Site Search Engine

Israel

Its future

Romans chapter 11

There is a false doctrine, old but still very propagated, according to which God withdrew His favour permanently from Israel, and the church of Christ took its place, being now the Israel of God and heir of all the promises God made to Israel. This "replacement theology" is strongly refuted in this chapter (also see HERE).

Right at the beginning is the question, “Has God cast away His people?”  and the peremptory answer: "certainly not!", given immediately after. God did not reject Israel: If that were the case, no Jew could be saved. However, many Jews are being saved by the election of grace, through faith in Christ, just as the Apostle Paul himself, whose credentials as a Jew were impeccable. The rejection of the Messiah by Israel was not of all the people, and God has not rejected or abandoned His people.

The fact that Paul refers to Israel as His people shows that they are still the chosen people of God – it is the people that He "foreknew", i.e. in His foreknowledge. As an example, it seemed to Elijah that he alone had been left of the prophets of the LORD, and his life was in imminent danger. However, God told him He had reserved for himself seven thousand men who refused to follow the nation that worshiped Baal (1 Kings 19:10 -18). There has always been a "remnant" faithful to God, although sometimes small, unlike the Gentiles where apostasy prevailed.

“So then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace "– the election of grace is the standard according to which the "remnant” shall exist. Not according to the Law of Moses (chapter 10: 4) but based on grace. This remnant existed in the past, exists in the present, and will continue to exist in the future. This is the Israel of God in Galatians 6:16. Grace and works are mutually exclusive because what works achieve is not by grace. Fortunately, for us, the election or choice of God is by grace and not by works, otherwise no one would reach the necessary condition to be chosen.

The "remnant" reached justification by grace, but the nation of Israel as a whole did not obtain it because they trusted their own works, and consequently: "their eyes were blinded that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day". It is important to note that the distinction is not between Israel and the church of Christ, or between Jews and Gentiles, but between Jews and Jews, believers and unbelievers. The existence of Jewish believers, saved by their faith, is evidence that God has not rejected His people.

The hardening of the Jewish unbelievers had already been foreseen in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 29:4, Psalm 69:22,23 and Isaiah 29:10). God would leave them in a state of insensibility to spiritual realities. In Psalm 69:22-23 David described the rejected Saviour asking God to "let their table become a snare before them, and their well-being a trap”. The table here represents the totality of the privileges and blessings, which flow through Christ.

What should have been a blessing was turned into a curse, a sort of deep sleep, stupor (Isaiah 29:10, 6:9), and apathy, without vision and with the back bent (as slaves carrying large loads on their shoulders). Having refused to recognize the Lord Jesus as Messiah and Saviour, they could no longer see him. Becoming deaf to his voice, they were suffering from spiritual deafness. This terrible judgment continues today.

Now comes the second question: "Have they stumbled in order that they might fall?" Again, we have the answer "No". The question refers to the majority of the people who stumbled, and "fall" is a translation of a Greek verb meaning "something complete and irrevocable". It is inconceivable that God might have failed in His faithfulness. They stumbled, but did not fall irrevocably. If God planned their stumbling, it was so that salvation might come to them through the Gentiles: the salvation of the Gentiles would provoke jealousy in Jews (Deuteronomy 32:21, Romans 10:19), causing these to believe in the Messiah out of jealousy for what the Gentiles have. So God saves the Gentiles, these in turn announce the Gospel to the incredulous Jews, and these end up believing in Christ, by seeing the blessings of the Gospel in the lives of the Gentiles.

Today among the people of Israel the believers are a remnant, but in the future there will be a national salvation and that is their "fullness" (verse 12). The stumbling of the Jews with the decrease of Israel meant wealth for the world and enrichment of the Gentiles (their salvation). Thus, how greater still will be the benefit resulting in the restoration of Israel before God! When Israel turns to the Lord during the great tribulation, it will become the channel of blessing to the nations and great multitudes will be saved among the Gentiles (Revelation 7: 9-14).

