Blindness in Part

Blindness in Part 1
Blindness in Part
By
Dr. Stephen E. Jones
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God's Kingdom Ministries
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2 Blindness in Part
Blindness in Part
Table of Contents
I. Chapter One ……………………………………………………………… 1

A. The Blind Servant in the Book of Isaiah
1. Key #1: Israel and Judah
2. Key #2: The Sceptre and the Birthright
3. Key #3: The Two Works of Christ
4. Key #4: The Cursed Fig Tree
B. Isaac: The Pattern Blind Servant
C. Esau Absorbed by Judah in 126 BC
D. The Birthright Returned to Esau in 1948
E. The End of the Matter
II. Chapter Two …………………………………………………………….… 8

A. Hosea, Gomer and Family
B. God Divorces Israel
C. The Redemption of Gomer-Israel
D. The Restoration Prophesied
E. The Two Gomers
F. Some Jews Have Found the House of Israel
G. The Law of Divorce and Remarriage
H. Hosea’s Remarriage
III. Chapter Three ………………………………………………………….… 20

A. Judah’s Divorce
B. Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives
C. A Warning to Jerusalem
D. Jeremiah’s Warning to Jerusalem
IV. Chapter Four …………………………………………………………..… 26

A. God’s Sovereign Choices
B. Israel in Captivity for 2,520 Years
C. How Captivity Affected Israel
D. The Slave Trade
V. Chapter Five …………………………………………………………..… 33

A. Not to “Seeds”
B. The Children of the Flesh
C. Cast Out the Bondwoman and Her Son
D. The Benefits of Being an Israelite
E. Israel, Church, and Overcomers
F. Exclusive Callings, Not Exclusive Salvation
Blindness in Part 3
VI. Chapter Six ………………………………………………………….…... 40

A. Vessels of Wrath and Vessels of Mercy
B. Who are the “Jews”?
C. Who are the “Gentiles”?
D. The Israelite Nations
E. Israel and the World
F. The “Gentiles” of Israel and Judah
G. The Remnant Shall Return
VII. Chapter Seven ……………………………………………………….…... 47

A. The Old and New Covenants
B. The Remnant Saved First
C. A Brief Summary
VIII. Chapter Eight …………………………………………………………… 54

A. The Word is Nigh Thee
B. Not Enough to be a Blind Israelite
C. The Law of God’s Jealousy
D. Who are the No-People?
E. The Twelve Tribes of the Dispersion
IX. Chapter Nine ………………………………………………………….…. 62

A. The Judah Remnant of Jesus’ Day
B. The Jealousy Principle in Operation Today
C. The Remnant of Grace
D. Blindness Healed
X. Chapter Ten ……………………………………………………………… 69

A. Partial Blindness upon Israel
B. A Deep Sleep upon Jerusalem
C. David’s Prophecy of Jerusalem
D. Paul’s Logic About This
E. Why Did Israel Stumble?
XI. Chapter Eleven ………………………………………………………….. 76

