You've heard me quote it over and over again
every time I would bring a message on the second
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ or about the
perilous times in which we are living. When I
would speak regarding the word of prophecy, I
would quote that portion of God's word as found
in the 24th chapter of Matthew. The 32nd verse,
when the master himself gave a parable of the
fig tree. And he gave this parable in answer
to a question that the disciples had asked him.
They were sitting on the Mount of Olives, having
a good heart -to -heart talk. probably talking
about the future, and then one of them asked
him, Tell us, when shall these things be, and
what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the
end of the world? Now, it was in response to
this question that Jesus said these words. Now
learn a parable of the fig tree. And there's
something about that fig tree that has always
intrigued me. Oh sure, you've known for years
that Israel is likened to a fig tree. The fig
tree has always been symbolic of Israel. Therefore,
we knew that he was referring to Israel. when
he gave this parable the fig tree. When his branch
is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know
that summer is nigh. And so likewise ye, when
ye shall see all these things, know that it is
near, even at the door. And when somebody's at
your door, when something is at your door, they're
almost... In the house, all you have to do is
to open the door. And haven't you opened the
door and something has literally fallen in? Yeah.
But he didn't stop there. Verily I say unto you,
this generation, and this is vitally important,
what generation? The generation that is living
when the fig tree begins to put on lees, and
the lees are yet tender. This generation shall
not pass till all these things be fulfilled.
Then he doesn't stop there. He continues by saying,
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall not pass away. If these things seem to
be fantastic, If you feel as though they cannot
be, remember, I cannot lie. A God who is promised
will keep his word. It is impossible for God
to lie. Heaven and earth shall pass away but
my words. And remember this scripture. Every
time you read your Bible, my words shall not
pass away. All right? Let's go back to this fig
tree, the parable of the fig tree. We're going
to leave it for just a moment. Then we will return
to it. Let's examine another passage of Scripture
which confirms that the fig tree is symbolic
of Israel. And that's where I left you in our
last heart -to -heart talk regarding Israel in
prophecy. The confirmation is found in the 24th
chapter of Jeremiah. I'm sure you have read the
entire chapter if you heard my last heart -to
-heart talk on the subject. The Lord showed me.
Behold, two... baskets of figs were set before
the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good
figs, even like the figs that were first ripe,
and the other basket had very naughty figs, which
could not be eaten, they were so bad. Then said
the Lord unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah?
And I said, Figs. The very good things, very
good, and the evil, very evil, that cannot be
eaten, they're so evil. Again, the word of the
Lord came unto me, saying, Thus saith the Lord,
the God of Israel, Like these good things, so
will I acknowledge them that are carried away
captive of Judah, whom I have sent out to this
place in the land of the Chaldeans for their
good. for I will set mine eyes upon them for
good. I will bring them again to this land. I
will build them. I will not pull them down. I
will plant them and not pluck them up. I will
give them an heart to know me, that I am the
Lord and they shall be my people and I will be
their God. for they shall return unto me with
their whole hearts. And when I left you in our
last heart -to -heart talk, I showed you that
no person, whether he be Jew or Gentile, can
accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal
Savior. Intellectually, but in his heart. This
new birth experience is a heart matter, not mental.
That is exactly what's wrong with religion today.
Tens of thousands, I can safely say hundreds
of thousands of people, both Jew and Gentile,
are religious. extremely religious. But all on
earth that they have is religion. And their religion
is a mental thing. It's purely mental. But the
experience of being born again, of accepting
the Christ, the very son of the living God, is
a heart. Whether that one be Jew or Gentile.
We turn to the Jew. Oh, the law. Keeping the
law. Every part of the law. But, beloved, no
Jew, neither Gentile. is a candidate for heaven,
can enter into the kingdom of heaven, can know
God Almighty as his heavenly Father, can know
Jesus in the experience of Savior and Redeemer
until he accepts him in his heart. It's a life.
It isn't a mental conception. It is a life. That's
the reason we become new creatures in Christ
Jesus. And the Word of God says the time is coming.
I will give them an heart to know me and to know
that I am the Lord. And they shall be my people.
I will be their God, for they shall return unto
me with their whole hearts. That was the... Good
basket of figs that Jeremiah saw. And they were
very good figs, even like the figs that were
first ripe. But the other basket had very naughty
figs, which could not be eaten. They were so
bad. And that is a picture of Israel in disobedience.
Following him. In disobedience. In that which
I gave you in my first heart -to -heart talk.
When they no longer continued to follow him step
by step in perfect obedience. When they cried,
his blood be upon us and on our children. Bad
figs. Very bad. bad figs. Very naughty figs which
could not be eaten. They were so bad. His blood
be upon us and our children. Naughty fakes. So
bad that God could not delight in them any longer.
For you cannot accept God and reject His Son.
For Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, is the...
The very son of the living God. And Israel for
centuries have rejected the son of God. And for
that reason, God has been unable to bless them.
Mm -hmm. The bad things referred to the dispersion
of Israel. But something is happening. I'm going
to show you one of the most thrilling portions
of the Word of God. I hope it's as thrilling
to you as it has been to me. Turn now. Go back
from the Old to the New Testament. Back to Mark.
Sure, even a little child in Sunday school, the
youngster in Sunday school knows all about the
barren fig tree. Turn to the 11th chapter of
Mark, and I pray the Holy Spirit will open your
understanding, as never before, to this familiar
portion of God's Word. I read, and I begin with
the 11th verse. of the 11th chapter of Mark.
