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Romans chapters 9-11

 THE JEWS IN THE BOOK OF romans.

3. THE SYNAGOGUE OF ISRAEL.  
GOD’S WISDOM. Explanation and Vindication.

        romans CHAPTER ELEVEN.

In this chapter God shows His tremendous mercy towards Israel, for His rejection of the nation will not be TOTAL or FINAL. IN THE FUTURE God will take up Israel again, as a nation. 

From 11:1-25 we gain the understanding that God will not reject Israel forever.
But what “Israel” are we talking about?

The faithful remnant is decidedly different from the blinded majority! 

a)      The Biblical Nation of Israel is divided into two separate groups:

            THE MINORITY GROUP and THE MAJORITY GROUP.

b)      God shows that He has always had His “faithful remnant” which stands firm; and He shows that the others, the Majority, are blinded. And nothing is new in this division of groups. It has always been in the history of the Chosen Nation. 

THE MINORITY.

Romans 11:5 shows the remnant. Paul then goes on to show that God has had a remnant in Israel throughout the ages. It is seen in Paul’s own conversion. He was a “remnant” Jew himself! Romans 11:1.

Romans 11 :2-4 shows the remnant in the time of Elijah. He felt he was the only believer left, and he actually prayed against Israel in his day! Elijah made “intercession to God against Israel.” 

Will God answer prayers “against” others? No, even Elijah could not have that kind of prayer answered. The Lord had to rebuke Elijah, and told him that there were indeed a large number of Jews still who made up the remnant of Israel. We can remind ourselves today that there is a faithful remnant of the Church, and we too can realize that indeed a large number still reImages “out there.”

See Romans 11:4 and 1 Kings 19:10,14,18. 

THE MAJORITY.

Romans 11:7 shows this group. They are the “blinded” group, a large proportion of the Jews. 

PRESENT-DAY Israel is cursed with THREE-FOLD blindness:

1. The blindness that all men who are unsaved share –

the blindness caused by Adam’s sin and fall (Ephesians 4:18.

2. A blindness which Satan deliberately brings to the unsaved – 11 Corinthians 4:4.
3. The blindness, which is most awful of all – that which is caused by GOD HIMSELF!

Romans 11:8.  

Does the Bible show us anywhere else that God would blind Israel spiritually? Sadly it does.

Two Old Testament prophets predicted that this blindness would happen –
ISAIAH in Isa. 29:10 see Romans 11:8 and
DAVID in Psalm 69:22,23 see Romans 11:9,10.

David remarkably, also predicts the reason for this blindness. 
David tells us it would happen because of the Jews’ treatment of the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

Note carefully the words in Psalm 69:21. See the fulfillment in Matthew 27:34,38. 

THE FULLNESS OF THE GENTILES – Romans 11:11-25. 
This is a most important section which weeds out, if we will but pay attention, the multitude of misunderstandings about the Church and Israel which plague the churches today. The section above deals with the GENTILE FULNESS PERIOD of the Church Age. Firstly, we should carefully differentiate between the “times’ of the Gentiles and the “fullness” of the Gentiles. To get those two Bible terms mixed will cause much confusion to the study of Scripture. Let’s get them separated properly to start with: 

The “Times” of the Gentiles:

This has to do with the rule of Gentile nations over the world. It is political in nature. The period of the “times” extends from the Babylonian captivity of the Jews until the end of the Tribulation. God will put down the rule of the Gentile nations at the end of the Trib., and He will set up Israel as the head nation of the world in the Millennium Reign of Christ. (See Deut. 28:28-68; 11 Chron. 36:1-21; Dan. 9:24-27). 

The “Fullness” of the Gentiles:
This is spiritual in nature. It refers to the period of time that makes up the Church Age.

The Body of Christ is being made up of Jew and Gentile alike, all those who are saved between Pentecost and the Rapture. The Gentiles have been raised up by God to lead in the Church Age, and Israel itself has taken a place of rejection spiritually.

(See Acts 15:14; Eph. 4:11-13; 1 Cor. 12;12,13).

Yet, individual Jews make up the Body of Christ, just as individual Gentiles do: 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek [Gentile], there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28). 

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek [Gentiles]: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:12,13). 

A TREE OF GREAT WONDER. 

The OLIVE TREE symbol in Romans 11:17-25 is of great value to us all. A proper understanding is imperative, because of the Judaizing that is occurring in many quarters today. 

We are NOT Israel, we are saved people who make up the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Church Age. 

