CONTENTS

Introduction

The Mystery Of The Gentiles

The Good Olive Tree

The Spirit Of Gnostic Dualism

Deliverance From Zion's Trumpet

The Heart Of The Matter

 

 

ILLUSTRATIONS

The Olive Tree

Broken Jewish Branches

Grafted Gentile Branches

Re-Grafted Jewish Branches

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth...Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth...A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump

Galatians 3:1; 5:7-9

 

 

In the last issue of Zion’s Trumpet we discussed the importance of being able to "rightly divide" the Word of God, and also of the need to guard that Word diligently. The reason we must rightly divide the Word and diligently guard the truth is because, contrary to what is being taught in our churches today, doctrinal error is not harmless. False doctrines contain spiritual power. They have the power to corrupt and destroy the lives of God’s people.

 

This can be seen by what the apostle Paul says to believers in Galatia. He said the error that was being introduced into that fellowship was causing the people to "not obey the truth" they had been obeying previously. This is the goal of all false doctrine—to keep us from obeying the truth.

 

Is obeying the truth all that important? You bet! Jesus said it is obedience to truth—not mental assent to truth—that sets the believer free [John 8:31-32]. Whether it is that level of truth which brings us to the place of initial repentance and salvation, or that level of truth which continues to sanctify and purify us after we have been redeemed, obeying the truth is critical.

 

Peter said: "seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit...love one another with a pure heart fervently" [I. Pet. 1:22]. We purify our souls by obeying the truth that is revealed to us personally by God. This is why the Holy Spirit is called the "Spirit of Truth" [John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13]. He is sent by the Father to "lead" us into all truth. Just as obedience to leaven corrupts us and brings us into bondage, so obedience to truth purifies us, sets us free from sin, and transforms us into the image of Christ.

 

Second, doctrines do not come alone. They are almost always accompanied by a spirit—either the Spirit of God or the spirit of the adversary. Think about it. Who rightly divides the Word of God for us? Is it not the Spirit of God? Who wrongly divides that Word? Is it not seducing spirits? This is why Paul asked the Galatians who had "bewitched" them. The term bewitched adds another dimension to the situation. By saying that the Galatians had been bewitched, Paul was letting them know that they were doing more than just accepting a "doctrine." They were being overcome by the spiritual power that formulated that doctrine.

 

This is why false doctrines are called "doctrines of demons." Seducing spirits come to us and try to wrongly divide the Scripture in our minds, or they try to impart false revelations. Once people accept them they become vessels through which these spirits can freely operate. They go forth and spread the teachings of demon spirits among the people of God, and the same spirits that seduced them are present with them when they teach, to influence the minds of those who are listening.

 

Doctrines and teachings are not just words. Both truth and error have the power to transform us. Truth softens our hearts, leaven hardens them. Truth keeps us in the center of the purposes of God, leaven will thrust us to the outer edges of those purposes, and in some cases, take us out of them altogether. Truth makes us receptive to what the Spirit is saying today, leaven deadens our spiritual perception and weakens our ability to recognize what He is speaking.

 

What we believe is important. Those who remain confident that God will lead them to glory regardless of what they believe are not moving in faith, they are living in unreality. The way God leads us to glory is by giving us His Spirit—the Spirit of Truth—to expose and deliver us from those things that keep us from attaining that glory. This operation is the faithfulness of God. It is how He manifests His faithfulness to us. Those who refuse to pay attention to His instruction, yet go on assuming that He will "finish" the work He has "begun" in them anyway, are going to be greatly disappointed.

 

Many Christians are making the same mistake Israel made. Israel paid no attention to the instruction or teaching of Moses and the prophets, whose ministry were but a type and shadow of the ministry of the Holy Spirit under the New Covenant. Doctrine, obedience, faithfulness, they cast all these things behind their backs, yet they continued to assume God would fulfil the promises He made to them anyway. The supreme accomplishment of the Old Testament Church was to tie God’s hands and make it impossible for Him to give them what He had prepared for them. This is why King David said they "limited the Holy One of Israel" [Ps.  78:41].

 

We are no different than the Hebrews. We can limit God just as they did. The New Covenant has not altered or annulled our ability to tie God’s hands. We can keep Him from finishing that work He has begun in us if we reject the instruction of the Spirit of Truth. Many are doing precisely that in this hour.

 

We believe the Lord has asked us to expose some of the doctrinal leaven that has deadened the spiritual perception of many in this hour, making them unable to be established in present truth. We want to look at an area of doctrine which has been misunderstood and misapplied by almost all Christians everywhere since the 2nd Century. After 1900 years of bickering and dividing into opposing theological camps—both of which are wrong—the Church still doesn’t have it right. The subject is the identity and destiny of  Israel. We are keenly aware that some of those who will read this particular issue may not be the least bit interested in what we will be sharing. However, our only concern is to obey the Lord and share the burden of the Spirit.

 

The identity of Israel is an issue that is anything but insignificant. A lack of understanding in precisely this area of doctrine has caused tangible harm to God’s people. For lack of this truth, the pre-tribulation rapture error swept across the Church in the late 1800s. For lack of this truth, most Gentile believers have no idea what the resurrection of the dead is all about, assuming that they are destined to live forever in the spirit realm. For lack of this truth, righteousness has been destroyed in the Church. For lack of  this truth, our churches have opened their doors to all manner of strange spirits, doctrines, and practices.

 

Moreover, our ignorance of this truth has caused immeasurable suffering to the Jewish people. For lack of this truth, we remained silent while six-million of them were slaughtered in Europe. For lack of this truth, we have been the primary source and/or justification for their persecution all over this planet since 70 AD. For lack of this truth, we do not know how to properly relate to them—a situation that displeases the Lord greatly. So there is nothing insignificant about the issue.

 

Do you know who Israel is? Traditionally, Christians have been divided between two or three positions regarding Israel. Some have said there is only one Israel and that Israel is now the New Testament Church. In this view, the Jews as a nation or a specific race of people had their chance to be "chosen" and blew it. God rejected them and replaced them with a spiritual nation called the Church. This is called "Replacement Theology" because it assumes that New Testament believers have replaced completely the Jewish nation as God’s chosen people. For them, the "Israel of God" is the Church.

 

On the other hand, some Christians have maintained there is only one Israel and that Israel is the Jewish people and nation—which today would include the Jewish State of Israel. For them, the biological seed of Abraham remains the "Israel of God" no matter what kind of spiritual condition they may currently be in. There have also been those who have never been in complete agreement with either of these two extremes. They have tried to stay more or less neutral when faced with the issue of the Jewish people. While seeing themselves as God’s chosen people, they never went so far as to say God is finished with the Jews. They never saw themselves as having anything against the Jews—they never considered themselves anti-Semitic. But neither were they interested in getting involved with the Jewish issue or the Jewish people. They basically tried to ignore the whole question.

 

In the early 1800's a new approach to the identity of Israel came on the religious scene. Whereas, for centuries Christians had seen only one Israel in Scripture—thus the contention over who that one Israel was—the new view claimed that there were really two Israels: National Israel, comprised of the biological seed of Abraham (Jews), and Spiritual Israel, comprised of the spiritual seed of Abraham (Christians). The new view said National Israel will forever remain a strictly Jewish entity because after the establishment of the New Covenant, God formed a second "chosen people" from  all nations.

 

In addition, each Israel was said to possess its own separate, eternal destiny based on different promises and covenants. The new view swept through the Church. Those who saw Israel as a national people were happy and those who saw Israel as a spiritual people were happy. Since there were two Israels, nobody had to be left out. The Jews could remain the focus of God’s natural eye and the Church could remain the focus of His spiritual eye. Those who wanted to remain uninvolved with Jews said, let the Jews worry about the Jewish nation and let the Christians worry about the Church. Each one has its own place and destiny in God, and since never the twain shall meet, let the Jews in the Lord’s hands.

