I 00:05:52.389 --> 00:05:56.629 will build them. I will not pull them down. I 00:05:56.629 --> 00:06:04.350 will plant them and not pluck them up. I will 00:06:04.350 --> 00:06:08.350 give them an heart to know me, that I am the 00:06:08.350 --> 00:06:10.910 Lord and they shall be my people and I will be 00:06:10.910 --> 00:06:14.759 their God. for they shall return unto me with 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:20.420 their whole hearts. And when I left you in our 00:06:20.420 --> 00:06:24.920 last heart -to -heart talk, I showed you that 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:30.819 no person, whether he be Jew or Gentile, can 00:06:30.819 --> 00:06:35.860 accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:46.040 Savior. Intellectually, but in his heart. This 00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:53.939 new birth experience is a heart matter, not mental. 00:06:54.579 --> 00:06:58.360 That is exactly what's wrong with religion today. 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:03.459 Tens of thousands, I can safely say hundreds 00:07:03.459 --> 00:07:08.240 of thousands of people, both Jew and Gentile, 00:07:08.259 --> 00:07:15.370 are religious. extremely religious. But all on 00:07:15.370 --> 00:07:19.089 earth that they have is religion. And their religion 00:07:19.089 --> 00:07:29.689 is a mental thing. It's purely mental. But the 00:07:29.689 --> 00:07:34.730 experience of being born again, of accepting 00:07:34.730 --> 00:07:37.870 the Christ, the very son of the living God, is 00:07:37.870 --> 00:07:45.040 a heart. Whether that one be Jew or Gentile. 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:56.540 We turn to the Jew. Oh, the law. Keeping the 00:07:56.540 --> 00:08:05.439 law. Every part of the law. But, beloved, no 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:12.899 Jew, neither Gentile. is a candidate for heaven, 00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:18.639 can enter into the kingdom of heaven, can know 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:23.579 God Almighty as his heavenly Father, can know 00:08:23.579 --> 00:08:28.160 Jesus in the experience of Savior and Redeemer 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:36.299 until he accepts him in his heart. It's a life. 00:08:36.740 --> 00:08:44.019 It isn't a mental conception. It is a life. That's 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:46.179 the reason we become new creatures in Christ 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:51.120 Jesus. And the Word of God says the time is coming. 00:08:52.059 --> 00:08:57.500 I will give them an heart to know me and to know 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:00.360 that I am the Lord. And they shall be my people. 00:09:00.460 --> 00:09:03.340 I will be their God, for they shall return unto 00:09:03.340 --> 00:09:10.179 me with their whole hearts. That was the... Good 00:09:10.179 --> 00:09:16.720 basket of figs that Jeremiah saw. And they were 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:20.120 very good figs, even like the figs that were 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:24.059 first ripe. But the other basket had very naughty 00:09:24.059 --> 00:09:26.419 figs, which could not be eaten. They were so 00:09:26.419 --> 00:09:32.899 bad. And that is a picture of Israel in disobedience. 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:39.529 Following him. In disobedience. In that which 00:09:39.529 --> 00:09:43.830 I gave you in my first heart -to -heart talk. 00:09:44.389 --> 00:09:49.909 When they no longer continued to follow him step 00:09:49.909 --> 00:09:54.350 by step in perfect obedience. When they cried, 00:09:54.610 --> 00:10:02.350 his blood be upon us and on our children. Bad 00:10:02.350 --> 00:10:13.389 figs. Very bad. bad figs. Very naughty figs which 00:10:13.389 --> 00:10:25.809 could not be eaten. They were so bad. His blood 00:10:25.809 --> 00:10:43.610 be upon us and our children. Naughty fakes. So 00:10:43.610 --> 00:10:50.070 bad that God could not delight in them any longer. 00:10:52.990 --> 00:11:01.049 For you cannot accept God and reject His Son. 00:11:02.210 --> 00:11:08.710 For Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, is the... 00:11:08.889 --> 00:11:16.750 The very son of the living God. And Israel for 00:11:16.750 --> 00:11:26.169 centuries have rejected the son of God. And for 00:11:26.169 --> 00:11:31.549 that reason, God has been unable to bless them. 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:40.059 Mm -hmm. The bad things referred to the dispersion 00:11:40.059 --> 00:11:51.960 of Israel. But something is happening. I'm going 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:53.879 to show you one of the most thrilling portions 00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:56.100 of the Word of God. I hope it's as thrilling 00:11:56.100 --> 00:12:00.240 to you as it has been to me. Turn now. Go back 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:04.639 from the Old to the New Testament. Back to Mark. 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:10.039 Sure, even a little child in Sunday school, the 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:13.740 youngster in Sunday school knows all about the 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:18.200 barren fig tree. Turn to the 11th chapter of 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:25.299 Mark, and I pray the Holy Spirit will open your 00:12:25.299 --> 00:12:29.240 understanding, as never before, to this familiar 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:33.240 portion of God's Word. I read, and I begin with 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:35.950 the 11th verse. of the 11th chapter of Mark. 00:12:36.649 --> 00:12:40.350 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem and into the 00:12:40.350 --> 00:12:44.230 temple. And when he had looked round about upon 00:12:44.230 --> 00:12:51.029 all things, and now the eventide was come, he 00:12:51.029 --> 00:12:56.470 went out unto Bethany with the twelve. Can't 00:12:56.470 --> 00:13:02.210 you see them? They'd been in Jerusalem. They 00:13:02.210 --> 00:13:08.870 had... been in the temple. They had walked around, 00:13:09.190 --> 00:13:13.610 looking around, perfectly natural, so human. 