I Will Give Them a Heart to Know Me Kathryn Kuhlman Israel 2 of 3 Parable of the Fig Tree

This is going to be another one of those days when we're going to get right into the Word of God. You always know when there's no music, no singing, it's one of those important days when we do a little digging way down deep underneath the surface. Somebody says, oh. Good. Wait till I get my Bible. All right. You should have had it out before I came into your house today. There it is. You had it handy. Good. And be sure that you have your pencil and little notebook there because when your husband comes home from work tonight, he'll say, well, now, Annie, what did Miss Cooman say today? And the first thing that you... is the Scripture, the Word of God that I give to you, because nothing that I can say will be as important as the Word of God. When I left you in our heart -to -heart talk regarding the preservations of God's people, Israel, and remember, Please never forget whenever I talk about Israel and I talk about the seed of Abraham. These were earthly people. And every covenant and every promise that God made to Abraham and to the seed of Abraham are all earthly promises and earthly covenants. The seed of Abraham must accept Jesus Christ as the true Messiah. He must be born again if he is to enter into the kingdom of heaven. When it comes to salvation, there is no such thing as nationality. I want to repeat that. For those who feel that because they may be from the seed of Abraham, because they are Jewish, they have a very spatial place in the sight of God, that they do not need to be born again as Gentiles. Oh, yes. When it comes to entering the kingdom of heaven, when it comes to entering heaven, when it comes to being an heir of God, a joint heir with Christ Jesus, there must be that new birth experience for each individual. All right, now we're ready. The miracle, and I mean exactly that, and I use that word advisedly, the miracle of the preservation of the children of Israel. throughout past generations, all through their persecution, all through their past history, is absolute proof that God will certainly fulfill all the promises that he made to them for the future. And it's just like that. I cannot take the time. to review anything that I said in a little heart -to -heart talk yesterday. But let me just remind you again, as you look back into Jewish history, you take the Red Sea, when with just one master stroke, God completely destroyed an enemy's nation and brought Israel through victoriously. You take the River Jordan. The waters that were parted so the Israelites could enter into the land. Go on back through history, way back to the time when God literally caused the sun to stand still for almost an entire day until the enemy had been defeated. But go back also. to Israel's suffering, their sorrow, their persecution because of their disobedience unto the Lord. And it all started and God's blessing lifted when they cried, His blood be upon us and on our children. Literally, Thousands upon thousands of Jews have been killed. March. No people have been so hated throughout the world as scattered people. Literally millions have been killed. Take Jewish history. We speak of Hitler. Oh, the hatred. When he tried to, through his regime, destroy the Jewish people. He thought, I believe that Hitler thought, that he could wipe... out the Jews from off the face of the earth. And he set out as a one man's army to do just exactly that. But he didn't reckon with God. God had a plan for Abraham and the seed of Abraham. And God never changes his mind. God never changes his plans. He has a perfect timetable. He's never too late. He's never too soon. It works according to schedule. And whenever he has made a promise or a covenant, he keeps that word and he keeps that covenant to the crossing of every T and the dotting of every I. Suddenly, things began to turn for the Jewish people. And that's where I left you in our last heart -to -heart talk. In 1753, the tide began to turn when England passed a bill which provided a haven for many, many Jews. And then in 1776, we were only a small nation. So tiny. But when America declared its independence, it became the greatest of all the havens for the Jews. Something is going to happen, how do I know? Because, my friend, in that little book of Amos, not often do you hear a minister quote from the book of Amos, but there's something very important in it. It's God's word. The ninth chapter of Amos and the last two verses. If only Hitler had read those two verses, he would have known that he could not do away with the two. They would still rise again. because God would set so. I read, I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build away cities and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof. They shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them. How impossible this all seemed during the persecution of the Jews. For centuries, how absolutely fantastic this seemed. It was impossible. And yet God said so. I continue, and I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up. out of their land, which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God. Sometimes, you know, I think it would be the best thing in the world if world leaders would begin reading the Bible. I think it'd be marvelous if sometimes we could just called a little recess in the United Nations and say, now, gentlemen, let's go to the Word of God and see what the Word of God says about this thing. I think that our world leaders would deal with things more intelligently than perhaps they are dealing. or will continue to deal because God is still there. And this very hour, he has hooks, literally hooks in the jaws of the nation. And in spite of Israel's persecution, in spite of her past history, God says, restore Israel to her full blessing. I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land, which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God. If Hitler had only known the word of God. If nations in the past had only known God's word, they would have known that in the future there would be a time of regathering. All right, now here is something that's thrilling. You see, I never use just the Old Testament without the New, neither the New Testament without the Old. Never. That's the reason those of you who have been following my ministry for years know that I have said repeatedly that the Bible is a whole book. You can't say, I'll just accept what's in the Old Testament. I'll not accept what's in the New. I'll just take the Old. You can't understand the Old without accepting the New. The New opens the Old. The Old Testament opens the New Testament. It is all the very Word of God, and the Holy Spirit has been its author. Well, the Old and New Testament have the same author. It's still all of God's Word. All right, now here we're coming to something that's most interesting. Turn to the New Testament, the 24th chapter of Matthew. I'm turning to it right now, and you would smile if you could see my poor Bible. Part of the 24th chapter is no longer there because I've worn it out. It's in shreds. I've read it so often. I've used it so often. I'm going to read it to you. I know it from memory. I've quoted it that often, all right? It's the 24th chapter of Matthew. Begin, if you will, please, with the 32nd verse. And it's Jesus speaking. It's a parable. Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When his branch is yet tender, put forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye... When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the very door. The disciples had just asked Jesus a most important question. They were sitting on the Mount of Olives, and the disciples were there. They were having a heart -to -heart talk, just like we're having now. The outside world was not there. They were talking in confidence. And they came unto Jesus and asked him this question. Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and the end of the world? Now, there will never be an end of the world, but Jesus did not rebuke them for using The phrase, the end of the world. He knew that they were asking ignorance. He didn't rebuke them. There will always be the world. Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered, in a parable, learn a... parable of the fig tree. That's his answer. When his branch is yet tender and put forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. And so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near. How near? Even at the doors. And when somebody is standing at your door, he's practically in. All that has to be done is to open the door and that one steps in, even at the doors. Then he follows with the word verily, and whenever he uses the word verily, it's something that's most important. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away. Till all these things be fulfilled. What generation? The generation that is living when the fig tree begins to put on leaves. Let's take this thing of the fig tree, my friend. Israel is likened unto a big tree. I'm very frank to tell you that what we're going to talk about from this point on to my own heart is one of the most thrilling, the most precious things that I have brought to you for a long time. I think it's one of the most enlightening portions of the Word of God. You may have known for a long time that Israel and the Word of God is likened to a fig tree, but you've never gone into it very deeply. So let us examine another passage of Scripture which confirms that the fig tree is symbolic of Israel. I never use the Old Testament without the New, the New without the Old. Now, Is there any other place in the Bible where Israel is likened unto a fig tree? Sure. Go to Jeremiah. Oh, I'm so glad you got your Bibles out today. Read the whole chapter. The 24th chapter of Jeremiah. Oh, let's begin with the second verse. I won't have time to read it all. You read it. Read it to your husband when he comes home tonight. Study it. It's wonderful. And study it along with the 24th chapter of Matthew. The Lord showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the Lord. There were two baskets. 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. Can't you just see these two baskets of figs? 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 good figs. Very good. Oh, I tell you the psychology of this. I have never studied psychology in my life. I have never read a book on psychology in my life. I have never studied psychology in my life. All you have to do is to read the Word of God and see how the Holy Spirit deals and how the Lord deals with human beings. He always gives you the blessed, the good first. Always. He always deals with the positive. Take the first psalm, read it. Blessed, the blessed man. And then after he's given you a picture of the blessed man, then he turns and he rebukes the sinner and gives condemnation. Therefore, he shows the good figs first. I said figs, the good figs, Jeremiah said. Very good. And the evil, very evil. that cannot be eaten. They are 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 Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into 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'll not pull them down. Oh, remember that scripture in the ninth chapter of Amos, the 14th and 15th verses? He's saying the same thing. I will bring them unto 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 a heart to know me, 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. The sign of the figs. The basket of good figs. Very good. Even like the figs that were first Right. The restoration of Israel. Uh -huh. Restored again as a nation. Uh -huh. Yeah. I will be their God and they shall return unto me with their whole heart. Even as they loved the Lord God with their hearts, when God parted the Red Sea and made those waves stand back as mold and glass and with one master's stroke, the enemy's army was destroyed completely. They shall love me with their whole hearts. They shall follow me in complete obedience even as they followed me when I blessed them and caused the sun to stand still for nearly an entire day until their enemy was defeated. But it shall be different now. It is impossible for them to love me with their whole hearts until, first of all, they accept my son, Jesus Christ, as their true Messiah. It's different. They cannot accept me wholeheartedly without accepting my son. son, Jesus, the true Messiah, and acknowledge him an earthly people, an earthly nation, the very seed of Abraham and of Isaac. They must accept the Messiah, accept the fact that he is all that he is. He said that he was. And they couldn't do it. God's word said so. I will give them an heart to know me. You know, you can't accept Jesus Christ with just sheer head knowledge. No, uh -uh. You can't. That is what is wrong with religion today. It's head knowledge. It's intellectual. You don't. Some people have their minds crammed with religion. It doesn't mean a thing. To accept Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, as the true Messiah. Accept him in the position that he is this very hour. The great mediator, the great high priest. This wonderful experience is a heart transaction. A heart matter. I will give them an... not a mind to know me, but a heart to know me, 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 heart. That is future, but God will keep his word. Amen.