 

This new view was only one segment of a wider view which was a reaction against the continual "spiritualizing" of the Scripture that had become the norm. Spiritualizing the plain meaning of the written Word had gotten so out-of-hand under the Romish church, few Christians believed in the literal return of the Lord anymore, or that there would be a literal Millennial Kingdom on earth. Literal interpretation was scoffed at and everything became allegorized or spiritualized in some fashion. Of course, when it came to Israel, it was taken for granted that the (Romish) Church was meant. The new view was seen as an antidote to all the mythological nonsense and superstition that had been the result of spiritualizing everything in the Word. It eventually grew into a complete system of biblical interpretation, which today is known as Dispensationalism.

 

Dispensationalism was founded on one basic principle: interpret everything in Scripture literally. Don’t allegorize or spiritualize anything unless the context of the verse itself absolutely demands it—like when Jesus told us to "cut off our hand" and "pluck out our eye" if they cause us to sin. This we should not take literally. Concerning Israel, it is to be taken for granted that the Jews are meant. Israel should not be spiritualized to mean the Church.

 

These two opposed ways of approaching God’s Word—allegorically and literally—have dominated our seminaries and Bible colleges for centuries, and both are equally wrong. Both continue to produce religious leaders who automatically align themselves (at least theologically) with one of the two prevailing views of Israel. Naturally, the "sheep" follow the teachings of the "shepherds" and join their respective theological camps.

 

Of course, in the real world most Christians do not pay much attention to theology. They remain unconcerned and detached from the whole issue. For most of us the Jewish issue has nothing to do with our vision or religious goals. We try to maintain a kind of neutral position towards the Jews; don’t hate them, but don’t get too involved with them either. Unfortunately, there really is no neutral position when it comes to the Jews because Paul told us to love them and show them mercy, regardless of their present spiritual condition, or the religious matrix we live in.

 

If Paul had only asked us to love the Jewish people we might have an excuse to remain isolated from them and uninformed about them. You don’t really have to get too involved with someone in order to "love" them. You can love people from a safe distance. But in order to show someone "mercy" you have to take an interest in them, you have to care about their welfare. In order to remain detached from the Jewish people we must intentionally ignore the heart-cry of the apostle Paul, which was that saved Gentiles would have mercy on his kinsmen according to the flesh [Rom. 11:30-31].

 

The fact that so many Christians have no problem ignoring what Paul said reveals a callous heart towards the Jewish people. There is a reason Gentile Christians have developed an arrogant and uncaring attitude towards Paul’s kinsmen. We have been bewitched. We have come under the influence of a false doctrine, behind which is a spiritual power. The purpose of both the doctrine and the power is to keep us detached from, uninterested in, and callous towards, Paul’s kinsmen after the flesh. It is our hope that the reader will seek the Lord concerning what is shared in this writing.   

Brother Daniel

 

 

The Mystery Of The Gentiles

 

If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you‑ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.

Ephesians 3:2-6

 

 

Before beginning this study, we want to state boldly that with few exceptions, all Christians everywhere are incapable of understanding what the apostle Paul said here because we have all been brain-washed by religious leaders who have no idea what the "dispensation of grace" is all about. These leaders think they know what it is about. They assume they have the whole thing down to a science. But what they teach is the exact opposite of what Paul taught. As a matter of fact, you can’t possibly get any further away from the truth than they have gone, yet nobody ever seems to discern what is going on.

 

Look closely at what Paul actually said. First, he said that God has instituted a new dispensation called grace. Next, he said this dispensation was a mystery that God had not revealed during the preceding dispensations or ages. Then he said the Spirit of God revealed this mystery to him and he proceeds to give a short explanation of what the dispensation of grace means for Gentile believers. We need to realize that Paul knew best what the dispensation of grace meant for the Gentiles because that message and that understanding was given primarily to him. It was revealed to him by direct, supernatural revelation when he received his commission from the risen Lord.  It was he whom God called and anointed to bring the message and the meaning of the dispensation of grace to the Gentiles. So his definition is the one by which all other definitions should be measured. Those who contradict his definition are simply wrong.

 

This is the mystery: that the Gentiles have become "fellow-heirs" (of the promises) along with the Jewish people. Not only have we become fellow-heirs with them, we have also become part of the "same body (nation and people) by the gospel." In other words, through the Gospel, we Gentile believers have been joined to the Jewish people. We did not replace them as God’s chosen people but have become part of them. The Jews are now our people. The land of the Jews is now our land. The heritage of the Jews is now our heritage. The destiny of the Jews is now our destiny. This is the plain meaning of what Paul said, both here and in many other places.

 

Christian theologians have accepted that we have become fellow-heirs and partakers of some (but not all) of the promises made to the Jews. The promises of Abraham that confer on us spiritual aspects of the inheritance are received enthusiastically. But the promises of Abraham that confer on us literal, natural aspects of the inheritance are rejected or spiritualized. They are viewed in a strictly spiritual, non-Jewish context. They have become Gentile promises, made to a Gentile Church that is destined to spend eternity in a Gentile heaven. Christians just don’t want anything to do with the literal people, the literal land, or the literal commonwealth of natural Israel.

 

We could understand such a blatantly unscriptural position if Paul wouldn’t have put that little phrase, "the same body," in his definition of the dispensation of grace. For you see, there is no way to spiritualize this truth away—though people try to spiritualize it all the time by saying that the "body" to which we have been joined is merely the spiritual body of Christ. But Paul was not talking about the spiritual body of Christ. He was talking about a national body. He was referring to a civil commonwealth.

 

 

 

 

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us...Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone

Ephesians  2:11-14 &19-20

 

 

 

Paul told us to remember that we were once aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, but now in Christ Jesus we have been "made nigh" by the blood of Christ. As a result of being in Christ, we are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God. Here again, one has to grossly distort the intended meaning of Paul to maintain that the subject being discussed is the joining of the Gentiles to the spiritual body of Christ.

 

Our failure to remember what we formerly were, and who we have been joined to as a result of faith in Messiah, has caused incalculable damage, both spiritual and physical, to Jews and Christians alike. It is precisely our failure to remember that we have been joined to a literal people, a literal nation and a literal land, that has blinded the eyes and deafened the ears of the Church for many centuries.

 

Two basic questions need to be answered concerning this passage. First, what is the subject being discussed? What were the Gentiles "aliens" and "far off" from? The commonwealth and covenants of Israel. What then have we been "made nigh" to? From what are we no longer strangers and foreigners? The commonwealth and the covenants of Israel. Paul said we have become fellow-citizens as a result of trusting in Messiah. Fellow-citizens of what? The commonwealth of Israel!

 

The subject is our having been joined to the commonwealth of Israel. You, dear reader, have not only been brought near and made part of the body of Christ as a result of faith in Israel’s Messiah, you have also been brought near and made part of the commonwealth of Israel by that blood.

 

The second question is, what is the commonwealth of Israel anyway? Is Paul referring to the body of Christ, the mystical Church, or is he talking about an actual commonwealth as the term suggests? The word commonwealth in the Greek is "politeia" (pol‑ee‑ti'‑ah), which comes from the Greek root-word, "polity," from which we get our English word, politics. It is only used in two places in the entire New Testament, here and in Acts 22:28.

 

There Paul was about to be tortured by the Romans to find out what he did to inflame the Jews of Jerusalem into a riot. He told the inquisitor that he was a Roman citizen in order to halt the questioning. The centurion went and told the chief captain that he was a Roman. The chief captain came and asked him if this was true, to which he replied yes. Then the captain, doubting him because it was not easy to be made a citizen of Rome, said, "with a great sum obtained I this freedom." With a great sum obtained I this "politeia." Freedom is synonymous with citizenship. With a great sum of money he purchased his Roman citizenship, which made him a free man.

