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Almighty
God, Christianity & Israel, Pt.2
Gentiles
Will Never Replace the Hebrew People
by Pastor John Hamel
“… and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of
the branches be broken off, and THOU, BEING A WILD OLIVE TREE, wert grafted
in among them, and with them partakest of the root
and fatness of the olive tree; BOAST NOT AGAINST THE BRANCHES. But if thou
boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root
thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that
I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and
thou standest by faith. BE NOT HIGHMINDED, but
fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also
spare not thee.
“BEHOLD THEREFORE THE GOODNESS AND SEVERITY OF GOD: on them
which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his
goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in:
for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the
olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature
into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural
branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
“FOR I WOULD NOT, BRETHREN, THAT YE SHOULD BE IGNORANT OF THIS
MYSTERY, LEST YE SHOULD BE WISE IN YOUR OWN CONCEITS; that blindness in
part is happened to Israel, until the
fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as
it is written, There shall come out of Sion the
Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:” (Romans 11:16-26)
As we saw in part one of our
web study on Almighty God, Christianity and Israel, the Almighty has
not totally rejected the Nation of Israel because of their unbelief and rebellion. He will continue to work
with Israel and there will be
a remnant that will finally turn to Him. (Isaiah 10:22; Zechariah
13:1-14:21; Romans 9:27)
The Apostle Paul actually used himself as an example of God’s
willingness to continue to work with Israel. (Romans
11:1-2,5) As Christians, we must never take the unscriptural position
that Almighty God has completely rejected the Jewish people, replacing them
with Gentile (non-Jewish) Believers as the new people of His
Covenant.
Here in our text Scripture we find what is commonly referred to
as the “Olive Tree Metaphor.” A metaphor is simply something being
described through the use of symbolism. In this metaphor Gentile
(non-Jewish) Believers are referred to as “wild olive tree” branches.
(Verse 17) The believing Jewish remnant is referred to as the “root”
of the original olive tree into which the wild olive tree branches have
been grafted.
It is the root that gives life to the branches, not vice
versa. It is God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David that
has resulted in life to the Gentiles, not vice versa. Paul is using
this metaphor to admonish Born Again Gentile Believers of his
day to never adopt haughty attitudes towards the Born Again Jews of his
day.
Although the Apostle Paul is addressing the Church of his day,
the Holy Spirit is addressing the Church
of all ages. Still today Gentile Believers must realize that we need Israel to explain and to
define our spiritual heritage. Israel does not need
Christianity to explain or to define their spiritual heritage. As we
saw in part one of this study, without our Jewish heritage Christians would
have no adoption as children, no Glory, no Covenant, no understanding of
the Law, no promises, no spiritual connection to Abraham, no linkage to
Joseph, Mary, the Apostles or Jesus. (John 4:22; Romans 9:4-5; 15:9)
It is Christians who need Israel in order to define
their spiritual heritage, not vice versa. Yet at the same time,
Jewish Believers must be careful to never look down their noses at Gentile
Believers because of what the Almighty has made available to us through
them. After all, it all happened through Jewish unbelief and rebellion.
(Romans 11:20, 30-31)
The Apostle Paul was determined that there would not be
division between Jewish Believers and Gentile Believers. This is why
he wrote the Book of Ephesians. The Book of Ephesians is actually a letter
of unity to the Jews and Gentiles at Ephesus who needed to be
brought down a couple of notches. To Paul, Jesus was much bigger than
personal opinions, prejudices, manners, customs, cultures and
religion. Paul saw Jesus as He is; the One Who has all power to solve every problem of humanity and to bring all
the families of the Earth into one unified Body through Him.
Paul was determined to see Jewish Believers regard Gentile
Believers as brothers and sisters and to see Gentile Believers regard
Jewish Believers as brothers and sisters in Christ. (Ephesians
1:4-12) Paul was committed to overseeing the establishment of one
Church with Christ as its focal point.
Here in the Metaphor of the Olive Tree we find the foundation
of all New Testament Church teaching. Unless we learn the lessons
revealed here, we will remain ignorant of true Christianity. If we
miss it here in the love realm, we will miss it
everywhere. (Galatians 5:6; 1John 4:4)
The Almighty’s method of dealing with the Jews and Gentiles
individually is pictured in this metaphor, as well as His non-acceptance of
prejudice from Born Again Gentiles towards
Born Again Jews. It is only His non-acceptance of Gentile prejudice
that we will deal with from this metaphor.