00:13:14.970 --> 00:13:21.289 And now evening had come, and they took that 00:13:21.289 --> 00:13:27.190 walk back to Bethany, Jesus and the Twelve. So 00:13:27.190 --> 00:13:29.590 natural. Those of you who've been over to Jerusalem 00:13:29.590 --> 00:13:35.779 know that the walk is not... It wasn't too far, 00:13:35.860 --> 00:13:42.639 just a nice walk in the evening. And on the morrow, 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:48.120 when they were come from Bethany and returning 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:54.779 again to Jerusalem, he was hungry. Let's pause 00:13:54.779 --> 00:13:58.779 a minute. You know that walking along slowly. 00:14:00.299 --> 00:14:04.279 They had been in conversation, probably talking 00:14:04.279 --> 00:14:06.080 about the things that they'd been interested 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:12.559 in, about the end time. Mm -hmm. Talking about 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:16.620 the things that were to take place in the future. 00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:20.940 Because you know that they were talking about 00:14:20.940 --> 00:14:25.480 something. And so the next day, coming back again 00:14:25.480 --> 00:14:34.879 to Jerusalem, He was hungry. The master wanted 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:39.139 something to eat. And seeing a fig tree afar 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:42.320 off, having leaves, now there was nothing unusual 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:48.519 about this. So natural. Seeing a fig tree afar 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:52.240 off, having leaves, he came. If happily, he might 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:55.659 find anything thereon. And when he came to it, 00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:59.899 he found nothing but leaves. for the time of 00:14:59.899 --> 00:15:04.740 figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said 00:15:04.740 --> 00:15:09.419 unto it, unto the fig tree, No man eat fruit 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:13.980 of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:17.559 heard it. It was the cursing of the fig tree. 00:15:19.480 --> 00:15:23.639 Everybody knows about it. And yet I have never 00:15:23.639 --> 00:15:30.769 heard a minister give a satisfactory a count 00:15:30.769 --> 00:15:35.690 as to why it was cursed. Oh, I know there isn't 00:15:35.690 --> 00:15:37.129 a minister in the world but what has preached 00:15:37.129 --> 00:15:39.889 a sermon on the barren fig tree. And nine times 00:15:39.889 --> 00:15:42.789 out of ten, he has likened it unto a life that 00:15:42.789 --> 00:15:46.570 does not bear fruit, only leaves. But it's something 00:15:46.570 --> 00:15:53.409 more. There was something deeper. For... Jesus 00:15:53.409 --> 00:15:57.809 used this opportunity to drive home a truth. 00:15:59.549 --> 00:16:04.730 A great truth. It was a wonderful opportunity 00:16:04.730 --> 00:16:11.690 to drive home a truth that he wanted to make. 00:16:11.850 --> 00:16:17.570 And he did it. There was no fruit. That thing 00:16:17.570 --> 00:16:21.269 is very apparent. When he went to the fig tree, 00:16:22.379 --> 00:16:25.899 There was no fruit on the tree, only leaves. 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:32.240 Mm -hmm. Only leaves. Here we have a picture 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:38.500 of Israel who puts up a wonderful religious front. 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:50.200 Mm -hmm. A very wonderful religious front. the 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:57.360 keeping of the law in detail. But remember, Jesus 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:02.720 Christ himself said that we are not saved to 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:11.039 the keeping of the law. We are not his children 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:18.519 because we keep the law. Any man, any woman, 00:17:19.109 --> 00:17:27.349 can keep the law to the very nth degree. But 00:17:27.349 --> 00:17:32.809 my friend, it will never make you an heir of 00:17:32.809 --> 00:17:36.490 God and a joint heir with Christ Jesus. It is 00:17:36.490 --> 00:17:40.089 the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 00:17:42.269 --> 00:17:50.160 The blood. The blood of the true Messiah. Jesus 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:55.039 Christ, the very son of the living God. There 00:17:55.039 --> 00:18:05.720 was the fig tree. Leaves, but no fruit. And Jesus 00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:12.559 cursed the fig tree. Sure, every child who's 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:15.980 ever gone to Sunday school knows all about the 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:18.859 cursing of the fig tree. But that's not the end 00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:22.539 of the story. That's far from being the end. 00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:27.400 The next morning, when the disciples and Jesus 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:33.740 went by the very same place again, went by the 00:18:33.740 --> 00:18:40.559 same fig trees, the disciples saw that the tree 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:46.779 that Jesus had cursed was dried up. It's there. 