 

Being a citizen of any commonwealth enables an individual to participate in the political process and confers on him a host of privileges that "strangers" and "aliens" do not possess. When Paul said we have been made part of the politeia of Israel he meant that we have been made citizens of the Jewish nation, of the Jewish commonwealth. We now have all the rights and privileges of natural-born Jews. We can participate fully in its national life as "fellow" citizens.

 

 

 

And he went and joined himself  to a citizen {politea} of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine."

Luke 15:15

 

"But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen {politea} of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.

Acts 21:39

 

 

Throughout the New Testament, the Greek terms for citizen and commonwealth mean, to be citizens of literal communities. With regards to the plain usage of the terms, there is no basis to suggest that the commonwealth to which Paul referred should be understood as anything other than the literal Jewish Commonwealth, the Nation of Israel.

 

The other important word Paul used to describe our new relationship to the Jews is "sumpolites," a compound Greek term comprised of "sum" (with) and "polites" (citizen).  It literally means "possessing the same citizenship," and is an obvious reference to the literal, national life of Israel. Yet Vines Dictionary says sumpolites is used metaphorically, in a spiritual sense. Really? What then were we actually joined to? Paul makes it clear that through the blood of Messiah we have been joined to a people. What people have we become part of? What commonwealth have we become citizens of?

 

Paul said, "he [Messiah] is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." Again, who is Paul’s subject? He says the Lord hath "made both one." Both whom? Jews and Gentiles. The Lord has broken down the wall of partition "between us." Who is the us? Jews and Gentiles.

 

The subject here is obviously the joining of the Gentiles to the Jewish people through the blood of the Cross. Again, we need to ask ourselves, to which Jews have we been joined? If Paul were merely discussing the fact that new Gentile believers had been joined to redeemed Jews as part of being joined to the spiritual body of Christ, the invisible Church, then it would be understandable that brother Vine views the terms as "symbolic."

 

But Paul is not focusing on being joined to the mystical body of Christ. In addition, none of the terms he uses to explain this new relationship are ever applied in a mystical sense in the New Testament. In this case, brother Vine’s definition of the Greek was based more on doctrinal preference than on linguistics. Paul was not speaking allegorically here. It is we who have chosen to spiritualize away his obvious meaning because we can’t accept it.

 

What Paul said is very clear—if you are not already predisposed to reject it. He is explaining some of the results of being joined to Messiah. One of those results is that through Him we have been joined to His original chosen people (the Jews) and their nation (Israel). Any other interpretation is a biased violation of both the original language and the plain meaning of the text.

 

God's original purpose in forming Israel was that He might have a righteous nation, a Royal Priesthood (kingdom of priests) that would dwell in the midst of the rest of the nations of the earth and represent Him. He began the formation of His Royal Priesthood with one specific race of people—the Hebrews. But His ultimate intention is to gather sons and daughters from every "kindred and tongue and people and nation," and make them "kings and priests." They will reign on the earth with Messiah [Rev. 5:7-10].

 

Before this could be accomplished, the call to the Priesthood had to be released from the confines of a single biological race. After the First Advent of Messiah, the way was made to continue the formation of that Priesthood among the Gentiles. The Gospel of the dispensation of grace went forth to the nations and has continued to do so for 1900 years.

 

Christians need to realize that God did not change His eternal plan when He inaugurated the dispensation of grace. His purpose for going to the nations and taking out of them a people for His name has absolutely nothing to do with forming a new, eternally separate, Gentile, chosen people. Every person who has been called out and  chosen from among the nations has been placed by God, through Messiah, into the "commonwealth" of Israel.

 

Why is it so hard for Christians to grasp or accept such an elementary concept? Throughout the Old Testament, Gentiles have become members of Israel. They have shared the same call and destiny as the Hebrew people. This fact should be very familiar to us. It is not a new concept or a deep revelation. It has been clearly explained and repeatedly illustrated for us. Yet we never seem to grasp the simple meaning of what has been recorded.

 

The person who exemplifies this truth the clearest is Ruth, the Moabitess. Her people were the descendants of incest between Lot and his daughters. Not only were they Gentiles and enemies of Israel, they were forbidden to enter the congregation of Israel forever. [Neh. 13:1]  Ruth’s story is a dramatic preview of the "mystery" that would be revealed to Paul. Not only does she become a full-fledged member of the house of Israel, not only does she partake of the promises made to the chosen people, not only does she become a model of loyalty and faithfulness for all saints in all ages, she ends up being the great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Messiah!

 

She ended up marrying a Judean named Boaz, who happened to be the son of Rahab, the Canaanite harlot who hid the Hebrew spies. Think of it. Boaz, a half Canaanite, marries Ruth, a full-blooded Moabitess, and from them comes Obed, Jesse, King David, and eventually Jesus of Nazareth. Could there be a more graphic illustration of how God makes Gentiles part, and sometimes a very important part, of His holy nation?

 

Non-Hebrews have always been part of the commonwealth of Israel. This is an historical fact. Even while the call to the Priesthood was confined within the Hebrew race, it was still possible for non-Jews to partake of that call. They had to be circumcised and voluntarily bind themselves to Torah observance. Once this was done they were no longer considered "Gentiles" in the technical sense.

 

Though they did not turn into biological Hebrews, they were still viewed as part of the nation and people of Israel. That a Gentile can become a full-fledged member of the (literal) commonwealth of Israel is not only an historical reality, it is a present reality. Even today, modern Judaism makes room for those who wish to assimilate or convert to that religion. The person who wishes to do so must undergo an extensive time of training. During this probationary time he/she learns what is expected of them. At the end of this time they are baptized and given a new Hebrew name, which signifies that there has been a complete break from their former genealogical and religious heritage. They become fellow-citizens of the present Jewish commonwealth.

 

Speaking to Gentile saints at Galatia, Paul said, "now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise." Because of faith in Israel’s Messiah, non-Jewish believers have become the children of promise. What promise? The same promise that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are heirs to. The same promise that the twelve tribes are heir to. We have become part of Israel.

 

Unfortunately, this truth has yet to dawn on modern-day Christians because we don’t believe our promises have anything to do with the promises God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We continually translate our promises as Gentile promises, which work out as a Gentile salvation, the end of which is a Gentile heaven with Gentile mansions.

 

 

 

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ...But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

I. Peter 2:5 & 9-10

 

 

Peter, the Jewish apostle, got the revelation Paul had received and told non-Jewish believers that they were a spiritual house, a holy Priesthood, a chosen generation, a holy nation, and a peculiar people. Every one of these terms refers to the original call that was given to the Hebrew nation at Mt. Sinai.  Peter is applying these terms to Gentile believers because we have been joined to God’s original chosen people by faith in their Messiah.

 

It is sad that many pastors and teachers use this passage to justify their belief that the Church has permanently replaced National Israel as God’s holy nation. It is also unfortunate that some in the opposing camp, in their zeal to expose this lie, have tried to limit Peter’s epistle to Jewish believers alone. The idea is that if  Peter was writing to believing Jews only, Gentile believers could never use these verses to support the error of Replacement Theology. One respected minister who is held as an expert on the subject of Israel attempted to do precisely that.

 

 

 

"It is important, however, to recognize that this epistle is addressed ‘to the pilgrims of the Dispersion’ (1 Peter 1:1). The word dispersion (in the Greek, diaspora) was regularly used to refer specifically to Jews living outside the land of Israel. Thus, this epistle (along with Hebrews, James, and 2 Peter) is addressed primarily to Jewish believers." [1]

 

 

 

This is simply an over-reaction, and a bad one at that. We should never twist the Scripture in our attempt to defend truth. Peter’s two epistles were clearly written to both Jews and Gentiles. The text itself reveals that if any group was singled out, it was Gentile believers not Jewish ones. "Through Him [Messiah] you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God" [I. Pet. 1:21 NKJV]. In other words, these people were not worshipers of Israel’s God until they were acquainted with the Jewish Messiah. Moreover, Peter speaks of those to whom he writes as having been "called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light." This could never be applied to the Jewish people, for they had the "light" of the Torah. However, it is a very fitting description of Gentile believers who, before conversion, had no light at all.