A. Paul’s Epistle to the British War-Captives in Rome
B. “You Gentiles”
XII. Chapter Twelve …………………………………………………………. 82

A. The Prophecy to Ephraim
B. Pattern Blindness
C. The Meaning and Effects of Blindness
D. God Has No Regrets
E. Good News: Mercy Upon All
4 Blindness in Part
Chapter One
In God’s message to the Church of the Laodiceans, we read of its need for “eye salve”
(Revelation 3:18). We all have our areas of blindness, for Paul himself said that “we know in part
and we prophesy in part” (1 Cor. 13:9). When we trace the history of biblical blindness, we find
that it has been with us in some form or another at least since the days of Moses. In this book we
will attempt to show the origins of that blindness, its purpose, and its end. In seeing its cause and
effect upon the Church in the twentieth century, we can perhaps receive some of this divine eye
salve to help us see more clearly the plan of God.
The Blind Servant in the Book of Isaiah
The prophet Isaiah wrote his book during the time the Assyrians were conquering and
deporting the ten northern tribes of the house of Israel. Hence, this was Isaiah’s prime concern
and focus, and he devoted most of his book to prophecies regarding those “lost tribes of Israel.”
He says less about the southern house of Judah, though he does not ignore them completely. (See
Isaiah 36-39.) One of the most unique themes that Isaiah sets forth is the “blind servant” theme.
Essentially, he tells us that the house of Israel is God’s blind and deaf servant (42:19). A more
secondary theme is that the Israelites were God’s “witnesses” (43:10). This is quite a paradox,
because a witness in a court of law can only report what he has seen or heard, but if the witness is
both blind and deaf, how can he possibly be a credible witness?
But God loves doing the impossible, and it seems as though He never does anything
without first creating an impossible situation. The paradoxes of Scripture form the basis of a
subtle divine humor that we often miss. Isaiah tells us in 44:18 about these blind Israelites,
18
They have not known nor understood; for He hath shut their eyes, that
they cannot see, and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
Let’s see. God blinded the eyes of the house of Israel, so that they cannot see, and He shut
their hearts, so that they could not understand (hear the word). Then He made them His
witnesses, by which all things are established in the earth. Am I missing something here? Oh,
yes. Just to make it difficult, by the way, God said in Isaiah 44:5,
5
One shall say, I am the Lord’s; and another shall call himself by the name of
Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord and surname
himself by the name of Israel.
But these who would claim to be Israel “are their own witnesses,” (44:9) not God’s
witnesses. That is, they may believe that they are worshipping the God of the Bible, but their
words and lives do not accurately bear witness to the character and works of God. In contrast,
God promises true Israel in Isaiah 44:3,
3
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry
ground; I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine
offspring.
Blindness in Part 5
To understand how God has blinded the eyes of Israel, we must have certain biblical keys
that will unlock the doors of truth.
Key #1: Israel and Judah
The united kingdom of Israel under David and Solomon became a divided kingdom after
Solomon died. Thereafter, the kingdom itself was called Israel, or the house of Israel, but it
consisted only of the ten northern tribes. The southern house of Judah consisted of Judah,
Benjamin, and most of the Levites.
The full story is found in 1 Kings 11, where the prophet Abijah told Solomon that because
he had departed from God, the kingdom would be taken from him and given to another.
Solomon’s son would be given the tribe of Benjamin (along with Judah, of course), but the
kingdom itself would be stripped from him. When Solomon died, the kingdom was given to an
Ephraimite named Jeroboam, but Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, reigned over the southern House of
Judah.
From this point on, the Bible speaks of Israel and Judah as two distinct nations. The
definition of “Israel” changes. Up to Solomon’s day “Israel” meant the entire nation of all twelve
tribes, but after the split in the kingdom, “Israel” usually referred to the northern House of Israel,
as distinct from the House of Judah to the south. Furthermore, the prophecies to Israel and to
Judah are quite different, for each nation had a destiny to fulfill.
Key #2: The Sceptre and the Birthright
When Jacob blessed his twelve sons, he gave the birthright to Joseph (or actually,
Joseph’s sons when he adopted them in Genesis 48:13-16). With that birthright came the right to
be called by the name which the angel gave him, the name of Israel (Genesis 48:16). Judah, on
the other hand, received the Sceptre. That is, the messiah, the king of Israel, would come through
his family. These things are verified by 1 Chronicles 5:1 and 2,
1
Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn;
but forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the
sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned
after the birthright. 2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him
came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s.
This is why the northern ten tribes retained the name of Israel after the split in the
kingdom. It was because the northern tribes included the tribes of Joseph, whose right it was to
the name of Israel. Judah never had that political right, although in the genealogical sense, they
were Israelites, because they were descendants of Jacob-Israel.
This key is very important, in view of Isaiah’s word that “another shall . . . surname
himself by the name of Israel” (Isaiah 44:5). The obvious implication is that a people other than
the descendants of Joseph would take the name Israel for themselves and thereby lay claim to the
birthright and the birthright name, Israel. Judah was not the birthright holder, nor ever could they
be, for it was given to Joseph, not to Judah. This is an important and useful key of truth.
Key #3: The Two Works of Christ
6 Blindness in Part
The divine law tells us in Leviticus 14:1-7 that it takes two doves to cleanse a leper.
Leprosy is the biblical type of our incurable death-ridden nature. The first dove was killed in an
earthen vessel over running water (14:5). The second was dipped in the blood of the first and let
loose into an open field (14:7).
Jesus came and was killed in an earthen vessel (this mortal, earthen body). In the second
appearance, we read in Rev. 19:13, “And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.” This
identifies Him as the second living Dove being loosed in the open field. The field is the world
(Matthew 13:38).
The same pattern is found in Leviticus 16 in the things done on the Day of Atonement.
The priest killed the first goat and sent the second alive into the wilderness.
This key is directly related to our second key. The second appearance of Christ, with his
vesture dipped in blood, not only acts out the part of the second dove, but also identifies him as
“Joseph.” Genesis 37:31 says,
31
And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the
coat in the blood.
In other words, Jesus’ first appearance was as the first dove, and He came through the line
of Judah. His second appearance is as the second dove, and this time He comes with a Joseph
ministry. The first time He came of Judah to lay claim to the Sceptre that Jacob had given to
Judah. The second time he comes of Joseph in order to lay claim to the birthright given to
Joseph.
The prophetic promise to Judah was fulfilled in Jesus’ first appearance. He was born in
Bethlehem of Judea (Matthew 2:1). That work was finished when He said on the Cross, “It is
finished” (John 19:30). But there was still another work to be done needed to fulfill the prophetic
promise to Joseph. That promise was to be “a fruitful bough (son).” The Hebrew word for
“bough” is ben. It means a son.
The tree was planted with Jesus’ death and burial. It sprouted in His resurrection. Now we
have come to the time where the tree must bear fruit.
Key #4: The Cursed Fig Tree
The remnant of Judah in Jesus’ day did not accept Him as the messiah, their king. There
were, of course, many individuals who did accept Him, but as a nation, they clearly rejected Him
(John 1:11). As a consequence, at the end of His ministry, Jesus laid a curse upon the fig tree that
represented the nation. Matthew 21:19 says,
19
And when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing
thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee
henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
Jesus prophesied that it would not bear fruit when it came time for the fruit to be eaten. This fig
tree, then, is the one Jesus mentioned later in Matthew 24:32-34, saying,
Blindness in Part 7
32
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender and
putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. 33 So likewise ye, when ye
shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say
unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.
Many today understand that Jesus was here referring to the cursed fig tree. It is widely
accepted that the cursed fig tree that had withered from the roots up in Jesus’ day suddenly began
to put forth leaves in 1947-48 when the Israeli state was created. We agree with this. Strangely
enough, however, many also believe that the Jewish fig tree nation founded in 1948 is going to
bear fruit, though Jesus specifically said in Matthew 21:19 that it would not. Consequently, this is
an area that deserves further investigation, so that we might understand the mind of God and
know what He is doing in the world today.
Isaac: The Pattern Blind Servant
Isaiah’s prophecies explain the hidden meaning of the life of Isaac, who was the prophetic
pattern that his descendants were to follow many years later. Abraham had offered Isaac on the
altar as a living sacrifice to God. Obviously, this was also a picture of God giving His only son as
the sacrifice for sin—and this is the pattern of Jesus on the Cross. However, the pattern is also
fulfilled in the corporate body of Israel, the descendants of Isaac. Abraham’s act dedicated Isaac
to God as a servant people. By extension, since all of Isaac’s descendants were “in his loins,” his
posterity as a nation would be God’s servant nation.
In his later life, Isaac decided to bless his oldest son, Esau, before he died. He sent Esau
out to find venison. Meanwhile, Rebekah heard what was happening, and she devised a plan by
which to give Jacob the blessing. They took advantage of Isaac’s blindness. Jacob dressed like
Esau and managed to trick Isaac into blessing him instead of Esau. Naturally, when Esau returned
with the venison and found that he had been supplanted, he was furious. The story is told in
Genesis 27.
38
And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless
me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39 And
Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold thy dwelling shall be
[lit. “be away from”] the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from
above; 40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it
shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break
his yoke from off thy neck.
Isaac must have known, either consciously or by the Spirit, that Jacob sinned against Esau
and would therefore have to pay restitution to him eventually in order to restore the lawful order.
It was certainly God’s intent to give the birthright and blessing to Jacob, but Jacob should have
waited for God to do it, rather than lie to his father to make sure God got it right.
So Isaac prophesied that Esau would receive the dominion at some future time. Jacob
would have to give the birthright back to Esau for a time, in order to allow God to give it to
Jacob in His own way and time. But the story of Isaac does not give us any further details. To
learn how God would accomplish this, we must read Isaiah.
Esau Absorbed by Judah in 126 BC
8 Blindness in Part
It is a matter of well-known history that the Edomites (i.e., Idumeans) were conquered by
John Hyrcanus in 126 BC and forced to become Jews. This can be found in any encyclopedia,
including the Jewish Encyclopedia. The story is told in great detail in Josephus’ Antiquities of the
Jews, XIII, ix, 1, where we read:
“Hyrcanus took also Dora and Marissa, cities of Idumea, and subdued all the Idumeans;
and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would be circumcised, and make use of
the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their
forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision and the rest of the Jews’ ways
of living; at which time therefore, this befell them, that they were hereafter no other
than Jews.”
An editor’s footnote on this same page in Josephus’ book quotes another ancient historian named
Ammonius, who says,
“The Jews [i.e., Judeans] are such by nature, and from the beginning, whilst the
Idumeans were not Jews from the beginning, but Phoenicians and Syrians; but being
afterward subdued by the Jews and compelled to be circumcised, and to unite into one
nation, and be subject to the same laws, they were called Jews.”
This is confirmed by the Jewish Encyclopedia, 1925 edition, Vol. 5, p. 41, which says,
“Edom is in modern Jewry.” From that point on in history, there has been no nation of Edom, or
Idumea. As Ammonius said above, the Idumeans were united into one nation with this remant of
Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. Hence, we must either spiritualize these prophecies entirely, or else
look to the Jews for the fulfillment of prophecy of both Judah and Edom. As we will show, they
are indeed fulfilling both sets of prophecies at the same time without contradiction.
The Birthright Returned to Esau in 1948
As we saw earlier, Isaac in his blindness blessed Jacob thinking he was blessing Esau.
Because Jacob lied to his father and violated the divine law to obtain the blessing, God blinded
Jacob’s descendants (true Israelites) in order that they too might be tricked into giving back the
blessing to Esau. It was “an eye for an eye.” God’s lawful judgment was absolutely just. Thus, in
1948 the true Israelites gave the blessing back to the Jews, who were only too happy to take the
birthright name and surname themselves by the name of Israel.
The true Israelites had migrated from Assyria into Europe to become the Caucasian
peoples. God blinded them to their true identity over the years, for they were called by many
other names. In fact, God removed from them the name of Israel, because He had cast them off
for a time. Of course, Isaiah also prophesied of this when he told the Judahites of Jerusalem in
65:11-15,
11
But YE are they that forsake the Lord, that forget My holy mountain. . . 12
Therefore will I number YOU to the sword, and YE shall all bow down to the
slaughter; because when I called, YE did not answer; when I spake, YE did
not hear; but did evil before Mine eyes . . . 13 Therefore, thus saith the Lord
God, Behold, My servants shall eat, but YE shall be hungry; behold, My
servants shall drink, but YE shall be thirsty; behold My servants shall rejoice,
but YE shall be ashamed. 14 Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart,
Blindness in Part 9
but YE shall cry for sorrow of heart . . . 15 And YE shall leave your name for a
curse unto My chosen; for the Lord God shall slay THEE, and call His
servants by another name.
Note the contrast. Isaiah was speaking to the people of Jerusalem and Judah, who were
not following the true God. He prophesies terrible things upon them, in direct contrast to “My
servants,” that Isaiah identified previously as the house of Israel.
This was a prophecy to the Judahites in Isaiah’s day, who would be taken to Babylon in
another century. But it is also prophetic of the next course of judgment by the hand of Rome,
when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD. The Jews refused to believe that they had done
anything wrong in crucifying Jesus, whom they called an imposter and a blasphemer. Even when
judgment came, they simply blamed God for their misfortunes, not comprehending how God
could allow these terrible things to happen to them, for they thought they were doing everything
correctly in the sight of God. Thus, they became increasingly angry and bitter instead of seeking
God to find out how they had sinned.
Meanwhile, however, God’s true servant people, the house of Israel that had been carried
away by Assyria 800 years earlier, were increasing in population and migrating across Asia Minor
and across the Caucasus mountains into Europe, where they were known by other names, even as
Isaiah had prophesied. These became known by later scholars by the general category,
“Caucasians,” since many had crossed the Caucasus mountains between the Black Sea and the
Caspian Sea. In actuality, they were the physical descendants of the house of Israel. The history is
easily proven, now that archeologists have unearthed all the evidence in the past 150 years.
God then saw to it that the Gospel went first to these Israelites, because He intended to
Christianize His servant people, that they might bring the Gospel to the rest of the world.
However, in the Pentecostal Age (33-1993 AD), the spread of the Gospel was greatly hindered by
the rise of oppression in the Roman Church. Thus, it was not until quite recently that the great
missionary movements began. Even so, the message has been spread by God’s blind and deaf
servant people who did not really know who they were or why God had chosen them to bring the
Gospel to the rest of the world.
The End of the Matter
In 1947-48 the Spirit of God was poured out in a new and powerful manner in the “Latter
Rain” movement. At the same time the Church essentially returned its blessing and birthright to
Esau by its enthusiastic support for the Israeli state formed on Nov. 29, 1947 by the United
Nations resolution. In May 1948 the British pulled out, and the Israelis seized the reins of
government, declaring independence of the “State of Israel.”
This also fulfilled the prophecies of the fig tree that began to put forth more leaves (but
no fruit, of course). The remnant of Judah (fig tree) came back to life in a national sense. The two
branches of modern Jewry, each with its set of prophecies to be fulfilled, ushered in the time
where the end was “near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33).
On November 29, 1996 the Israeli state completed 49 years and entered the 50 th year from
the moment Jacob (Britain, “Union Jack”) sold his birthright back to Esau because of his sin in
10 Blindness in Part
lying to his blind father, Isaac. God caused modern Jacob to sell his birthright, because he owed a
debt to Esau for his sin. Their 50th year was complete on November 29, 1997.
From the date of Israeli independence, which was declared on May 14, 1948, the 50 th year
would not actually end until May 14, 1998. Nonetheless, no matter how we date their Jubilee, it
is plain that their time has expired to surname themselves by the name of Israel. The law
specifies in Leviticus 25:10,
10
And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the
land unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye
shall return every man unto his possession . . . .
From September of 1996 to October of 1997 was the great Jubilee year dating back to
Adam, as we explained in detail in our book, Secrets of Time. It is time for true Israel to be
healed of his blindness and return to his inheritance, the birthright. The Israeli state was supposed
to give up the name of Israel and return it to its rightful inheritors. They obviously did not do so.
Hence, they must now deal with God in His court for violation of His Law.
Chapter Two
In Chapter One we focused upon certain biblical keys that are necessary to unlock the
mystery of the Israel question. The vast majority of evangelicals and fundamentalists teach that
the Jews are Israel and that the nation that calls itself “Israel” today is the fulfillment of Bible
prophecy regarding the regathering of the House of Israel. That teaching is entirely ignorant of
the basic difference between Israel and Judah. Virtually none of them even know that the
birthright went to Joseph, rather than Judah. And, of course, in not understanding or even reading
the divine law, they are unaware of the two works of Christ that correspond to His Judah work
(the Cross) and the Joseph work (the Crown).
We also showed from Isaiah 45:5 that God told us ahead of time that “another shall
subscribe with his hand unto the Lord and surname himself by the name of Israel,” in the attempt
to be God’s witnesses in the earth. Yet God’s true witness nation (true Israel—Isaiah 43:10)
would be blind and deaf, fulfilling God’s Word without their knowledge, almost totally ignorant
of what they were doing. God said to true Israel, “I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My
blessing upon thine offspring,” telling us that they would be largely known as a Christian people,
but at the same time they would be known “by another name” (Isaiah 65:15).
Putting these things together, it is apparent that Paul was correct in his statement that
“blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the nations be come in” (Romans
11:25). The blindness centers around their knowledge of the plan of God for Israel. It does not
mean they are blind as to who the Messiah is. They would receive His Spirit in the Pentecostal
Age (33-1993 AD), but they would not remember who they were or why the Gospel would come
to them first and take root in them before the other peoples of the earth.
Blindness in Part 11
The famous “Israel” chapters of Romans 9-11 are almost always applied to the Jews (or to
Judah in Paul’s day), but this is a misunderstanding based upon ignorance of plain history. Paul
was speaking of Israel’s rejection of God that had led to their dispersion in Assyria many years
earlier in 745-721 BC. He was not talking (primarily) about Judah’s rejection of Christ from 30-
33 AD, nor about the Jewish dispersion in 70 AD, an event which had not yet occurred when he
wrote his letter.
But before we deal with Roman 9-11, we must go back to the Old Testament to establish
the foundation of Paul’s teachings. We will have to limit our discussion, of course, since this is
only a short bulletin. I find that the best short but complete passage is the book of Hosea.
Hosea, Gomer and Family
Hosea 1:1 starts out by identifying the two nations of Israel and Judah. His prophecy
came during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah—kings of Judah—and in the days
of Jeroboam, king of Israel. It is apparent that Hosea was well acquainted with the simple
historical fact that the nation had split into two nations and that prophecies were different for
each nation. Prophecies about Judah would deal with that tribe’s call regarding the first work of
Christ, when Jesus came of the line of Judah to be eligible as the King. Prophecies about Israel
would deal with the second work of Christ, having to do largely with birthright of Joseph and the
theme of Sonship.
The story of Hosea begins with God’s command to go marry a prostitute named Gomer,
because she was a type of Israel. God had married Israel, but she had prostituted herself with
other gods (husbands). Hosea was thus playing the part of God in this parable or allegory of
God’s marital problems. Hosea and Gomer had a few children, each of whom were named to
signify prophetic themes. The first son was named Jezreel, “God scatters,” because God was
going to bring judgment upon Israel and scatter them, “and will cause to cease the kingdom of
the house of Israel.”
Next they had a daughter they named Lo-ruhamah, or “not pitied.” In Romans 9:25 it is
rendered “not beloved.” In 1 Peter 2:10 it is rendered “not having obtained mercy.” In Hosea 1:6
we are told that the reason for her name is: “for I will no more have mercy upon the house of
Israel; but I will utterly take them away.”
Then, to make sure we understand that this was NOT a prophecy applicable to Judah,
Hosea immediately tells us in the next verse, “But I WILL have mercy upon the house of Judah.”
Hence we see that in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when the Assyrians deported Israel,
they failed to conquer Jerusalem. God had mercy upon king Hezekiah and the nation of Judah,
but did NOT have mercy upon the house of Israel. Lo-ruhamah meant that God was going to
“utterly take them away” (Hosea 1:6). This is confirmed by the story of their deportation in 2
Kings 17:18-20,
18
Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of
his sight; there was NONE LEFT but the tribe of Judah only . . . 20 And the
Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them
into the hand of spoilers, until He had cast them out of His sight.
There were, of course, many individual Israelites who managed to escape the Assyrian
deportations, and so some Bible teachers have used this as an excuse to insist that the Jews
represent all the house of Israel as well as Judah. But in the sight of God, the TRIBES had been
utterly taken away. The tribeship itself resided in the heads, or princes, of each tribal unit. Those
princes were all deported, and thus the “tribes” were gone. Individuals do not constitute the
tribes. When we continue studying the prophecy of Hosea (and all the other prophets), we see
that the prophets always treat Israel and Judah as separate entities in need of reunification to
repair the breach between them. The prophets all treat Israel as a separate entity with its own
distinct set of prophecy to fulfill.
Hosea’s third child was another son named Lo-ammi, “not my people, for ye are not My
people, and I will not be your God” (Hosea 1:9). In other words, they were cut off from the old
covenant, the marriage covenant God had made with them at Mount Sinai. Without this
covenant, the house of Israel was no longer “chosen” in the legal sense of being God’s wife. They
no longer had the right to the birthright name of Israel—and this is why God stripped them of
that name.
God Divorces Israel
At this point the disastrous judgment of God was complete. Israel was cut off as a nation
(Jezreel), utterly taken away, or removed (Lo-ruhamah), and no longer God’s people, or God’s
wife (Lo-ammi). This is confirmed in Hosea 2:2, where God says to the children of Gomer-Israel,
“plead with your mother, plead; for she is not My wife, neither am I her husband.”
Likewise, Jeremiah 3:8 tells us that God gave Israel “a bill of divorce.” The law of
divorce in Deut. 24:1-4 tells us that a man is not allowed to separate from (“put away”) his wife
without first giving her a written bill of divorce. If he does so in the lawfully prescribed manner,
this bill of divorce is proof that she is no longer married to her former husband and may then “go
and be another man’s wife” (Deuteronomy 24:2). The law also tells us that once she has become
another man’s wife, it is unlawful for her to be remarried to her former husband, “for that is
abomination before the Lord” (Deuteronomy 24:4).
Thus we find Israel divorced from God. He gave her a bill of divorce before sending her
out of the house (the deportation to Assyria). God did it all lawfully. God is a divorcee, and Israel
is His ex-wife. The Church, of course, knows not the law, so it thinks that divorce itself is a sin,
thus calling God a sinner for divorcing the house of Israel. But then, the Church also thinks that
God remarried a “Gentile bride,” while insisting that remarriage, too, is a sin. When will the
Church stop blaspheming the character of God? For a more complete study on this particular law
and what Jesus and Paul said about it, see our booklet, The Bible Says: Divorce and Remarriage
is NOT Adultery.
The Redemption of Gomer-Israel
One would think that at this point the situation would be absolutely hopeless for Israel.
One would think that Israel would be lost forever. Once divorced, with Israel out in the world
marrying false gods, the divine law stood as a strong barrier between God and these ex-Israelites,
seemingly preventing Him from ever remarrying her. But Hosea says no such thing.
God would, of course, allow her to experience the oppression of those other gods
(religions of men), until she said, “I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better
with me than now” (Hosea 2:7). Even so, God said He would not bring her back to the old land
of Palestine. Instead, “I will allure her” to a new place called “the wilderness” (2:14), where He
would court her again. In that new place, God says,
19
I will betroth thee unto Me in righteousness and in judgment, and in
lovingkindness, and in mercies. 20 I will even betroth thee unto Me in
faithfulness; and thou shalt know the Lord.
Then in verse 23 we find the climax of the prophecy. We will quote the verse using some
of the original Hebrew words and names in the text, so that the force of the verse is not lost in the
translation. Keep in mind that God was using the names of his children as prophetic statements.
Lo-ruhamah means “no mercy” and Lo-ammi means “not My people.” The word lo in Hebrew
means “No,” or “Not.”
23
And I will sow [zara, the root word of Jezreel, “to seed, scatter, or sow”] her
unto Me in the earth; and I will have mercy on Lo-ruhamah; and I will say to
Lo-ammi, Thou art Ammi; and they shall say, Elohim.
In other words, regarding Jezreel, the name means “to scatter” as seed in the field, and
this is the meaning of the name in Hosea 1:3. But it has a double meaning. It also means “to
sow.” One must scatter the seed to sow it and bring an increase of grain. Hence, God’s judgment
upon Israel was to scatter them like seed in the field. This is why Hosea 1:10 says of Israel,
10
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea,
which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that in
the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not My people [Lo-ammi], there
it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
One cannot escape the simple fact that God did not cast off Israel so that she might
stumble and fall forever, but rather that she might be transferred to a new land called “the
wilderness.” Israel was being sown in a larger field, where she might grow and multiply as seed
sown in the field (the world). Why? So that she might fulfill the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. Genesis 32:12.
12
And Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand
of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
This was the promise of the birthright, given to Joseph (“God will add”) and his son,
Ephraim (“fruitfulness”). It was the promise of Sonship—many sons into glory. Such a promise
could be fulfilled only partially, so long as Israel remained in the limited space of the old land. So
God used Israel’s sin as an occasion to divorce her and send her out of His house, NOT so that
she would fall, but so that she would be sown in the field and multiplied like grain in a field. Paul
says this in Romans 11:11.
11
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; but
rather through their fall salvation is come unto the nations, for to provoke
them to jealousy.
So while it is true that God did bring judgment upon the house of Israel and scattered
them as the name Jezreel implies, He did so with the purpose of sowing them in the field (world)
to multiply them and fulfill the Abrahamic promise. Paul understood Hosea’s prophecy that God
would again restore them. He understood the underlying purpose of Israel’s scattering. It was so
that all nations would be saved.
How? The simplest answer is found in the parable of Matthew 13:44, where Jesus tells us
that God found a treasure (Israel—Exodus 19:6) in the field (world). He then hid it in the field
(Israel was “lost” like Joseph in Egypt) until He had time to sell everything He had (including
giving up His life on the Cross) to raise the money to buy the field (world).
His prime focus was to obtain the treasure (Israel); but in order to obtain the treasure
lawfully, He had to buy the field in which it was hidden or buried. Thus, God purchased the
entire world by His blood. So Paul tells us that the casting out of Israel was for the purpose of
saving the whole world. God intended from the beginning to buy the entire world. Hence, He
used Israel’s judgment to fulfill two main purposes: to sow them in the field and multiply them to
fulfill the Abrahamic covenant with Israel; and secondly, to purchase the whole world.
This is, therefore, good news for all men, whether of Israel or not. God was being
exclusive when He chose Israel as His wife; but His overall purpose was inclusive. He is not only
the God of Abraham, but also the God of the whole earth (Isaiah 54:5). All creation has a place in
the plan of God and must come under His government.
The Restoration Prophesied
Next we see in Hosea 2:23 that the judgment of Lo-ruhamah (“no mercy”) is also to be
reversed. “I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy.” Here Hosea simply restates
what had already been prophesied in 1:10. But most important of all, God is going to change Lo-
ammi to Ammi, from “not My people” to “My people.” That means He will bring them back into
a marriage covenant relationship with Himself. Hosea 1:10 says that they will be called “sons of
the living God” in the same place where they are considered to be “not My people.” And so we
see in history that the ex-Israelites moved into Europe, no longer known as Israel, with everyone
saying they are “not My people,” and yet they became the Christian nations of the world and
were called “sons of the living God.”
The prophetic story is astounding. They have fulfilled precisely the story of Joseph, who
was lost in Egypt and thought to be dead, but God led him and taught him His ways. Through
hardships of slavery and the anguish of being a castaway, Joseph was transformed into a true Son
of the living God. God also multiplied him in that land with two sons. Manasseh
(“forgetfulness”) indicated that he had forgotten all his father’s house (that is, his identity as an
Israelite); and Ephraim (“fruitful”) was prophetic of the Abrahamic promise to multiply his
children as the sand of the sea and as the stars of heaven.
The Two Gomers
There are two biblical Gomers: the first is the oldest son of Japheth (Gen. 10:2); the
second is Hosea’s wife. The first is a man; the second a woman by the same name. In The
Companion Bible, which includes notes from Dr. Bullinger, the notation for Genesis 10:2 reads:
Gomer. In Assyrian, Gimirri (the Kimmerians of Herodotus). Progenitor of the Celts.
This note would have been accurate if it had been placed in Bullinger’s notes regarding Hosea’s
wife, Gomer instead of in Genesis 10. It is certainly true that Gomer is identifiable with the
Gimirri, i.e., the Celtic peoples, who migrated from Assyria into Europe from 600 BC onwards.