No
Gentile Boasting Allowed
“BOAST NOT against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say
then, The branches were broken off, that I might
be grafted in.” (Romans 11:18-19)
The Greek word for “boast” in this verse is “katakauchaoma,”
which means, “to exalt oneself over and to rejoice against.” It also
means, “to exhibit joy in a bad sense.” Paul is rebuking the superior attitude whereby Gentile
Believers saw themselves as better than Jewish Believers.
He also addresses, in verse 19, those who insist that the
original Jewish branches were broken off and that Gentile Believers now
replace them as the new Covenant people of God. Paul is saying, in
essence, “Alright everybody, listen up and listen up good. You
Gentiles need to get rid of your superior, condescending attitudes that
you’re something special, because you’re not.
You don’t support the root. The root supports you.
It's time to knock off this un-Scriptural business about God replacing Israel with
Gentiles. It’s never going to happen. As long as the sun and
the moon are in the sky, the Almighty will remain in Covenant with His
chosen people.” (Psalm 89:1-52)
We are forbidden to boast of being accepted in place of the
Jews, because it is not true. Again, let me remind you, Gentile
Believers are dependent upon Jewish heritage, not vice
versa.
No
Gentile High-Mindedness Allowed
“Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not HIGH-MINDED, but fear:”
(Romans 11:20)
The Greek word for “high-minded” in this verse is “hupselophroneo,”
which means, “to be lofty in mind and to be arrogant.” This is the
same word that the Apostle Paul used instructing Pastor Timothy to not
accept high-mindedness from the wealthy. (1Timothy 6:17) Nobody is special just because they
have a little more temporal wealth than others, and no Gentile is special
just because he has been able to cash in on the temporary unbelief of the
Jews.
The Almighty will not
put up with boastful, high-minded, arrogant, disobedient Gentiles now any
more than He would put up with boastful, high-minded, arrogant, disobedient
Israelites way back then. (Psalm 107:11-16; Isaiah 63:10; Ezekiel 2:3;
20:8,13,21) Think twice. Be nice, or pay the price.
No
Gentile Absent-Mindedness Allowed
“BEHOLD THEREFORE THE GOODNESS AND SEVERITY OF GOD: on them
which fell, severity; but toward thee, GOODNESS, IF THOU CONTINUE IN HIS
GOODNESS: OTHERWISE THOU ALSO SHALT BE CUT OFF.” (Romans 11:22)
Here the Apostle Paul admonishes the Gentile Believers to
always remember both the goodness and the severity of the Almighty. Israel stumbled and fell
and is temporarily experiencing the severity of the Almighty. (Jeremiah
3:14; Zechariah 13:1-9) As a result of their temporary stumbling
through unbelief, His goodness is now being offered to the Gentiles.
Born Again Gentiles who refuse to continue in His goodness towards Israel can be cut out
just as easily as they were cut in!
Somebody said, “I believe in eternal security. God will
never cut me off no matter what I do.” That somebody simply needs a
good Bible education. Our above Scripture verse clearly states that
those who cut off the flow of goodness to Israel will be cut off
themselves. (Genesis 12:1-3; Psalm 122:6-9; Zechariah 12:1-3)
As a matter of fact, it is possible to be cut off by refusing to walk in
love towards anyone, not just the Hebrew people. (Matthew 18:8-9; 19:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:7,11;
Galatians 6:7,8; Colossians 1:21-23; 1John 3:14,15; Jude 1:20-24)
No
Gentile Ignorance Allowed
“For I WOULD NOT, BRETHREN, THAT YE SHOULD BE IGNORANT OF THIS
MYSTERY, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in
part is happened to Israel, until the
fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Romans 11:25)
The Greek word for “ignorant” in this verse is “agnoeo,”
which means, “to lack knowledge or intelligence, to not understand or to
deliberately ignore.” What is the mystery that Paul does not want us
Gentiles to be ignorant of? The mystery of how we came to be
saved!