 

Peter then tells these brethren who never worshiped Israel’s God or possessed Israel’s light that they, "in times past were not a people, but are now the people of God..." [I. Pet. 2:10].  Could it be said of Jewish believers that before conversion they were not the people of God? Hardly. But the most obvious evidence can be seen in the following statements:

 

 

 

For the time past may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles; when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries. Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.

I. Peter 4:3-4

 

 

Those to who received this epistle were formerly living an abominable lifestyle—the kind of lifestyle Gentiles lived. When they changed that lifestyle as a result of conversion, their fellow Gentiles "thought it strange" and started persecuting them. To maintain that these words were addressed primarily to Jewish believers in the Diaspora is to ignore the obvious.

 

 

 

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Philippians 3:2-3

 

 

Paul said to uncircumcised Gentiles at Philippi, "we are the circumcision." The term circumcision, when applied to people in the New Testament, usually means the Jews. But here Paul is saying that Gentile believers are also "the circumcision" as a result of being joined to Messiah. The meaning of Paul is, or at least should be, obvious.

 

The joining of the Gentiles to God’s original chosen people was a mystery because God did not specifically reveal this inclusion to the Hebrew prophets. Though the apostle Paul could show from the Tanakh (Hebrew Scripture) that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah, and though he could preach salvation and the resurrection of the dead from them, the inclusion of elect Gentiles in the call and destiny of Israel had to come by way of a supernatural revelation. It is plainly revealed in the New Testament but not the Old Testament. It was only alluded to in the Old Testament. The full understanding and impact of what God was going to do remained a mystery until He was ready to reveal it "unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" in this dispensation.

 

The Jewish apostles said to believing Gentiles, you are no longer strangers. You have been made fellow heirs with the Hebrew people. You have been made part of the same body. You have been made partakers of the promise. You have been made a spiritual house and a holy nation. You have been made a royal Priesthood, called to offer up spiritual sacrifices. You have been made a chosen generation. You have been made a peculiar people.

 

Though you were not the people of God in the past, you have now been made the people of God. You have been made the seed of Abraham. You have been made fellow-citizens of the Commonwealth. You have become the circumcision. You have become members of the household of God. You have become heirs of the promises made to Abraham. You have become the children of Abraham. You have been grafted into the good Olive Tree—a Hebrew tree. You have been united by faith in Messiah to every Jew, every Israelite, every Hebrew who has ever walked by faith or who ever will walk by faith. This is the message of this present dispensation of grace.

 

"If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God," says Paul, then understand that it was entrusted to me, the apostle of the Gentiles. God has sent me to tell you Gentiles that as a result of trusting in Israel’s Messiah, not only have you been set free from the bondage of sin, not only have you been given eternal life, you have also become part of Israel, God’s elect. How incredible that 1900 years into this dispensation Paul’s words are still a mystery to the Church!

 

 

The Good Olive Tree

 

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed 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 graffed 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 graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

Romans  11:17-23

 

 

In Romans 11, Paul speaks again of Gentiles being joined to the Jewish people, using the allegory of being grafted into an Olive Tree. But this time he is not focusing so much on our being joined to their "commonwealth" as he is on our being joined to their call and destiny.

 

 

 

Using his analogy, we have added some graphic illustrations to help us understand exactly what he taught. In our first illustration, the Olive Tree is shown as it was originally—an undivided Hebrew nation. The root is Jesus Christ. The trunk of the tree represents the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through whom the promises and the original call to be a holy nation was passed. The branches are the biological offspring of those Patriarchs, to whom the promises and the inheritance pertained, and to whom it was originally given.

 

In this one simple analogy Paul brought out a variety of truths. The first truth it reveals is that in the beginning, the whole tree (except for the Divine origin of the Root) was Hebrew. The branches were Jewish, the stock was Jewish, even the Root, when He came in the flesh, was Jewish. The Messianic call and destiny of the tree was intended for the original branches—and those branches were a nation of Jews. God brought the physical "seed" of Abraham to Himself at Mt. Sinai, and gave them the Messianic call to the priesthood. He made them His own peculiar treasure, informing them that they were to be His representative people on earth—a "light to the nations."

 

 

 

For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed  for ever. Amen.

Romans 9:3-6

 

 

Paul does not mince words here. He says the Olive Tree is the Jew’s tree. The call to the priesthood is their call, the promises are their promises, the covenants are their covenants, the adoption as sons is their adoption, the service to God is their service. The Patriarchs of the faith are their Patriarchs. He says everything that pertains to the root and the fatness of that tree belongs to his "kinsmen according to the flesh." It belonged to them first and was destined for them.

 

The reason it is so important that we understand what Paul is teaching here is because throughout the centuries there have been Christian theologians and preachers who have tried to use the Biblical doctrines of election and predestination to deny the Jewish people their rightful place in God’s plan. Even though Paul stated in no uncertain terms that his "kinsmen according to the flesh" are called by God to be His holy nation, regardless of their present spiritual condition, many people continue to assert that not all Jews are called, but rather, only those Jews who end up saved are called. The idea is that before the world was created, God elected some Jews and some Gentiles to be His holy nation. So the issue of election and "specialness" has nothing to do with the Jewish people per say. Rather, it has to do with all the elect, some of whom just happened to be Jews.

 

This mentality is a direct result of Gentile arrogance, for you see, though you may be an elect Scandinavian, or an elect Italian, or an elect African, or an elect Briton, God never chose your race to be His own treasure. He never brought the Irish nation, or the German nation, or the French nation to Himself at Mt. Sinai and cut an eternal covenant with them. Paul states emphatically that everything pertaining to the tree belongs to his "kinsmen after the flesh." They don’t just belong to the "elect" Jew. They belong to every Jew.

 

We need to re-orient ourselves to spiritual reality. We think the Olive Tree is a Gentile tree and that the fatness of the tree is a Gentile fatness, specifically designed for us. Not so my brethren! We have been grafted into someone else’s specialness, into someone else’s call and destiny. God did not turn to the wild trees (nations) and create a special (Gentile) destiny for them. He cut us out of our original national heritages and destinies and grafted us into the heritage and destiny of the Jewish people, through Messiah.

 

Of course, not every Jew will fulfil their call or obtain the inheritance just because they are born Jews. They must walk by faith. They must trust and obey God. This means that like everyone else, they must accept Messiah as an atonement for their sins and follow Him faithfully. In that sense they are no different than Gentiles. But when it comes to election, they are different because the call to be a holy nation remains their heritage by physical birth. This can be said of no other nation. The Jewish people are the only ones who ever have or ever will hold this peculiar place in God’s plan.

 

The second truth Paul’s analogy brings out is that the only things that determine the relationship of the branches to the Olive Tree are faith and unbelief. "Because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith," said Paul. Through faith in Israel’s Messiah, we who were never part of the chosen people were grafted in among them and are now partaking of the same root and fatness.

 

This helps us to understand the third truth Paul’s analogy reveals—that a person can be part of the people of God, and be in a covenant relationship with Him, yet still be cast away as a result of disobedience. In explicit terms that cannot be denied, Paul states that no matter what kind of branch we are—whether natural (Jewish) or wild (non-Jewish)—our status in the tree can be changed by God at any time. Nobody is locked in to a certain destiny. Those who are currently part of the tree can, and will be, cut off if they do not continue in the faith. This example alone destroys the whole "Eternal Security" delusion. Anyone can be cut off from the tree—anyone! Also, those who are currently cut off from the tree can, and will be, re-grafted if they do not persist in unbelief.