However, they were NOT the descendants of Gomer, son of Japheth, but were of Gomer, or
Ghomri, the official Assyrian name for the house of Israel.
The Assyrians called the house of Israel “Beth-Ghomri,” or “Bit-Khumri” in all of their
stone monuments and official records. All archeologists translate this name as “the house of
Omri.” Omri was the father of king Ahab and was one of Israel’s more prominent kings (1 Kings
16:23). In the old Hebrew language Omri’s name was spelled Ghomri; but in later years the
language evolved, and it came to be spelled either Omri or Khumri. (For further documentation,
see Secrets of Time, Chapter 15, p. 168.)
When the Assyrians conquered the house of Israel in 721 BC, the king ruling Israel during
the siege was named Hoshea (2 Kings 17:6). A king is said to be married to the nation. King
Hoshea was thus married to Gomer, or Ghomri, as the Assyrians called Israel.
Hoshea is really the same name as Hosea. Hence, we find that Hosea’s marriage to
Gomer, and their children whose names prophesied Israel’s destruction, foretold not only the
events to come, but also the very names of the last king of Israel and the official Assyrian name
for the house of Israel—Gomer, or Ghomri.
As we said before, Isaiah 62:2 prophesies that the house of Israel would be “called by a
new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.” This is confirmed in Isaiah 65:15, where
God says that His “servants” (defined in Isaiah 44:1 as Israel) would be called “by another
name.” God’s purpose in giving Israel a new name was to hide her identity during her wilderness
wandering, so that she would remain lost to the shepherds who refused to search for her and find
her (Ezekiel 34:4-6).
Furthermore, Isaiah 44:5 prophesied that “another shall call himself by the name of
Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the
name of Israel.” Thus, the true house of Israel would be certain to remain lost for as long as God
purposed it.
Even as God called Israel by a new name, so also did Pharaoh call Joseph by a new name.
Genesis 41:45 says, “And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah.” This name means
“Abundance of Life.” Joseph’s new name allowed him to remain unrecognized when his brothers
came to buy grain. His descendants of the house of Israel today are also unrecognized—and for
the same reason. It was all in the plan of God.
One further word about Gomer: Japheth’s son, Gomer, had sons who settled from Greece
to Asia Minor (now Turkey) and westward all the way to the land of the Medes. Genesis 10:2
gives us their names. Javan is the old name for Greece; Madai is the father of the Medes; Tiras is
the father of the city of Tyre in Phoenicia. It is interesting, but perhaps a bit confusing that the
house of Israel was placed in the cities of the Medes (2 Kings 17:6) and in other areas among the
Gomerites of Japheth.
Hence, the Ghomri of Israel came to be associated with the people of Gomer, son of
Japheth. This, too, was according to biblical prophecy. In Genesis 9:27, Noah blessed his son,
Japheth, saying, “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.”
This prophecy was fulfilled when Israel was cast out of the land of Palestine and placed in
the territory where the Gomerites of Japheth were living. This enlarged the population of Japheth,
while at the same time, the people of Japheth came into the tents of Shem (Israel). It was God’s
purpose to take the Japhethites and merge them with Israel, so that they might all be blessed
together in “the tents of Shem.” Gomer-Japheth and Gomer-Israel essentially became one people
throughout Europe. In fact, it served to multiply the house of Israel, and it prefigured God’s plan
to purchase the whole field in order to obtain the treasure in it. God hid Gomer-Israel in the field
of Gomer-Japheth, giving them essentially the same name, so that men would lose the house of
Israel as prophesied.
What a plan! Could any man write a novel as exciting as the one God wrote?
Some Jews Have Found the House of Israel
In recent years a number of Jewish scholars, including Christian Jews, have begun to
recognize the plain history of lost Israel. For example, Yair Davidy, a resident of Kiryat-Arba
(Hebron), has written a number of books on the subject, showing that many Caucasians are, in
fact, descendants of the house of Israel.
His first book, The Tribes, actually identified various European nations with specific
Israelite tribes. His latest is a 400-page book entitled, Lost Israelite Identity, with a subtitle: “The
Hebrew Ancestry of Celtic Races.” On pages 7 and 8 of this book, it says,
“In other words, the ‘Lost Ten Tribes’ exist, and must be somewhere, and logically most
likely would have to be an important polity in order to fulfill the task laid upon them.
Lost Israelite Identity brings proof that they migrated in several waves (and by varied
paths) mainly to northwest Europe and the British Isles whence their descendants
eventually colonised North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
“Lost Israelite Identity may not be the best-written book you have ever read, but the
information contained herein is more valuable than anything you are likely to find in
most other works. The particular truth that Lost Israelite Identity revels is probably the
most important one that this present generation has received. By reading Lost Israelite
Identity you have become involved with the revelation of history.
“Lost Israelite Identity concentrates on bringing straightforward evidence identifying
many of the peoples of Northwest Europe and their overseas offshoots as being of
Israelite origin from the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. They themselves are on the whole
unaware of their Lost Israelite Identity.”
Davidy’s books are expensive ($30 apiece) and can also be somewhat cumbersome and
disorganized, but they do set forth much of the same historical material that I have personally
studied since I first came across the concept in 1971. Most of the material is not new, but these
books are most valuable in that they come from a Jewish source. Hence, it is no longer easy to
dismiss the abundant evidence by labeling it “anti-semitic propaganda.”
All his books come highly recommended by Rabbi Abraham Feld of the very prestigious
Macabee Institute in Jerusalem. Amazing. They obviously do not understand that this undermines
the legitimacy of their claim to be Israel and to hold the birthright of Joseph.
In America a Jewish-Christian organization has sprung up called “United Israel,” whose
purpose is to issue the call to the true Israelites to unite with the true Judahites. This, they
believe, is necessary in order to fulfill the prophecies of the true regathering of a united Israel and
Judah. In other words, they do not believe that the present Israeli state can fulfill these
prophecies, not only because it rejects Jesus Christ, but also because it has not taken into account
the “lost” house of Israel.
I am in agreement with much of what these people are teaching, but I do have a few
disagreements as well, which I mentioned in Secrets of Time, pp. 175 and 176. From their Jewish
perspective, they feel that the Israelites need to join with the Jews, which they identify as true
Judah. I believe that the tribeship of Judah is resident in the head of that tribe. It is in Jesus
Christ, the King of Judah and of all Israel. Hence, those Israelites who are in Christ are already
united with Judah (Romans 2:29), as are all men everywhere, whether they are descended from
Israel or not. One does not need to become a Jew like many Christians today have done.
In other words, to become a Jew like Pat Boone and many others have done is to place
one’s self back under the old covenant, for that is the covenant under which today’s Jews claim to
be. The solution is for Jews to become Christians, not for Christians to become Jews.
Nonetheless, I do appreciate the fact that a number of Jews today have examined the historical
records and have found the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Our difference is how to deal with
this historical fact.
It is my belief that the Israelis have now entered into a very dangerous time. The threat of
war is not new to them, of course. But their 49 years—depending on our starting points—ended
between November 29, 1996 and May 14, 1997. Furthermore, the Jubilee was to be declared on
the Day of Atonement, September 23, 1996, and the Jubilee year itself ended October 1, 1997.
(See Secrets of Time.) In other words, the great Jubilee from Adam coincided with the Israeli
Jubilee cycle. We are now past the year of Jubilee, when inheritances must be returned to their
original owners. The Jews laid claim to the name and inheritance of Israel in 1947-48, when God
allowed them to receive Joseph’s Birthright Name for a season. But they did not give it back to
the tribes of Joseph before the deadline of October 1, 1997.
Up to that point God protected them, because Jacob (represented by Great Britain) gave
them the birthright back in 1948—thus, the Jews could lawfully utilize the “property.” God not
only recognized their right, but protected them against those who came against them. However,
God’s hand of protection is now lifting, and they do not realize it. They will find themselves
severely judged, because they were given the birthright responsibility to bring forth the Kingdom
of God, but they did not do so. In their blind confidence that God will always be on their side
whether they bring forth the fruits of the kingdom or not, they will continue their march to utter
disaster, as Jesus prophesied so often.
It is in their best interest to recognize the truth and comply with the law of God. This
warning is not given in malice, but in hope that the true Christians among them will take heed
and flee Jerusalem like the Christians did many years ago just before the city was destroyed in 70
AD. In those days the Christians remembered Jesus’ words in Luke 19:41-44,
41
And when He was come near, He beheld the city [Jerusalem] and wept over
it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the
things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes. 43
For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench
about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side. 44 And
shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they
shall no leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou knewest not the
time of thy visitation.
When the Christians saw the Roman armies compassing Jerusalem at the feast of
Tabernacles in October of 66 AD, they knew the day of reckoning had come. In the early days of
the war, Cestius Gallus, the Roman general, attacked Jerusalem and could have taken it with
relatively few casualties. However, for some unknown reason, he retreated just before the city
would have surrendered to him. Josephus writes in his Wars of the Jews, II, ix, 4-7,
“. . . Had he [Cestius] but at this very time attempted to get within the walls by force, he
had won the city presently, and the war had been put an end to at once; but Tyrannius
Priscus, the muster-master of the army, and a great number of the officers of the horse,
had been corrupted by Florus, and diverted him from that his attempt; and that was the
occasion that this war lasted so very long, and thereby the Jews were involved in such
incurable calamities. . . .
“. . . It was, I suppose, owing to the aversion God had already at the city and the
sanctuary, that he was hindered from putting an end to the war that very day. It then
happened that Cestius was not conscious either how the besieged despaired of success,
nor how courageous the people were for him; and so he recalled his soldiers from the
place, and by despairing of any expectation of taking it, without having received any
disgrace, he retired from the city, without any reason in the world.”
One can see the hand of God in this quite distinctly. God’s purpose was to bring judgment
to Jerusalem and to the temple, because of their sin in rejecting Jesus as the Christ and for not
knowing the time of their visitation. So God blinded the eyes of Cestius in order to turn the war
into utter calamity for Jerusalem. Then in 68 AD God caused Nero to commit suicide in order to
delay the conquest of Jerusalem until 70 AD—40 years after Herod executed John the Baptist.
The final battle was at Masada at Passover of 73 AD, precisely 40 years after the priests had
crucified Jesus. This is confirmed by Eusebius, the fourth-century Church historian, who writes
in his The History of the Church, ch. 7,
“After the Saviour’s Passion, and the cries with which the Jewish mob clamoured for the
reprieve of the bandit and murderer and begged that the Author of Life should be
removed from them, disaster befell the entire nation. There is no need to add anything to
the historical records. But it would be right to mention, too, certain facts which bring
home the beneficence of all-gracious Providence, which for forty years after their
crime against Christ delayed their destruction.”
Earthly events always take place according to God’s calendar, and judgments are executed
only after God’s grace periods expire. This was very obvious to Eusebius and to all who took
note of the 40-year grace period for Judah established by the prophet in Ezekiel 4:6.
Meanwhile, history tells us that the Christians escaped from Jerusalem in late 66 AD after
Cestius retreated from his siege of Jerusalem. Josephus says in Wars of the Jews, II, xx, 1,
“After this calamity had befallen Cestius, many of the most eminent of the Jews swam
away from the city, as from a ship when it was going to sink.”
Josephus does not mention the flight of the Christians from Jerusalem. However, we do
find this mentioned by Eusebius in History of the Church, chapter 4:
“Furthermore, the members of the Jerusalem church, by means of an oracle given by
revelation to acceptable persons there, were ordered to leave the City before the war
began and settle in a town in Perea called Pella. To Pella those who believed in Christ
migrated from Jerusalem; and as if holy men had utterly abandoned the royal metropolis
of the Jews and the entire Jewish land, the judgment of God at last overtook them for
their abominable crimes against Christ and His apostles, completely blotting out that
wicked generation from among men.”
We are now at the time of the second cycle of judgment upon Jerusalem. I pray that God’s
people will again take heed and get out of harm’s way. The situation in Jerusalem has not
changed since 70 AD. Both the civil and the religious leaders in that city are still without
repentance, still rejecting Jesus as the Christ. They still cling to the Mosaic covenant, not
knowing that it is this very covenant and the words of Moses that will judge them for their sin.
Their only salvation is to leave behind the old covenant under Moses and come into the New
Covenant under Jesus the Christ, whereby they may receive grace and forgiveness of sins.
There is a bill pending in the Israeli parliament that will probably be signed into law soon,
which essentially outlaws all Christian activity in the nation. Another bill pending would force all
Jews to be Orthodox in order to be “real” Jews. This bill would not only affect the Conservative
and Reform Jews, but also those who are trying to be Christian Jews. I view this as God way of
forcing Christian Jews to choose between Judaism and Christianity. True Christians will not deny
Christ, while the rest will convert back to Judaism. In this we will see John’s words fulfilled
when he wrote in 1 John 2:18-23,
18
Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist shall
come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the
last time. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had
been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out,
that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. . . . 22 Who is a
liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth
the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the
Father . . . .
John was talking primarily about those who had converted from Judaism to Christianity
for a time, but had later reverted back to Judaism. They could not break the ties to the old temple
or synagogue. Perhaps they could not take the family pressures. To them, it was better to be a
Christian sympathizer but remain in Judaism under the Old Covenant.
Today, God is speaking through the Israeli parliament in order to force Jewish Christians
to choose which covenant they want to be under. John says that God’s purpose is “that they might
be made manifest that they were not all of us [or, from us].”
The Law of Divorce and Remarriage
We wrote earlier that the law in Deuteronomy 24 forbade a man from remarrying his
former spouse once she had become another man’s wife. When God divorced the house of Israel
(Jeremiah 3:8), it would seem impossible for God to ever remarry her lawfully. And yet Hosea
and the other prophets make it clear that He would do so. Isaiah, too, speaks comfort to Israel
saying in Isaiah 50:1 & 2,
1
Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? 2 Is
My hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to
deliver?
The answer is found in verse 6, where God says,
6
I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the
hair; I hid not My face from shame and spitting.
In other words, Jesus’ death on the cross was the means by which God would redeem Israel. It
was the way in which God was able to get around the bill of divorce that He had given Israel.
Jesus came to earth as God incarnate in order to die on the cross. Then when He was
raised up in newness of life at the resurrection, Jesus was BY LAW a new creature, a different
person. He was the same person by the spirit, but in the eyes of the law, He was a new man.
Thus, He became eligible to remarry Israel. Paul unlocked the secret in 1 Corinthians 7:39 says,
39
The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her
husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the
Lord.
As long as Israel’s Husband was alive in heaven, He was her ex-husband, and the law
stood opposed to Him remarrying her. But it was in God’s plan to do the most inconceivable act
in history—DIE. Hence, Jesus Christ was born on earth for the purpose of dying to redeem His
people, Israel. After He died on the Cross, He was raised again as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17).
In the eyes of the law, Jesus Christ was no longer the same man that He was before His
death. Legally, He was a new man, different from before, and therefore eligible to marry Israel.
His death made the difference. His death resolved the difficulty and satisfied the law. This was
one of Isaiah’s main themes. After foretelling the death of Jesus on the cross in Isaiah 53, the
prophet immediately told us in chapter 54 the implications of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Beginning in 54:4 He tells Israel,
4
Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded; for
thou shalt not be put to shame; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth
and shalt not remember the reproach of THY WIDOWHOOD any more. 5
For thy Maker is thine Husband; the Lord of hosts is His name; and thy
Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be
called. 6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in
spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. 7 For a
small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8
In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting
kindness will I have mercy on thee . . .
Isaiah tells us here that Israel was to be a WIDOW. Then he says that her Husband is her
Maker, the God of the whole earth. In other words, God would have to die and make Israel a
widow in order to redeem her and the whole world. This was certainly accomplished through the
person of Jesus Christ. What an incredible love story this is! God again did the impossible—and
did so without violating His law! The law against His remarriage to Israel could be resolved only
by His death and resurrection as a new creation.
However, there was still a work to be done in Israel’s heart before He would actually
marry her, for He has no intention of entering into another bad marriage. Israel as a corporate
nation must first repent of its lawlessness (sin) before God will remarry her. In fact, Israel must
divorce herself from all the other gods that she has worshipped (married). Until that happens,
Israel is yet not eligible to marry Jesus Christ. Hence, the marriage supper of the Lamb did not
take place on the corporate level, nor will it take place until that body is complete.
Meanwhile, however, on an individual level, you and I can enter into this new covenant
and enjoy the marriage relationship with Him. And not only Israel, but all who seek Him may
come to Him. As Isaiah tells us, our Redeemer is not only the God of Israel, but is the God of the
whole earth. It was in the purpose of God for Israel to stumble, not that God desired her to fall,
but rather that in redeeming her, He would also redeem the whole world.
Hosea’s Remarriage
In Hosea 3 God told Hosea to go marry again (either Gomer or one who represents her in
the latter days). Hosea redeemed her from bondage (3:3), but it appears that he did not actually
marry her for some time. He tells her, “Many days shalt thou tarry for me . . . Moreover also I
will tarry for thee” (Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible). This prophesies of a long tarrying period
between the redemption of Gomer and their actual remarriage. In short, Jesus redeemed Israel at
the Cross; but the remarriage was not to be immediate.
Chapter Three
In our first two chapters we showed the distinction between Israel and Judah. The
Israelites were deported by the Assyrians eight centuries before Christ, and they did not return to
Palestine, because God had divorced them. It would have been unlawful for God to allow them to
return as a nation.
The nation of Judah was deported to Babylon about 150 years later, but God did not
divorce Judah. Hence, they were allowed to return after just 70 years. If you read Jeremiah 3:8-11
you will see that God gave Israel a bill of divorce, but did not do this to Judah—even though
Judah was worse. Verse 11 says,
11
And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself
more than treacherous Judah.
God rendered this verdict on the grounds that Judah had pretended to be a good wife and
had faked repentance (vs. 10). The book of Jeremiah tells the story. In Jeremiah 2:35 the word to
Judah was,
35
Yet thou sayest, ‘I am innocent; surely His anger shall turn from me.’
Behold, I [God] will plead with thee, because thou sayest, ‘I have not sinned.’
The house of Israel was not like this. Israel brazenly and officially worshipped idols and
forsook God. But at least she was not a hypocrite like Judah. Judah worshipped false gods in her
heart, calling them Yahweh. She violated the laws of God, but continued to worship in the temple
in Jerusalem. We find this in Jeremiah 7, where we read,
9
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn
incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 10 And come
and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, “We
are delivered to do all these abominations”? 11 Is this house, which is called by
My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it,
saith the Lord. 12 But go ye now unto My place which was in Shiloh, where I
set My name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My
people, Israel . . . 14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by My
name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your
fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of My sight, as I
have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. 16 Therefore,
pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither
make intercession to Me; for I will not hear thee.
Somehow, Judah’s theologians had come up with the idea that God had put away His law,
and that because the people were delivered (“saved”), they were now allowed to do all these
abominations. In other words, they said the same thing that much of the Church says today: We
are now saved, we are “under grace,” and so we are now free to violate God’s law whenever we
disagree with Him.
This is the doctrine that made the temple in Jerusalem “a den of robbers.”
Then God reminded them of the days of Eli, who was the high priest at Shiloh (1 Samuel
1:3) before Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem. Shiloh was the place where Joshua placed the
ark of the covenant when Israel first conquered the land of Canaan. Shiloh was a city of Ephraim,
and Joshua was of that tribe. Ephraim was the son of Joseph who held the birthright (Genesis
48:14).
Eli’s sons were “sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12). They thought
they had a license to violate God’s law (1 Samuel 2:13-17). As a result of this, God forsook
Shiloh. He brought in the Philistines, who actually captured the ark of the covenant and held it
for seven months before returning it (4:11; 6:1). The ark was never returned to Shiloh. The glory
had departed (4:21).
It is an observable fact that once the glory departs from a certain place, it never returns.
God always does a new thing in another place. God does not put new wine in old wineskins
(Matthew 9:17). Hence, the ark was brought to the town of Kirjath-jearim (Hebron), where it
remained for about 20 years (1 Samuel 7:2). From there, David took it to Jerusalem (2 Samuel
6:16). Solomon then put it in the Most Holy Place of his new temple.
A few centuries later, Jeremiah told the people that God was going to forsake that house
and that place (Jerusalem) “as I have done to Shiloh” (Jeremiah 7:14). Why? Because Judah
was guilty of the same thing that Ephraim had done in the days of Eli. They had put away the
law, teaching people that they could sin with immunity, because they had been “saved” and were
the chosen people under the covenant with God.
This is what made Shiloh a den of robbers; and this is what made old Jerusalem a den of
robbers. This was, of course, confirmed by Jesus Himself, when He cleansed the temple and
overthrew the moneychangers (Mark 11:17). Jesus knew the implications of His statement. This
verdict would result in the glory departing from that city and that temple, never to return again.
He even warned the people to flee that city and not look back (Matthew 24:16-22).
Jesus knew the prophecies, and He knew that the old city had been forsaken by the glory
of God. For this reason, He wept over the city and said, “Behold, your house is left unto you
desolate,” or abandoned. Ichabod.
Back in Jeremiah’s day the glory departed prior to the temple’s destruction. Jeremiah did
not see this in his visions, but Ezekiel did. Ezekiel lived at the same time, although he was a
prophet sent to the house of Israel in their Assyrian captivity near the river Chebar (Ezekiel 1:1;
2:3). This is the “river of Habor” mentioned in 2 Kings 17:6.
Ezekiel saw the glory depart from the temple (Ezekiel 10:4, 19; and 11:22, 23). The glory
went to the mount of Olives on the east side of Jerusalem. But Ezekiel did not see it depart
further than the mount of Olives. I believe this is because it was yet in transition. While
Jerusalem was certainly going to be destroyed in 586 BC, there was yet to be a secondary
fulfillment in 70 AD that would complete this departure of God’s glory.
After Judah’s 70-year captivity, Zerubbabel built another temple, but it was never
glorified like we read about in the dedication of Solomon’s temple. This new temple did not have
the ark of the covenant in it, nor did God ever really “inhabit” that temple. It appears that the
glory of God was still half-way moved eastward, in a sense resting and waiting on the mount of
olives.
Judah’s Divorce
As we said earlier, Judah was NOT divorced in the days of Jeremiah, but Israel was.
Why? Simply because Jesus had to be born of the house of Judah. God had to remain married to
Judah at least until Jesus was born, or else Jesus would have been born as an illegitimate child. If
Judah had not been God’s wife at the time, He could not lawfully have overshadowed Mary and
conceived a child. It was therefore imperative that God not divorce Judah prior to His birth and
ministry.
But once this had been accomplished, once the first work of Christ had been finished,
then it was no longer necessary that Judah be married to God. So in 70 AD God sent her out of
the house. We know that God does not violate His own law, of course, and so we can only
conclude that God gave Judah a divorce before sending her out of His house (Deut. 24:1).
A study of the two works of Christ shows that His first work was a Judah work, while the
second is a Joseph work. The first had to begin in Bethlehem of Judea (Matthew 2:1). The
second begins in the house of Joseph, whose coat was dipped in blood (Genesis 37:31). Hence,
the One called “The Word of God” is said to have His vesture dipped in blood (Revelation
19:13). In the law of lepers, we see that the first bird (dove) was killed; while the second was
dipped in the blood of the first dove and let loose into the open field (Leviticus 14:5-7).
Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives
Those who are expecting Jesus to return to the old Jerusalem in His second work are
mistaken. That work was completed on the Cross, when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
The glory of God, embodied in Jesus Christ, later departed from the town of Bethany, located on
the mount of Olives (Mark 11:1), when Jesus ascended from there (Luke 24:50; Acts 1:12). This
completed the departure of the glory of God that had begun in the days of Ezekiel. This is also
why it was very important that He depart from the mount of Olives.
Zechariah 14:4 says that “His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives,”
leading some to believe that the glory will return to the old land, the old city of Jerusalem, and
the old mount of Olives. However, this would directly contradict His statement that He will
forsake Jerusalem as He did with Shiloh. Certainly, God never returned to Shiloh, once the
Philistines had taken the ark and destroyed that city. Even so, the glory departed from the temple
in Jerusalem and rested upon the mount of Olives.
In Biblical symbolism, a mount or mountain is a nation or kingdom. The mountain of the
Lord is the kingdom of God. Mount Seir is the kingdom of Seir, or Edom. Thus, the mount of
Olives represents the Olive Kingdom. Jeremiah 11:16 says of the house of Israel, “The Lord
called thy name, A green olive tree.” The fig tree represented the nation of Judah; the olive was
Israel.
And so, the small mount east of Jerusalem became the symbol of a much larger
fulfillment in the latter days. The glory departed Jerusalem and went to the mount of Olives. The
first work of Christ was completed in the Jerusalem fig tree, and then the focus shifted to His
second work in Joseph-Israel, the “olive tree.”
Revelation 21:2 speaks of a “new Jerusalem” along with a “new heaven and a new
earth.” This prophecy is taken from Isaiah 65:17, 18. However, Isaiah does not use the term,
“New.” He just calls it “Jerusalem,” as do all of the other prophets. Only in the New Testament is
our understanding increased, where John interprets it for us. It is no longer the old city, but a new
one whose origins are in heaven. No longer is it a mere city, but “as towns without walls”
(Zechariah 2:4) with “many nations” being joined to them (Zechariah 2:11).
Hence, the prophecies to Jerusalem can be fulfilled, and yet it is a new entity, not the
original city. The old city was only a type and shadow of the greater fulfillment as the kingdom of
God would spread into all nations.
The original events occurred in those literal places. But the events associated with the
second work of Christ have been cut loose from those old locations. It has now moved to an
entirely different work, with an entirely different people (Israel and the world), an entirely
different priesthood based on Melchizedek, not on Levi (Hebrews 7:12), and a different temple
made of living stones, built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20-22).
A Warning to Jerusalem
What God is doing today in the old city of Jerusalem is based upon His Word to the
cursed fig tree of Judah (Matthew 21:13, 19) and to Esau (Genesis 27:40). Because Judah was
the hypocrite wife (Jeremiah 3:10; Matthew 23:15, 23, etc.), her desire was to remain in God’s
house, while she pretended to be obedient and submissive to Him. Thus, she has played the part
of the wife who is sent out of the house, but who keeps returning without truly repenting in the
long-term sense, first from Babylon, and now again in 1948. But Esau-Edom is also playing a
role in this, for they too wanted to possess the land of Canaan and inherit the birthright. Both
motives and both prophecies are today being fulfilled in the Israeli state.
That nation was also brought back to Palestine, so that they might appear in the divine
court for judgment. This is made abundantly plain in Luke 19, where the “citizens” of the
kingdom said of Jesus Christ, “We will not have this Man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14). The
verdict for this rejection is found in verse 27:
27
But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them,
bring hither and slay them before Me.
This is a hard saying for many people, but the truth must be told. Those Jews who have
accepted Jesus as the King must understand this, so that they do not make the mistake of
remaining in Jerusalem when its time of judgment arrives. They must be prepared to flee that city
as did the Jerusalem church before 70 AD. If they turn around to look back in their reluctance to
sever ties, they may find themselves in the shoes of Lot’s wife. (Note: Rev. 11:8 compares
Jerusalem to Sodom.)
This warning will not endear me to many Jews, even Jewish Christians. But I am not
concerned with making friends. I am more concerned with the truth and giving the warning from
God. The Israeli state is presently in its 50th year. The day of reckoning may soon be upon the old
Jerusalem. The recent breakdown in the peace process may prove to be the final step to disaster.
Jeremiah’s Warning to Jerusalem
As we said earlier, Israel and Judah are two different nations with two different sets of
prophecies that each must fulfill. This is most apparent in Jeremiah 18 and 19. In chapter 18 we
read how God told Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house to observe a revelation from God.
As he watched, the clay jar in the hand of the potter was defective, so the potter beat it down and
remade the wet clay into a new vessel. God then told Jeremiah in 18:6,
6
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord.
Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in Mine hand, O house of
Israel.
In other words, Israel was this jar of wet clay that was marred, but still pliable. It was still