“How that by revelation HE MADE KNOWN UNTO ME THE MYSTERY;
…THAT THE GENTILES SHOULD BE FELLOWHEIRS, AND OF THE SAME BODY, and
partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:3,6)
That the Almighty would save Gentiles could not be the mystery
Paul is talking about because He openly promised this to Adam right after
his fall in the Garden. (Genesis 3:15) Abraham was a Gentile and it
was his seed that the Almighty promised to multiply and to bless.
This was no mystery either. (Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:8) Even
Moses, Hosea and Isaiah non-mysteriously prophesied that the Gentiles would
be saved in order to provoke Israel to jealousy.
(Romans 9:24-33; 10:19-21)
The mystery that Paul is referring to in the above Scripture
was that Gentiles would not only be saved but that both Jews and Gentiles
would be saved without having to observe the Law of Moses and that the two
would become one Body. This is what Paul meant by the Gentiles being
“fellow heirs” and “of the same Body.” He is referring to the New Testament Church, which is a
result of the merging of Jewish and Gentile Believers. (Ephesians 1:22-23;
3:1-11; 4:11-16; 5:22-23; Colossians 1:18,24) This
supernatural merging would be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(1Corinthians 12:12-13, 27-31)
This was not to be a joint body whereby Gentiles would be
connected to a previously existent Jewish body. This was to be a
brand new Body with Christ as its Head. (Ephesians 2:14-16; 4:13; Colossians
1:18) In this new Body there is no distinction of privilege based
upon culture or custom. (1Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 2:14-15; Colossians 1:18-29; 3:10-11; Hebrews 11:12; Revelation 21:9-27) This was a
brand new revelation to both Jews and Gentiles. It blew a lot of them
away. (Galatians 1:12; 2:2; 3:13-14; Ephesians
3:1-12)
We now have a responsibility, as Gentiles, to understand this
revelation and to receive this revelation. Ignorance of this
revelation is unacceptable to the Almighty. Some “Christian” Gentiles
just do not want to hear this because they do not want fellowship with Born
Again Jews. That is the spirit of the devil and it is causing them to
remain in darkness. (1John 1:7; 2:8) The Almighty will forgive and
deliver any from this spirit of anti-Semitism, if asked. (John 14:13; 16:23) Gentile
Believers are commanded by the Almighty to reach out and to accept Jewish
Believers, genuinely, in Christ’s love.
No
Gentile Conceit Allowed
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this
mystery, LEST YE SHOULD BE WISE IN YOUR OWN CONCEITS; that blindness in part
is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”
(Romans 11:25)
Everyone knows what it means to be conceited and nobody
appreciates someone who is. Conceit is particularly ugly when it
lashes itself to a follower of Jesus, the Merciful One.
The word
“conceits” which Paul uses in this verse is from two original Greek words,
which actually translate into “to be beside yourself” and “to oppose
yourself.”
What he is saying is, when Born Again Gentiles begin to rejoice
over Israel’s temporary
stumbling to the point where they are actually “beside themselves” with
joy, that they are actually “opposing themselves” and could eventually be
cut off for their lack of goodness. (Romans 11:22)
Some Gentile
Believers need to get down off their high holy horses and stop believing
the lie that Israel has been abandoned
by the Almighty and will not rise again.
Not only will Israel rise again, but Israel will return again.
(Jeremiah 33:1) Israel will be revived
again. (Psalm 85:6) Israel will turn from
their sin again. (Jeremiah 25:5; Ezekiel 18:27) Israel will be made over
again. (Jeremiah 18:4) Israel will be grafted in
again. (Romans 11:23) Israel will ultimately be
Born Again, as well. (Zechariah 13:1-9; John 3:3-7; 4:22)
Israel’s temporary
blindness is being allowed only until Christ returns,
at which time Israel will be restored.
(Isaiah 66:7-8; Zechariah 12:10-13:9) If the “wild” Gentiles were
grafted into the original olive tree, contrary to nature, how much more
easily can the Almighty graft the Jews back in, according to that which is
natural? They came from the original tree. We did not.