Paul extols his ministry to the Gentiles, to which he was appointed by the Lord Jesus (Acts 9:15), to see if it could somehow provoke the Jews and save some of them. Just like us, Paul knew we could not save anyone, but the servant of God identifies himself so much with his Saviour, as his instrument, that he can speak as if he were doing what only He can do.

Verse 15 has the same sense as verse 12, seeing the position of privilege of the world when:

• God put in it the testimony of His people, Israel,
• the world's reconciliation with God with the rejection of the Messiah by Israel,
• the regeneration or resurrection (life from the dead) of the world in the admission of the Messiah by Israel in the millennial Kingdom of Christ.

Then we have two metaphors:

The first fruit and the lump

In Numbers 15:19 -21 we read that, if a portion of the dough is dedicated to the Lord as a heave offering, it is as if the whole lump had been consecrated. Abraham is the first fruit, consecrated or set apart by God. Therefore, all his chosen posterity is also placed in a position of external privilege before God.

The root and the branches

If the root is dedicated to God, so are also the branches from the same plant, represented here by an olive tree. Abraham was the first person to be set apart by God in the world in which he live, to form a new society, distinct from the nations. If God thus set Abraham apart, so are chosen by God those who descended from him in a line.

Some branches have been broken away, being the unbelievers in the nation of Israel, including those who rejected the Messiah. These lost their privileged place as God’s chosen people. Only some were removed, and a remnant remained, having received the Lord, including Paul.

A wild olive tree represents the gentiles as a whole, not only those in the church. Some of its branches are being broken out and grafted in amongst the branches of the olive tree, so participating of its sap. In other words, gentile believers participate in the blessings that come from Abraham, according to God’s promise to him: “in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3).

However, there is a warning: the gentiles should not despise the Jews, because just as God rejected the unbelieving Jews and extended His grace to the gentiles due to their faith, He will reject the unbelieving gentiles if they do not remain in God. God will yet again accept the Jews, as a nation, when they become believers.  

It is more natural for the nation of the Jews to adjust into the Kingdom of God when it believes (because of its root in Israel), than for the gentiles, that come from outside. The Body of Christ can never be separated from Christ, who is the Head, nor can a believer be separated from the love of God. However, the gentiles in general may lose the privileged position they now enjoy, according to this verse.

Paul now revealed a fact which was hidden until then (a secret, or mystery): most of the people of Israel will continue in their unbelief until the fulness of the Gentiles comes in (when the church of Christ is completed, the living transformed and the dead resurrected raptured into His presence), but then all Israel will be saved, returning to the Lord, as prophesied in Isaiah 59:20-21. By "all Israel”, we must understand the entire Jewish nation on this future occasion.

It is impossible to achieve with our human mind the wisdom, righteousness, the knowledge of God and His ways. Nobody can give Him advice, for of Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To him be glory forever.

 

R David Jones

 

Previous                                                                                          Next

 

 

 

 

 

1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,
3 "LORD, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS AND TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY SEEK MY LIFE"?
4 But what does the divine response say to him? "I HAVE RESERVED FOR MYSELF SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL."
5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

 

7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
8 Just as it is written: "GOD HAS GIVEN THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES THAT THEY SHOULD NOT SEE AND EARS THAT THEY SHOULD NOT HEAR, TO THIS VERY DAY."
9 And David says: "LET THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RECOMPENSE TO THEM.
10 LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED, SO THAT THEY DO NOT SEE, AND BOW DOWN THEIR BACK ALWAYS."

 

 

 

 

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.
12

 

 

 

 

Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

 

 

13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

 

 

 

 

 

16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

 

 

 

17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,
18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in."
20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "THE DELIVERER WILL COME OUT OF ZION, AND HE WILL TURN AWAY UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB;
27 FOR THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,
31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 "FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD? OR WHO HAS BECOME HIS COUNSELOR?"
35 "OR WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM AND IT SHALL BE REPAID TO HIM?"
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Romans chapter 11, verses 1 to 36