What Is the Grace Doctrine Part 7 Israel: Past, Present, Future

Another ‘facet’ of the mystery is that the nation Israel has been blinded for now (Rom.11:7; 11:25), and God will have no use for them as a nation until a future time. Because of this, Jews today are not saved by following Judaism, they are saved the same as we are by believing in Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection. There is no other way to be saved in the dispensation of grace for Jews or Gentiles.

Today God is dealing with individuals who will believe that Christ is the Son of God and died and rose again, taking the penalty of our sin upon Himself. It is only when we believe this gospel, this good news, that we are baptized into the body of Christ by the operation of God and saved forever.

We, the church, the Body of Christ, did not replace Israel.  We are not Israel. We are not spiritual Israel. The Bible does not teach anything about a spiritualized Israel. We are a NEW CREATION in Christ (the Body of Christ) NOT a revision of the nation Israel.

Israel was set aside, but only for a time (Romans 11:11-25).  God intends to use them to fulfill promises He made to them and so, they did not need replacing.

So what happened to Israel?

Israel fell. They stumbled at Christ, the Rock of offence, the stumbling stone (Rom.9:32).  This didn’t catch God by surprise, however.  It was prophesied that Jesus the Christ would come to the lost sheep of Israel and that they would deny their Messiah.

Isaiah 8:14 And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem

But despite the fact that Israel stumbled, rejecting Jesus’ message of faith and repentance, we see that Peter still preached to the nation of Israel at Pentecost, after they had killed Jesus on the cross .

Act 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

He still preached repentance and remission of sins (Acts 2:38), because he knew that his nation was about to go through the tribulation as prophecy foretold, and a holy remnant was going to be needed to fulfill the prophecy of the rise of Israel amongst the Gentile nations in the millennial kingdom (Isa. 60:1-3).

But the tribulation did not happen! Why? What happened?

When the wrath of God was about to fall on unbelieving Israel, the Mystery was revealed to a new Apostle, Paul! The mystery, “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2, 3) is an un-prophesied time of grace that interrupted the prophesied time of God’s wrath.  It was NOT foretold in the Old Testament.  It remained “hid in God” (Eph.3:9) until it was revealed to Paul by the risen Christ! Let’s look and see how it happened:

Rom 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, for to provoke them to jealousy.

It was no secret that someday Gentiles would be saved through Israel’s RISE (Isaiah 60:3).  The mystery that was kept secret is that Gentiles would be saved through the FALL of Israel! They were supposed to have come to God through Israel’s rise, and someday others will.  But in time past, Israel would not accept the Lord’s challenge to be the light of the world (Mt 5:14), so He took His attention from them and initiated the dispensation of grace! (Eph 3:2).

Rom 11:25 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 be come in.

Today, all are counted in unbelief, so that He may have mercy on us all!

Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

This is why today there is no more Jew or Greek (Gal 3:28; Col 3:11) and everyone, every individual who will simply believe will be saved during this dispensation of Grace!  Each and every one of us may find reconciliation and peace with God through Jesus Christ. There is no national preference with God today. Israel is counted the same as any other nation, they no longer have a special standing above other nations.  

The Mystery tells us the whys and the wherefores of Israel’s fall, and their return. That they will in the future reap all the promises of God in their earthly kingdom. We know this because in the same verses that tell us of their fall, we are told of their return!

Rom 11:12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?

Rom 11:26 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:

Israel will be restored in the future. After we are caught away, all the prophecies regarding Israel’s restoration will be fulfilled. God will once again turn His attention to Israel, right where He left off with them in their prophetic program. They will re-enter the center stage of His attention (shortly after we leave this earth to meet the Lord in the air 1Th 4:17).

First they will have to go into the Tribulation to purge and refine them for the kingdom (Zech.13:9), tribulation like the world has never seen (Mt.24:21). It won’t be just incredible earthquakes as the wrath of God will be so terrible, men will actually be begging for the mountains to fall and cover them from His great wrath!

Rev 6:16-17 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

But we who believe on Jesus Christ in this dispensation will be delivered from the wrath of God! The Body of Christ will not take part in this prophesied wrath! We will be removed from the earth into the air and forever after be with Christ in Heaven!
1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 

ITh 5:9: For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