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American News Is god through wIth Israel? 5 wItnesses who say no! Today with the rise of Replacement theology, the question should be asked, “Is god though with Israel?” In the Book of Romans Paul answers the question very succinctly, “Has God cast away His people? God forbid! For I also am an Israelite!” And from there Paul continues his epistle, which is set in a courtroom, following the traditional courtroom procedures used in the Roman Empire. There will be a charge; there will be some indictments; the counts that tell you your charge is correct. Then there will be an opportunity for defense. Finally, there will be a verdict. And since we’re all in the courtroom lets look at some of the witnesses Paul calls to the stand to answer the question, “Is God through with Israel and is there a future in God’s plan for the Jews? First to the stand is Paul himself (Rom. 11:1). After asking “Has God cast away His people” Paul replies, “God forbid!” So, the question is asked and answered. But if God is through or has He cast away His people Israel, then how do we explain Paul’s conversion, after all he is an Israel- 2 Moriel Quarterly • June 2010 David Lister ite (Acts 9, 22, 26)? We could easily see that his conversion is an illustration of the future conversion of the nation of Israel. As Paul stated he was “one untimely born” (1Cor. 15:8) and further points out in 1 Timothy 1:16 that God saved him, “Yet for this reason i found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example (or pattern KJV) for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” Paul’s conversion accounts in Acts show us very little about our own salvation experience as none of us seen Christ in glory or actually heard Him speak from heaven. We have not been blinded by the heavenly light, nor thrown to the ground. So, in what way, then, is Paul’s conversion “a pattern or example”? It is an illustration of how the nation of Israel will be saved when Jesus Christ returns to establish His kingdom on earth. You find details of Israel’s future restoration and salvation written in Zechariah 12:10-13:1. The nation shall see Him as He returns (Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:11; Rev. 1:7), then recognize Him as their http://dryicons.com Messiah, repent, and receive Him. This is similar experience to that of Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road in Acts 9. Now this is why Paul used himself as the first witness. The fact that he was saved does not prove that there is a future for Israel. Rather, what is important is the way he was saved. Next Paul calls Elijah to the stand to testify in verses 2 through 10 of Romans 11. The fact that most of the nation has rejected Christ is no proof that God has finished with His people. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah thought that the nation had totally departed from God, but he discovered that there was remnant of 7,000 true believers. Remember there never was a time when the entire nation of Israel had been true to the Lord. Paul pointed this out by drawing a distinction between Abraham’s natural children and his spiritual children (Romans 2:25-29). He talked about a remnant in Romans 9:27 quoting Isaiah 10:22-23. All true believers come to faith the same way as Abraham, they have to believe in God in order to receive His righteousness (Rom. 4:1-5; Gen. 15:6). Sharing in the covenant by being circumcised did not guarantee their salvation, no more than being sprinkled with water, or taking
communion does. salvation is always by grace and not works (Rom. 11:5-6). Grace and works cancel each other out. Paul had shown that Israel tried to please God by works (Rom. 9:30-10:4) and thus they reject and refuse to submit to His righteousness as most “religious” people today. The saved remnant of Elijah’s day as well as the saved remnant of believing Jews of Paul’s day and those today prove that God was not through with His people. But the question on the juror mind might well be, “What had happened to the rest of the nation?” They had been hardened (a better translation than “blinded” in the KJV (Rom. 11:7). When people resist the Truth, like Pharaoh did, their hearts harden. Quoting Isaiah 29:10 to support his evidence referring to Deuteronomy 20:4 statement, and also referred to Deuteronomy 29:4. As the evidence piles up Paul uses one of the most important of the messianic psalms, Psalms 69:22-23 to show that Israel’s privileges and blessings turn into burdens and judgments. These religious practices (sacrifices, festivals, etc) should have shown and pointed them to Christ, instead they became a snare that kept them from Christ. The same thing happens today, God has set before us a banquet table, and instead most people turn it into a snare. People depend on, or trust in traditions, baptisms, communions, going to church instead of trusting in the One who can save them. Paul closes Elijah’s testimony be stating that “Hardness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom. 11:25) There is believing Jewish remnant today, just as there was in Elijah’s day, this is evidence that God still has a plan for His people. Now Paul brings The Gentiles to the stand (earlier Paul had used the Gentiles to prove the Jews were guilty of sin (Rom. 2:1-3). so on redirect he now uses the same witness to assure Israel of a future restoration. Follow the legal deduction here, first the Jews reject the Gospel, so He sends it to the Gentiles, they believe it and are saved. Then three things happen to Israel, they fall, are diminished and cast away (consecutively in Romans 11:11,12, 15). Yet, none of these suggest a final judgment for Israel. Since God had promised the Gentiles would be saved, we see that because of Israel’s fall this becomes true. It is important to understand that the