Let us grasp well the teachings of Scripture:

1. In the Church Age, which will not close until the Rapture, the “Fullness of the Gentiles” is in place. Gentiles are being placed into God’s Tree of Salvation.
2.  These Gentiles are being grafted into the “Good Olive Tree.” This process, according to Paul, is contrary to nature. Normally, when a wild plant is grafted into the good, the good will be conquered by the wild. When the good is grafted to the wild, then just the opposite will happen. See 11:24.
3. Gentiles are warned that they must not be high-minded against Israel just because they have a new place in God’s economy! See 11:21.

What is it all about? Read  Romans  11:13-25. 

Paul begins with TWO METAPHORS in mind –

·        the piece of dough offered as a heave offering 
(Numbers 15:19-21) consecrating the whole, and

·        the holy root consecrating the branches.

He passes over the first metaphor, and goes onto the holy root.

We can look at Jeremiah 11:16; Hosea 14:6 to get more of the picture. 

The figure of the Olive Tree serves FOUR (4) purposes: 

1. It warns the Gentiles that they must not have boastful pride. They can be removed, as Israel was. NOT individuals’ losing their salvation, but the CHURCH is warned here. The Church as a whole does indeed go down into apostasy, as Israel did, and one day her time will come to a close, and God will take up Israel again to be His witness upon the earth.
2. The Jews are the natural branches that have been cut off, but they will be so easily grafted in again. Much easier than the “wild” branches were. The Church does NOT replace Israel, as the false Replacement Theology teachers believe.
3. What, then, is the Olive Tree itself? Some pervert the meaning here, and insist that the Christians have been grafted into Israel, and that the Jews still have the preeminence because of this. No, for Israel is the branch which has been broken off! See 11:20. The Olive Tree is holy, with a holy root from which we draw nourishment. The real root of the Church is Christ Jesus, we are rooted in Him as the remnant of Israel always was, for He is the eternal Son of God:

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. “ (Colossians 2:6,7). 

4. Israel was only called the Good Olive Tree when it, as a nation, was holy before the Lord. They were the nation through which God would bring the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. They can never be called the Good Olive Tree when they are in apostasy and broken off as a branch. The Christian Church is rooted in Israel only as this spiritual nation stayed as the vehicle of the Lord’s to bring the Holy One’s Life to the world. Israel is not the Good Olive Tree in the Church Age, she is the broken off branch!

THE MYSTERY? 

In Romans 11:25 we find these words:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery.”

What mystery? That “blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” Remember that the period of the Fullness of the Gentiles is the Church Age? This will not close until the Church is taken from the earth at the Rapture. Until then Israel reImagess a broken off branch. No Jewish/Christian Rabbi can come and claim Romans 11 as his authority for taking over churches, which are Christian! We are to call no man “Rabbi.”

“But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.” (Matthew 23:9). 

THE REJECTION IS NOT PERMANENT (Romans 11:26-36). 

The Jews will be restored by God as a nation and a spiritual entity! God has made a covenant with them to that extent, and He will without doubt ratify that covenant.

See Romans 11:27; Isaiah 59:21; 27:9; Jeremiah 31:31-37; Hebrews 8:8; 10:16; Zechariah 13:10.

How will they be restored? 
Not by some Messianic group raising itself up to take over the teaching of the churches, and making out that they are now the authority because of Romans 11.

Not by some Hebrew Roots heresy sweeping Christian believers 
into false doctrine based on Romans 11.  

The Jews will be restored through the RETURN OF THE PROMISED CHRIST! 

They will then know that Christ Jesus was their own Messiah – but this does not happen in the Church Age before the Rapture. All those Jews who receive Christ as Saviour in the Church Age make up the Body of Christ; they are simply Christians like everyone else is who is born-again by the Spirit of the Lord. But, a time will come when Christ shall return, and the Jews who are unsaved will realize their mistake and turn to Him as Saviour and Lord.

See Isaiah 59:20 as well as Romans 11:26:
“And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.” ( Isaiah 59:20). 

GLORIOUS HYMN OF PRAISE TO THE LORD! 

Verses 33-36 of Romans 11 give a benediction by Paul, the first of five in the book.

(See also Romans  15:33; 16:20; 16:24; 16:25-27). 

·        Who are we to challenge the dealings God has with Israel?

·        Or what He does with the Christian Church itself, for that matter. 

No need for more comment, the benediction stands in its own beauty and holiness: 

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”

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