Gentile Believers must remain humble and always remember that
the temporary unbelief of the Jews vacated the place that we now occupy by faith. (Romans 11:20,30-32) God did
this for us. We did not do it for ourselves. It is a merciful
gift. (Romans 4:5; James 1:17)
No
Gentiles Giving Up on Israel Allowed
“AND SO ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED: as
it is written, There shall come out of Sion the
Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:” (Romans 11:26)
It is not permissible for Gentile Believers to give up on the
Nation of Israel being saved. It is not permissible for Gentile
Believers to accept the unscriptural lie that the Almighty Himself has
given up on His Covenant with Israel and that we are
now “spiritual Israel.” (Genesis
13:15-16) I cannot possibly emphasize enough how Psalm 89 alone literally
blows the lid right off of that anti-Semitic, demon-inspired false
doctrine.
No doubt, somebody is wondering, “How is it possible for ‘all’
of Israel to be saved when
so many Jewish people have already left the Earth having rejected Christ,
and the Bible reveals that so many more will?” Well, that is a very
good question and one that is clearly addressed in the Bible.
When Paul stated that “all of Israel” would be saved,
he was referring to “all” of the Jews who would be alive in
Palestine at the time of Jesus’ Second Coming. “All” of those
Jews who experience His return will realize how badly Israel missed it over the
centuries and repent. (Isaiah 66:7-8; Zechariah
12:10-13:1; 14:1-15; Matthew 24:39) It is at this time that “all” the
remnant of Israel will be finally
gathered in. (Isaiah 11:1-12; 66:19-21; Matthew 24:31)
It is absolutely supernatural that the Almighty has been able
to preserve a remnant of all Israel for thousands of
years in order to fulfill the Covenants that He made with Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob and King David. He promised these men that their seed would
both endure forever and inherit the land of
Israel forever.
It is absolutely supernatural the way the Almighty has prophesied from Genesis to Revelation
that there would always be a remnant of Israel in the Earth who would
ultimately experience eternal restoration under Jesus, the Messiah. (Genesis 12:1-3,7;
13:14-17; 15:18-21; 17:2-8,19; 21:12; 22:17,18; 26:3,4; 28:3,4,13-15;
2Samuel 7:1-29; Isaiah 1:9; 10:20-22; 11:10-12,16; 46:3; Jeremiah 23:3;
31:7; 39:9; 40:11; Ezekiel 6:8-10; Joel 2:32; Micah 2:12; 5:3-8; Zephaniah
2:7-9; 3:13; Zechariah 8:6-12; Romans 9:27; 11:5; Revelation 12:17)
It was Isaiah who specifically prophesied that a very small
remnant of Israel would finally be
preserved during the coming destruction of Judah and
Jerusalem. If this
were not to happen, the very last remnant of Israel would be snuffed
out even as Sodom and
Gomorrah were. (Isaiah 1:9;
Romans 9:29)
Rest assured, however, the Almighty will continue to
preserve His remnant.
The fact that Israel has survived and
is still alive is a supernatural testimony to the existence, the power and
the faithfulness of the Almighty. He commands His Gentile children to
never be boastful, high-minded, absent-minded, ignorant or conceited when
dealing with saved or unsaved Israel.
It was the
seed of Israel, coming through
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David, which gave the Almighty access to bring the Savior into
the world. (Genesis 17:1-9; Isaiah 11:1)
For this He will be
eternally grateful. (Revelation 7:1-3; 12:5; 14:1-5; 20:1-22:21)
Anyone who resists Israel at any time, for
any reason, regardless of who they are or what their motives may be, will
find himself or herself in direct defiance of the Almighty.
They will find themselves under “The
Little Pieces Curse.”
This is a position in which no sane man or
woman would ever want to find themselves.
PRAYER
“Father, forgive me if I have ever been boastful,
high-minded, absent-minded, ignorant or conceited concerning Israel and Your plan of
redemption. I choose, as of this day, to be a blessing to Israel and to the Jewish
people. I speak peace to Israel and Jerusalem. Please send Gospel
laborers to them. Thank You for sending revelation of Israel to our political
leaders. (Psalm 2:8; Matthew 9:37-38; Romans 10:14-17) Please
show me how to help Israel. I know now
that You will bless me big because of my love for the Jewish people.
In Jesus’ Name.” (Psalm 122:6-9)
 Be blessed as you bless
Israel ... John and
Barbara
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