possible for the potter to make it into another vessel fit for the Master’s use. Then in verse 11,
God gives Jeremiah a different Word, one which related directly to Judah and Jerusalem.
11
Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I frame EVIL against you,
and devise a device against you.
After giving the legal indictment against Jerusalem, God then told Jeremiah in 19:1,
1
Thus saith the Lord, Go and get a potter’s earthen bottle, and take of the
ancients [elders] of the people, and of the ancients of the priests, 2 And go
forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom [called in the New Testament,
“gehenna”], which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the
words that I shall tell thee.
If you will read the rest of that chapter, you will find that the word given to Jerusalem was
NOT a word of hope and comfort such as He gave to the house of Israel in chapter 18. No, this
jar was not made of pliable clay that could be made into another vessel. Jeremiah was told to take
an old clay bottle, one that had already been hardened by fire, and go to the city dump (gehenna).
There, Jeremiah gave a word that would make the ears of the people tingle. After
delivering the message of dire judgment, God told Jeremiah in verse 10,
10
Then shalt thou BREAK THE BOTTLE in the sight of the men that go
with thee. 11 And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Even so
will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that
cannot be made whole again, and they shall bury them in Tophet [“place of
fire,” another name for gehenna] till there be no place to bury.
This is as clear a word from God as any in the Bible. There is no possible way to
misinterpret it. It is clear that God intends to utterly destroy the old Jerusalem as a potter’s vessel
that cannot be made whole again. This was NOT a popular message in Jeremiah’s day. Few
believed him. In fact, we read in Jeremiah 20:1-3,
1
Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the
house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things, 2 Then
Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in
the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 And it came
to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks.
Then said Jeremiah unto him, The Lord hath not called thy name Pashur
[“liberation”], but Magor-missabib [“fear on every side”].
The people of Judah thought they would always be free, liberated, because they were
married to God and had the house of God in their midst (Jeremiah 7:4). God was not impressed.
He cared nothing about beautiful temples or glorious cities. Even the “chosen” status could not
give them a license to sin. Hence, Jeremiah called the chief temple governor Mr. Fear-on-every-
side, because God was going to strike terror in their hearts when He judged them for thinking
they were delivered to do all these abominations. They could not make God’s house a den of
robbers and remain immune to God’s judgment.
This verse was NOT fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city in 586 BC,
because that city was rebuilt by Ezra and Nehemiah a century later. That verse was NOT fulfilled
when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD, for the city was again later rebuilt and is with
us even today. As long as the city is rebuilt, Jeremiah’s prophecy is not yet fulfilled, except in
part. I believe that Jerusalem is going to be destroyed in our own day and never again be rebuilt. I
believe it is likely that this could happen as early as this year, 1997.
The fact that so few people have ever understood or even read this verse in the time of the
Laodicean Church is absolute proof of our “blindness in part.” Those who hang their faith upon
the idea that the old Jerusalem will remain forever will stumble and fall in their faith when the
Word to Jeremiah is fulfilled. We must get our eyes off the old city and focus upon the New
Jerusalem which is from above. That is the true eternal city, for it is made without human hands.
Its builder is God. It alone will not fail.
Chapter Four
With the background we have already given in the first three chapters of our study, we can
now understand Romans 9-11. Most misunderstand it simply because they have not understood
the basic difference between Israel and Judah and how the prophesies to each differ. Paul starts
out in Romans 9:1-5 by stating his concern for his brethren after the flesh,
4
Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, [huiothesia, or
“sonship”] and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the
service of God, and the promises; 5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as
concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
This is a general statement that God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-Israel exclusively
through whom to bring forth the promises to the world. Amos 3:2 reflects this:
2
You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will
punish you for all your iniquities.
Authority and responsibility always go in equal measure. Because God chose Israel for a
glorious purpose, He held them liable when they refused to fulfill their responsibility to bear the
fruits of the kingdom and bring righteousness into the earth. If Israel had NOT been chosen, God
would not have brought them into judgment. Israel would not have been carried into captivity in
745 BC, nor would Jerusalem have been destroyed in 70 AD.
Both the Old and the New Covenants were to be made with the House of Israel and Judah
(Hebrews 8:8-12). That has always been the beginning point of the salvation that God intends for
His creation. Any non-Israelite who sees that Yahweh is the true God and Creator of all, and who
desires to join himself to Israel’s God, is welcome. It has always been this way. No non-Israelite
has ever been excluded from the covenants of God, if he came by faith and repented of his old
ways, renouncing all other gods. Solomon tells us God’s intention for the temple in his famous
dedication prayer in 1 Kings 8.
41
Moreover concerning a stranger that is not of Thy people Israel, but
cometh out of a far country for Thy name’s sake; 42 (For they shall hear of
Thy great name and of Thy strong hand, and of Thy stretched out arm;)
when he shall come and pray toward this house; 43 Hear Thou in heaven, Thy
dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to Thee for;
that all the people of the earth may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as do Thy
people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded,
is called by Thy name. . . . 60 That all the people of the earth may know that
Yahweh is God, and that there is none else.
Solomon recognized that the temple was located in Israel, but it was intended to be a
house of worship for ALL the people of the earth. Israel was charged with the responsibility of
bearing witness of God to all men. If they witnessed to the true character of God, it would not be
long before all would be attracted to the God of Israel and would want to worship a God like this.
If others only knew the loving character of Israel’s God, they would find that He is “the desire of
all nations” that they have longed to know (Haggai 2:7).
Isaiah goes so far as to tell us that the sons of the strangers (foreigners) who join
themselves to the Lord would be given in God’s House “a place and a name better than of sons
and of daughters” (Isaiah 56:5). He goes on to say in verses 5 to 8,
5
. . . I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6 Also the
sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to
love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the
sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant, 7 Even them will I
bring to My holy mountain [kingdom] and make them joyful in My house of
prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine
altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for ALL people. 8 The
Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel, saith, Yet will I gather others
to him besides those that are gathered unto Him.
This last verse really forms the essence of Paul’s discussion in Romans 9-11. When God
regathers the lost house of Israel—those dispersed during the days of Isaiah the prophet—He will
also gather “others” to Himself. In fact, in the sovereignty of God, this was always the bigger
plan. Israel was cast off and “sown” in the world, as Hosea tells us, in order that God might
gather in a greater harvest that goes far beyond Israel. “The God of the WHOLE EARTH shall
He be called” (Isaiah 54:5).
This bigger purpose of God does not negate the calling of Israel as a people. It only shows
us that Israel was called to be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3). They were
entrusted with the Scriptures, the law, the promises—yes, even the Sonship itself, as Paul tells us
in Romans 9:4. It was not so that they could sit back and enjoy a position of master race. They
were called in order to be the servants to all men. Those who would be great must be servants of
all. Jesus was the greatest Servant; therefore, He is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. If
Israel as a people wish to be great, they must put on the mind of Christ and be willing to take the
form of a servant, willing even to die for the least of men.
Some men are proud to be Israelites after the flesh and think their “chosenness” entitles
them to walk after the flesh. God is not particularly impressed with such people. After all, God
pronounced judgment upon both Israel and Judah in spite of their being chosen. If a man is
chosen, then let him be a servant of all. Disdaining non-Israelites is not the mind of Christ. Being
an Israelite will not be relevant when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We are
justified by faith—not by being an Israelite. It has always been this way, and it always will be so.
God’s Sovereign Choices
From the 6th verse of Romans 9 and on, Paul engages in a discussion of the sovereignty of
God in His choices. As Creator, of course, He has the right to make whatever type of vessel He
chooses. Man is not the author of his own soul, nor the master of his destiny. All of this is well
illustrated in the Old Testament, as Paul shows us.
6
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all
Israel which are of Israel; 7 Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are
they all children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called [quoted from Genesis
21:12]. 8 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.
In the Old Testament example cited here, Abraham had more than one child. Ishmael was
born before Isaac, and years later, Abraham had another six sons through Keturah (Genesis 25:1,
2). These other sons received many gifts (Gen. 25:6), but they were not “counted for the seed.”
Only Isaac was the “seed” through whom the Messiah would be born and the promises would be
given to the rest of the world.
A father has the biblical right to choose which of his sons is to be the prime heir. If the
oldest son does not exhibit the right character, or does not have the mind of his father, then the
inheritance might be given to another son. God, too, is our Father and retains this same right.
Even as God told Abraham to cast out the bondwoman (Hagar) and her son (Genesis
21:10; Galatians 4:30), so also did God cast out the whole house of Israel—and Judah as well,
once they had brought forth the Messiah. Why were they all cast out? Because they refused to be
obedient to God, thinking their physical lineage was enough to ensure the inheritance. But God
was not pleased at all. He was looking for sons and daughters who had the desire to please their
Father. He wanted sons and daughters in His image and likeness. When Israel and Judah each
failed as nations to fulfill God’s desire, He gave them a lawful bill of divorce and cast them all
out of His house.
Does this mean there is no further profit in being an Israelite? No. Does it mean God will have no
further dealings with Israelites after the flesh? No. Paul makes it clear in Romans 11:2 that “God
hath NOT cast away His people which He foreknew.” Of course, God had indeed cast them
out of His sight (Jeremiah 7:15), but Paul was saying that God had not FOREVER cast them out
of His sight. God still had a plan for Israel. We saw in our last issue that Hosea 2:20 prophesied
God would yet betroth Israel unto Himself “in righteousness,” that is, in accordance with the law
—not by putting away the law. But at the same time, God will never justify any unrepentant
sinner or nation, whether he is an Israelite or not.
Israel in Captivity for 2,520 Years
Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians in a series of deportations from 745-721 BC.
Their captivity to the literal nation of Assyria ended when Babylon overthrew Assyria in 607 BC,
but Israel never returned to the old land. Instead, as their population grew, they began moving
north and west into Europe. Many went through the Caucasus Mountains located between the
Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Hence, modern historians call them Caucasians. Many came in
covered wagons pulled by oxen in much the same way as the American West was settled. They
brought apple seeds with them and planted them along the way—a tradition which Johnny
Appleseed continued in the American West. In fact, one can trace the history of Israel through the
history of the apple. Israel loved the leeks and garlic of Egypt, but they also came to love the
apples of Assyria.
Israel’s “seven times” of captivity was 7 x 360 years, or 2,520 years. This is also twice
1,260, called in Daniel and Revelation, “a time, times, and a half a time” (Daniel 12:7;
Revelation 12:14). A period of 2,520 years is a complete judgment cycle of seven “times”
(Leviticus 26:28). And so we find Israel’s dispersion ending in 1776 AD, which was precisely
2,520 years after the beginning of their dispersion in 745 BC. The year 1776 was the year
America signed its Declaration of Independence, which was, in essence, a declaration that
Israel’s dispersion and captivity had ended. They were declaring themselves independent from
European captors—not only from England, but also from the oppression of the Roman Church
which had long dominated many European nations.
How Captivity Affected Israel
God brought Israel into captivity in order to give them their heart’s desire—false gods.
The people had thought God’s law was oppressive and evil, so God said, “Alright, if you think
the laws of other man-made laws are better, I will place you under their dominion for 2,520
years. Perhaps then you will see that My law sets men free, while man’s laws bring only
bondage.”
The first part of their captivity was spent in Assyria. Then they developed their own
system of false gods until the gospel finally began to reach them many centuries later. James
wrote his letter to them (1:1), as well as Peter (1 Peter 1:1, 2), who calls them in the literal Greek,
“elect strangers of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” These
were areas in the northern part of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where many Israelites had already
begun spreading westward on their way into Europe.
Unfortunately, as the Church degenerated over the centuries, the converted Christian
Israelites in Europe again found themselves in captivity, this time to the Roman Church system.
The book of Revelation prophesied this phase of captivity would last 1,260 years. In essence, it
was the last half of the full 2,520-year captivity. We dealt with this in our book on The Seven
Churches.
This long captivity of Israel made it difficult for them to fulfill their calling to bless all
families of the earth with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There were always a remnant of grace in
Israel that bore witness of God, but the majority of the people continued to follow men and
Church traditions, rather than the Word of God. Hence, while a form of gospel was preached, it
did not go much beyond the boundaries of Europe, except when it was exported by violent
conquest and forced upon others in a form of spiritual slavery. Such is man-made religion.
It took centuries before that gospel reached the rest of the world, because the Israelites
were just as rebellious and idolatrous in the Caucasian Church as they had been while living in
the land of Canaan. The Church was so busy gathering wealth and political power that they
ceased to bear witness to the true character of God. In fact, they portrayed God as such an evil
character that other religions such as Islam sprang up to counter Christianity.
Can we blame them? I cannot. Most have never seen true Christianity in action. Most of
them have never seen Jesus Christ for who He is. They have seen only a blasphemous image of
Him. They have seen only a Christian god who condones the military might of the Crusades, who
blesses and sanctifies the Inquisition, who sets up spiritual popes and political dictators and
kings, giving them the divine right to rule regardless of their spiritual qualifications. They have
seen king Saul in action and think this reflects the heart of the God of Israel.
In the twentieth century the Christian God has been portrayed to them as One who has
chosen the Jews to confiscate their land and make them servants in their own land of Palestine.
When any of them attempt to resist this, their houses are dynamited and their property seized, on
a mere suspicion of resistance. Many languish in prison for months and years without a trial.
Christians applaud this, citing the Jewish “chosenness” as justification for all their sins. And the
Muslim world is given to believe that the god of Judaism is the same as the Christian God. Once
again, the house of God is turned into a den of robbers.
The Slave Trade
Jews are not the only ones with a wrong concept of God. We Christian Israelites have
done much the same thing in Europe and even here in America. We took the mandate to “subdue”
the earth (Genesis 1:28) as if we had a license to kill, rob, lie, and enslave others. Black Africans
made money selling black Africans to slave trade companies, 90 percent of which were Jewish.
The slave traders sold them to white Christians, who usually disregarded the law of God
regarding the treatment of bondservants.
There is plenty of blame to go around. No one is immune. However, God holds Israel
more liable, for we were given the Scriptures and should have known better. Time and time again
God reminded Israel that they were not to oppress others, for they too had been bond slaves in
Egypt. Exodus 22:21-23 says,
21
Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him; for ye were strangers in
the land of Egypt . . . . 23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all
unto Me, I will surely hear their cry. 24 And My wrath shall wax hot, and I
will kill you with the sword. . . .
When the Bible speaks of having bond servants, God made it very plain that He would
take up their cause if men mistreated them. There is no biblical slavery as we define the term
today. All bond servants had certain rights—Israelites and non-Israelites alike. No man was given
unlimited power over another man’s life, nor even over his ox or ass. All relationships and
authority must be governed by the law of God, or it will ultimately lead to slavery.
God did judge us with a great civil war in the 1860’s. While we know there were hidden
agendas for this war by rich and powerful banking interests, nonetheless, God’s purpose for
allowing this to happen was, I believe, our violation of the law of slavery. It is a biblical principle
that “he that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity” (Revelation 13:10). Those who
oppress men will themselves be sold by God into oppressive slavery.
The Israelites of Europe and America disregarded the divine law by thinking they had the
divine right to enslave others. Therefore, God judged America by a great Civil War, which not
only killed hundreds of thousands of men, but also brought about the suspension of the American
Constitution and the enslavement of the entire population. When the representatives of the
southern states boycotted the United States Congress, they walked out without setting a date to
return. By law, this suspended the Constitution, and so Washington operated from then on under
executive order. This martial law would have been repealed after the war, had Lincoln survived.
But powerful banking interests behind the scenes wanted to enslave the people politically
through a strong centralized government. So they had Lincoln assassinated, and the government
has continued to operate under executive orders to the present day.
The year 1860 was 6 x 434 years after Israel began to go into Assyrian slavery in 745 BC.
The 434-year cycle is a factor called Judged Time. We dealt with this time cycle in our book,
Secrets of Time, pp. 73-76. It was 2 x 434 years from the year Israel entered Canaan to the year
the people refused to release all bondservants in the days of Jeremiah. This refusal brought about
the fall of the city of Jerusalem. It appears that America fulfilled the same type of pattern after 6
x 434 years. In 1860 the southern states refused to release the bondservants, and this led to a
terrible civil war—judgment upon the whole nation—which set the stage for the banking system
to enslave all of us economically in 1914 through the Federal Reserve Act.
Long Church tradition taught us by example king Saul’s form of oppressive government.
Somehow we never seem to learn the Golden Rule. We seem to have learned the Rule of the
World: Oppress or be oppressed. So as soon as we could, we threw off Rome’s yoke of bondage,
but we used our newly-found liberty as an occasion to put others into slavery. Instead of
subjecting the world to the law of liberty wherein they would find true freedom, we enslaved
them to men’s traditions.
If even a simple a majority of our forefathers had come to America with the mind of
Christ, they would have set men free, rather than enslave them. If they had come as a servant
people, God would have worked out His purposes for all men with a minimum of conflict with
the native Americans.
Some say that we as Israelites had a right to claim this North American continent just
because we were Israelites. That is like excusing Jacob for lying to his father to get the blessing,
just because he knew that God had called him rather than Esau. If we had really understood the
sovereignty of God, we would have prayed and let God work things out in His own way.
Meanwhile, we would have asked God how to be better servants, rather than how to be more
powerful masters.
No, we have no right to criticize the Jews for their treatment of the Palestinians without
also pointing out our own sins. We too are a fleshly people. Both the Jews and the Israelites are
leavened with the spirit of dominance. We are equal-opportunity sinners. The divine law accuses
all of us impartially. It is time we stop justifying ourselves as if this is the patriotic thing to do.
“If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). Let
us repent, declare the Jubilee, and get on with the business of blessing all families of the earth,
setting them free in Christ, and then protecting their freedoms by obedience to the perfect law of
liberty.
Chapter Five
We come now to Paul’s discussion of Isaac, the anointed seed of Abraham, who is held in
contrast to Ishmael and the sons of Keturah, who are the other sons of Abraham that were
brought to birth in the normal, fleshly manner. Romans 9:6-8 says,
6
. . . For they are not all Israel which are of Israel; 7 Neither, because they are
the seed of Abraham are they all children; but In Isaac shall thy seed be
called. 8 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.
Paul says here that just because one can claim to be a physical descendant from Jacob-
Israel does not mean he is an Israelite. The same holds true with the seed of Abraham. He cites
Genesis 21:12 as proof of this. So let us go back to Genesis and see the context of that statement.
It is the story of Ishmael and his relationship with Abraham. Beginning with verse 9, we read,
9
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian which she had born unto
Abraham mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this
bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir
with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the thing was very grievous in
Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it
not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy
bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice;
for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the bondwoman
will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
In other words, just because Ishmael was the seed or son of Abraham did not make him
the seed. Yet God calls Ishmael “thy seed” in verse 13. Ishmael was indeed the son of Abraham,
and God fully intended to bless him, but not in the same manner as God would bless Isaac. In the
matter of the birthright and the messianic lineage leading to Jesus Christ, the seed was Isaac. That
is, Isaac was exclusively to be the anointed seed with this calling.
Paul uses this story to show that just because one is physically born of Abraham does not
make a person of the anointed seed, else Ishmael could make the same claim to the birthright as
Isaac. Ishmael was cast out, or excluded, from the birthright calling. Nonetheless, Ishmael would
receive a blessing as well, and this is confirmed by the angelic appearance to Hagar (Genesis
21:17-19).
We see from this that exclusion from the birthright blessing does not mean separation
from God. The fact that Israel was exclusively called does not mean that God has forsaken all
others, or that all others are excluded from the blessings of salvation.
Not to “Seeds”
Ishmael was a child of the flesh, while Isaac was the child of promise. Ishmael was born
after the natural manner of birth. Isaac was born to Sarah after she was well past childbearing
age. She was 90 years old when Isaac was born. Hence, it was a miracle birth that was beyond the
fleshly capability. God brought him to birth because Isaac was the child of promise—that is, he
was the seed promised to Abraham many years earlier. Paul again deals with this issue in greater
detail in his letter to the Galatians. In the third chapter of Galatians we read in verse 16,
16
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 anointed [Greek:
christos, “anointed”].
Most translators say, “and to thy Seed which is Christ.” However, the word Christ is the
Greek word christos, which simply means “anointed. It refers to Isaac, who was the anointed
seed. Only by extension does it refer to Jesus, who was the ultimate fulfillment as the Seed of
Isaac, or the chosen Seed. Jesus occupies the highest position of authority, but on a corporate
level, the seed of Abraham refers to Israel as a nation. Paul was showing again that the promise
was not given to “seeds” (Ishmael, Isaac, and Abraham’s six other sons through his later wife,
Keturah. See Genesis 25:1-4.) It was given only to Abraham’s one “seed.” Isaac was the child of
promise. All the other children were born naturally after the flesh.
The word “seed” in English as well as in Greek was a collective noun like sheep and deer.
It could be either singular or plural. But Paul is careful to point out that in the context of the story
of Genesis, it is singular, since it refers specifically to Isaac. In Genesis 21:12 the word seed in
Hebrew is followed by a singular verb. Hence, grammatically the seed mentioned there must also
be singular. Paul knew this and writes accordingly.
The Children of the Flesh
In Galatians 4, Paul defines the children of the flesh more specifically by saying,
22
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondwoman, the
other by a free woman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after
the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
This makes it clear, as we have pointed out, that Ishmael was born after the flesh, while Isaac was
born by promise and was the child of promise.
24
Which things are an allegory; for those are the two covenants; the one from
the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar [or, Hagar]. 25
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which
now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above
is free, which is the mother of us all.
Paul applies this story to the two covenants, old and new. The Old Covenant was given at
mount Sinai in Arabia, the home of Ishmael and Hagar. In that the physical city of Jerusalem
desired to remain under the old covenant and had rejected the New Covenant, that city with its
people were to be “cast out” even as Ishmael was cast out in the days of Abraham and Sarah. The
prime evidence against the people of Jerusalem was their persecution of the Christians, for even
as Ishmael had persecuted Isaac, so also were the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem persecuting the
Christians.
28
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise, 29 But as then,
he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit,
even so it is now.
Essentially, Paul is saying that those who reject Jesus and His New Covenant were
children of the flesh and were disqualified as “the seed” every bit as much as Ishmael had been
disqualified. There were many true physical Judahites in Jesus’ day and in Paul’s day, but their
physical descent from Abraham could not ultimately qualify them as the anointed seed.
Cast Out the Bondwoman and Her Son
Those people of Judea in Jesus’ day who rejected Jesus and the New Covenant, choosing
rather to remain in the Old Covenant, were identifying with Hagar and Ishmael in Arabia. They
were children of the flesh, even as Ishmael was. They were to be cast out, because they could not
inherit the promise with the children of the free woman.
30
Nevertheless, what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her
son; for the son of the bondwoman shall NOT be heir with the son of the
freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but
of the free.
During the Old Testament times, the children of the flesh had remained in Abraham’s
house, even as Ishmael in times past. However, with Jesus’ advent, the day came when the
bondwoman and her son were to be cast out. It had never been sufficient in the sight of God for a
person to be a physical descendant of Abraham. God was never satisfied with having fleshly
children. His love for them is pictured in Abraham’s love for Ishmael (Genesis 21:11), but this
love did not stop Him from casting them out, even as Abraham had to cast out his beloved son,
Ishmael.
God had allowed His fleshly children (Judah) to remain in the house until the birth of the
second Isaac (Jesus). Like Isaac, Jesus was the anointed Seed, the Son of promise, born not after
the flesh, but by the miracle of a virgin birth. For a few years He and the children of the flesh
coexisted in the same house (nation). But finally when the children of the flesh began to
persecute Him who was born after the Spirit, God sent the decree to cast out the bondwoman and
her son. The nation of Judah had not only persecuted, rejected, and crucified Jesus, but they had
also persecuted and killed the Christians.
The Benefits of Being an Israelite
Romans 9:4 & 5 makes it clear that there is great benefit in being a physical Israelite.
They had an advantage over other nations in that God called Abraham and promised that he
would be a blessing to all families of the earth. He taught Abraham His ways. He revealed His
law to Israel through Moses. He even made a marriage covenant with Israel at mount Sinai.
This marriage was an exclusive relationship with God, even as all marriages ought to be.
Yet it did not mean that God hated all other nations, any more than I would hate all other women
as soon I married my wife. God loved all, but He married Israel. God said in Amos 3:2,
2
You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will
punish you for all your iniquities.
God could not divorce other nations, because He had never married the other nations.
Other nations suffer much oppression because of idolatry, but God does not hold them
accountable like He does with Israel. Israel’s idolatry was a matter of adultery. Idolatry in other
nations was a matter of ignorance. Paul asks the question in Romans 3:1 and 2,
1
What advantage then hath the Jew [Ioudeou or “Judean”]? Or what profit is
there of circumcision? 2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were
committed the oracles of God.
In other words, the chief advantage of being a physical Judean, or Judahite (or by
extension, an Israelite) is that these people received the Scriptures. Even in the past 2,000 years
since Jesus lived on this earth, the chief advantage in being an Israelite is that God saw to it that
the Scriptures were given to the Israelites of the dispersion in Europe very early in the early
history of the Church.
Yet these advantages in themselves justify no man. A physical Israelite may be of
Abraham’s seed, but to be counted as the seed one must be birthed from above. One who is a
mere physical Israelite has no advantage over Ishmael, who was likewise Abraham’s seed.
God’s purpose in giving the Scriptures to Israel was so that they would be equipped to
take the gospel of the Kingdom to all parts of the earth. Unfortunately, the Church largely failed
in their responsibility. But we are now approaching a new era in which the overcomers will
shortly be sent out with an entirely new authority and spiritual power to complete this work. But
to understand this, we need to point out its historic progression.
Israel, Church, and Overcomers
The physical nation of Israel under Moses was the first “Church.” The word means the
called-out ones, and Israel as a nation was called out of Egypt. Acts 7:38 refers to “the church in
the wilderness,” and this was also the same Church Jesus mentioned in Matthew 18:17. It was an
entire nation that included unbelievers, believers, and overcomers—otherwise known as grapes,
wheat, and barley in biblical symbolism.
Israel was God’s “vineyard” (Isaiah 5:7). In this vine-yard were a mixture of seeds, some
wheat, some barley. The law of God says in Deuteronomy 22:9,
9
Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds; lest the fruit of thy seed
which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard be defiled.
The mixture of seeds in the original Church defiled everything, and so there was no way
they could ever bring real righteousness into the earth. So God took the first steps to correct the
situation by removing the grain from the vineyard and separating wheat and barley from grapes.
In Acts 2 God separated unto Himself a smaller body of people, calling them out of the
old Church. Hence, a new body of called-out ones were born, and the term “Church” now came
to refer to the body of believers and overcomers. The grape company of unbelievers were no
longer included in this new Church. The old Israel Church had failed to bring righteousness to
the earth, because it had too many unbelievers in it. God sowed a new field that included just
wheat and barley.
In the past 2,000 years the wheat and barley mixture has had the divine authority to bring
righteousness to the earth. But they have not done much better than the Israel as a nation. There
were too many Christian unbelievers, people who followed the example of Israel in the
wilderness, who complained and disagreed with God every step of the way. This Church was
ruled by “Saul” rather than David. It had 40 Jubilees in which to fulfill its calling, but it too
failed. Thus, in 1985-86 God began to separate the barley from the wheat into separate fields to
prepare the barley company for receiving the authority of the kingdom and bring righteousness to
the earth. God remembered His law found in Leviticus 19:19, “Thou shalt not sow thy field with
mingled seed.”
Only now at this end of the age is God’s field (the world) properly sown according to the
divine law. Only now can it grow without defilement. The overcomers, the barley company, are
the third body of called-out ones. They are, in essence, the third Church., called out of the realm
of Pentecost into Tabernacles in the same way that God called the Pentecostal Church out of the
Passover realm in Acts 2.
So we see from this historic progression that first the Israel Church of Passover was given
opportunity to do the job, and they failed. Next, the pentecostal Church was given that authority,
and they failed as well. They failed to declare the 120 th Jubilee in the fall of 1986. Instead, the
International Christian Embassy, created in 1980, sponsored the first Christian Zionist Congress
in August of 1985. This was designed to declare support for the old Jerusalem and those who
were under the old covenant. They declared their support for the building of a physical temple in
which the Jews could set up a new Levitical priesthood with a renewal of Old Testament animal
sacrifices. In doing this, the Church defiled itself, preferring to identify with the bondwoman and
her son—old Jerusalem.
There is much advantage to being a physical Israelite, because they were given the oracles
of God and the promises. However, this was not enough to bring righteousness to the earth. There
is also much advantage to being a part of the Church under Pentecost, for they also received the
promise and the Scriptures with the further revelation of the New Testament. But this anointing
also proved to be insufficient.
Today, if one wants to be a part of the final work of God at the climax of history, one
must come into the experience of Tabernacles and be a part of that third body of called-out
people. These are called overcomers. God has been doing a tremendous work in them corporately
since 1985-86. Once the “Saul” Church came to an end after 40 Jubilees on May 30, 1993, we
entered into a time of transition from Saul to David. The Biblical pattern shows that this could
last 7-1/2 years (2 Samuel 5:5).
Our observation of the past few years indicates that this divine authority is being
transferred to the overcomers in stages. Thus far, God’s actions have been hidden from public
view, but the day is soon coming when God will send forth His overcomer Church with the
spiritual authority to fulfill God’s purpose from the beginning.
Most physical Israelites and Judahites have been disqualified from this work. Most of the
Church has like-wise been disqualified. This does not mean they have lost their salvation. What
they have lost is the “high calling of God” (Philippians 3:14). Those who join Saul’s army cannot
be a part of David’s men in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1).
Exclusive Callings, Not Exclusive Salvation
Getting back to Romans 9, Paul wrote about the difference between Isaac and Ishmael to
illustrate for us that God chose Isaac, not because Ishmael was a bad man, but because God is
sovereign and has the right to choose whomsoever He wants. The same is true with God’s choice
of Jacob, rather than Esau, as Paul writes next.
11
For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil,
that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of
Him that calleth.
Jacob and Esau were twins, having the same father and mother. As Paul said later in verse
21, they were made from the same lump of clay, but one was made into a vessel of honor, while
the other into a vessel of dishonor. God did this, Paul says, even before they were yet born, in
order that we might know that this “election” (calling) had nothing to do with their works. It was
done purely by the sovereign choice of God.
Paul further proves God’s sovereignty by citing the case of Pharaoh. Most Christians have
a problem with this because they think it means God decided to send Pharaoh to hell forever—
and the same with Ishmael and Esau. That is totally untrue. The passage is talking about the
election to bring righteousness to the earth. It is talking about exclusive callings, not exclusive
salvation. The day comes when Yahweh will be known as the God of the whole earth. As Isaiah
19:24, 25 says,
21
And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the
Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a
vow unto the Lord, and perform it. 22 And the Lord shall smite Egypt; He
shall smite and heal it; and they shall return even to the Lord, and He shall
be intreated of them, and shall heal them. 23 In that day shall there be a
highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and
the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve [the Lord] with the
Assyrians. 24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with
Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land. 25 Whom the Lord of hosts
shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt, My people, and Assyria the work of My
hands, and Israel mine inheritance.
The fact that Hagar, the Egyptian, was cast out did not mean God had altogether rejected
Egypt. Neither did the prophecies of judgment against Assyria and Nineveh mean that God had
rejected Assyria. When these nations see the glory of God manifested in His people, they and all
other nations will gladly accept His rule over them. Meanwhile, these other nations see the
Church avidly supporting Jewish supremacy, which, in any other people, would be totally
unacceptable behavior. The nations see the Church supporting terrible injustices that the Israelis
are afflicting upon the local Palestinian population—which they say God supports just because
the Jews are supposedly God’s chosen people. The nations see the Church supporting a religion
that is more antichristian than any other, with the possible exception of outright satanism. And
they wonder how this can be.
In its present condition, the world will remain resistant to Christ, because His Name is
blasphemed among the nations by those who claim to represent Him. I look forward to the day
when Christian Zionism is an oddity of past, a mere reminder of a former blindness that will
never again afflict mankind.
Chapter Six
In our last chapter we showed from Romans 9 how Paul first dealt with the question of
God’s sovereign choices. He chose Isaac rather than Ishmael; and He chose Jacob rather than
Esau. These choices, Paul says, were not based upon their works, whether good or evil. These
men were chosen or rejected even before their birth (9:11). God did not do this on the basis of a
mere foreknowledge that Ishmael and Esau would turn out to be ungodly men; God did this “that
the purpose of God might stand NOT of [their] works but of Him that calleth.”
It is not our purpose here to indulge in a complete study of the sovereignty of God. We
have already dealt with that subject in our book, Creation’s Jubilee. So let us move on to Paul’s
main topic of discussion, which is the relationship between Israel and the world in the divine
plan of salvation and prophecy.
Vessels of Wrath and Vessels of Mercy
In Romans 9:22-24, Paul speaks of the “vessels of wrath” and the “vessels of mercy.”
22
What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known,
endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; 23
And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of
mercy which He had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom He hath
called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Paul has just shown Esau and Pharaoh to be prime examples of what he calls “the vessels
of wrath.” It is commonly thought that these are vessels who receive the wrath of God. But in
reality, it is the vessels who are angry or wrathful in their disposition and actions. Hence, they are
“fitted to destruction.” Literally, it means made perfect for destruction. In other words, these men
were made perfect for destruction.
God was the Potter who made these men to be what they were as examples to us of angry,
bitter men who had the desire to tyrannize and enslave other men. Such men are perfect examples
of lawless men upon whom the divine law decrees destruction.
The vessels of mercy, on the other hand, are men who have the disposition of mercy and
grace. Upon these God decrees mercy and grace, in accordance with the manner in which they
treat others. Matthew 7:2 says, “with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
The law of God foreshadows these two types of people in the laws of war found in
Deuteronomy 20:19 & 20.
19
When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take
it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them; for
thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the
field [lit.] is man) to employ them in the siege; 20 Only the trees which thou
knowest that they be not trees for meat thou shalt destroy and cut them
down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with
thee, until it be subdued.
There are two types of trees in God’s eyes: those that bear fruit, and those that do not.
Those that do not bear the fruits of the Spirit that can edify men may be chopped down and used
as fuel or bulwarks in time of war. The reason is given in verse 19: “for the tree of the field is
man.” The KJV reads “man’s life,” but in the original Hebrew text, it simply reads “man.”
In other words, trees are symbolic of men. There are two types of men. Paul refers to
them as vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy. Of the vessels of wrath, the psalmist asks, “ why
do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1). The passage goes on to
tell us that God’s anointed (Jesus and His sons) will “break them with a rod of iron” and “dash
them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9). This potter’s vessel is clearly the vessel of
wrath in Romans 9:21, 22.
And yet the psalmist goes on to give advice to these wrathful kings of the earth. He tells
them to submit to the divine government of the vessels of mercy. This too is a prophecy that all
nations will fulfill (Psalm 86:9).
9
All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O
Lord, and shall glorify Thy name.
For further reading on this, see Psalm 67, Revelation 5:13, and Revelation 15:4.
Who are the “Jews”?
Paul continues his discussion in Romans 9 by defining the vessels of mercy primarily as
Israel and Judah.
23
And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of
mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom He hath
called, not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles.
The Greek word translated “Jews” is Ioudeos, which means “Judeans.” This word is used
in the Bible in a number of different ways. First, it is often used in a tribal sense as the tribe of
Judah (Luke 23:38). It can also refer to Judeans living in the geographical province of Judea, in
contrast to Galilee (John 7:1). In this sense, there was a difference between Jews (Judahites) and
Galileans (who were actually of the tribe of Benjamin).
The word can also refer to Judeans in a religious sense indicating those who are in a
covenant relationship with God (Romans 2:28). In this sense it covered all proselytes, no matter
what their racial or national origin. Paul makes the point in Romans 2:28 that the true “Jews” in
this manner of speech are the Christian believers.
The question is how Paul uses the term in Romans 9:24. In that he contrasts “Jews” with
“Gentiles” (which we will define next), it is plain that he is speaking of national origins.
However, because most people do not understand the biblical word “Gentile,” the point of Paul’s
statement is usually missed. The “Gentiles” here refer to the lost House of Israel, whom Paul says
were the other branch of people that God had called to be vessels of mercy.
Who are the “Gentiles”?
The Hebrew word goy is used 558 times in the Old Testament. In the KJV the word is
translated “nation” 374 times, “heathen” 143 times, “Gentiles” 30 times, and “people” 11 times.
It is unfortunate that so many words are used to translate this single word goy, because it has
caused untold confusion in Bible readers today. The best translation is simply “nation.” The word
may refer to either the nation of Israel, Judah, or any other nation. The word in itself does NOT
mean “non-Jew” as is commonly supposed today. For example, in Genesis 12:2 God called
Abraham, telling him,
2
And I will make of thee a great NATION [Heb. goy]; and I will bless thee
and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing.
If the word goy really means “Gentile” or “non-Jew” as so many think, then God was
telling Abraham that He was going to make him a great Gentile. Not many would agree with that
statement.
In Genesis 17:20 God said He would also make Ishmael’s descendants into a great nation.
Again, the Hebrew word is goy.
In Exodus 9:4 the plague of hail came upon Egypt. It is said there that “there was none
like it in all the land of Egypt, since it became a NATION.” Again, the Hebrew word used for the
“nation” of Egypt is goy.
Ezekiel 2:3 tells us that the prophet was sent “to the children of Israel, to a rebellious
NATION.” Again, the Hebrew word used here is goy, showing that the nation of Israel can hardly
be called a “Gentile” nation.
In the New Testament the Greek word often translated “Gentile” is ethnos. It simply
refers to an ethnic group, or nation, whether Israel, Judah, or some other nation. Again, the word
does NOT necessarily refer to a non-Jew.
For example, Luke 7 tells the story of the Roman centurian who asked Jesus to heal his
servant. We read,
4
And when they came to Jesus, they besought Him instantly, saying that he
was worthy for whom He should do this; 5 For he loveth our NATION [Greek:
ethnos], and he hath built us a synagogue.
Hence, the nation of Judah is called an ethnos. See also John 11:48-52 for further
examples. We see from this that ethnos is the Greek equivalent to the Old Testament Hebrew
word goy. Neither word means “non-Jew.” They are best translated “nation” and can refer to any
nation including Israel and Judah.
With this in mind, let us go once again to Romans 9.
The Israelite Nations
As we said earlier, Paul speaks of the vessels of mercy as being. . .
24
. . . not of the Judahites only but also of the [Israelite] nations. 25 As He saith
also in Osee [Hosea], I will call them My people, which were not My people;
and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in
the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not My people, there shall they
be called the children of the living God.
This is a quote from Hosea 1:10 and 2:23. In that chapter the prophet tells us that God
was going to divorce and cast off the House of Israel, for she was like Hosea’s wife, Gomer—the
prostitute.
The prophet tells us that God’s purpose for dispersing the House of Israel was to sow
them in the field as seed which would later bring forth a harvest of many children. We do NOT
say that God has cast off the House of Israel for ever, for the prophets are quite clear that Israel
was to be restored. However, we must keep in mind that Judah was not Israel, nor are the modern
Jews Israelites of that dispersion.
We see from Hosea that Israel was called by the name Gomer in the book of Hosea. From
history we see that the Assyrians actually called Israel by that name (based upon the name of
Omri, Ghomri, or Khumri). These Israelites were deported to Assyria from 745-721 BC in the
days of king Hoshea (2 Kings 18:10). King Hoshea and his Gomerites of Israel were
foreshadowed years earlier by the life of the prophet Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer.
Nonetheless, history shows us that these same Israelites greatly increased in population as
they spread into Europe, where they were known as Beth-Khumri (House of Omri, or Ghomri),
Beth-Sak (House of Isaac, or Saxons), and generically as Caucasian for having passed through
the Caucasus mountains in their migration north of the land of their captivity.
The fact that Paul backs up his teaching by quoting from Hosea shows us that he was
speaking of the Israelite nation (ethnos) along with the Judah nation. These were the vessels of
mercy that God had called, and even though they had both rejected God, yet God had a plan for
them.
This plan did not exclude the other nations. In fact, God planned from the start that Israel
and Judah would reject Him, in order that both nations would be cast off into the world among
the nations. Both would be cut off from the first covenant. In regathering His people, then, God
planned to gather many others with them, as we read in Isaiah 56:8,
8
The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather
others to him, besides those that are gathered unto him.
This is also established by Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13:44. (Please excuse me for
repeating this parable, but I want to make this point clear to prevent any possibility of
misunderstanding.)
44
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which,
when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all
that he hath and buyeth that field.
In other words, God hid His peculiar treasure (Israel—see Exodus 19:5) in the field,
which is the world (Matthew 13:38) when He cast them off in the dispersion. But Jesus then
found His lost sheep, or treasure, as was prophesied in Ezekiel 34:16. When He found them, He
did not immediately take them to Himself. Rather, he gave His life—“all that He hath’’—in order
to purchase the field, or the world. His object was to obtain the treasure, but in doing so, He had
to purchase the entire world.
In Bible Law it would be theft for a man to take a treasure hidden in someone else’s field.
The owner of the field would own the treasure, and only a thief would steal it. But Jesus is not a
thief. When He found His peculiar treasure, the House of Israel, He gave up all His glory and
gave even His life to purchase the field. Once He owned the field, then He also owned the
treasure. That is the plan of God. And this is the relationship between Israel and the rest of the
world. God’s salvation is NOT exclusive. The casting off of Israel was God’s way of saving the
whole world even as He regathers and reclaims His peculiar treasure, the House of Israel.
Israel and the World
Paul’s discussion in these Israel chapters of Romans deals with the contrast and
relationship between Israel and the world. Most people have assumed that Paul was discussing
the Judean rejection of Jesus, as if all Israel were somehow bound up in the nation of Judea (i.e.,
Judah, Levi, and Benjamin). This is simply not true, as proven by Paul’s Old Testament
quotations.
Whenever Paul quotes the Old Testament, he refers to passages that clearly were given to
the northern House of Israel—the nation that was captured and deported to the land of Assyria.
Hence, Israel is his focus. The purpose of Israel’s dispersion in the plan of God is his revelation.
The regathering of Israel is his concern. In this discussion, the Judean’s rejection of Jesus was
only the culmination of a much broader rejection of God that had begun with the House of Israel
many centuries earlier.
Paul’s definition of Israel is inclusive of both Judah and Israel. He speaks from the
position of Biblical prophecy that spoke of the House of Israel and the House of Judah as a
reunited nation under Jesus the King. Hosea prophesied of this in Hosea 1:11,
11
Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered
together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the
land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel [Iesreel].
Jezreel was one of Hosea’s sons. His name means God seeds, where the word “seeds” is
used as a verb, “to seed” a field. The root of the name “Jezreel” is zera, “a seed.” Since men
would seed a field (or sow seed) by scattering it throughout the field, this name was meant to
prophesy that God would scatter Israel into the world for the purpose of bringing forth a great
harvest of sons.
Paul’s view of Israel was inclusive of the entire nation, including Judah. In His view, of
course, Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:5). Hence, when the House of
Israel rejected Yahweh, they were in fact rejecting Jesus Christ long before Jesus was born on the
earth. For this they were deported to Assyria and finally dispersed throughout Europe and other
places. Lastly, the Judah nation rejected Jesus Christ and were subsequently dispersed in 70 AD
for the same offence.
Paul wrote his letter to the Roman Church in 58 AD, which was about 12 years before the
Romans destroyed Jerusalem. Nonetheless, he was well aware of Judah’s rejection of Jesus, as
well as Jesus’ prophecies about Jerusalem’s destruction. So Paul speaks from the standpoint of
foreknowledge that both Judah and Israel had been cut off from the Mosaic covenant. Both
nations had been given a bill of divorcement and sent out of the house, first Israel in 721 BC
(Jeremiah 3:8) and then Judah in 70 AD.
God’s intent in all of this was to make a new covenant with Israel and Judah (Jeremiah
31:31) that would be based upon the unconditional Abrahamic covenant, rather than on the
conditional Mosaic covenant. This new covenant would have no “if” clauses in it, as did the old
covenant. (Compare Jeremiah 31:31-37 with Exodus 19:5 & 6.) Along with regathering Israel
and Judah under one Head, the plan also called for purchasing the entire “field” in which Israel
and Judah have been sown and hidden.
The “Gentiles” of Israel and Judah
When God divorced Israel and Judah, they were sent out of God’s house. They were no
longer God’s wife, or wives. Legally speaking, they were made like all the other nations—not
God’s wife (Hosea 2:2), and not God’s people (Hosea 1:9). But the prophet also tells us that God
would have mercy upon those who were “not My people” (Hosea 2:23), and this is what Paul
quotes in Romans 9:25 and 26 in telling us about the “Jews” and “Gentiles” that God has called.
Those who are “not My people” are all those who cannot claim to be in a covenant
relationship with God. In Paul’s day this included the House of Israel, but it was also the entire
world. And within 12 years the Judah remnant was also to be cast out and dispersed, thus
completing the group. At that point, it included the entire world including Israel and Judah.
The fullest expression of the prophecy is that the entire world of “not My peoples” will
eventually “be called the children of the living God” (Romans 9:26). But this will be a long
process of development. Meanwhile, God is working with the remnant, and this is what Paul tells
us next in Romans 9:27-33.
The Remnant Shall Return
Paul then quotes from Isaiah 10:21-23. If we turn back to Isaiah’s entire prophecy, we see
that he was talking about “the remnant shall return” (Isaiah 10:21). The Hebrew phrase used here
is shehar-jashub. This was also the name of Isaiah’s son (Isaiah 7:3), named prophetically to
symbolize the remnant people, or the overcomers.
22
For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of
them shall return; the consumption [full end, finish] decreed shall overflow
with righteousness.
In quoting this passage, Paul reminds us that the prophecy about Israel being cast off from
a covenant relationship applies only corporately to the nation itself. God always has a remnant of
grace who do believe and who do continue in His covenant.
Chapter Seven
In our study of Romans 10, we spent most of Chapter Six defining Paul’s terms. It is
especially important to know how Paul uses the terms “Jew,” “Gentile,” and “the world.” The
word “Jew” is short for Judean, or Judahite. The word “Gentile” simply means a Nation, whether
that nation is Judah, Israel, Syria, or some other nation. Only the context can tell you to which
nation the passage is referring.
It is important to understand that in Romans 9-11 Paul is very time-conscious. He
generally speaks of “Israel” when referring to the past, when they rejected Yahweh-God (that is,
Jesus Christ, prior to His earthly incarnation). This rejection was in two parts. First the northern
House of Israel rejected Him and were cast out in 745-721 BC. Finally, the nation of Judah
rejected Him and were soon to be cast off as well (in 70 AD, about 12 years after Paul wrote the
letter to the Romans).
Hence, “Israel” as a whole had rejected Christ and thus violated the Mosaic Covenant.
For this reason, that Mosaic Covenant—the Old Covenant—was annulled. That had been a
marriage covenant between Christ and Israel , but that marriage now fully ended in divorce, first
with the northern House of Israel and later with Judah.
All of these Israelites were then dispersed throughout the “nations” and formed many
nations throughout Europe and eventually to other parts of the world. One might say they became
“gentilized” in the sense that after their divorce, they were legally no longer in a marriage
relationship with Christ. Thus, they were legally no better off than any of the other nations of the
world. The only advantage they had was that God had committed Himself to remarry her (Hosea
2:20). So He would see to it that those people were given the Word of God to prepare their hearts
for a New Covenant of marriage.
But since Israel was now the treasure hidden in the field (“the world”), God had to
purchase the field in order to obtain the treasure buried in it. And so, God saw fit to come in the
form of a man—Jesus Christ—and give all that He had to purchase that field. He so loved the
world that He died for it. 1 John 2:2 says,
2
And He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for
the sins of the whole world.
As we said earlier, Paul was time-conscious. In the past, Israel rejected God. But since the
Cross, looking forward to a New Covenant, the scope of salvation is now clearly seen to
eventually include the entire world. And “the world” is defined as all nations, including those
cast-off Israelites and Judahites. This will become clearer as we proceed in our study, especially
in looking at Romans 9:30-33.
30
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles [all nations, including cast-off
Israel and Judah] which followed not after righteousness, have attained to
righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel [in the
past, when they still carried that birthright name, not having yet lost it] which
followed after the law of righteousness [under the Old Covenant] hath not
attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not
by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that
stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and
rock of offence; and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.
It is customary to think Paul is referring entirely to the Judah nation that had rejected
Jesus. However, Paul quotes Isaiah 28:16 in support of His statement. That entire chapter was
specifically addressed to “Ephraim” (28:1), the leading tribe of the northern House of Israel. It is
apparent that Paul really does mean Israel when He uses that term in Romans 9:31. The rejection
of Jesus Christ was not something that only the Judah nation did. It was done by the House of
Israel back in Isaiah’s day.
Jesus did not have to be physically present on earth for the Israelites to reject Him. He
was known as Yahweh to them, for He was the God of the Old Testament. He identified Himself
in Isaiah 49:26 saying, “all flesh shall know that I the Lord [Yahweh] am thy Savior and thy
Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.”
Hence, when the House of Israel rejected Yahweh, they rejected Jesus Christ. That is why
they were cast off. It was for the same reason that Judah was later cast off. So the two Israelite
nations both rejected Jesus Christ, and this is why God divorced them, cast them out of His
house, and took away their marital name from them—the name of Israel. From that point on, they
were, at best, ex-Israelites among the nations of the world in need of redemption along with
everyone else.
The Old and New Covenants
Paul tells us the plan of salvation very clearly. It was to be according to the New
Covenant. It was no longer by the old covenant, which had been conditional upon men’s vow of
obedience (Exodus 19:5-8). Men’s vows were so easily broken, and if God’s salvation blessings
were conditional upon men’s vows, or “decisions for Christ,” then they would lose their salvation
every time they broke their vow by committing a sin. I remember in my youth having to “get
saved” at the end of every day for many years. At that time I had no comprehension that I was
trying to be saved by means of the old covenant, seeking righteousness by the works of the law.
So Paul tells us that the New Covenant (based on the unconditional covenant with
Abraham in Genesis 15:8-21) was purely by faith. Jeremiah 31:31-34 makes it clear that this was
to be a New Covenant that was not based upon the will of man, but of God. There were to be no
“if clauses” or conditions that men would have to fulfill. There were to be no vows that men
must live up to in order to obtain their salvation. There were no good works or righteous standard
that men had to reach before God would save them.
Of course, we should all make a conscious decision (or vow) to follow Jesus Christ.
However, we should understand that this is not what saves us—unless, of course, we are able to
keep our vow and never sin again. But I know of no one capable of such righteousness. The New
Covenant is based upon the will of God, not the will of man, even as John 1:12 and 13 tells us:
12
But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on His name; 13 Which were born [lit.
“begotten, conceived”] not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will
of man, but of God [i.e., God’s will].
God initiates salvation by speaking the Word to man. This is the “seed of the Word”
which is able to conceive within our souls, if we hear the Word. Since faith comes by hearing the
Word (Romans 10:17), faith is man’s natural response to the Word spoken by God. It is that faith
which characterizes our salvation, Paul says. Obedience to the Word (law) is the next step, of
course, since one will always act upon that which one truly believes.
Our fleshly weaknesses often hinder us from true or complete obedience, especially at
first. But as we grow in grace and spiritual strength, our works begin to match our faith in God.
Yet our present infirmities and weaknesses of the flesh are not able to make us lose our salvation,
because salvation was not obtained by the will of man, regardless of what some churches may
teach.
The Remnant Saved First
In the previous chapter we left off with an introduction to the remnant concept. God died
for the whole world, but only a remnant has faith in God at the present time. Paul tells us also in
1 Corinthians 15:22 and 23 that all who died in Adam are to be made alive in Christ—but every
man in his own squadron.
God is presently working with the remnant of grace. Once He has brought this small
company into the fullness of the promise, then they will be fully empowered by the Spirit of God
to manifest the divine presence and character of Christ to the rest of the world. Their testimony
and work will then bring the rest of the Church and the world into the blessings of the kingdom
of God. This will take a very long time, no doubt, but the ultimate goal and the hope of all
creation is that all things will be put in subjection to Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:27; Hebrews
2:8).
There has been a remnant in every age. Isaiah’s son was named “Shehar-jashub,” which
means the remnant shall return. The remnant company will be the first to manifest the glory of
God. They are the barley company, which ripens first. Yet even before they are ripe for the
harvest, they bear testimony to the truth of the Word of God in every age, for they are the ones
who have ears to hear the specific message God has for each era. And so Paul tells us in Romans
9:27-29,
27
Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children be
as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved; 28 For He will finish the work
and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make
upon the earth. 29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had
left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
Verses 27 and 28 are quoting from Isaiah 10:22, 23. This is the passage we mentioned at
the end of our last bulletin concerning Isaiah’s son, Shehar-jashub. It is plain from this passage
that Israel was to be as numerous as the sand of the sea, but of them, only a remnant would
“return” and “be saved” in this present time.
God’s work with the small remnant of grace does not negate the greater work with Israel
or the world. God will do that more extensive work in its own time. Meanwhile, the present work
is a short one, relatively speaking. In my view, the present work is a short work week of 6 days
(that is, 6,000 years, followed by the sabbath rest in the next 1000 years). But then comes another
series of work weeks in which God will work with the rest of creation, until we reach the final
Creation Jubilee after a total of 49,000 years. Then, I believe, will come to pass that which is
written “that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28), and again, in Philippians 2:10 & 11,
10
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth, 11 And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
The importance of the remnant company’s presence in the world is seen in Romans 9:29,
quoted earlier. If it were not for the remnant, the world would be like Sodom and Gomorrha and
by law would have to be destroyed, rather than saved. However, the remnant’s presence in the
world ensures that the divine plan of salvation will be fulfilled.
Remember how Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrha in the days of Lot. God
ultimately told him that He would spare the cities for the sake of just 10 righteous men, if they
could be found there. But perhaps just a short word about that story might be of interest to you,
especially if you know the meaning of numbers in the Bible. God said He would not destroy
Sodom if He could find:
50 spirit-filled ones (Pentecost/Jubilee), or
45 preserved ones, or
40 tested ones, or
30 dedicated, mature ones, or

20 redeemed ones, or even if He could find just
10 law-abiders.
Before continuing our study in Romans 10, let us recap what we have learned. Paul says
that “Israel” (i.e., the Israelites in the Old Testament times) rejected Christ, because they thought
they could be saved by their own righteous works as specified in the divine Law. Under the
conditional old covenant, the people did not fulfill their vow of obedience to God and hence were
judged and cast off among the nations.
A Brief Summary
In the divine plan of salvation, only a remnant would return to God during this present
era, while the rest would be blinded and have to await a later age after the remnant is fully come
into the inheritance. And so to this day we see Israel blindly seeking to establish its own
righteousness under the old covenant.
It is blatantly so in Orthodox Jewish circles, where they openly declare themselves to be
under the Mosaic covenant. It is more subtle among the nations of Israel, where the Church
teaches that one is saved by the will of man when he goes down to the altar and swears to be
obedient to God in some form. While the Church always claims that the people are being brought
under the New Covenant, in practice it is a continuation of the old covenant type of salvation.
Hence, Paul says in Romans 10,
1
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might
be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not
according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness,
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted
themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to every one that believeth [or, “has faith”].
Paul clearly saw that the worship in the temple of Jerusalem was an old covenant attempt
to establish their own righteousness apart from faith. This was, of course, the prime example in
Paul’s day. However, keep in mind that he was talking about Israel. His scope was far broader
than the Judeans and Galileans of his day. He included the house of Israel who were at that time
already migrating into Europe either through Asia Minor (modern Turkey) or the northern route
through the Caucasus mountains. Whatever religions they followed during their captivity, they
were all seeking to become righteous through their own works by the will of man.
They were ignorant of God’s righteousness that comes by faith. They did not understand
that the old covenant had been nullified by divorce, and that they must now come to God by a
new and living way, where their righteousness would be by faith alone. As Paul says in verses 4
and 5:
4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that has faith.
5
For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man
which DOETH those things shall live by them.
This does not mean that God’s righteous standard has changed. No, sin is still the
transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). Paul says plainly in Romans 3:20, “by the law is the
knowledge of sin.” Hence, it is not that God’s definition of sin has changed. It is rather that one
cannot become righteous in the biblical sense by making a sincere attempt to be obedient to God
by the will of the flesh (i.e., the will of man). One can vow every day to be perfect and buffet the
body each moment of the day with mortifying self-disciplines, but when all is said and done, we
will always find that we have fallen short of the glory of God.
It simply cannot be attained in this manner. If we must be saved by our performance and
our ability to keep our vow of obedience to God, then we are all undone. We can fare no better
than Israel of old.
So when Paul says that “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness,” he is not saying
that the law has come to an end. He is saying that when we come to Christ under the New
Covenant, we are saved by faith, not by the works of the law. God speaks, we hear, faith comes,
and the Spirit of God begets Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The most important thing to know here is that it is God (i.e., Jesus Christ) who initiates
the salvation—not man. We simply respond to His work. Our will is a response to His will. Our
faith is the response to His Word as He speaks to us. There is a shift from the old covenant
religion of salvation through the will of man to the New Covenant salvation through the will of
God in Christ.
As we have said, this is illustrated primarily by the Abrahamic covenant, where God put
Abraham to sleep and made a one-sided, unconditional promise to him. Abraham made no vows
in return that might have made the covenant conditional upon the will of man or upon the
strength of the flesh to fulfill such vows of obedience. It was simply a covenant where Abraham
HEARD the Word of God to him, and he believed that God was able to do all that He had said
He would do in Abraham and in his seed.
So what does this all mean to you and me in our relationship with God? It means that our
vow of obedience and our intention to do what is right is good, but cannot save us unless we are
righteous enough to actually do as we have promised. Years ago, I tried going this route, only to
find that it was not in me to do.
Over the years I have heard the Word as God spoke to my heart. The Word has become
clearer and more specific as time has progressed. As I have believed that Word and have
responded to it by obedience, I have grown in my walk with Him. My response has often been
limited, even as a child who is told to clean his room or to build a bird house. And yet God has
trained me as a child, not looking at my ability to perform, but rather valuing my faith that was
manifested in my response to the Word.
I have seen by experience and in reading the Scripture that faith is the only thing that God
really values, for faith is a relationship with Him. A child that does not respond to his father’s
word has no relationship with him. When our Father speaks or gives a command, the work to be
done is secondary in importance to the faith in the child that hears and responds to His voice.
This does not mean that the work itself has no value. What I am saying is that without
faith, the work itself has no value to the Father. A man may build a beautiful mansion, but if his
father had told him to build a barn for the horses, he will not be pleased with the mansion. If the
son argues with his father that a mansion is really a much better project than the barn, the father
may just burn down the mansion to get his son’s attention. The son must learn to trust his father,
to have faith that he knows what he is doing. Then as he is obedient, he will begin to understand
his father’s reasons. He will begin to put on his father’s mind. He will come to know not only
WHAT the father desires, but also WHY. Then he will move from being a servant to being a son
whom the father can talk to face to face as a friend (Exodus 33:11 and John 15:15).
Chapter Eight
In discussing the fact that the Israel people (along with Judah) had rejected the Word of
the Lord and refused to hear Him, Paul tells us in Romans 9 and 10 that there has always been a
“remnant of grace” who did hear. These did have faith in God and remained true to Him. This
was possible only because God had sent forth His Word to us. The great example of this is found
in the story of Moses at mount Sinai, where God spoke the law to the people. That story is
recorded in Exodus 20:1-17, but Moses comments on it in Deuteronomy 4, saying,
33
Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire,
as thou hast heard, and live? . . . 36 Out of heaven He made thee to hear his
voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He showed thee His great
fire; and thou heardest His words out of the mist of the fire.
Although all the people heard the voice of God, not all of them truly “heard” in the way
that God intended. We read the people’s reaction in Exodus 20:19,
19
And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not
God speak with us, lest we die.
Hence, we read in Hebrews 12:19,
19
And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that
heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more.
The people as a whole refused to “hear” that which they had heard. This is why we read later in
Psalm 95:7, 8 the words of David: “Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in
the day of provocation.” The remnant of grace are the ones who open their hearts to receive the
Word that is spoken. In Exodus 20 only Moses went up into the mount at that time to hear the
law, while the rest “stood afar off.” Let us follow Moses’ example, rather than reject the Word.
It is interesting that the Church today has some knowledge of the ten commandments—
that portion of the law that Israel did hear at mount Sinai. But the Church has no knowledge of
the rest of the law, because that is what Moses received by going up the mount with open ears.
Hence, it is only the remnant of grace that has ears to hear every Word that proceeds out of the
mouth of God. Such people are not afraid of the fire of God in their lives, for they know that He
is their loving Father, and His fiery disciplines are designed to bring us to maturity.
The Word is Nigh Thee
In Romans 10:5-8 we read,