 

 

 

In this illustration, branches have been broken off the tree—and this brings us to the fourth point. The broken branches represent National Israel. It is not that individual branches were cut out of their own nation and people, but rather, the nation itself was severed from its own Messianic destiny. Even though the tree was originally comprised of the nation, the nation was severed from it.

 

We want to take a moment and establish this fact because it is very important. If we don't understand this point, the rest of our view regarding what the tree represents will be wrong. So consider the natural branches for a moment. What exactly were they broken off of? Were they separated from their biological lineage, or their Jewish heritage and culture, or their religion (Judaism)? Not at all. Were they cut out of their own nation? Again, the answer is no. There are millions of identifiable, biological Hebrews alive today who have kept their Hebrew lineage, identity, customs and religion intact. They are universally recognized as part of the current nation of Israel. Yet they have been severed, and they remain severed, from the Olive Tree. So the tree cannot represent any of these things.

 

 

 

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Romans 9:6-8

 

 

Paul said the rebellion of National Israel made them the "children of the flesh." They were cut off the Olive Tree. Yet a faithful remnant within the nation were the "children of promise." They remained part of the tree. This is what he meant when he said, "they are not all Israel, which are of Israel." They are not all (True) Israel which are of (National) Israel. After National Israel was cut off, the tree lost its material corporeality. In other words, it lost its national character, its physical land and its literal cities. It became a spiritual entity, an invisible entity. Yet the severed branches continued to remain visible. As long as National Israel remains separated from the Olive Tree, the tree will continue to be a spiritual entity.

 

 

 

In this illustration, Gentile branches have been grafted onto the tree, which brings us to the fifth point. The wild branches are full partakers of the "root and fatness" along with the natural branches. Everything that applies to the natural branches applies to the grafted-in branches as well. Exactly what belongs to the natural branches? Paul told us, did he not? He said the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, the promises and the fathers, belong to his kinsman according to the flesh. What then belongs to the "grafted-in" branches? The adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, the promises, and the fathers! Everything that applies to the natural branches applies to the grafted-in branches as well. How could it be otherwise? We are part of the same tree.

 

While it is true that God temporarily set National Israel aside (cut it off the tree), it is not true that He permanently rejected it and replaced it with the Church. Neither did He create an eternally distinct, Gentile destiny for the Church. He grafted the new Gentile congregations into His Olive Tree. Did God promise the "natural" branches a kingdom on earth? The "grafted-in" branches are now partakers of that promise. Did He promise the natural branches that the riches of the nations would come to them? We are now partakers of that promise. Did He promise the Jewish branches a literal chunk of real-estate in the Middle East? The Gentile branches are now partakers of that promise. How could it be otherwise? Gentile believers are part of the same body (commonwealth).

 

 

 

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law [faithful Jews], but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham [faithful Gentiles]; who is the father of us all. 

Romans 4:13,14,16

 

 

Paul makes clear who is eligible to receive the inheritance promised to Abraham. He says it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham. Abraham is the father of all who are of faith! We are just as much his "children" and "heirs" to his inheritance as any natural-born Jew. Paul is not contrasting Jews who live by faith with Jews who live by Law here. He is contrasting believing Jews, who were zealous for the Law and the traditions of the fathers, with believing Gentiles, who had no affection for or attachment to the Law.

 

He says the actual obtaining of the promise is by faith, not heredity. God has made faith available to Gentiles as well as to Jews. He has made certain that those who are "of the law" will never be able to exclude those who are not "of the law" from the promise. This is precisely what many Jewish believers tried to do in the Early Church. They maintained that the Gentiles had to "convert" to Judaism and accept Torah observance before they could become "fellow-citizens" and heirs to the promise. They refused to accept Gentile believers as equals. Gentiles were only admitted into the Jerusalem Church after a long struggle, fought on their behalf mostly by Paul.

 

Today, we still have much the same situation—though on a different level.  Believing (Messianic) Jews no longer tell Gentile believers they must obey the Law of Moses to be saved. They have finally reconciled themselves to the fact that Gentiles can be redeemed without any reference whatsoever to Torah observance. But they still refuse to accept that we are full partakers with them in their calling and destiny. The Olive Tree is still seen by them as a strictly Jewish, national entity, with a call and a destiny that can only be fulfilled by Jewish people who are Torah observant. One of the arguments used for the exclusion of Gentile believers from Israel’s call and destiny is based on an incorrect interpretation of the "promises" made to Abraham. It is assumed that these promises were given to only the biological descendants of Abraham. But Paul clearly refutes such a claim.

 

 

 

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham...Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ...Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator...And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:7, 16, 19 & 29

 

 

He removes all doubt as to whether or not Gentiles can be counted as the "seed" of Abraham. Without denying that the Patriarchs and their physical  children are heirs, he tells the Galatians that the real "seed" is not a racial, geo-political entity. It is a Person; it is Messiah. In their ultimate fulfillment, the promises were made to Him. In order to receive the promises and the inheritance a person must belong to Messiah.

 

In order to belong to Messiah a person must walk by faith and obey God. This is why Paul could tell uncircumcised Gentiles that, if they were Christ’s, they were Abraham's seed—not merely a spiritual seed that has no part in the literal promises made to Abraham, but real, bonafide "heirs according to the promise." Though the opportunity to receive the inheritance was given first to the Jews, and though the call to receive it is theirs by birth, the promises are only obtained through the "righteousness of faith," and God has made faith available to Gentiles as well as to Jews.

 

Could Paul have possibly stated it any clearer? If we belong to Messiah we are counted as the "seed" of Abraham and are heirs to the same promises that were made to him. The plan of God, while in no way limiting or doing away with the specialness of the Jewish people, is much bigger than them. Though "Israel" has always been, and will continue to be the focus of God’s plan, it is not destined to remain a strictly racial entity.

 

 

 

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 {National} Israel, until the fulness 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 11:25-26

 

 

 

 

In this last illustration, the severed branches have been re-grafted. Now the question that nobody ever asks is this: what will the olive tree look like when national israel is re-grafted? What will the Israel of God be? Will it be a Gentile Church? Will it be a Jewish nation? In order to find out what the Olive Tree will be, we must first understand clearly what it will not be. It cannot remain an invisible spiritual entity (Gentile Church) because a visible Jewish nation will be part of it again. It cannot become a strictly Jewish nation because the Gentile branches will still be connected to it. What then will it be? It will be both a spiritual and a national entity. It will be a spiritual people that comprise a literal commonwealth.

 

Until then, neither Jews or Christians can rightfully say they are the "Israel of God" because the Olive Tree is not yet complete. We Christians can say we are part of the Israel of God because we are. But we do not constitute the totality of it. The Jewish people cannot rightfully claim to be the "Israel of God" for they are still in unbelief, cut off from the tree. They can say that a purged remnant from their midst will soon become part of the Olive Tree again because they will.

 

National Israel is a visible entity which remains cut off from the Olive Tree. Thus, it cannot partake of its own spiritual inheritance. On the other hand, the Olive Tree remains an invisible entity and is being expanded to include elect Gentiles. But the tree cannot partake of its own natural inheritance because it derives its material substance from the commonwealth—and the commonwealth is still cut off. However, just because this is the current situation, that does not mean it will remain that way eternally. The only reason we think National Israel will remain divided from the Church eternally is because we have been bewitched!

 

The Scripture clearly states that National Israel will not remain eternally separate from the Church. When the full number of elect Gentiles have been grafted in, God will complete the final purging of National Israel "by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning" [Isa. 4:4]. That purged remnant will be re-grafted to the rest of the saints.

