SEPTEMBER 15: Who are Israelites; to whom pertain the Adoption, and the glory, and the Covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service of God, and the Promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, Who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen (Rom. 9:4–5). The Apostle Paul was accused of being disloyal to Israel and to the Promises made to it through the fathers. The Doctrine of Justification by Faith, apart from works, common to all men, whether Hebrews or not, seemed to set aside those Promises. The problem, therefore, was to reconcile the Grace of God in Justification with the special privileges granted to Israel. The resolution of the problem is found in the Doctrine of the Cross, and the Cross alone! The Apostle begins by affirming his deep love for Israel. Far from despising them, he loved them as much as Moses did. He points out that all the privileges belong to them, and argues that the sovereignty of God admits the Gentiles to these privileges, thereby enriching Israel’s glories instead of nullifying them. This section, Chapters 9 through 11 of Romans, begins with Paul’s sorrow over Israel’s failure (9:1–5), and it closes with Paul’s joy over Israel’s future (11:33–36). The main reason, however, for these three Chapters is not to prophetically analyze Israel, although a prophetical analysis is readily given. The reason is something else altogether, which we will deal with in the next devotion. Dealing first of all with the Prophetical analysis given in Chapters 9 through 11, the Apostle, by the Holy Spirit, reiterates the Prophecies of old by predicting Israel’s Restoration. He said, “For I would not, Brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery (what has happened to Israel), lest you should be wise in your own conceits (the Gentiles were not pulled in because of any merit or righteousness on their part, but strictly because of the Grace of God); that blindness in part is happened to Israel (Israel is the “mystery” of which Paul speaks), until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in (refers to the Church; in fact, the Church Age is even now coming to a close). “And so all Israel shall be saved (when the Church Age ends and the Second Coming commences, then Israel will accept Christ and be saved): as it is written (Isa. 27:9; 59:20–21), There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer (Jesus Christ will be the Deliverer), and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Christ will deliver Israel from the Antichrist, and, more importantly, will deliver them from their sins): “For this is My Covenant unto them (a Promise), when I shall take away their sins” (as stated, it will be done at the Second Coming [Zech. 13:1]) Rom. 11:25–27. Since 1948, when Israel once again became a nation, all the events up until now, have to do with the fulfillment of these things here discussed by Paul, which will continue until the Second Coming, when Israel will accept Christ. We are, therefore, coming down to the end of the Age.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 10:31:05 +0000
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