5
For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law that the man
which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of
faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into
heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above); 7 Or Who shall descend
into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead,) 8 But what
saith it? The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the
word of faith which we preach.
Paul is here referring to Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 30:12-14. In other words, the
Word has already been sent forth, and it remains for us to open our hearts to HEAR it even as
Moses himself heard the Word. One does not need to go to heaven to hear the Word, for God
came down to earth to give it to us. Nor do we have to die in order to hear the Word of God—we
can hear it today. The word is nigh unto us, and this is the word of faith that Paul and others have
preached:
9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe
in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture saith, Whosoever
believeth on Him shall not be ashamed [quoted from Isaiah 28:16].
At this point, Paul shifts his focus from the Word of faith itself to the fact that it is given
not only to Israel but to the entire world. But even here, with the Word going forth to the entire
world, only a remnant of grace truly hears at this present time. Only a remnant from each nation
—never an entire nation—has ears to hear in this present time. The remnant is considered foolish
and not a people or nation. But these are the ones through whom God works. Through this
remnant, the voice of God is heard throughout all the earth, as Paul says in verse 18:
18
But I say, have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth,
and their words unto the ends of the world. [quoted from Psalm 19:4]
It may seem strange to us that Paul would quote Psalm 19:4 here, as it seems at first
glance to be taken out of context. David was talking about the heavens declaring the glory of
God. The sun, moon, and star constellations all speak His Word, and all men could hear the Word
through these agencies. Nonetheless, only a few men actually did understand and know the God
of heaven.
Even so, God has used the remnant as His spokesmen to bear witness to the truth of God.
In the Old Testament, God had called Israel out of Egypt and had spoken the Word to them at
Sinai, because they were called to be the remnant nation, the “church in the wilderness” that
would bear witness to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the nation of Israel also refused to
hear (Exodus 20:19), so God worked through an even smaller remnant within Israel.
This smaller remnant, then, is the focus of Paul’s attention in the next few verses from
Romans 10:19 to 11:10. The argument is a bit complex, but he shows us the example of Elijah
and the 7,000-man remnant of grace in the midst of the rest of Israel that was blinded. Hence, not
only is the whole world blinded, but even the nation of Israel itself.
God seems to specialize in working with a small minority in order to make it understood
that the plan of God is not accomplished by the strength of men, or by great numbers of people,
or by military might. We see the same pattern in the formation of Gideon’s army, where God
brought it down from 32,000 to 10,000 to 300 men.
Not Enough to be a Blind Israelite
Paul introduces this section by asking the important question in verse 19:
19
But I say, Did not Israel know? First, Moses saith, I will provoke you to
jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
Notice that Paul does not immediately answer his own question. The answer does not
actually come until the end of this section in 11:7, where he concludes with:
7
What then? Israel hath NOT obtained that which he seeketh for; but the
election HATH obtained it, and the rest [of Israel] were blinded.
So to answer Paul’s question, “Did not Israel know?” the answer is simply NO. They did
not know, they did not understand, simply because they were blinded according to the word of
Isaiah, which Paul quotes. Being one of the blind Israelites is certainly not my goal. I would
much prefer to be part of the remnant of grace that knows God and His plan for creation.
But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we must go back to the beginning of Paul’s
argument. Instead of immediately answering his own question, he tells us that God was going to
provoke Israel to jealousy. How does this principle work, and how does it relate to the subject at
hand?
The Law of God’s Jealousy
Paul was referring to Deuteronomy 32:21, which is a part of the Song of Moses. The
contents of this song are very important to us, because it is the song that the overcomers sing in
Revelation 15:3. It tells the story of the plan of God, and the law of jealousy is an integral part of
that great story. So let us quote this passage in Deuteronomy 32:16-21.
16
They [Israel] provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with
abominations provoked they Him to anger. 17 They sacrificed unto devils, not
to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom
your fathers feared not. 18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful,
and hast forgotten GOD that formed thee. 19 And when the Lord saw it, He
abhorred them, because of the provoking of His sons, and of His daughters. 20
And He said, I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall
be; for they are a very froward [perverse] generation, children in whom there
is no faith. 21 They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God; they
have provoked Me to anger with their vanities; and I will move them to
jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with
a foolish nation.
Many times God tells us that He is a jealous God. (See Exodus 20:5; 34:14; Deuteronomy
4:24.) Since God married Israel at the foot of mount Sinai, God considered the nation to be His
wife. But when God’s wife played the harlot by going after foreign gods, they made God jealous.
Israel made God jealous, so God made Israel jealous. He did this by favoring other nations,
paying attention to them and treating them as if they were the chosen people. In doing so, He put
Israel under their authority, as if to make other nations “chosen.” This plan was designed to make
Israel jealous, so that they would repent of their sin.
The book of Judges records this tactic many times. Every time Israel followed after other
gods, God put Israel into subjection to those other nations, one after another. Eventually, Israel
would repent, and God then sent a deliverer to free them from their bondage.
But the apostasy finally became so great that God actually divorced Israel and sent her out
of His house into captivity to the Assyrians from 745-721 BC. This was the end of the Old
Covenant with the House of Israel. This was the problem that Paul was discussing in Romans 10
and 11. The remnant of the House of Judah living in the land of Palestine during Paul’s day had
not yet been cast out of the land. So Paul’s main focus is on Israel, who had been cast off about
800 years earlier.
This was, of course, the ultimate act of a jealous God. He divorced Israel for her adultery
(Jeremiah 3:8) and actually ended the marriage covenant He had made with her at mount Sinai.
Then in Acts 2, beginning with the fulfillment of Pentecost—the anniversary of God’s marriage
with Israel under Moses—God began to woo other nations as if to search for another wife. This
was done to make Israel jealous, as Paul tells us, and as Moses had prophesied in Deuteronomy
32. This tactic was so ingeniously subtle that most people have entirely misunderstood it.
According to the book of Hosea, when God cast off His people, Israel, He made them
“not My people” (Hosea 1:9). Yet at the same time God made a promise that seemed totally
impossible for Him to keep. It was the greatest riddle and mystery of all time. He said in the next
verse,
10
. . . In the place where it was said unto them, ‘Ye are not My people,’ there
it shall be said unto them, ‘Ye are the sons of the living God.’
In Hosea 2:20-23 we read that God was going to “betroth thee unto Me” once again, and . . .
23
I will say to them which were not My people, ‘Thou art My people,’ and
they shall say, ‘Thou art my God.’
Since the divine law forbids a man to remarry his ex-wife after she has remarried another
man (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), it was unlawful for God to ever remarry Israel. But Paul gives us the
answer in the New Testament. In Romans 7:1 & 2 he points out that death ends the marriage
covenant.
1
Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law) how that the
law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2 For the woman which
hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but
if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
Paul is not saying that marriage covenants end ONLY in death, for even the divine law
allowed divorce (Deut. 24), and God Himself divorced Israel (Jer. 3:8). Paul is simply telling us
that the death of the husband also ends the marriage covenant. Jesus Christ was the Husband of
Israel (Jeremiah 3:14), and when He died, the old covenant with Israel ended, for that was a
marriage covenant. Judaism, which relies upon a continuing old covenant, pretends to have a
continuing marital relationship with God, but they are merely “playing house.”
In 1 Corinthians 7:39 Paul mentions this principle again, adding that the widow is free to
remarry after the death of her husband.
39
The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her
husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the
Lord.
This is why Jesus had to die to remarry the House of Israel. He died and was raised again
as a new creation (legally speaking). The law viewed Jesus as a new man. Hence, He is able to
remarry Israel without violating the divine law. But first, Israel must leave her present lovers with
whom she has been playing the harlot—depicted by Hosea’s wife, Gomer (i.e., the Gimirri).
Who are the No-People?
Paul says that God will provoke Israel to jealousy by those who are “no people” and “a
foolish nation.” Who are these? There are two primary answers to this question.
First, Israel as a whole after they were cast out were called “not My people.” In their
blindness they would actually provoke themselves to jealousy in a strange twist of circumstances
with help from the Jews. In these latter days of the pentecostal era, when the unbelieving Jews
took on the name of Israel in 1948, it began to make Israelite Christians jealous of them. People
wondered why and how God would favor unbelieving Jews more than the Christians. It is even
accepted among some groups of Christians that the Jews are saved without Christ and only the
“gentiles” are saved by Jesus Christ. It is also said that Jews are saved by law, while gentiles are
saved by grace, by which they usually mean that Jews are saved by the old covenant, while the
“gentiles” are saved by the New Covenant.
Such rank heresy is self-evident and needs no further refutation from us. But the point is that
these doctrines are designed to provoke the true Israel people to jealousy and even anger
(Romans 10:19), so that we awake to the fact that God does not look with favor upon those who
hate Jesus Christ. Today, many Christians are beginning to say, “Hey, what about us? What are
we, chopped liver? We’re the ones who love Jesus Christ and want to follow Him!”
It will not be long before the huge body of Christians in the West will see their origins as ex-
Israelites in the captivity. When this happens, they will receive a whole new motivation to carry
out the great commission., for now they will know that they—not 144,000 Jews—are the real
ones called to bring revival to the whole world. The “144,000” come from all twelve tribes of the
dispersion.
The Twelve Tribes of the Dispersion
James wrote a letter “to the twelve tribes in the dispersion” (literal translation of James
1:1). These were not Jews, but Israelites of the dispersion. Likewise, Peter wrote a letter to those
same tribes of the dispersion, even giving us their location. Rotherham’s translation of 1 Peter
1:1 & 2 is clearer than the King James version:
1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ unto the chosen pilgrims of the dispersion
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia— 2 Chosen
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father . . . .
Peter then told these dispersed Israelites in 1 Peter 2:9 & 10,
9
But ye are a chosen generation [race], a royal priesthood [kingdom of
priests], a peculiar people . . . [quoted from Exodus 19:5, 6] 10 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.
Peter knew who they were, and he applied the Scriptures correctly. Any Bible map will
show that these Israeltes were in the northern part of what is now called Turkey, not Palestine.
The Gimirri-Israelites had migrated there from the east as “pilgrims” from the land between the
Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, where the Assyrians had placed them 800 years earlier. Peter
appeals to them as dispersed Israelites living among the nations:
11
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims [parepidemos, same
word used in 1 Peter 1:1], abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the
soul; 12 Having your conversation [or, “conduct”] honest among the Gentiles
[ethnos, “nations”]; that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they
may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of
visitation.
No doubt Peter had in mind the prophetic words of Ezekiel 36:17-22, which says,
17
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled
it by their own way and by their doings . . . . 19 And I scattered them among
the heathen [goy, “nations”] and they were dispersed through the countries;
according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. 20 And
when they entered unto the heathen [goy, “nations”] whither they went, they
profaned My holy name, when they said to them [when the nations said to—or
about—Israel], These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of His
land.
Peter knew that these dispersed Israelites had been cast off because of their sin, and so he
was concerned that they not continue to profane the name of Yahweh among the nations. Hence,
he tells them to conduct themselves properly, because “the day of visitation” had arrived. Jesus
Christ had now come to “sanctify My great name, which you have profaned among the nations”
(Ezekiel 36:23). The promise was that God would sprinkle clean water upon them to heal them
of their spiritual leprosy (Ezekiel 36:25; Leviticus 14:7), give them a new heart, and put His
Spirit within them. This new work began on the day of Pentecost in 33 AD.
Peter was writing to Christian Israelites of the dispersion, to whom this promise had
begun to see its fulfillment. These were the firstfruits of the promised national repentance, a
greater work that was yet to come.
The gospel had taken root among them very early in Christian history, because God saw
to it that these ex-Israelite no-people would receive the gospel first. Why? Because God intended
that these same Israelites be His blind and deaf witnesses to the rest of the world.
Israel had been blind to who God was. Israel had been deaf to the voice of God. So God
blinded and deafened Israel to who they were. Even the Jewish Encyclopedia says that the Sacae,
or Scythians, are the lost ten tribes of Israel (Vol. 12, p. 250). Sir Henry Rawlinson, the great
archeologist, tell us in his book, The Origin of the Nations that “We have reasonable grounds for
regarding the GIMIRRI, or CIMMERIANS [Scythians] . . . and the SACAE of the Behistun Rock,
nearly two centuries later, as identical with the BETH-KHUMREE of Samaria, or the Ten Tribes
of the House of Israel.”
And so we see that God has fulfilled His Word in a most marvelous manner. He made
Israel a no-people and blinded them to who they were (or used to be). Then He brought the
gospel to them, yet left them blind and deaf to who they were. In this state they would be His
witnesses and bring the light of God’s Word to all the nations of the world.
This was to fulfill the Word to Isaiah, who prophesied that Israel was God’s blind servant
(Isaiah 42:19) who would be His witness (43:10) to all the earth. Isaiah 49 says:
3
And said unto me, Thou art My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be
glorified . . . . 6 And He said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be My
servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I
will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles [“nations”]; that thou mayest be
My salvation unto the end of the earth.
Who ever heard of a blind and deaf witness in a court of law? A witness can only testify
that which he has seen or heard. And yet God has done so with Israel, and the gospel has gone
forth into all the earth through the great missionary societies formed in the late 1700’s. God has
used the Israelite no-people to reach no-people in the rest of the world, so that all the other no-
people who hear the gospel can be called the sons of the living God.
Dispersed Israel is the first answer to the question: Who are the no-people? In our next
chapter we will give the second answer, or manner of fulfillment. We will show that the remnant
of grace is also a no-people, called to provoke blind Israel to jealousy in a different way. It is
important that we understand both levels of fulfillment in order to obtain a complete view of
God’s plan.
Chapter Nine
At the end of Romans 10, Paul tells us that Israel would be provoked to jealousy by a
“no-people” in order to bring them out of their blindness. On the national level we see a rather
bizarre manner of fulfillment of this principle. In the Old Testament times, Israel knew who they
were, but they rejected their God. Hence, God sent them into captivity and made them a “no-
people” by making them forget who they were.
While they were “no-people,” Jesus came and died to redeem them (and the world with
them), and consequently these lost Israelites received the gospel first as they were migrating
slowly into Europe from the land of Assyria. This fulfilled the statement of Hosea, who
prophesied in Hosea 1:10,
10
in the place where it was said unto them, ‘Ye are NOT My people,’ there it
shall be said unto them, ‘Ye ARE the sons of the living God’.
It is interesting to see how God uses the principle of jealousy in different ways throughout
history. In Paul’s day the apostle was concerned about the Israelites of the dispersion who had
been carried into Assyria 800 years earlier. He foresaw the acceptance of Christianity by the non-
Israelite world in general (which, of course, included those cast-off, ex-Israelites of the
dispersion). This was the foolish nation and the no-people (i.e., Not My People) who would
provoke Israel to jealousy.
The Judah Remnant of Jesus’ Day
After 70 AD the Judah remnant was cast off and dispersed as well, joining the rest of the
world as a “no-people.” The difference, however, is that prophecy is against them, giving them
no hope of reconciliation with God in this present age. The kingdom was to be taken from them
and given to another nation who would bring forth the fruits of the kingdom (Matthew 21:43).
Isaiah 27:6 identifies that fruit-bearing nation as Israel.
6
He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root; Israel shall blossom
and fill the face of the world with fruit.
The use of the two names, Jacob and Israel, are also prophetic here. Recall that Jacob’s
name was changed to Israel at the end of his captivity under Laban in Syria. Israel was the name
the angel gave to Jacob. So also in the above prophecy. So long as the dispersed Israelites are in
captivity, they are yet fleshly Jacobites in their blindness. Nonetheless, this is the stage whereby
they begin to “take root,” because God had scattered them in the field to bring forth a harvest.
The fruit does not come until the end of the age at the time of harvest. And so we see above that
Israel brings forth the fruit, not Jacob, and it comes at the end of the age (Matthew 13:39).
We must also take note that the kingdom was to be taken from the Judah remnant of
Jesus’ day and would be given to Israel, who would bear fruit unto God. Matthew 21:43 says,
43
Therefore say I unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you
and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
In the twentieth century we have seen the rise in popularity of the idea that the Jews are
God’s chosen people, Israel. We have already shown some of the reasons why God has allowed
the Jews to lay claim to the birthright name that had been given to Joseph. It was because the
Jews also represent the remnant of Esau-Edom, who they conquered and absorbed in 126 BC,
and they were to receive the dominion during the time of Isaac’s blindness (Genesis 27:40).
Hence, the Jews have appropriated the name of Israel, and the Church has reverenced them and
paid them tribute at every opportunity, especially since 1948. (Over half of America’s entire
foreign aid is given to the Israeli state, over $2,000 for every Jewish man, woman, and child
living there. This does not include all the private donations they receive from other sources.)
Nonetheless, they have continued to reject Jesus Christ. While they have brought forth
many fig leaves in accordance with Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:32, they have not brought
forth the fruits of the kingdom that God requires. This, too, Jesus prophesied in Matthew 21:19
when He cursed the fig tree.
In biblical symbolism, fig leaves represent man’s covering for sin—the attempt to hide
sin, rather than confess it and put it under the blood of the Cross. See Genesis 3:7. In John’s first
epistle, which is his commentary on Genesis 1-4, he tells us that the only true covering for sin is
the blood of Jesus (1 John 2:2). If we say that we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves and
make God a liar (1 John 1:7-10). This is the apostle’s interpretation of the fig leaves by which
Adam and Eve attempted to cover themselves and hide their sin.
In the case of the fig tree that Jesus cursed, we see here a deeper meaning. The Jewish
nation had sinned and had beaten and killed the prophets, finally crucifying the Messiah Himself
—but the nation was covering itself with fig leaves. They denied all responsibility. In fact, most
of them blame God for unjustly allowing them to be cast out by the Romans in 70 AD. A favorite
saying among them is, “The Messiah is coming soon; and boy does he have some explaining to
do!” Furthermore, they are greatly offended when anyone lays the responsibility upon them for
crucifying the Messiah. In fact, this accusation offended them right from the very beginning, for
we read in Acts 5:28 that the chief priests accused Peter and the other apostles as follows:
“Behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood upon
us.”
Peter’s answer in Acts 5:30 was, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom YE slew
and hanged on a tree.”
Jesus told a parable in Matthew 22:1-14 about how the Jews had refused to come to the
wedding, and how they had killed the prophets. Verse 7 gives the verdict:
7
And when the King [God] heard thereof, he was wroth [angry]; and He sent
forth His armies [the Romans] and destroyed those murderers and burned up
their city [Jerusalem, 70 AD].
To this day they still have not repented. And, in fact, we find the Pope and the heads of
many other churches apologizing to the Jews for putting upon them the verdict that Jesus
Himself and His apostles gave. Many blame the Romans, but Jesus said the Roman armies were
HIS armies, sent to destroy “those murderers.” In other words, many churches would rather
apologize for Jesus than offend the Jews.
Neither the Jews nor anyone else can be saved without putting off the fig leaves and
confessing their sins before God. We do them a disservice if we leave them in their sins and give
them a false sense of security in God. The only way they can prevent another disaster in
Jerusalem is if they acknowledge their sins and recognize Jesus Christ as the one true Sacrifice
for sin.
The church—by their rejection of Jesus’ words and in trying too hard not to offend the
Jews—has left them with their fig leaves, ensuring that Jerusalem will indeed be destroyed
shortly and never rebuilt again, according to the word of the prophet (Jeremiah 19:10-15).
Some may think that I hate Jews because I quote these Scriptures and actually believe
them and take them seriously. But I have never hated Jews, nor ever will I hate anyone. Hatred is
not a Christian virtue. My motive in revealing these things is twofold:
1) to warn the Jews that they are on the path to destruction and to show them the way of
salvation; and
2) to enlighten the eyes of those Christians and true Israelites who have eyes to see.
The Jealousy Principle in Operation Today
God’s IQ is off the chart, so His plan is quite complex and often difficult to comprehend.
He does so many things at the same time that it is hard to envision all the different things He is
doing in our present twentieth century. But one thing He is doing is to restore His true people,
Israel, and make them a blessing to all families of the earth, as He promised Abraham.
He is doing this one both the physical and the spiritual level. On the physical level, He
has used the Caucasian people to spread the Gospel throughout the world. But this has often been
a mixed blessing, because in our blindness and carnality, we have also exported our corrupt
practices. Many unscrupulous businessmen have exploited and often enslaved other people,
instead of working in their best interests to set them free in Christ. On this level we see God
working through His blind and deaf servant (Isaiah 43:8-12) to bring the gospel to the nations.
8
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. 9
Let all the nations be gathered together . . . Who among them can declare this
and show us former things? Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they
have be justified; or let them hear and say, “It is Truth.” 10 Ye are My
witnesses, saith the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen.
In other words, God gave Israel the primary revelation about the true God, and it is
recorded in the Bible. In time past the other nations were not given such a revelation, and so they
were not God’s witnesses. A witness speaks what he has seen or heard. Hence, God says, “Let
them hear and say, It is Truth!” The nations are called to hear God’s witnesses testify of Him, and
they are called to come into agreement with this testimony, so that they too can know the truth
and be justified.
Yet because God’s Israel witnesses are so blind and deaf, and because their blessing is so
mixed with the curse of fleshly things, It is necessary that God provoke even them to jealousy in
order to open their eyes and bring them into a fuller knowledge of God and His truth. And so we
see during the twentieth century that God is provoking true Israel to jealousy by means of a no-
people called the Jews.
Pandering to the Jews has become so rampant among some churches that we now have
more Christians converting to Judaism than Jews converting to Christianity. These Christians do
not realize what is happening to them. God has been provoking them to jealousy. Christians are
so jealous of the Jews and of “chosen status” that they are converting to Judaism in order to be
closer to God. Yet they only succeed in falling into the same trap of which Paul warned people in
His epistles. When such Christians convert to Judaism, and especially symbolized by their
physical circumcision to become Jews, they place themselves under the old covenant and are
fallen from grace.
How ironic it is that most of these converts to Judaism are the physical descendants of
the lost tribes of the House of Israel. If they only knew that they were already physical Israelites,
they would not be attempting to do so by allying themselves with Jewish Edomites whom God
placed under the curse (Mark 11:21; Isaiah 34:5). It is only a matter of time before Christians see
that joining with Judaism is not God’s answer, but is a Jewish fable.
The Remnant of Grace
The “remnant of grace” is a smaller group of people who have not bowed the knee to
Baal. This remnant is not based upon physical descent, for even in Elijah’s day there were only
7,000 out of all Israel who qualified (Romans 11:4). The remnant of grace is therefore spiritual in
nature, as it involved a proper relationship with God over and beyond their Israelitish heritage.
Paul tells us that “the rest were blinded” (Romans 11:7), implying that the remnant is
NOT blinded, for God has given them eyes to see and ears to hear. There is a spiritual remnant of
Grace within physical Israel, as well as in every nation. These may not be fully informed on all
biblical or prophetic matters, but at least they have eyes to see and ears to hear—so that when the
truth comes their way, they recognize it and do not fight it. Hence, they are able to move more
and more into the truth as God reveals it to His people.
This brings us to the point where we left off in our last chapter, where we promised to
show that the remnant of grace is also a no-people, called to provoke Israel to jealousy in a
different way.
In the Old Testament the entire nation of Israel was called the Church (Acts 7:38). The
word Church means “called out ones.” Israel was called out of Egypt. The pattern of the
Pentecostal Church of the New Testament era (33 - 1993 AD) follows the same basic patterns as
found in the days of Moses, who led “the church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38). The Scriptures
tell us that after Moses had led Israel 40 years in the wilderness, he preached ten sermons to the
people. These were written down in a book which we call Deuteronomy.
In Moses’ sixth sermon (Deuteronomy 29:2 to 30:20), we read that even at that late date
God had not given Israel eyes to see! Deuteronomy 29:2-4 reads,
2
And Moses called unto all Israel and said unto them, Ye have seen all that
the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto
all his servants, and unto all his land; 3 The great temptations which thine
eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles; 4 Yet the Lord hath NOT
given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear unto this day.
In other words, their eyes had seen the miracles, but they were still blind and deaf to the
real purposes of God. They were what we would call Christians, followers of God, but they were
still spiritually blind, or blind in part. This is the pattern also of the New Testament Church. In
the Pentecostal Church’s 40 Jubilees of wilderness wandering, they too have been blind in the
same manner as was ancient Israel. The Church has seen and continues to see great miracles
performed, but nonetheless, they are as blind as ancient Israel ever was.
But there is a remnant of grace within the blind Church. They have been given eyes to see
and ears to hear. They are therefore qualified in a court of law to be God’s witnesses in the earth
—people who hear the voice of God and see Him for who He is. These people testify to the truth
of who God is and what His plan is. It is not that they know everything about God and His plan,
of course, but they do testify of the things which they have seen and heard.
In this sense the Church as a whole is testifying as a blind and deaf witness. In other
words, they testify from secondhand knowledge of God. They repeat what they have heard by
reading the Bible or what the preachers said about God. They have no direct experience or
relationship with God Himself. We should certainly read the Bible to learn what God spoke
through others in the past. However, if we do not hear the voice of God for ourselves, we can
hardly be a true and faithful witness (Revelation 3:14) or a credible witness in a court of law.
Hearsay is acceptable in private conversation, but it will not ultimately stand up in court.
The remnant of grace is thus different from the Church in general. But we must recognize
that throughout the 40 Jubilees of the Church’s wilderness wandering, they were not given eyes
to see or ears to hear. Instead, the remnant of grace—a bunch of no-people in the eyes of the
Church—were given eyes and ears in order to provoke the rest of the Church to jealousy.
Of course, jealousy only brings anger as a response, so long as God does not give the
people eyes to see the truth. Hence, king Saul’s jealousy of David made him angry and motivated
him to try to kill David. So also the prophets who had the Word of God only provoked the priests
and false prophets to anger by their jealousy, which eventually brought about the murder of the
prophets.
Because King Saul was a pentecostal, crowned king on the day of Pentecost, or “wheat
harvest” (1 Samuel 12:17), Saul is a type of the Church under Pentecost in the New Testament
era. This is why we see during the Church Age, the murder of millions of people who dared to
“think differently.” Not all were of the remnant of grace, but certainly the remnant of grace was
among the persecuted. (See our book, The Seven Churches.)
So the question is, What is it that will mark the end of the blindness upon Israel and upon
the Church in general? The answer, I believe, is found in Isaiah 34 and 35.
Blindness Healed
The book of Isaiah is written in two main sections, which the higher critics call first and
second Isaiah as if written by different men. (I disagree with their analysis, but the book is
certainly in two parts.) The first section is chapters 1 through 35. Then chapters 36-39 are
historical and form an interim section before the second main section from chapters 40-66.
Chapters 34 and 35 form the climax of the first section of Isaiah. In the first few chapters
we are introduced to the sinful nation and the remnant of grace. Isaiah 1:9 says,
9
Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should
have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
This is one of the verses Paul quotes (in Romans 9:29) in commenting on the remnant of
grace. It shows that the purpose of the remnant of grace is to protect the entire nation, even as
righteous Lot’s presence and witness protected Sodom and Gomorrah.
In Isaiah’s call in chapter 6 God told the prophet that he was to preach to those who did
not have ears to hear or eyes to see. In chapter 7 we are introduced to Isaiah’s oldest son, Shear-
jashub, which means the remnant shall return. His sons were named as prophetic signs (Isaiah
8:18) of what God was doing in His people. The nation of Israel was to go into captivity into
Assyria, because they were already captives to the desires of the flesh. But the remnant would
“return,” obviously not in a physical return to the land, but a return to God.
Like Jacob, who went into a captivity into Syria (later part of Assyria), the remnant would
return to their inheritance. On his way home, Jacob wrestled with the angel and received the new
name: Israel. Then he entered the promised land and settled in Succoth (Booths, or the feast of
Tabernacles). Jacob is the classic type of the overcomer, who goes into captivity as a fleshly
Jacob, but returns as an overcoming Israel. In this he is the pattern for the remnant of grace. And
so, when we come to the climax of the first section of Isaiah, we read in 35:5,
5
THEN the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped.
When will this event occur? It occurs at a time called “the day of the Lord’s vengeance
and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8 with 35:4).
The controversy of Zion is based on the historic conflict between Jacob and Esau-Edom
as to who will inherit the kingdom of God and the birthright. One cannot understand this passage
in Isaiah without knowing the story of this age-long conflict. Hence, in Isaiah 34, the prophet
tells us in verse 5:
5
For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; behold, it shall come down upon
Idumea [Edom], and upon the people of My curse to judgment. 6 . . . for the
Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah [the capital of Edom], and a great slaughter in
the land of Idumea [Edom].
Years ago the Jews applied these Edom passages to the Romans and later to the
Christians. Yet even in their own writings they freely acknowledge that “Edom is in modern
Jewry” (The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1925 ed., Vol. 5, p. 41). This is consistent with the writings of
Josephus, who wrote in the first century about the conquest of Edom: “they were hereafter no
other than Jews” (Antiquities, XIII, ix, 1).
Edom always felt he had been cheated out of the land of Canaan and out of the birthright.
He always wanted to be “chosen” and to assume the right to the name of Israel. Now his
descendants have achieved these goals, due to the blindness in part of the true Israelites. God
allowed this only because Jacob had originally tricked his blind father into giving him the
birthright. Hence, Isaac’s children, the blind Israelites, had to give it back to Esau for a time in
order to repair the breach, as Isaac prophesied (Genesis 27:40). But now shortly, God intends to
settle this controversy. When He does, “THEN the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears
of the deaf shall be unstopped.”
Chapter Ten
We have shown up to now the fact that God blinded Israel, except for the remnant of
Grace. The pattern for the past 40 Jubilees of Church history (under Pentecost) was set many
years earlier when Israel wandered in the wilderness under Moses. Moses himself acknowledged
at the end of their 40 years that God had not yet given them ears to hear and eyes to see
(Deuteronomy 29:4). Hence, we see that the same is true during the 40 Jubilees of the Church
Age from 33 to 1993 AD.
Isaiah is the primary prophet who foretold and explained this blindness throughout his
ministry, beginning with his call in Isaiah 6. In subsequent chapters he makes a distinction
between the blindness upon the house of Israel and the blindness upon the city of Jerusalem and
the house of Judah. Remember that Isaiah lived during the time when Israel was deported to
Assyria. This was a major concern of his, and yet he escaped that deportation by going to
Jerusalem, where he prophesied to king Hezekiah of Judah. (See Isaiah 36-39.)
Partial Blindness upon Israel
The blindness upon Israel is explained primarily in Isaiah 42:18-20; 43:8-12; and 44:18,
but in each case, the blindness is discussed in an atmosphere of hope. It is not a total blindness,
but what Paul calls “blindness in part.” The people are God’s blind and deaf witnesses who will
declare His salvation to the ends of the earth in spite of their condition as a proof of God’s
sovereignty. Isaiah 44 ends with hope for Israel in verses 21-23.
21
Remember thee, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art My servant; I have formed
thee; thou art My servant; O Israel, thou shalt NOT be forgotten of Me. 22 I
have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins.
Return unto Me, for I have redeemed thee. 23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord
hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye
mountains, O forest, and every tree therein; for the Lord hath redeemed
Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel.
Notice that God intends to redeem Israel and blot out their sins. Isaiah says that God will
do this by the counsel of His own will—by His sovereign will. Isaiah’s prophecy demonstrates
this clearly, for he speaks of Cyrus, future king of Persia, as “mine anointed” (Heb. Messiah) and
how Cyrus was also going to do everything God told him to do. Isaiah 44:28 speaks of Cyrus as a
prime example of how God directs the paths of even a pagan king to do all that He tells him.
28
That saith of Cyrus, He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure;
even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy
foundation shall be laid.
In Isaiah 45:13 we read of Cyrus again,
13
I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; he shall
build My city [Jerusalem], and he shall let go My captives, not for price nor
reward, saith the Lord of hosts.
Isaiah shows how even a pagan king can be a type of Messiah (Christ), who overthrows
Babylon and sets the captives free. The kings of this earth—even those of the beast empires of
the Daniel and Revelation—are all in God’s sovereign control. Even though the world rulers
think they operate under their own will and can do as they please, they actually perform the will
of God blindly. Isaiah shows that since God is sovereign even over the unbelieving world rulers,
He is also sovereign enough to redeem the house of Israel even though they are partially blind
and deaf to His purposes. This is a great truth which Christians need to know today.
A Deep Sleep upon Jerusalem
By that same sovereign character of God, He also has a purpose for the old Jerusalem and
that tiny branch of the house of Judah. That purpose is quite different from what we read of
Israel. In Isaiah 29 we read:
1
Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt [old Jerusalem]. 9 Stay
yourselves and wonder; cry ye out and cry; they are drunken, but not with
wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. 10 For the Lord hath poured
out upon you the spirit of deep sleep; and hath closed your eyes; the prophets
and your rulers, the seers, hath he covered. 11 And the vision of all is become
unto you as the words of a book that is sealed . . .
In other words, God has made them drunk on Babylonian wine, which caused them to fall
into a “deep sleep.” This goes beyond the mere blindness and deafness placed upon the house of
Israel. Jerusalem’s inhabitants were to be placed in a stupor, and unconscious state, where they
cannot hear the voice of God at all, nor can their seers understand the Word of God. Knowing
this difference tells us why Paul would tell us that Israel was only blind IN PART. The blindness
was partial in comparison to the total blindness poured out upon Jerusalem.
12
Wherefore the Lord saith, Forasmuch as this people draweth near Me with
their mouth and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart
far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men [or, the
doctrines and traditions of men];
Isaiah emphasizes here the reason why God poured out such a deep sleep upon them. It is
because they were hypocrites pretending to follow God in the temple of Jerusalem, but in reality
their heart was far from Him. Jesus leveled the same charge against them in Matthew 15:7-9 and
again in Matthew 23 just before they crucified Him. This indictment still holds true today in
Judaism. While they have much religious zeal, and claim to love God and respect Him highly, it
is all lip service, so long as they reject Jesus Christ, and God is not impressed at all.
13
Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work [Heb. pala,
“beyond normal capability] among the people . . . and a wonder [Heb. pele]; for
the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their
prudent men shall be hid. . . 15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their
counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who
seeth us? And who knoweth us? 16 Surely your turning of things upside down
[i.e., man is as a God, and God is as a man] shall be esteemed as the potter’s
clay; for shall the work say of Him that made it, “He made me not”? Or shall
the thing framed say of Him that framed it, “He hath no understanding”?
In other words, do these people really think that they can hide their true motives from the
all-seeing God? Can they really hold a secret meeting without God hearing what they say? Do
they really think they can rule the world as God’s chosen people without submitting to Jesus
Christ? In 1 John 2:22 & 23 the apostle bluntly tells us,
22
Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist
that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same
hath not the Father . . . .
God has no plan to make antichrists His chosen rulers over creation. This holds true not
only for Jews who deny that Jesus is the Christ, but also for those who claim to be true Israelites
after the flesh but who also reject Jesus Christ. Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is
antichrist. That is John’s definition of the term, not mine. Yet God is going to do a marvelous
work even with the inhabitants of Ariel (Jerusalem). It will be purely by His sovereignty. Isaiah
says in 29:18,
18
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of
the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
Even they will have their day, when their eyes will be opened. However, Isaiah is unclear
as to precisely WHEN this day will be. I believe it will be some time AFTER the city of
Jerusalem is destroyed (Jeremiah 19:11; Matthew 22:7), for if they were to repent prior to that
time, God would spare the city. But Jesus’ curse on the fig tree tells us that the nation will not
bear fruit in this age. (The word translated “for ever” in Matthew 21:19 is aionian, “for the age.”
It is an indefinite—but not infinite—period of time.)
Hence, God will yet turn their hearts, as He will turn the hearts of all nations in the
restoration of all things. Meanwhile, though, in this present age they are enemies of Jesus Christ,
even as the Scriptures clearly teach.
David’s Prophecy of Jerusalem
Since Jerusalem was called the City of David in ancient times, it is only appropriate that
we ask his opinion on the fate of Jerusalem. In fact, Paul quotes David in Romans 11:9 & 10
immediately after quoting Isaiah above.
9
And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a
stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them; 10 Let their eyes be darkened,
that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
Paul here is quoting from the Septuagint translation of Psalm 69:22 & 23. As usual, in
order to understand what Paul is saying, we must go back to the Old Testament and read the
context of his quotations.
Psalm 69 is a prophecy of David about Christ. Verse 4 says, “they that hate me without a
cause” which prophesies how the Pharisees hated Jesus (John 15:25). Verse 9 says, “the zeal of
Thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached Thee are fallen upon
Me.” In John 2:17 this speaks of Jesus’ zeal in cleansing the Temple, and the reproaches of the