 

This is why many Christians today are finding a love welling up in their hearts for the broken branches, and why they have a desire to go to Israel. Messiah is coming—and He’s not coming to Washington, London, or Rome. He is coming to Jerusalem! As the hour draws near, the Gentile "branches" are being drawn to earthly Jerusalem because that is where the center of the approaching kingdom will be. From there (not heaven!) all the branches will rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years.

 

 

The Spirit Of Gnostic Dualism

 

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Daniel 7:27

 

 

The destiny of the saints is to receive a kingdom that presently occupies the spirit realm, but which will one day be "under the whole heaven." It is destined to come to this earth. It is destined to converge with the material creation and be made manifest in all its power and glory. In order to keep our attention off the many ramifications of this great truth, Satan infested the Church very early with Gnosticism, and in particular, Gnostic Dualism.

 

Gnosticism was a system of false teachings that existed outside the Christian community before and during the early centuries of Christianity. It was brought into the fellowships by "wolves." Its name comes from "gnosis," the Greek word for knowledge. The Gnostics never viewed any single religious or philosophical system as the correct one, and therefore, drew from a variety of sources. They believed that every religious or world-view contained important pieces of a grand puzzle of divine knowledge. Thus, Gnosticism was a conglomeration of many ideas. Gnostics would join a religious group or study a philosophy with the express intention of obtaining any secret, divine fragments of knowledge they contained. At some point in time they hoped to gain all the divine knowledge from all the then known religions and philosophies. For them, this was the way to salvation.

 

Though classic Gnosticism no longer threatens the Christian Church, various concepts that were part of the general Gnostic framework are still very much alive. This is simply because Gnosticism was not a human idea or concept. It was a demon spirit, and that same spirit is active in our midst. Two concepts that were common to all forms of classic Gnosticism were: (1) knowledge is the way to salvation, and (2) the material creation is evil and inferior to the spirit realm. These two ideas continue to affect us.

 

The first idea, that knowledge is the way to salvation, and in fact is salvation, accounts for those in our churches who think they are genuine believers, but who really aren’t. It is modern-day Gnosticism that has people thinking that the information they have learned about God has redeemed them.

 

It is Gnosticism that convinces people that learning about God, or the things of God, equals having spiritual union with Him. Also, it is modern Gnosticism that makes some who hear deeper truths think they are walking in the reality of what they have heard, just because they have heard and understood them. Any time we equate spiritual knowledge with spiritual experience we have opened up to the spirit of Gnosticism.  

 

The second idea, that the material creation is evil and inferior to the spirit realm, is even more prevalent among modern Christianity. This notion is called Dualism. It came from the Greek and Persian concepts of God. In this view, the whole material creation is inferior to the spirit realm, not because it fell with Adam, but because matter itself is evil. Only spirit is good. They believed that the earth is surrounded by a number of cosmic spheres which separate man from God. These spheres are ruled by "archons" (principalities and powers) who guard their areas by barring the souls who are seeking to ascend from the realm of captivity (the material creation) which is below, to the realm of light (the spiritual creation) which is above.

 

The Gnostics taught that man is composed of body, soul and spirit. The body, being comprised of matter, is evil and unredeemable. The soul, because it is closely knit to the body, and our earthly existence in general, was also viewed as evil, yet redeemable. The spirit was viewed as the only divine substance of man. They saw the spirit as being asleep or ignorant, needing only to be awakened and liberated by knowledge. Thus, the Gnostic goal of salvation was for the spirit to be awakened by knowledge so the inner man could be released from his earthly dungeon (the material creation) and return to the realm of light (the spiritual creation), where the soul becomes reunited with God.

 

The extent to which Dualism has infested our doctrines is remarkable. Like the ancient Gnostics, modern Christians see the spiritual creation (heaven) as a desirable place to spend eternity and the material creation as someplace to flee from. We have forgotten that when God created the physical realm He said it was very good. The material realm was not created evil or inferior. It was created good. The earth was created a paradise and remained that way until a spiritual being from the spiritual creation entered it. The material creation is now groaning, waiting to be delivered from that spirit.

 

 

 

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Romans 8:19-23

 

 

The thing that makes the physical creation (and life in the physical creation)  miserable, is a spiritual power that is emanating from the spirit realm! Instead of anticipating the redemption and the restoration of the material creation, or looking forward to its rescue out of the hands of Satan, Christians are eagerly waiting to leave the material realm permanently. Instead of desiring to see the Kingdom of God come to this earth and restore our planet to its original beauty, we are ready to leave it to Antichrist and the Jews. Gnostic Dualism has destroyed our anticipation of the coming kingdom. It has produced an entire generation of Christians who think they are going to spend eternity in heaven—and a Gentile heaven at that!

 

The Scripture is so patently against this insanity, the only explanation for its continuance as the major view among believers of all persuasions is that we have been bewitched. There is no way so many believers could have held to this error so tenaciously for so long, in the face of so much scriptural testimony against it, unless a spiritual power were behind the doctrine. Only a bewitching spirit could blind and confuse our minds to the point that we are incapable of comprehending the obvious. Therefore, we want to take a few moments to point out what should have been clear all along.

 

 

 

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 5:9-10

 

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Revelation 20:6

 

 

The Word states that the Lord is forming an eternal priesthood which is destined to govern the saved nations and reveal Him to them. Twice John refers to this special people as priests. He said this priesthood will be comprised of redeemed individuals "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," and will "reign with him [Messiah] a thousand years." These verses of Scripture alone destroy the entire two-Israel error! How can this priesthood be a strictly "Jewish" priesthood when John said it is being formed out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation? He clearly stated that we (Gentiles) will rule and reign on this earth with Messiah for a thousand years. We will be here on this earth, and so will the redeemed Jewish remnant. What about after the thousand years? Will Gentile believers then "go to heaven" to live forever?

 

 

 

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Revelation 20:7-9

 

 

When the thousand years are expired, Satan is loosed and deceives the nations. He leads them to fight against the camp of the saints and the beloved city. The beloved city is Jerusalem. The camp of the saints is probably the army of God, who guard and protect the city. The rebellious nations come up on the breadth of the earth to attack the city and the camp. The beloved city is on earth, the camp of the saints is on earth. God destroys those armies and throws Satan into the lake of fire. Immediately after this is the Great White Throne Judgment [Rev. 20:11-15]. Then John says:

 

 

 

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [the holy city] is with men [the saved nations], and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God...

 

...And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

Revelation 21:1-3 & 9-10

 

 

 

Why is God going to create a new earth if we are destined to dwell in the spirit realm forever? John saw the holy city coming down out of the new heavens. Where do we suppose it is coming down to? It is coming down to dwell on the new earth! We don’t want to get bogged down with defining the holy city at this point. We just want to emphasize that whatever it represents, it is "descending out of heaven from God." Again, where do we suppose it is descending to? When describing this city, John says:

 

 

 

And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

Revelation 21:22-24

 

 

The saved nations and the kings of the earth bring their glory into the city. The saved nations will be on the new earth, the kings of those nations will be on the new earth, and the holy city will be on the new earth. During the Millennium the saints will be ruling the nations on this present earth. After the Millennium they will be ruling the nations on the "new" earth. What causes us to think that we will live in heaven forever—or at all?

 

Are we saying there is no heaven? Not at all. There is indeed a heaven.  Do Christians go there when they die? Of course they do. Will they be in God's presence? Undoubtedly. What is heaven like? What will we do there? No one seems to know. There is a lot of speculation and wishful thinking about what heaven is like, but the fact is, no one actually knows because God has not told us what it is like. There is precious little information about heaven in the Word of God.

 

However, since "going to heaven" is held out as both the goal of redemption and the destiny of the saints, our religious leaders have had to come up with some information about heaven—what it is like and what we will do there. They have gone to God's Word and picked out a verse here and there and put together a mythological Paradise. The reason God has told us very little about heaven is because "making it to heaven" is not what salvation is all about. Although there are dozens of scriptures in the New Testament which make reference to heaven, not one teaches that the purpose of redemption is to live in heaven.

 

But isn't it true that we have a "lively hope" which consists of an inheritance "reserved in heaven for us" [I. Pet. 1:4]? Definitely. Is it not also true that we have a "substance" in heaven [Heb. 10:34] and "rewards" in heaven [Matt. 5:12]? Absolutely. However, it is not true that our rewards, inheritance and substance consist of carnal mansions, harps and golden slippers. Neither is it true that we are destined to remain in the spirit realm once we have received those rewards and that inheritance. Both the Old and the New Testaments state that the inheritance of the saints is the earth. [Ps. 37:9,11 & 22;  Matt. 5:5]

 

Friends, Jesus Christ is a real King. He is coming back to establish a real kingdom on this earth. The spiritual creation and the material creation are going to converge. When the curse has been lifted and this earth has been restored to its original splendor, when Satan’s rebellion has been purged from the people of this planet, when the glory of God’s kingdom has settled on it and you have been given a physical body that will never again wax old or perish, I promise you—you will never want to leave this planet!  

 

 

Deliverance From Zion

 

If we (the Church) are going to reign on earth with Messiah, why do we insist that the "Israel" of the Millennium will be a strictly Jewish entity? Why do we still believe that the Jews alone will guide the nations? The two-Israel error, which can be summed up in the following statements, denies Gentile saints their rightful place in the coming kingdom.

 

 

 

"Israel is called to be a Kingdom of priests. What is a Kingdom of priests? Priests are people that bring God and man together. A priest brings the people to God and God to the people. It is a mediator role. Israel is a nation of priests. So Israel, as a nation among the nations, brings God to the nations and the nations to God. That is Israel’s role as a literal nation. The Church is only metaphorically a nation because it is made up of people drawn from all nations." [2]

 

 

 

In other words, the Church is not called to be a "kingdom of priests." What then are we called to be? Whatever we are called to be, in this author’s mind, it has no connection to Israel’s call to be a "light to the nations." Poor Peter! He was deceived. He told Gentiles that we possessed the same call and destiny as Israel. He said we were a holy priesthood, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, and a peculiar people. Poor Paul! He was even more deceived. He not only told us that we were grafted into the call and destiny of National Israel, he told us that we had actually become part of the Jewish Commonwealth.

 

The belief that a strictly Jewish nation will be the vessel through which the presence of God will be brought to the nations during the Millennium is held by almost all Christians, yet it is unscriptural. Most believers today walk in doctrinal confusion because our "theology" (that’s the stuff we don’t really pay any attention to!) states we are going to rule and reign on the earth, but in the real world our actual hope has been shifted from the coming of God’s kingdom to the "rapture," or the going of the Church to heaven.

 

Most Christians never even think past the rapture. They never think past "going to heaven." Consequently, they live in a different reality than their theology. They never think to ask what the Church will be doing while the Jews are ruling the nations for a thousand years. What is going to happen to the Church anyway? It will not be in the spirit realm because the Kingdom of God will have been established on earth. The King will be ruling from Zion, literally. Yet we have turned the priestly work and ministry of the Millennium over to the Jews. So where is the Church? What will it be doing? The Church is gone, vanished, non-existent.

 

God hasn’t spent 6000 years forming a Royal Priesthood from every nation, tribe and tongue for no reason! He doesn’t intend to allow only the Jewish portion of that Priesthood to do all the functioning in the coming ages! He is making "one new man" out of the Jews and the Gentiles  [Eph. 2:15]. Does this take away from the special place "Israel" holds in God’s plan? Is this just another form of Replacement Theology? Not at all.

 

National Israel is called to be a "kingdom of priests" and they will fulfil that role during the Millennium. It’s just that National Israel will not be a strictly biological, Jewish entity. It will be a nation of Jewish and Gentile "branches" who have been made one new man. It will be the completed Olive Tree. The saved nations will indeed come to literal Jerusalem and Zion, but they are going to hear the word of the Lord from a spiritual people made up of all nationalities, not one specific race of people.

 

Those who are ready to turn everything that concerns the earth over to the natural Jew and go live in the spirit realm are not the only ones walking in religious confusion. There are plenty of Christians at the other end of the theological spectrum who are just as confused. These believers spiritualize everything that concerns Israel and believe they alone will be doing the work of the Millennium. In almost every area of doctrine and prophesy you will find these two opposite extremes regarding the identity and destiny of Israel. One view shuts the Jews out altogether, while the opposing view makes the Jews the only people of any real consequence in the plan of God, particularly during the Millennium. The attitude that shuts the Jews out was demonstrated for us some years ago by an obscure brother who arrogantly stated:

 

 

 

"The prophesy digests are always trying to focus our attention on what’s happening in Israel, as if that had something to do with what God is doing at the end of this age...that has absolutely nothing to do with what God is doing...get your eyes on the true nation of God. Don’t waste time and energy looking over there someplace to a natural nation, to a natural people."

 

 

There are many like this individual who have developed a lop-sided view of the return of the Lord. Their end-time scenario is completely warped because they ignore the fact that Paul said National Israel—or at least a remnant of National Israel—is to be re-grafted into the Olive Tree at the close of this age. Just as the material and the spiritual creation are destined to converge, so the Church and National Israel are destined to converge. What’s happening in natural Israel does indeed have much to do with what God is doing at the end of this age, for He is preparing a remnant of Jewish people to be re-grafted. Because this is part of God’s plan, there should be an anticipation of this in our hearts.

 

 

 

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 fulness 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: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Romans 11:25-27

 

 

Paul said the blindness (in part) that has befallen his kinsman "after the flesh" is not permanent. They have not stumbled that they should fall eternally, but have fallen temporarily so redemption could come to the Gentiles. He told us not to "boast" against the severed branches and gave us warnings to keep us in a place of humility regarding the Jews. Unfortunately, many Christians have turned a deaf ear to his warning, and as punishment, God has turned them over to become wise in their own conceits.

 

The Jews have been blinded until the fulness of the Gentiles have come in. Paul said that after the full number of elect Gentiles have been grafted onto the Olive Tree, all Israel shall be saved; meaning, God will lift the blinders from the eyes of the Jews and re-graft them back into their own tree. He then refers to the prophesy in Isaiah 59 and says: "there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."

 

What Paul was saying was that after the Jews have been re-grafted, Isaiah’s prophesy will have come to pass. All Israel will have been saved. It will have taken 2000 years and the nation will have been changed from a strictly Jewish commonwealth to a nation of Jewish and Gentile "branches" who have been made one new man in Messiah—but it will have been fulfilled.

 

But there is even more to his statement. When he says there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, he is talking about the end of the Church age, not the beginning of it. At the beginning of the Church age the Deliverer did come out of Zion literally. It was at Jerusalem that He made atonement for the sins of Israel and all men. He did turn ungodliness away from many of Jacob’s seed. But at the end of the Church age Jesus is not going to come from literal Zion to save Jacob. He is coming to geographical Zion from heaven to save them. Moreover, He is not coming alone. He is going to come with, and be manifested through, His body.

 

In other words, there is going to come forth a corporate deliverer. When Paul says the Deliverer will come "out of Zion" he is referring to a people not a place. Zion is both a people and a place. Out of a firstfruits warrior remnant of saints, out of spiritual Zion, the Deliverer will come. Through that warrior remnant the Lord will save and liberate natural Zion.

