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ReviewIt was always God’s plan to release His glory and exercise His dominion on the earth in and through human beings. When man continued to attempt to do things their own way, God scattered them, dividing them into nations. But God’s ultimate plan was for all of the nations of the earth to be joined together in unity in His Son, Jesus. So God birthed a nation, through whom would come the Messiah and Blessing for the whole earth. God made promises to this nation – promises that he fully intends on keeping. However, many Jews both then and today, reject the idea that Jesus was and is the promised Messiah – the One who will bring all men back together in Him, setting up an eternal kingdom on the earth in Jerusalem. Where Do We Fit In the Story?What does this mean for us today? How do we, non-Jewish believers – the Gentile Church – fit into this great story of redemption, salvation, and the eternal blessings of God? For the answer to that question we can turn to a devout Jewish man, the apostle Paul. (Rom. 11:16-18), 16 For if the firstfruits is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off [because of unbelief – vs 20], and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Paul tells the Romans that some of the natural branches of the olive tree (natural descendants of Abraham – Jews) were cut of because of unbelief (v.20). Then the wild branches (the Gentile believers in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah) were grafted into the olive tree, that they, along with believing Jews, can together share in the blessing and riches of being found in Christ. In other words, we the Gentile church share in the life of the Olive Tree. We have been grafted in and made heirs of the promise – sons of the God of Israel, made possible in Christ. The Church shares in the blessings. We inherit the promises. We are partakers of the divine nature because our faith is in Israel’s Messiah. Paul goes on to remind the Gentile church that they do not support the roots, but that the roots support the Gentile church. To put it another way: Jewish roots make Gentile blessing possible. Without the Jewish fathers of the faith, where would we be? Where would we be without the Jewish writers of the New Testament? Make not mistake, salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone, whether Jewish or Gentile. Salvation came through Christ to the Jew first, but because of blindness and hardness of heart, salvation was made available to Gentiles. (Rom. 1:16), 1 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.It does not say to the Jew “only,” but to the Jew first. Jesus gives us this same divine order in Acts chapter 1. (Acts 1:8), But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. In Romans 11, verses 23 and 24 Paul makes it clear that if the Jewish people would not continue in their unbelief they would be grafted back into their “own tree.”(Rom. 11:23,24), 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again 24 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?Paul makes it clear that Israel’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah is not permanent. They will return, look upon the pierced One, repent, and believe – and in doing so will be grafted back in to their own tree. Israel’s Role In God’s Unfolding PlanIn Romans 11, Paul highlights God’s plan to bring the Jewish people back to Himself, as well as salvation to the Gentiles and global restoration.(Rom. 11:11-12), 11 Have they stumbled that they should fall [permanently losing their global leadership calling]? Certainly not! But through their fall [stumbling], to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.12 Now if their [stumbling] is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!(Rom. 11:15), For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? In other words, in His infinite wisdom, God uses Jewish blindness to bring forth Gentile blessing, and uses Gentile blessing to bring forth Jewish revival, and Jewish revival to bring restoration and blessing to the whole earth. Wow! <cycle of revival slide> Paul also reveals to the Gentile church a significant assignment – marching orders if you will. Paul is reminding us of this church-wide assignment even today: Provoke the Jews to jealousy. He says that salvation came to the Gentiles to provoke the Jews to jealousy that they might turn to Jesus the Messiah. Ezekiel also speaks of this “cycle” of world revival.(Ez. 36:23-28), 23“And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, “says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean…26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgements and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, you shall be My people and I will be your God.” Summary of Ezekiel 36:23-38 – God promises to bring the Jewish people back from the four corners of the earth to a land that He’s promised to them. Then when Israel repents, receives His mercy, and begins to worship their Messiah among the nations, it will unleash a global revival like never before seen on earth. We have already begun to see ripples of this prophetic word being fulfilled. In 1948 the number of Messianic Jews (Jews who believe in Jesus as the Messiah) was believed to be very low. Although the exact number is hard to know. However, since 1948 that number has increased to nearly 350,000 worldwide. Studies show the number of Messianic Jews in Israel to be anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000. In 1948 the modern state of Israel was born. Jewish people began to return to their land like never before in history. Missiologists calculate that 50% of all believers who have ever lived have come to Christ since 1948. Ralph Winter of the Center for World Missions believes that today the number of evangelical believers is growing 3.5 times faster than the world’s population. The number of those who identify as Christians in Africa has risen from 3% to nearly 50% since the re-gathering of the Jewish people to their home. South Korea was only 1% Christian at the turn of the 20th century. That number is now nearing 40%.A new church is birthed in India every 7 minutes among the Hindus.More Muslims have come to believe in Christ as their savior since 1980 than in all the previous 1,000 years. So I ask: what will it look like when the Jewish people, as a nation, turn to Jesus their Messiah?Paul’s answer: global revival!Jesus even prophesies about a Jewish return to the land and a recognition of Him as Messiah.(Matt. 23:39), for I say to you, you shall see me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”Jesus was speaking to Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. This prophetic word lay dormant until 1948 because there was not a Jewish leadership in Jerusalem until then. When the State of Israel was born and a leadership established it put into motion a prophetic clock of sorts. In essence, Jesus is saying, “one day you will return to the land, and one day you will recognize me as the Messiah and bless Me and worship Me.” Sounds like Ezekiel’s prophecy. Zechariah tells of a time when there will be a great national repentance poured out in Israel. (Zech. 12:10-13:1), 10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son…11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem…13:1 In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanliness. So it is of vital importance that we partner with Jesus in this hour in prayer, supplication, and intercession – contending for repentance and salvation in the house of David. I believe (my personal opinion) that this will be a revival unlike anything we’ve ever seen. I believe that ALL of Israel will be saved. All! It will be the first time an entire nation repents and turns their heart to Jesus. They will indeed be a generation who become a holy nation, a peculiar people. (Rom. 11:26), And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob…”In that day, the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem will recognize Jesus as Messiah, turn to the Lord, open their arms and say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Then the Lord will return to the planet, set up His kingdom in Jerusalem, and the earth will be restored during His one-thousand year reign. So, the nation of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, and the Jewish people are at the center of God’s great end-time plan. The more the church understands about God’s end-time plans the better we can partner with Him to hasten their fulfilment (paraphrase Don Finto). ................
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