Certainly, what God has abundantly recorded about natural Israel and His covenant with her requires thorough examination by those who have entered into a covenant with Him through sacrifice. Israel has failed to recognize that Elijah represents the Church, especially in this final phase of the Gospel Age, and it appears that others have missed the complete picture. God cannot be mocked; He established Israel as a beautiful, expansive olive tree. Paul mentions: "Some of its branches were broken off," and branches from the wild olive were grafted into the root and trunk of the same beautiful, expansive olive tree. As a nation, Israel proved unworthy to be joint-heirs with Jesus Christ as the seed of Abraham. The High Calling of God was intended solely for believers in Christ Jesus, regardless of their nation, race, color, or gender. The beautiful, expansive olive tree—the true seed of Abraham—is now identified as Christ Jesus and His Church or Bride. "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." This is a profound mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed: "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
The Apostle Paul struggled to persuade the Jews that Gentiles could also receive God's favor, as the Jews had enjoyed this exclusive blessing for so long. Peter was the first to learn about this unexpected development, realizing that the opportunity for the High Calling was available to all who believe in Christ Jesus. In his first letter, 1 Peter 2:9, 10 he states: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."
God's plans were not meant to be disrupted by human failure; instead, he chose to use grafting, a common horticultural technique. The wild olive tree was not planted by God, but he had no reason not to use some of its branches. The covenant of sacrifice, established by our Lord, will persist until the Church is fully formed; the grafting process started with Cornelius, the Gentile centurion.
The Church, as the second covenant people, holds the highest rank in God’s plan and is meant to govern the first. This unusual act of God was shown long ago through Isaac's two sons. Esau, the older, served Jacob, the younger; their parents, Isaac and Rebecca, were informed by an angel before the twins were born that the older would serve the younger. The issue of inheritance, a sensitive topic, caused conflict between the brothers; ultimately, they were reconciled. Similarly, there has been a significant divide between the two covenant peoples, but they too will find reconciliation.
The goal in establishing the second holy nation is to share inheritance with Christ in his Kingdom. Romans eleven reveals that grafting was essential to reach the predetermined number (144,000), which is represented by the “tame olive tree,” reflecting God’s plan to fulfill his promise to Abraham. The Apostle addresses this sensitive topic of inheritance decisively, clarifying that some believed the Gentiles had replaced Israel. He corrected this misconception. Disparaging the attitude of pride, he reminded his Gentile brothers that they could only enjoy the richness of the root and stem of the tree by becoming Israelites. The tree itself was not destroyed; only some branches were cut off. He also indicated that the natural branches were not necessarily removed for good:
"For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own [a]opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be [b]saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob."
The Apostle Paul struggled to persuade the Jews that Gentiles could also receive God's favor, as the Jews had enjoyed this exclusive blessing for so long. Peter was the first to learn about this unexpected development, realizing that the opportunity for the High Calling was available to all who believe in Christ Jesus. In his first letter, 1 Peter 2:9, 10 he states: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."
God's plans were not meant to be disrupted by human failure; instead, he chose to use grafting, a common horticultural technique. The wild olive tree was not planted by God, but he had no reason not to use some of its branches. The covenant of sacrifice, established by our Lord, will persist until the Church is fully formed; the grafting process started with Cornelius, the Gentile centurion.
The Church, as the second covenant people, holds the highest rank in God’s plan and is meant to govern the first. This unusual act of God was shown long ago through Isaac's two sons. Esau, the older, served Jacob, the younger; their parents, Isaac and Rebecca, were informed by an angel before the twins were born that the older would serve the younger. The issue of inheritance, a sensitive topic, caused conflict between the brothers; ultimately, they were reconciled. Similarly, there has been a significant divide between the two covenant peoples, but they too will find reconciliation.
The goal in establishing the second holy nation is to share inheritance with Christ in his Kingdom. Romans eleven reveals that grafting was essential to reach the predetermined number (144,000), which is represented by the “tame olive tree,” reflecting God’s plan to fulfill his promise to Abraham. The Apostle addresses this sensitive topic of inheritance decisively, clarifying that some believed the Gentiles had replaced Israel. He corrected this misconception. Disparaging the attitude of pride, he reminded his Gentile brothers that they could only enjoy the richness of the root and stem of the tree by becoming Israelites. The tree itself was not destroyed; only some branches were cut off. He also indicated that the natural branches were not necessarily removed for good:
"For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own [a]opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be [b]saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob."
