The Parable of the Fig Tree Kathryn Kuhlman Israel 3 of 3

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.