 

 

 

Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations [which came against Jerusalem], as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Zechariah 14:3-4

 

 

Zechariah described the events that would trigger the return of the Lord. When the nations have parted the Land of Israel—which they are fixing to do—and have at some later point attacked Jerusalem, He will come and deliver the surviving remnant of Jews and slaughter the armies that invaded them. One wonders what goes through the average Christian’s mind when they read these verses. Who do we think will be with Jesus when He goes out to "fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle?"

 

 

 

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Mark 13:26-27

 

To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

I. Thessalonians 3:13

 

 

Though there is much talk among Christians about Israel, there isn’t much real concern for what is happening to the people. The Jews don’t really mean a thing to most of us because our Christian myths have kept us detached from them for so many centuries, no feeling of kinship any longer exists. The Jewish State serves only one purpose for most pro-Israel Christians: they use it as a prophetic time-clock or barometer to figure out how long till the rapture. Thus, the motive behind much of the attention given to Israel is totally selfish because we don’t really care about the people.

 

This whole approach to the current State of Israel is not only self-centered, it is Satanic. That land is our land! Where do you think we will be ruling the nations from during the Millennium? Those people are our people—and when God sends His angels to gather the saints from the uttermost parts of the heaven and earth, He’s not going to whisk us off to a seven-year-long smorgasbord in a Gentile Paradise. We are going into battle with Messiah. We are going to fight for that city, that land and that people—our city, our land, our people. We are going to destroy the armies that tried to destroy Jerusalem. What a day that will be!

 

 

 

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

Micah 5:2-3

 

Micah gave an astonishing prophesy concerning these days. He foresaw that the "ruler" of Israel would come out of Bethlehem at the beginning of the Church age. He also foresaw the Jew’s rejection of Jesus and their subsequent cutting off. He says the Lord "will give them up" and  turn to the Gentiles. He saw that God would take out of the Gentile nations a people for His name [Acts 15:14].

 

But even more incredible is the fact that Micah also saw a remnant of those Gentiles coming out of the Church. He saw that National Israel would be given up until the time when "she which travaileth hath brought forth." She which travaileth is the Church. She is in travail to bring forth a firstfruits company of mature sons—a crop of full-grown wheat. When she has brought those sons forth, "the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel." The remnant of His (Messiah’s) brethren (the firstfruits) shall return unto the (natural) children of Israel.

 

In other words, the hearts of God’s firstfruits will be turned towards the broken branches. This is simply because they will be walking in present truth. We won’t belabor the point, but let it be known that God has begun to turn the hearts of His firstfruits towards the Jewish people. We have experienced it and we have met other sons of God who are experiencing it.

 

What we are talking about has nothing to do with "tours" to the Holy Land, or Catholic sites and relics, or soulish sentimentalism. It has nothing to do with getting involved with Rabbinical Judaism, Messianic Judaism, or any other kind of Judaism. It has nothing to do with "old order" notions about Israel whatsoever. Rather, it has to do with being receptive to a sovereign move of the Spirit that was prophesied over 2600 years ago.

 

The first partakers of the deliverance that is destined to come out of spiritual Zion (God's overcomers) will be natural Zion. When God gets ready to send that deliverance forth, all those who are caught up in Replacement Theology, or who harbor animosity towards the Jews, or who don’t want to be bothered with them, or who don’t believe they will be re-grafted, will simply be set aside. They will not be part of that army of deliverers. God will never use us to deliver those we care nothing about. He will never use us to rescue those we have no love or burden for. Participating in the deliverance and restoration of literal Zion is a reward for those of spiritual Zion who will obey the truth.

 

 

The Heart Of The Matter

 

As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Romans 11:28-29

 

 

Paul said the broken branches are enemies of the Gospel for our sakes. They were broken off the tree to make room for us. But concerning their election they are still beloved for the sake of the Patriarchs. We have often heard people quote Romans 11:29, but very few times have we ever heard it quoted in context. The context of that statement has to do with the election of the Jewish people. The gifts and calling of the Jewish people are without repentance. Some have forgotten (or choose to ignore) that God still loves them and continues to work with them His own way. Some have rejected the truth that they are still special to God, just as surely as we are special to Him, albeit in a different way.

 

The Lord is reaffirming His love for the broken branches in this hour. He is trying to prepare our hearts so we will be ready to fight on their behalf when the time comes. You see, we should be able to joyfully acknowledge that God is going to turn His attention to the Jews in the closing hours of this age. We should be able to say without hesitation that they are special to God, not because they are superior to us, not because they will have a better place or more glory in the kingdom than us, not because of any goodness or religious zeal on their part, but "for the fathers’ sakes."

 

For Abraham’s sake, God loves them and for Abraham’s sake we should love them. For Jacob’s sake, God is turning His heart towards them again and for Jacob’s sake, we should be turning our hearts towards them. While some Christians do believe what the Scripture says concerning the future redemption of the Jewish people, and while it is certainly good to align ourselves mentally with the truth of the Word, our awareness of what is about to happen to them needs to go deeper than our brains. Accepting what the Scripture says about them mentally is not the same as allowing God to soften our hearts towards them. A softened Gentile heart is what God is after.

 

More than any time in history the Jewish people should have a special place in the hearts of those who claim to be closest to God. We who claim to have spiritual insight, we who claim to have great end-time revelation, should understand that the "times of the Gentiles" are now closing. We should perceive that "Jacob’s Trouble" is close at hand, and that natural Jerusalem is about to be purged with fire and blood. The Jewish people are going to go though more hardship before they are delivered. We should understand that when this happens, God wants spiritual Zion prepared to liberate and comfort the surviving remnant of literal Zion.

 

The question is not, do you believe the Scripture? The question is not, do you hate the Jews? The question is, will you allow God to put that special love that He has for them in your heart? The redemption of Jerusalem and the natural seed of Abraham is very dear to God’s heart, and He intends to fulfil all that He has sworn to Abraham. So we must make a choice. Either we will allow God to prepare us to participate in that restoration and deliverance, or we will reject that preparation—in which case God will simply raise up another people to fulfil His will.

 

 

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Romans 11:29-31

 

 

It is so tragic that the people who should have been showing mercy to the Jews these many centuries are the very ones who have never wanted to be bothered with them, or worse, have persecuted and butchered them. Yes, it is true that the Jews have committed their share of evil down through the centuries. But have the Gentiles committed less evil?

 

What kind of spiritual condition were you in when God saved you? Was your sin and rebellion any better than Jewish sin and rebellion? Is Gentile pride and wickedness any less offensive to God than Jewish pride and wickedness? Why are Gentile Christians so quick to look past the sins of their fellow Gentiles and intercede for their salvation, but very slow to look past the sins of the Jews and intercede for their salvation? The answer is simple. We are hypocrites!

 

What then shall we do? Are we suggesting that people go out and join the local Synagogue or the local Jewish Community Center, or learn Hebrew, or go live in Israel? Not at all. Are we suggesting that people get involved in Torah observance or start celebrating Jewish feasts? No. We are not telling anyone to go anywhere or do anything—except allow the Spirit of God to change our attitude about the Jewish people. It is a matter of the heart.

 

The preparation God wants to do in us is to soften our hearts towards Paul’s kinsmen, and recognize that as a result of being grafted into their heritage and destiny, they are now our people. He wants to return the feeling of "kinship" that has been destroyed and put an anticipation of their deliverance in our hearts. He wants us to realize that their land is our land too. He wants us to live in the reality that not only geographical Israel but this entire planet is our "turf," and that when our preparation has been completed we are going to bind Satan and take our turf back. In short, God wants us prepared and ready to bring the life and power of His kingdom to literal Zion, and from there, to the nations and the entire material creation. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


[1] Prophetic Destinies; Derek Prince; p. 74

[2] Israel, the Church and the Last Days;

                 Dan Juster & Keith Intrater; p. 86