priests upon Jesus for doing so.
Psalm 69:21 says, “they gave me also gall for My meat; and in my thirst they gave me
vinegar to drink.” Obviously, this foretold the gall and vinegar they gave to Jesus upon the Cross
(Matthew 27:34). This is the verse that introduces verses 22 and 23, which Paul quotes in
Romans 11:9 & 10 (above).
And so we see from Psalm 69 that David’s indictment upon the Messiah’s enemies is
based upon the fact that they rejected and crucified Him—primarily for His act of cleansing the
temple and throwing out the moneychangers. This is verified in Mark 11:15-18. David’s
prophecy about his enemies spoke of a later time when Jesus, the Son of David, would also have
enemies. These “enemies” were the Scribes, the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the chief priests.
Of course, these men would have denied being David’s enemies, because they greatly
honored David. But because of their opposition to David’s Greater Son, David prays that their
eyes would be darkened. He continues with the indictment in verse 24:
24
Pour out Thine indignation upon them; and let Thy wrathful anger take
hold of them. 25 Let their habitation [Jerusalem] be desolate; and let none
dwell in their tents.
Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, saying in Matthew 23:38, “Your house of left unto
you desolate.” He was quoting David in Psalm 69:25 (above).
26
For they persecute Him whom Thou hast smitten [on the Cross]; and they
talk to the grief of those whom Thou hast wounded. 27 Add iniquity unto their
iniquity; and let them not come into Thy righteousness. 28 Let them be blotted
out of the book of the living [or, the Book of Life], and not be written with the
righteous.
These are strong words. Any Christian today who would say such things would be
roundly condemned as “anti-Semitic,” not only by the secular press, but also by many churches.
But David said it, and it is Scripture, so we have opportunity either to say amen to God or to
agree with the words and opinions of men.
Paul’s Logic About This
In Romans 11 Paul was talking about how blindness was upon the whole house of Israel,
except for the remnant of grace. Paul does not really explain the different types of blindness
between the house of Israel and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as we have done. But he does quote
the key passages in Scripture that direct our attention to these things. Hence, when he quotes
Isaiah and David in Romans 11:8-10 we see that he is quoting prophecy that relates specifically
to Jerusalem.
Even so, keep in mind that Paul has already discussed the blindness upon the house of
Israel as well. He leaves it to us to study the differences in blindness and learn that the blindness
of Israel is partial, while that of Jerusalem is total. Historically, the nations of the house of Israel,
who migrated from Assyria into Europe, came to accept Jesus Christ, while the Jews largely
rejected Him.
Though the so-called Christian nations of Europe accepted Jesus as the Christ, they still
remained in a state of partial blindness under the Roman Catholic system and even later under
the denominations of Protestantism. Only the remnant of grace had any significant light in the
Word of God, and even this light came in stages. To the rest of the people, the Bible was a closed
book—especially during the middle ages when the priests were the only ones allowed to read the
Bible, and even the church services were held in Latin.
But now finally we come to Paul’s discussion of WHY God partially blinded Israel. The
plan is so grand and glorious that even Paul ran out of words to describe it.
Why Did Israel Stumble?
Paul’s explanation is not based upon the shortcomings of Israel, but upon the sovereignty
of God. Paul does not talk about Israel stumbling due to idolatry, although this was certainly the
case on the surface. Instead, Paul focuses upon the underlying purpose of God, or the overall
purpose of a sovereign God.
In other words, Paul here is not focusing upon Israel’s violation of God’s will, which is
His Law (Romans 2:18). He is focusing upon God’s plan, which no man can resist (Romans
9:19). As you know from our book, Creation’s Jubilee, pp. 144 & 145, Paul makes a distinction
between God’s will (Gr. thelema) and God’s plan (Gr. boulema).
From the standpoint of God’s will, Israel violated the divine law, and therefore they were
cast off into Assyria. However, from the standpoint of God’s overall plan, God did not cast them
off for an evil purpose, but for the salvation of the world. This is Paul’s focus in Romans 11:11,
11
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; but
rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos, “the
nations”], for to provoke them to jealousy.
We have already seen how there are many applications to this principle of jealousy. God
provokes Israel to jealousy by calling all the nations—including the cast-off nations of Israel,
who have long been called “gentiles” ever since they lost their name in Assyria. He is also
provoking true Israel to jealousy by using the Jews in the twentieth century. They took upon
themselves the name of Israel in 1948, as if they were of the house of Joseph. God has used them
to label everyone else a bunch of gentiles—including those of cast-off Israel. In the end this will
provoke the true Israelites to jealousy and cause them to know who they are and why they had
been cast off many years ago. What a day of rejoicing and awe this will be!
15
For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world (Gr. kosmos),
what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead?
Here it is very plain that God intends to save the world and not Israel only. In fact, the
purpose of God in casting off the house of Israel was to save the world. But why would it be
necessary to cast off Israel to save the world, seeing how God’s salvation has always been
extended to the world? The universal availability of salvation was made very plain in Solomon’s
prayer at the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8:41-43.
41
Moreover, concerning a stranger that is not of Thy people Israel, but cometh
out of a far country for Thy name’s sake. 42 (For they shall hear of Thy great
name, and of Thy strong hand, and of Thy stretched out arm); when he shall
come and pray toward this house, 43 Hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling
place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to Thee for; that ALL
PEOPLE OF THE EARTH may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as do Thy
people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded,
is called by Thy name.
So again, the question is WHY was it in the overall plan of God to cast off Israel? For the
answer, we must again refer to Hosea 2, where Israel was cast off as “Jezreel.” Jezreel was one of
Hosea’s sons, whose name prophesied the “scattering” and death of the house of Israel, even as
seed dies when it is sown in the field. Jezreel means God scatters or God sows. (See Hosea 2:23.)
God scattered and sowed the house of Israel in the field (the world) in order to reap a more
abundant harvest. It was not merely to judge them for their sin. It was to increase their numbers
as the sand of the sea, according to the promise to Abraham (Hosea 1:10).
In the New Testament Jesus told many parables about the Sower (God) who sows seed in
the field. He says in Matt. 13:38 that “the field is the world.” Hence, God sowed the good seed—
the house of Israel—into the world in order to bring forth a harvest of sons that was far greater
than it ever was in the old land of Palestine. The manner in which it was done is revealed in the
same chapter, where Jesus told the very revealing kingdom parable in verse 33.
44
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which,
when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all
that he hath, and buyeth that field.
We have quoted this a number of times already, so please bear with me as I emphasize the
truth found in it. Israel was the “peculiar treasure” hidden in the field—the world. Israel was
swallowed up by Assyria and “lost.” Jesus is the man who finds Israel, because He said, “I am
not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). Also, take note of Ezekiel
34:11, which Jesus Himself fulfilled in His coming:
11
For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I, even I, will both search My sheep
and seek them out. . . 16 I will seek that which was LOST . . .
This is a chapter which scolds the shepherds for not seeking to find the lost sheep of the
house of Israel (34:6). “Therefore,” God says, “I will find them Myself.” Jesus is the God of the
Old Testament as well as the New. Thus, Jesus came to seek the lost sheep of Israel. He came to
find the buried treasure hidden in the field. But after selling all that He had—giving His life—He
did not merely go after the treasure, but He bought the entire field in order to obtain the treasure.
This is how the casting away of Israel could be for the benefit of the whole world. Isaiah
makes it plain in 56:6-8.
6
Also the sons of the stranger [foreigner] that join themselves to the Lord, to
serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one
that keepth the sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of My covenant; 7
Even them will I bring to My holy mountain [i.e., kingdom] and make them
joyful in My house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall
be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of
prayer for ALL people. 8 The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel
saith, Yet will I gather others to him, besides those that are gathered unto
Him.
Here is a portrait of the overall purpose of God for the earth. He called Abraham to be a
blessing to ALL families of the earth. He called Israel to be a priestly nation to ALL nations. He
had Solomon build a temple to be a house of prayer for ALL people. Then He cast off Israel and
hid them in the world, so that in regathering them, He would also gather into His kingdom ALL
the nations of the earth.
Can anyone doubt that this is what Paul meant when he wrote Romans 11? As a
missionary to “the gentiles,” he could break past the more limited vision of some of the other
apostles, who tended to limit salvation to just Judah and the house of Israel. Let us be like Paul in
this way and know Him not only as “the Holy One of Israel,” but as “the God of the whole earth”
(Isaiah 54:5).
Chapter Eleven
In Romans 11, beginning with verse 16, Paul speaks of the principle of the firstfruits.
16
For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root be holy, so
are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou,
being a wild olive tree, were graffed in among them, and with them partakest
of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But
if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
The principle of the firstfruits is found in the divine law. In the three main feast days of
Israel, the people were required to offer to God the firstfruits of the new crop. In the Spring on
the first Sunday after Passover, they had the Wave-sheaf offering, when the priest waved the
firstfruits of the barley. This sanctified the entire harvest, allowing the people to harvest and eat
of their barley from that point on. This law is found in Leviticus 23:14.
14
And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn [lit. “grain”], nor green
ears, until the self-same day that ye have brought an offering unto your God.
One might think of the firstfruits offering as a kind of random inspection of the field. A
fruit inspector comes and takes a sampling of the harvest. If it passes inspection, he pronounces
the whole harvest clean and fit to eat.
James 1:18 speaks of believers in this present age as “the firstfruits of creation.” They are
the “root” that will make the whole tree holy unto God. If we are, indeed, the firstfruits of a
greater harvest to come, then we can see how all of creation is impatiently awaiting the
manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19).
Paul was very familiar with this theme and often writes about it. Usually, however, he
brings it forth in terms of the firstborn sons of God. As you know, in the law God told Israel that
all the firstborn of man and beast belonged to Him. The first ripe of the harvest is called
firstfruits, and the firstborn of man or beast likewise belongs to God.
On a higher level, the field (the world) is producing a number of different kinds of harvest
(people). Some are barley, some wheat, and some grapes—the firstfruits given to God on each of
the main feast days. The barley ripens first, and so these people are “the first of the first-fruits”
(Exodus 23:19) brought unto God. Revelation 20:5 calls it “the first resurrection.” In Romans
8:19 Paul calls it “the manifestation of the sons of God.”
The offering of the firstfruits to God is the signal that begins the greater harvest. So also,
the manifestation of the sons of God is the signal that begins the greater harvest of souls in the
world. Hence, all creation awaits this day of manifested sons.
This manifestation is NOT a day of weeping and wailing for the rest of creation, as so
many teach. Much of the Church teaches that the firstfruits manifestation spells the end of the
harvest, rather than its beginning. They teach that once we come to that fateful moment—often
depicted as “the rapture,” no man will be able to come to God any more. It will be too late, we
are told.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Scriptures teach that it is a day of rejoicing,
not weeping. It is the event which was to bring blessing to the entire land in Israel’s day and
ultimately to the entire world. Moses said in Deuteronomy 26:
1
And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee. 2 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth,
which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and
shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God
shall choose to place His name there. . . 11 And thou shalt REJOICE in every
good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine
house, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you. . . 18 And the Lord
hath avouched thee this day to be His peculiar people, as He hath promised
thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments.
This law prophesies that when the firstfruits are given to God, it is a time of rejoicing,
because it is the time of the manifestation of the sons of God. This is also the day that God
avouches, or declares, that they are a peculiar people unto Him in the earth. It prophesies honor
to the firstfruits company, as well as blessing for the entire land.
With this in mind, let us again look at Romans 11 to see what Paul meant by mentioning
this law of firstfruits. Paul was applying this principle to the lost sheep of the house of Israel—
and by extension, all the nations of the world. That he is referring primarily to lost Israel is
evident by the fact that he speaks specifically of “a wild olive tree” (Greek: agrios). The olive tree
was symbolic of the whole house of Israel. Jeremiah 11:16 says of Israel, “The Lord called thy
name a green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit.”
The fact that it was “wild” shows us that it referred to the lost Israelites in the world. The
Greek word translated “wild” is agrios, which means living or growing in the field or woods. We
have already shown that Israel was the treasure hidden in the field. So once again, in Romans 11
Paul focuses upon his brethren of Israel, as he said in 10:1,
1
Brethren, my heat’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might
be saved.
Yet Paul does not focus exclusively upon Israel, for he fully recognizes that in the
regathering of the outcasts of Israel, others will be gathered as well. Jesus purchased the whole
field in order that He might lawfully claim the treasure that was buried in it.
The wild olive tree of cast-off Israel was being grafted into the root, or trunk of the green
olive tree. The green olive tree represents those in a proper covenant relation-ship with God. For
example, the twelve disciples of Jesus were in time past in a proper relationship with God under
the Old Covenant. They were able to then make the transition into the New Covenant, which was
the continuation the main stock, or root, of the green olive tree. During this transition, God
pruned the tree of its dead branches. First, the house of Israel itself was pruned from the
Kingdom of God and His Covenant from 745-721 BC; and later the remnant of Judah and
Jerusalem was pruned from 33-73 AD.
Throughout this pruning, there remained a remnant of grace to carry the name of the
kingdom. They were the “root” or main trunk of the Kingdom of God. Those of Judah, Benjamin,
and Levi who accepted Jesus as the Christ continued the kingdom of God into the pentecostal
era. Then the first of the wild olive branches began to be grafted to that main trunk of the tree.
Paul’s Epistle to the British War-Captives in Rome
Most people assume that Paul’s letter was addressed to the Romans, since that is the title
in most Bibles. However, this is not strictly correct. In Romans 1:7 Paul addresses his epistle “to
all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints.” In other words, these are people who
are IN ROME, but not necessarily Romans.
Paul wrote his letter in 58 AD, six years after the emperor Claudius had expelled all
Christians and Jews from Rome. He expelled them for disorderly conduct, because the Jews had
raised such a tumult over someone called “Chrestus.” (In his ignorance Claudius confused the
Greek title Christos with the name Chrestus.) Their expulsion seems to give credence to the view
that Paul was indeed writing to Roman Christians. But in actuality, they were members of the
British royal family who had been captured and brought to Rome earlier. They were Christians,
having been converted under the ministry of Joseph of Arimathea (Jesus’ great uncle on his
mother’s side).
Joseph of Arimathea had been a member of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, along with his
friend, Nicodemus, the richest man in the city. Joseph had been appointed as Minister of Mining
for Rome, since he owned the tin mines in Cornwall, England. Both Joseph and Nicodemus were
eventually expelled from Jerusalem after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Joseph then made
his home in England about 35 or 36 AD. There the royal family of Siluria was converted to
Christianity, and they gave Joseph about 2,000 acres of land near Avalon, where he established
the first Celtic Christian Church in England.
In 41 AD Claudius became emperor of Rome, and the next year he launched an all-out
war to conquer Britain. He sent his best legions under the command of their best general, Aulus
Plautius. They arrived in 43 AD. The British troops were led by Guiderius, who was killed in the
second battle. His brother, Arviragus, who had given the land to Joseph earlier, took over for him,
until they had time to elect a new military commander. His first cousin, Caradoc, was elected,
and he was then able to hold the Romans at bay for the next two years.
In 45 AD they signed a 6-month truce, while Caradoc and Arviragus went to Rome to
negotiate a treaty. While they were in Rome, the emperor Claudius gave his daughter, Venus
Julia, to Arviragus in marriage in order to cement the treaty. Arviragus took his new bride back to
England, where she was called Venissa.
Meanwhile, during the truce back in England, the Roman general, Aulus Plautius, fell in
love with Gladys, the sister of Caradoc. Gladys was a devout Christian, as were the other
members of the royal family. They were soon married. In spite of these two marriages, however,
the truce was soon broken. In 47 AD Claudius recalled Aulus Plautius back to Rome—probably
because he could hardly be expected to wage war against his wife’s brother. The Roman
historian, Tacitus, tells us that back in Rome, Gladys was known as Pomponia Graceina Plautius.
Hence, Claudius’ daughter was now in Britain, while Caradoc’s sister was living in
Rome! The war now continued under the leadership of the Romans general, Scapula. He was
assisted by Vespasian, who was destined to become an emperor of Rome in 69 AD, and whose
son destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. After another 5 years of wars, Caradoc and his family were
captured and brought back to Rome as prisoners of war. Quoting from The Annals of Tacitus, pp.
239, 240:
“There is seldom safety for the unfortunate, and Caractacus [as Caradoc was known
in Rome], seeking the protection of Cartismandua, Queen of the Brigantes, was put in
chains and delivered up to the conquerors, nine years after the beginning of the war in
Britain. His fame had spread thence, and travelled to the neighbouring islands and
provinces, and was actually celebrated in Italy. All were eager to see the great man, who
for so many years had defied our power. Even at Rome the name of Caractacus was no
obscure one; and the Emperor, while he exalted in his own glory, enhanced the renown of
the vanquished. The people were summoned as to a grand spectacle. . . Next were to be
seen his brothers, his wife and daughter; last of all, Caractacus himself. . . .
“When he was set before the Emperor’s tribunal, he spoke as follows: ‘ Had my
moderation in prosperity been equal to my noble birth and fortune, I should have
entered this city as your friend rather than as your captive, and you would not have
disdained to receive, under a treaty of peace, a king descended from illustrious ancestors
and ruling many nations. My present lot is as glorious to you as it is degrading to
myself. I had men and horses, arms, and wealth. What wonder if I parted with them
reluctantly? If you Romans choose to lord it over the world, does it follow that the world
is to accept slavery? Were I to have been at once delivered up as a prisoner, neither my
fall nor your triumph would have become famous. My punishment would be followed by
oblivion, whereas, if you save my life, I shall be an everlasting memorial of your
clemency.’
“Upon this the Emperor granted pardon to Caractacus, to his wife, and to his
brothers. Released from their bonds, they did homage also to Agrippina who sat near….”
Under the terms of this pardon, Caradoc would never again take up arms against Britain.
(However, this did not prevent his cousin, Arviragus, from continuing the war.) Caradoc also
agreed to remain in Rome for 7 years. He was still there when Paul wrote his letter to the
“Romans.” It was his family of Christians that received Paul’s letter. His oldest son, Cyllinus, had
returned to Britain to take the reins of government in Caradoc’s absence. Another son, Cynon,
stayed a short time, but later returned to enter a religious order to devote his life to the service of
Christ.
A third son was Linus, mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21 along with his sister Claudia and her
husband, Rufus Pudens Pudentius, a Roman Senator. Paul was writing to Timothy from a Roman
prison and was sending greetings from these British Christians to Timothy. Eusebius tells us,
“After the martyrdom of Paul and Peter the first man to be appointed Bishop of Rome was Linus”
(Hist. of the Church, III, 2). This would have been about 68 AD. Eusebius also tells us (Hist., III,
13) that Linus was bishop for just twelve years, giving the office to Anencletus in the second year
of the emperor, Titus, in 80 AD.
The Roman Catholic Church considers Linus to be the second pope (after Peter). Linus
was, indeed, the bishop of Rome, but he was a British prince and a war captive with his father,
Caradoc, and the other members of the royal family. It is ironic that while all other Christians had
been expelled from Rome in 52 AD, these British war captives were the only Christians allowed
in Rome. Hence, at the end of Paul’s letter to them (Romans 16:7), he greets “Andronicus and
Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners” (Greek: sunaichmalotos, “war captives”).
It was common in those days to have different names in different locations, like
Caractacus and Caradoc. I believe Paul called him Andronicus, “a conqueror.” This might be the
equivalent to his British military title as head of the army: Pendragon. At any rate, it certainly
described the man who had held the best Roman legions at bay for years and was finally captured
only when betrayed by the Queen of the Brigantes.
Junia was probably his wife. Paul tells us (Romans 16:7) they had been converted even
before him and were “of note among the apostles.” Obviously, they had been converted earlier
under Joseph’s ministry. For further information, I refer you to our booklet, Introduction to the
Book of Romans.
“You Gentiles”
We have digressed somewhat in order to explain what Paul meant when he spoke of the
wild olive tree being grafted into the trunk of the domestic olive tree. In Romans 11:13 he says,
“I speak unto you gentiles.” As we have already shown in earlier bulletins, the term “gentile” is
the Greek word ethnos. It does not mean “non-Jew.” It means an ethnic group of people, a nation.
The context alone must determine which nation is the subject. In John 11:48 and in many other
places, the word is applied to the Jewish nation of Jesus’ day.
In Romans 11:13 Paul was specifically addressing the British people, who were a part of
the lost tribes of Israel. The word “British” is a Hebrew phrase meaning, “Covenant Men.” Their
language even in Paul’s day was derived from ancient Hebrew. (See the book, English Derived
From Hebrew, by R. Govett, first published in 1869 in London.)
The Sonnini Manuscript is a very old copy of the book of Acts that the Sultan of the
Ottoman Empire gave to C.S. Sonnini around the year 1800 AD. King Louis XVI of France had
sent C.S. Sonnini to the Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey). This copy of the book of Acts had a
29th chapter in it, which completed the book. Everyone knows that the book of Acts ends abruptly
as though it were an unfinished book. Anyway, this lost chapter of Acts tells how Paul was
released from prison in Rome, and how he went first to Spain and then to Britain preaching the
Gospel. It tells us Paul’s motive in verse 2:
2
For he had heard in Phoenicia that certain of the children of Israel, about the time of
the Assyrian captivity, had escaped by sea to the isles afar off, as spoken by the prophet,
and called by the Romans, Britain. 3 And the Lord commanded the gospel to be preached
far hence to the gentiles, and to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. . . . 7 And they
departed out of Spain, and Paul and his company finding a ship in Armorica sailing unto
Britain, they went therein . . . 8 Now when it was noised abroad that the apostle had
landed on their coast, great multitudes of the inhabitants met him, and they treated Paul
courteously; and he entered in at the east gate of their city and lodged in the house of an
Hebrew and one of his own nation. 9 And on the morrow he came and stood upon Mount
Lud [now Ludgate Hill and Broadway in London, where St. Paul’s Cathedral is located].
And the people thronged at the gate and assembled in the Broadway; and he preached
Christ unto them, and many believed the word and the testimony of Jesus. . . . 13 And it
came to pass that certain of the Druids came unto Paul privately and showed by their
rites and ceremonies they were descended from the Judahites which escaped from the
bondage in the land of Egypt; and the apostle believes these things, and he gave them the
kiss of peace.
The Druids in those days were priests whose rites and ceremonies were nearly identical to
that found in ancient Israel. Multitudes of them came to accept Jesus as the Messiah, since they
had been looking for one named “Yesu.” Only later, among the few Druids who had refused to
accept Christianity, did those rites often degenerate into a various forms of the occult.
With the historical evidence we have at hand, we can say for certain that Paul’s letter was
addressed to British Christians who were descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. These are the
“gentiles” of Romans 11:13. These are the “wild olive branch” that God was now grafting back
into the domestic olive tree. The angel had said in Matthew 1:21 that Jesus was to “save His
people from their sins.” The focus was upon the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but the scope of
salvation was to include the whole earth.
Chapter Twelve
This book has followed many different themes in order to give a better perspective on the
overall theme of “Blindness in part.” We now come to the end of Romans 11, where Paul brings
his discussion to a climactic conclusion. Verse 25 says,
25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest
ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to
Israel, until the fullness of the gentiles [ethnos, “nations”] be come in.
It is clear from this that Israel’s blindness was to come to an end after the fullness of the
nations had come in. Rotherham translates it, “until the full measure of the nations shall come
in.” First of all, Paul calls this teaching a “mystery,” or secret. It was not something that was
known to the Scribes and Pharisees, who would never have admitted to being blind leaders of the
blind (Matthew 15:14). So obviously, they had not taught it to the people.
Secondly, this blindness was to continue until the full measure of the nations had come in.
What does this mean? Paul had been talking about the branches being grafted into the stock of
the tree (kingdom of God). So he was talking about the fullness [Gr. Pleroma] of the nations
coming into the kingdom of God. This is the topic of many of the prophets in the Bible, but
especially Isaiah, who had explained most thoroughly the principle of blindness upon Israel. He
is also the one with the broadest vision of the kingdom, saying, “the God of the whole earth shall
He be called” (Isaiah 54:5).
The Prophecy to Ephraim
Insofar as Israel is concerned, Jacob’s prophecy to Ephraim in Genesis 48:19 is relevant
as well: “his seed shall become a multitude [Heb. melo, “a fullness”] of nations.” This was the
moment when Jacob gave the sons of Joseph the name of Israel, and Jacob prophesied that
Ephraim would become a fullness of nations. This was a play on words, of course, since the
name “Ephraim” means double fruitfulness.
And so, Paul’s statement in Romans 11:25 could be understood to mean that Israel would
be partially blinded until the promise to Ephraim and is fulfilled, whereby Israel becomes a
fullness of nations. This is supported by Paul’s next words,
26
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; 27 For this is
My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
God’s covenant is to save all Israel. It is something that God Himself will do by His
sovereign will, because of the unconditional covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
It is the basis of the promise given in Isaiah 45:25, which climaxes the discussion on the
sovereignty of God over all nations: “In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall
glory.”
For this reason, as soon as Jesus’ first work was complete, God immediately began to
engraft the wild olive tree branches back into the root or trunk of the Kingdom. The gospel went
north and west to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, who were already spreading into Europe
through Asia Minor. Some had already reached Spain, Ireland and the British Isles by sea. God
sent Christians to them almost immediately after the day of Pentecost to give them the good news
that their Redeemer had come and had completed His work.
In 156 AD King Lucius proclaimed Britain to be a Christian Nation. He had been
baptized by Timothy, the 83-year-old son of Rufus Pudens and Claudia. (See Romans 16:13; 2
Timothy 4:21.) This was not the same Timothy that Paul wrote to in first and second Timothy.
In 156 AD Britain became the first Christian nation. In another century and a half, Rome
itself fell to the armies of Constantine, a British prince. His mother, Helen of York, was an
outspoken Christian, although his father was not. Constantine then turned Rome into a Christian
Empire as best he knew how.
While Rome did degenerate morally, spiritually, and politically in the centuries that
followed, nonetheless, the nations of Europe were at least nominally Christian. On a somewhat
fleshly level, these national conversions were a fulfillment of the fullness of the nations of Israel
coming into the kingdom of God. This, I believe, would finally culminate with the establishment
of America as a Christian Nation in the late 1700’s.
Keep in mind, however, that no matter how good the original intentions were, nations are
only as Christian as its citizens and rulers. They have all degenerated and have fallen away from
God, because leaven (sin) characterizes the pentecostal age (Leviticus 23:17). Hence, the
historical fulfillment of this prophecy during the pentecostal age is NOT the ultimate fulfillment
of the “fullness of nations” that will yet manifest in the Tabernacles age. Even so, we do see the
foreshadowing of what God has yet to do. All Israel shall be saved, and with her the whole world.
The field has been purchased in order to obtain its hidden treasure.
Pattern Blindness
The blindness upon Israel made them God’s enemies in the sense that the majority of
them have consistently refused to be obedient to Him (that is, His Law). This has made them
God’s enemies, despite the fact that most of them in the pentecostal age claimed to be Christians.
They were Christians by religion, but their heart was far from Him. The condition of their hearts
were manifested by their lack of obedience.
The Greek word for blindness is porosis, which means hardened or calloused. It refers to
the hardness of heart. The word literally means to form a callous. And so we are to understand
that one’s heart has spiritual eyes, but that Israel’s spiritual eyes were blinded because God had
not removed the callous from them.
Of all people, the apostle Paul understood blindness. He was already spiritually blind the
day God struck him with physical blindness on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:8). He was a type
and shadow of blindness in Israel. He was also a type and shadow of the way God would remove
that blindness. If you read the story in Acts 9, you will discover that Paul’s Hebrew name was
Saul, named after king Saul of the Old Testament—who is a classic blind pentecostal type. He
was blind for 3 days, which by Hebrew reckoning meant that he was healed of blindness on the
third day. Even so, the pentecostal age has lasted 2,000 years (or 40 Jubilees), and now we are at
the time of the removal of blindness in the third day.
Note also that during Saul’s period of blindness, he was “in the house of Judas” (Acts
9:11). This was not the same Judas that betrayed Jesus, but he is, in fact, a type of betrayer. Judas
is the Greek form of the Hebrew name, Judah. It was the remnant nation of Judah that betrayed
Jesus, even as the original Judah who conceived the idea of selling his brother, Joseph, into
Egyptian bondage for 20 pieces of silver (Genesis 37:28).
Saul (Paul) was in the house of Judas for 3 days until God sent Ananias to pray for him
and heal his blindness. Ananias means whom God has graciously given. The root of the word
means mercy. In other words, Saul—and Israel in general—is in a helpless state of blindness with
scales over their eyes until God has mercy upon us and sends His word of healing. It is an act of a
sovereign God. We are helpless to see the truth until He reveals it.
This, Paul says, was the condition of Israel from the beginning even to the present. The
reason for their blindness was that God had not given them spiritual eyes to see. The pattern for
the Church under Pentecost was set under Moses during the 40 years of Israel’s wandering in the
wilderness. At the end of that 40 years, Moses told them, “Yet the Lord hath not given you an
heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day” (Deuteronomy 29:4). It has
been the same in the Church.
The lesson we must learn from this is that God has blinded the eyes of His people, and
the pattern of Israel under Moses is that they would remain blinded during the pentecostal age of
“the Church in the wilderness.”
The Meaning and Effects of Blindness
Jesus tells us how this blindness would affect us when He quotes Isaiah’s famous
blindness passage in John 12.
39
Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, 40 He hath
blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their
eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. 41
These things said Esaias, when he saw His glory and spake of Him. 42 Nevertheless
among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees,
they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they
loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
The blindness among the people in Jesus’ day was manifested in that they believed on
Him, but refused to confess Him, lest they should be excommunicated from the “true church” in
their day. They believed on Him and would liked to have identified with Him, but they knew that
if they did, they would be kicked out of the Church.
The word “confess” comes from the Greek word, homologeo, which means to speak the
same word. In other words, to confess Christ means to speak what He does and to be in
agreement with Him. It is to say AMEN to Him in all that He says. It means to do what you see
your Father do, and speak what you hear your father speak, even as Jesus did (John 12:50).
Israel in the wilderness consistently resisted the words of God. They never agreed with
God when they ran out of food or water, or whenever they came into any test of their faith. They
always thought God to be unjust, because they never understood in their hearts the purpose of
His tests. Even a spiritual child can agree with their Father concerning the blessings; but it takes
a mature son to agree with their Father in the tests and trials of life, knowing that all things work
together for his good.
I do not doubt that a great multitude in the Church today believes on Christ, even as many
did in Jesus’ day. The problem is that most prefer to agree with the Church leadership and remain
in good standing with the Church, rather than agree with the truth of God’s Word and risk being
excommunicated. Why? John says bluntly, “they loved the praise of men more than the praise of
God.”
This is the prime evidence of “blindness in part.” It is not that they are pagans, but rather
that they are Christians who remain in submission to men, rather than to God. This is what king
Saul demanded of Israel, while David’s motley crew lived in the cave of Adullam. This is what
most denominational churches demand today, rather than preparing the hearts of the people to be
in submission to God as fully mature sons. It is alright to be in submission to men for a while,
even as David was in Saul’s court for a time. Babies do need parenting. But too often the Church
continues giving the children a milk diet, and they never mature into full Sonship. The Church
does this in order to keep its membership rolls high. And the extra money in the offering plate
certainly doesn’t hurt either.
This is blindness. This is hardness of heart. The Church today is as helpless as Israel was
under Moses. We need to pray that God will send forth His Ananias people and have mercy upon
Israel and the rest of the world.
God Has No Regrets
Paul says in Romans 11:28 & 29,
28
As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes; but as touching
the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling
of God are without repentance [ametameletos, “unregretted”].
The fact that God chose Israel and yet blinded them to the truth of the Word means that
they are “enemies” of God. An enemy is one who is fighting God all the time. Israel fought God
at every test in the wilderness under Moses, and even today they continue to disagree with His
Law, calling it an evil thing.
Nonetheless, God had purpose in this. Israel as a whole cannot see the truth and cannot
break free of its antinomian spirit of lawlessness until God has mercy upon them. Everywhere in
the Scriptures, God takes the credit for blinding all of Israel except for the remnant of grace.
God is sovereign. He is not an impotent old man in the sky who can do nothing but wring
His hands in frustration. He is all-powerful and can bring all things to a close at any time He
chooses. The world is not out of control, nor will it be destroyed by physical fire or nuclear war.
It will be cleansed by a great baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire that will bring the Gospel of the
Kingdom to all parts of the earth. His Kingdom will grow into a great mountain until it fills the
earth (Daniel 2:35). That is the Word that I have heard from my heavenly Father, and I say Amen!
Get off the doom-and-gloom diet of what evil men are doing in the earth. Start feasting on
the message of Hope, or Expectation, of what God is doing behind the scenes and what He is
about to do. He is not about to destroy all things, as if He has regrets about His plan. No, His
calling Israel and even choosing to blind them for a season was “unregretted,” because the
casting away of Israel was for the great purpose of saving the whole world.
How could anyone regret such a plan? How could anyone find fault with God? The
reason men would regret such a plan is if they do not comprehend God’s ways. If God had
blinded men for the purpose of burning them up, then obviously, we have a problem God on our
hands, and someone needs to check Him into a sanitarium. But Paul says the gifts (graces) and
callings of God are unregretted. It is a good plan, but only a remnant of grace even begins to
understand what God is really doing.
30
For AS YE in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained
mercy through their [Israel’s] unbelief; 31 Even so have these also now not
believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
When God called Abraham and chose him and his descendants for a special purpose in
the earth, the rest of the world remained in darkness and blindness. It was not that God wanted to
keep them in darkness for ever, else God would be unjust. Rather, God made Israel the peculiar
treasure that would be His excuse for buying the whole field (world).
Hence, He blinded Israel in order that He might bring judgment upon her and cast her out
of His house. The seed of Israel was thus sown in the field to bring an abundant harvest to God.
Meanwhile, God also purchased the field, lest he harvest in another man’s field, or steal treasure
hidden in another man’s field. So the world was blessed through Israel’s blindness and “obtained
mercy through their unbelief.” Paul’s final conclusion of the matter is found in verse 32:
32
For God hath concluded [sugkleio, “locked up, or shut up”] them all in
unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.
Good News: Mercy Upon All
Paul them breaks out into praise for His majesty, power, and goodness for His great plan
for creation.
33
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! 34 For who
hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counsellor? 35 Or
who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36
For of Him, and through Him, and to [into] Him, are all things; to Whom be
glory for ever. Amen.
Paul is anything but a doom-and-gloom preacher. He revels in the judgments of God. He
stands in awe of His ways. He does not presume to be God’s counselor by telling Him what He
ought to do, but shouts AMEN to all that God is doing. Paul has begun to understand the ways of
God, and so he does not hesitate to agree fully with the plan of God in locking both Israel and the
world in blindness for a season. Why? Because out of Him, and through Him, and into Him are
all things.
These words indicate that all things ORIGINATE in God; all things are processed
THROUGH Him, and all things are going back INTO Him. This is just another way of saying
that in the end, God will be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28). He will not be All in just a few, nor in a tiny
remnant, nor will He be limited to all Israel. He will be all IN ALL.
Paul is consistent in this theme. He told the Colossians that God had created all things
and would also reconcile all things back to Himself. Colossians 1:16-20 reads,
16
For by Him were all things [ta panta, “the all”] created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things [ta panta, “the all”] were
created by Him and for [into] Him.
This is “the all” of creation, and we read in John 1:3 that “all things were made by Him,
and without Him (or apart from Him) was not anything made that was made.” Paul divides
creation into things in heaven and in earth and even includes all things visible and invisible,
including all authorities. Then He says in verse 18,
20
And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile
all things [ta panta, “the all”] unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven.
In other words, “the all” that was inclusive of all creation is also to be reconciled back to
God by the blood of the cross. All creation had become God’s enemy in need of reconciliation.
This is what Paul said in Romans 11, where Israel had become God’s enemy through their
unbelief, joining the world of enemies in need of God’s reconciliation. This was accomplished on
the cross, and its purpose shall be fulfilled, for this is the divine plan, and no man can prevent it
from happening. Hallelujah!
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I. Chapter One ……………………………………………………………… 1

II. Chapter Two …………………………………………………………….… 8

III. Chapter Three ………………………………………………………….… 20

IV. Chapter Four …………………………………………………………..… 26

V. Chapter Five …………………………………………………………..… 33

VI. Chapter Six ………………………………………………………….…... 40

VII. Chapter Seven ……………………………………………………….…... 47

VIII. Chapter Eight …………………………………………………………… 54

IX. Chapter Nine ………………………………………………………….…. 62

X. Chapter Ten ……………………………………………………………… 69

XI. Chapter Eleven ………………………………………………………….. 76

XII. Chapter Twelve …………………………………………………………. 82

Gomer. In Assyrian, Gimirri (the Kimmerians of Herodotus). Progenitor of the Celts.

30 dedicated, mature ones, or

In Romans 10:5-8 we read,

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