00:18:47.789 --> 00:18:49.950 Don't stop reading the Word of God, the 20th 00:18:49.950 --> 00:18:53.309 verse. And in the morning, as they passed by, 00:18:53.490 --> 00:18:59.490 they saw the fig tree dried up. But too many 00:18:59.490 --> 00:19:05.970 of us have stopped right there. There are three 00:19:05.970 --> 00:19:11.029 more words that follow, and those three words 00:19:11.029 --> 00:19:15.170 are dynamite, and they are the secret. They are 00:19:15.170 --> 00:19:20.349 the heart of the entire higher parable. Oh, this 00:19:20.349 --> 00:19:26.269 is thrilling. Don't stop. Let me read it again 00:19:26.269 --> 00:19:29.809 and read it all. And in the morning, they passed 00:19:29.809 --> 00:19:37.230 by. They saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 00:19:39.190 --> 00:19:45.869 The roots had not been cursed. That fig tree 00:19:45.869 --> 00:19:52.829 that Jesus had cursed was only dried up from 00:19:52.829 --> 00:20:04.210 the roots. Uh -huh. Yeah. In cursing the fig 00:20:04.210 --> 00:20:11.650 tree, Jesus had cursed only that which was visible. 00:20:15.980 --> 00:20:21.579 The part underground, the part that could not 00:20:21.579 --> 00:20:28.019 be seen with the natural eye, did not come under 00:20:28.019 --> 00:20:34.720 the curse but remained alive. Life is in the 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:40.019 roots. The life of any tree, the life of any 00:20:40.019 --> 00:20:46.890 plant, the life is in the roots. You can take 00:20:46.890 --> 00:20:54.789 a tree. You can cut it down. Looking at just 00:20:54.789 --> 00:21:00.930 the stump, you would say, it's dead. It'll never 00:21:00.930 --> 00:21:05.609 amount to anything. Where are the branches? Where 00:21:05.609 --> 00:21:10.750 are the leaves? You have only a stump. The thing 00:21:10.750 --> 00:21:15.799 is dead and you'd swear it was dead. But the 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:23.000 man who knows nature, the master, will say, oh 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:28.539 no, it isn't dead. No, there's still life there. 00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:34.119 One of these days, it will be restored again 00:21:34.119 --> 00:21:39.500 to a beautiful tree, and you give it time. You 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:43.140 come back again five years, eight years, ten 00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:47.259 years, and you say, this couldn't possibly be 00:21:47.259 --> 00:21:55.940 the same tree. But it is. Why? Because the life 00:21:55.940 --> 00:22:00.519 was in the roots. The roots had not been touched. 00:22:01.559 --> 00:22:07.440 My friend, in cursing the fig tree, Jesus had 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:13.920 cursed... Only that which was visible. It's there. 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:20.400 As they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:27.400 up from the roots. Go back again. Where we first 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:37.759 started, Israel likened to a fig tree. big trees 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:44.900 symbolic of Israel. The root of Israel has remained 00:22:44.900 --> 00:22:53.680 alive, lo, these many centuries. My friend, leaders 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:59.380 of nations have tried to destroy the Jew. World 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:05.000 leaders have tried to destroy the seed of Abraham. 00:23:08.460 --> 00:23:12.059 They have tried to remove the Jew from off the 00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:16.619 face of the earth. Had they known the word of 00:23:16.619 --> 00:23:20.279 God, they would have known that this absolutely 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:26.680 was an impossibility. The root of Israel has 00:23:26.680 --> 00:23:30.980 remained alive. The only thing that was cursed 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:44.019 was that from the root of... why Jesus said in 00:23:44.019 --> 00:23:50.400 that wonderful parable that I quote over and 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:57.140 over and over again. Now learn a parable of the 00:23:57.140 --> 00:24:04.119 fig tree when his branch is yet tender and put 00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:11.900 forth leaves. Ye know that's Summer is nigh. 00:24:12.900 --> 00:24:19.259 Mm -hmm. My friend, the root of Israel has remained 00:24:19.259 --> 00:24:26.240 alive lo these many centuries. And now, the fig 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:33.460 tree is once again beginning to bud. Israel is 00:24:33.460 --> 00:24:38.579 God's timepiece. For the closing of this dispensation. 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:46.039 The leaves are tender. The leaves are very tender. 00:24:46.660 --> 00:24:50.859 Even as the word of God says they would be. But 00:24:50.859 --> 00:24:57.099 he said as a warning. As a warning to his children. 00:24:57.200 --> 00:25:01.900 But when once again you see these tender leaves 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:08.980 beginning to sprout. No. We are coming to the 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:15.980 closing of the end of the Gentiles. God bless 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:16.140 you.