And Jesus entered into Jerusalem and into the
temple. And when he had looked round about upon
all things, and now the eventide was come, he
went out unto Bethany with the twelve. Can't
you see them? They'd been in Jerusalem. They
had... been in the temple. They had walked around,
looking around, perfectly natural, so human.
And now evening had come, and they took that
walk back to Bethany, Jesus and the Twelve. So
natural. Those of you who've been over to Jerusalem
know that the walk is not... It wasn't too far,
just a nice walk in the evening. And on the morrow,
when they were come from Bethany and returning
again to Jerusalem, he was hungry. Let's pause
a minute. You know that walking along slowly.
They had been in conversation, probably talking
about the things that they'd been interested
in, about the end time. Mm -hmm. Talking about
the things that were to take place in the future.
Because you know that they were talking about
something. And so the next day, coming back again
to Jerusalem, He was hungry. The master wanted
something to eat. And seeing a fig tree afar
off, having leaves, now there was nothing unusual
about this. So natural. Seeing a fig tree afar
off, having leaves, he came. If happily, he might
find anything thereon. And when he came to it,
he found nothing but leaves. for the time of
figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said
unto it, unto the fig tree, No man eat fruit
of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples
heard it. It was the cursing of the fig tree.
Everybody knows about it. And yet I have never
heard a minister give a satisfactory a count
as to why it was cursed. Oh, I know there isn't
a minister in the world but what has preached
a sermon on the barren fig tree. And nine times
out of ten, he has likened it unto a life that
does not bear fruit, only leaves. But it's something
more. There was something deeper. For... Jesus
used this opportunity to drive home a truth.
A great truth. It was a wonderful opportunity
to drive home a truth that he wanted to make.
And he did it. There was no fruit. That thing
is very apparent. When he went to the fig tree,
There was no fruit on the tree, only leaves.
Mm -hmm. Only leaves. Here we have a picture
of Israel who puts up a wonderful religious front.
Mm -hmm. A very wonderful religious front. the
keeping of the law in detail. But remember, Jesus
Christ himself said that we are not saved to
the keeping of the law. We are not his children
because we keep the law. Any man, any woman,
can keep the law to the very nth degree. But
my friend, it will never make you an heir of
God and a joint heir with Christ Jesus. It is
the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
The blood. The blood of the true Messiah. Jesus
Christ, the very son of the living God. There
was the fig tree. Leaves, but no fruit. And Jesus
cursed the fig tree. Sure, every child who's
ever gone to Sunday school knows all about the
cursing of the fig tree. But that's not the end
of the story. That's far from being the end.
The next morning, when the disciples and Jesus
went by the very same place again, went by the
same fig trees, the disciples saw that the tree
that Jesus had cursed was dried up. It's there.
Don't stop reading the Word of God, the 20th
verse. And in the morning, as they passed by,
they saw the fig tree dried up. But too many
of us have stopped right there. There are three
more words that follow, and those three words
are dynamite, and they are the secret. They are
the heart of the entire higher parable. Oh, this
is thrilling. Don't stop. Let me read it again
and read it all. And in the morning, they passed
by. They saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
The roots had not been cursed. That fig tree
that Jesus had cursed was only dried up from
the roots. Uh -huh. Yeah. In cursing the fig
tree, Jesus had cursed only that which was visible.
The part underground, the part that could not
be seen with the natural eye, did not come under
the curse but remained alive. Life is in the
roots. The life of any tree, the life of any
plant, the life is in the roots. You can take
a tree. You can cut it down. Looking at just
the stump, you would say, it's dead. It'll never
amount to anything. Where are the branches? Where
are the leaves? You have only a stump. The thing
is dead and you'd swear it was dead. But the
man who knows nature, the master, will say, oh
no, it isn't dead. No, there's still life there.
One of these days, it will be restored again
to a beautiful tree, and you give it time. You
come back again five years, eight years, ten
years, and you say, this couldn't possibly be
the same tree. But it is. Why? Because the life
was in the roots. The roots had not been touched.
My friend, in cursing the fig tree, Jesus had
cursed... Only that which was visible. It's there.
As they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried
up from the roots. Go back again. Where we first
started, Israel likened to a fig tree. big trees
symbolic of Israel. The root of Israel has remained
alive, lo, these many centuries. My friend, leaders
of nations have tried to destroy the Jew. World
leaders have tried to destroy the seed of Abraham.
They have tried to remove the Jew from off the
face of the earth. Had they known the word of
God, they would have known that this absolutely
was an impossibility. The root of Israel has
remained alive. The only thing that was cursed
was that from the root of... why Jesus said in
that wonderful parable that I quote over and
over and over again. Now learn a parable of the
fig tree when his branch is yet tender and put
forth leaves. Ye know that's Summer is nigh.
Mm -hmm. My friend, the root of Israel has remained
alive lo these many centuries. And now, the fig
tree is once again beginning to bud. Israel is
God's timepiece. For the closing of this dispensation.
The leaves are tender. The leaves are very tender.
Even as the word of God says they would be. But
he said as a warning. As a warning to his children.
But when once again you see these tender leaves
beginning to sprout. No. We are coming to the
closing of the end of the Gentiles. God bless
you.