PAGE 56 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST(BAD FIG TREE)

The amazing mystery of God is that he will demonstrate his mercy to blind natural Israel through the mercy of gentile believers in  Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in Romans 11 is pleading with the gentile Roman church to understand God's plan and for them not to be arrogant towards Israel and the Jews. This arrogance (thinking they were better than) was obviously happening in the Roman church in Paul's day.  Paul gives stern advice for how gentile christians are to act in relation to non-believing Jews and the nation of Israel.  He says:

1. Gentile believers are to stay connected to their Jewish roots. They are supported by the holy root of the patriarchs of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were not now a whole new religion that has replaced the Hebrew people and scriptures, but are a continuation of it.  They are co-partners with all of the great believers like Moses, Elijah, David, Ezekiel, Ruth among the many. They are to understand, as all the prophets did, that  natural physical Israel has a great calling and a future that had not been fulfilled yet, and that they should  wait expectantly for it. They are to be proclaiming as the prophet Isaiah does:

"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand." Isaiah 62:1-3

Paul says that staying connected to the Hebrew roots brings nourishment or filling of the Holy Spirit, abundance, fatness, and spiritual blessing. 

2.  Gentile believers are not to boast over or be arrogant towards the blind non-believing Israel or Jewish people and if they do, they should be scared.  He then says a pretty amazing thing; he says that if you do this, God will cut you off spiritually.  The Hebrew word for cut off is "karath" and it means destroyed. It was used many times in the Old Testament referring to people cut off from the nation of Israel and Jesus uses it referring to people that don't abide in him and produce fruit.  He says those branches will be cut off and thrown into the fire. It is similar to what Yahweh says about the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He says in Genesis 12, that those that bless you and this covenant will be blessed and those that curse you and this covenant will be cursed. 

3. He says that gentile believers must show God's kindness to natural Israel and the Jewish people. The word for kindness in Greek means goodness and gentleness.  They must show this kindness even though the Jewish people might consider them their enemy on account of the gospel.

4. Finally, they must show the Jewish people and natural Israel mercy.  The word for mercy in Greek is "eleos" and it means pity, compassion or covenant love (love to them on account of loyalty to God's covenant with them).

 By doing these things, the Jewish people will come to know Jesus.

These verses in Romans 11 apply to individual gentile believers, assemblies of gentile believers and to gentile nations. 

As the 2012 elections approach, I see how God's word has played out in the United States of America.  Our country, mainly founded by people that were connected to their Hebrew roots, who made our country a safe haven for the Jewish people and believed in the ultimate restoration of natural Israel, has been so richly blessed.  We are at great risk however, of reversing that blessing, if our leaders don't understand this great mystery that Paul pleads with gentiles to understand.