Old Testament promises to the Gentiles were linked to Israel’s “rise”—her entering into her kingdom together (See Isaiah 11 and 60). So, how shall they “rise” Paul explains this “mystery.” In Ephesians 3, this scared secret, not revealed in the Old Testament, is that God introduces The Church were both Jew and Gentile can be one in Christ (Eph. 2:11- David Lister 22). so, is the Kingdom program for Israel out? No. It is merely set aside for a time. Paul shows that the Gentiles have a vital ministry to Israel, to help her rise again, for we are to provoke Israel “to jealousy” because of our spiritual riches we have in Christ. As Christians we have “all spiritual blessings” in Christ (Eph. 1:3) and we use these blessings, to again, provoke Israel. As we provoke them to jealousy, we will see “their fullness or fulfillment” (Rom. 11:12) and their “receiving or acceptance” (v.15). Today, Israel is fallen spiritually, but when Christ returns, the nation will rise again. God links His promises to Israel to the sun, moon and stars, as His promises never to fail, (Jer. 31:35-37). Israel while cast away today, one day will be received again! Now Paul brings the Patriarchs to the stand, using imagery from the sacrifices to help us to understand Israel’s future. Paul helps us to see Israel’s future by drawing on her past. In Numbers 15:17-21 the first part of the dough was to be offered up to God as a symbol that the entire lump belonged to Him. We see this same idea in the Feast of First Fruits, with the sheaf offering symbolized the whole harvest (Lev. 23:9-14). The idea is simple, when God accepts the part, He sanctifies the whole. We understand Paul’s argument like this: Since God accepted the founder of the nation, Abraham, He set apart his descendants as well. God also accepted the other patriarchs, Isaac and Jacob, in spite of their sins or failings. This means that God must accept the “rest of the lump”—the nation of Israel. Please keep in mind that Paul was not discussing the relationship of individual believers to God, but the place of Israel in the plan of God. Paul next uses the imagery of the Olive tree, a symbol of the nation of Israel (Jer. 11:16-17) to understand the future of Israel. We all know a tree is supported by its root system. Paul uses the patriarchs who founded the nation of Israel as the root. Since God made His covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He cannot deny them or change them. Thus, it is God’s promise to Abraham that sustains Israel even today. Paul pictured non-believing Jews as branches broken off the tree. Then he explains that other branches (Gentiles) were grafted into the tree to share in the life of the tree. This “grafting in” was “contrary to nature as usually a cultivated branch is grafted into a wild tree and shares its life without producing its poor fruit. But in this case, it was the “wild branch” (the Gentiles) that was grafted into the good tree! We cannot say that the olive tree, with its natural and grafted branches, is a picture of the church In the church, “there is American News no difference”; believers are “all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Today we are not seen by God as Jews or Gentiles. The olive tree illustrates the relationship between Jew and Gentile in the program of God. The “breaking off of the branches” is the equivalent of “the fall or stumble” (Rom. 11:11), “the diminishing or failure” (Rom. 11:12), and “the casting away or rejection” (Rom. 11:15).. To read into this illustration the matter of the eternal destiny of the individual believer is to abuse the truth Paul was seeking to communicate. The Gentiles entered into God’s plan because of faith, and not because of anything good they had done. Paul was discussing the Gentiles collectively, and not the individual experience of one believer or another. Paul warned the Gentiles that they were obligated to Israel, and therefore they dared not boast of their new spiritual position (Rom. 11:18-21). It is worth noting that, according to Bible prophecy, the professing Gentile church will be “cut off” because of apostasy (See 1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim. 3 and 2 Thes. 2). While there is no hope for the apostate church, there is hope for apostate Israel! Why? Because of the root of the olive tree. God will keep His promises to the patriarchs, but God will break off the Gentiles because of their unbelief. The root is still good. God is still the “God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”. His promises never fail. The last witness is God Himself. In verse 25 we see God’s timing. The blinding (or hardening) (Rom. 11:7) of Israel as a nation is neither total nor final: it is partial and temporary! So, how long will it last? “Until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:12). While God is taking out a people for His name, individual Jews are being saved. But when the time of the Gentiles is up, God will once more deal with the nation of Israel. It is important to note the little word “until”, as it assures us God knows what time it is! In Isaiah 59 and 60 God has promised to save His people. The statement that, “All Israel shall be saved” does not mean that every Jew who has ever lived will be converted, but that the Jews living when the Redeemer returns will see Him, receive Him, and be saved (Zech 12-13). We cannot spiritualize these prophecies of national restoration for Israel and apply them to the church today. Paul next reminds us of God’s covenant. We know Israel was chosen by His grace. God chose Israel in His grace and not because of any merit in her (Deut. 7:6-11; 9:1-6). If Israel wasn’t chosen because of it merit, then how can it be rejected because of its sin “Election” means grace, not merit. June 2010 • Moriel Quarterly 27
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