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Romans 11:1 (New World Translation)
“I ask, then, God did not reject his people, did he? Never may that happen!”
Let us see how Paul continues to answer this questions in Romans 11.
* In Rom 11:7, 8 shows that the nation of Israel did not obtain what it sought. Paul goes on in verses 9 and 10 showing that their eyes were darkened so they would not see the truth.
* Paul continues his thought in verse 11 showing that Israel did not stumble so as to fall. The purpose of their stumbling is so the Gentiles would also have an opportunity to be anointed and be part of the 144,000, but even so, verse 1 says that “God has not rejected His people” Israel.
* Not only did they not utterly fall, but there was a purpose to the fall. Their disobedience was for a purpose, which is to bless all. This is where it gets really exciting! Verse 15 begins a section which shows the true purpose of Israel being blinded, and allowed to fall for a time is the “reconciling of the whole world.”
* In verse 12, Paul shows that their rejection results in the “reconciliation of the world” and their future acceptance (“fullness”) will mark the time of “life from the dead.”
* All Israel will be saved (verse 26), both fleshly and spiritual.
* Verses 25-29 is so beautiful. It shows that Israel was “blinded UNTIL the fullness of the Gentiles comes in,” that is until the 144,000 are complete. And then the blindness and their sins will be removed (verse 27). Verse 28 shows this that they are enemies for the sake of the Anointed, but beloved for the sake of the fathers – God still keeps them in His plan and will help them.
Romans 11:28 says, ” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers”
How can Romans 11:28 be speaking of anything other than the nation of Israel, when it specifically says:
1. They are enemies for the Gospel’s sake
2. They are beloved for the father’s sake
Are Christians (Jehovah’s Witnesses) enemies for the Gospels sake? I should hope not. So this group of enemies is natural Israel who are “beloved for the fathers’ sake.”
Moses told natural Israel that Jehovah loved them in Deut 7:6-8, “For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples: but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
Rom 11:29 tells us that, “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” What are the gifts and calling of God to the natural nation of Israel that are irrevocable?
* God will bless all the nations of the world through them (Gen 12:3)
* They will own the land of Israel forever (Gen 13:15)
* They will eventually be planted in their land and never again plucked up out of it (Amos 9:15)
In Luke 21:24 (NASV) Jesus said, “they (the Jews) will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Notice that the time of Jerusalem’s trampling ended in 1914 with the end of the Gentile times. WWI which began in 1914 produced the Balfour Declaration through which the British Empire set aside land in Palestine for a Jewish nation, which became a reality in 1948. So the early Watchtower (C.T. Russell) was then correct in connecting the reestablishment of the nation of Israel with the end of the Gentile Times. Here is what the early Watchtower wrote about Israel: http://www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/volumes/C08.asp
Jeremiah 31:35-37 NIV “This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that the waves roar — the Lord Almighty is his name: “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me.” This is what the Lord says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord
Jeremiah 31:35-37 NIV “This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that the waves roar — the Lord Almighty is his name: “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me.” This is what the Lord says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord
Hello Dieter, we are at a 2 day convention but we have received your info. I will digest what you have written later . Someone else will answer also. Peace.
Hello especially to those saying ‘I want to’ as did Lord Jesus,
This is really a very simple subject unfortunately obfuscated and distorted by the apostates during the early centuries.
Jehovah, a Promiser extraordinaire, will honour all of them come what may. So, the promise He made to His firstborn Israel, (Exodus 4:11) for them (not others) to become a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation He will absolutely and irrevocably keep. He would rather change the laws and statutes of the universe before Israel is not a Nation to Him always, as hinted at above.
Neither the whole of Christianity nor the Witnesses have come to grips with Jehovah’s will and purpose for the Seed of Abraham Israel to fulfil that promise Jehovah had made to Abraham them to become a blessing to all humanity i.e. all families/tribes of the earth.
To quote from the above re Romans 11:
* In verse 12, Paul shows that their rejection results in
the “reconciliation of the world” and their future acceptance
(“fullness”) will mark the time of “life from the dead.”
Cannot here launch into a lengthy discussion of Greek words, but must comment on the ‘world’ in the above reference. The world reconciled through the death of their final atonement and second Passover lamb Jesus is that very world of Israel who shall be a nation to Jehovah always (Strong’s 2889).
(That is the word used in John 3:16 and not(Strong’s 3625)
meaning the entire inhabited earth i.e. all mankind.)
To achieve that and to allow the people to whom the promises were entrusted to continue to run with them, Jesus THEIR Ransom price died in their stead -Galatians 4:4-5; Hebrews 9:15.
But to quote once more:
* All Israel will be saved (verse 26), both fleshly and spiritual.
Neither is true. Rather it is the original, but forgiven people Israel supplemented by other (Gentile) sheep to become completely integrated and melded with Jehovah’s beloved precious flock of Jacob, His inheritance.
Fleshly Israel will cease to exist as a recognisable tribal entity especially connected to Jehovah for blessing or curse, from the moment multi-national/tribal/racial/gender 144000 Israel have reached the destiny of existence and purpose: their heavenly places of governance, according to Jehovah’s will and purpose.
Like Noah’s Ark; no further use after it fulfilled Jehovah’s intent.
Oh, yes, all tribes of the earth will still exist on earth under Kinkgom rule, but none will ever have a special relationship with Jehovah again, since all His promises have been kept while His original purpose for humanity will forever be kept on track.
Finally, it needs to be said that everything that was in anyway connected to fleshly Israel were types or patterns of heavenly things and realities humans just cannot understand other than allegorically, including Armageddon, a heavenly battle in an antitypical Meggiddo when the wayward angels or messengers are rounded up for their 1000-year spell of inactivity. Since they will not want to go willingly, it won’t be pleasant, with likely repercussions on earth, as in fact happened when they were kicked out of heaven in 1914.
May I strongly suggest to explore everything under the Israel menu button and submenus at http://www.sanctifyname.com
And thank you for allowing me to submit this.
Dieter – Thanks for your carefully studied thoughts. You are indeed a student of scripture. You have some interesting comments, but it is hard for me to follow your logic. I extrapolate from from your comments that probably you do not expect a final battle against the literal nation of Israel connected with Armageddon as indicated in Ezekiel 38 and Zechariah 14. You seem to see Armageddon as a battle in Heaven only, not also on earth. You also seem to be saying that Israel will not exist as a separate nation in the earthly kingdom, but all peoples will be melded together with national identities discarded.
Well I can quote lots of scriptures about kings and nations coming to Jerusalem to worship Jehovah in the earthly kingdom. Not only do several scriptures indicate the current return of the Jews to Israel and establishing a nation, but they also talk about the existence of the nation of Israel in that earthly kingdom as a center of worship. I think there will be a sort of melding of the nations together in the kingdom in the sense that Jehovah makes the New Covenant with the nation of Israel and the other nations come to Jerusalem to be incorporated under the New Covenant umbrella.
Now if you want to argue that after the 1,000 years and in the ages to come that there will be no distinction of nations, I won’t argue with you, but I am really not familiar with a scriptural case that can be made for this.
More on Israel can be found by clicking here: