THE BOOK OF REVELATION

INTRODUCTION - In Romans 11, Paul answers for us the question, "What has happened to the Jewish nation since its apostasy in the first century? Has God cast off the Jews forever?" As Jerusalem fell in 70 AD, the old dispensation was overthrown, the rule and reign of Christ was established, and the Jews were judged for their rejection of the Savior. Therefore, where does this leave the Jewish nation today? Paul has been explaining to us that there is still a Jewish remnant, despite the overall hardening of Israel towards Christ. As a result of the hardening, the kingdom has been given to the Gentiles who are enjoying the blessings of grace and mercy in Christ. Paul now deals in the latter part of Romans 11 with the future of Israel and the end of its hardening. The key to this chapter is verse 25 which tells is that the blindness of Israel has only happened until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. One day the hardening will be taken away and there will be a great Jewish awakening, a great mass of Israelites coming to Christ as the Spirit of grace is poured out upon them.

1) THE FULLNESS OF THE JEWS - ISRAEL'S FUTURE AWAKENING AND RESTORATION - Romans 11:12-15 - The fall of Judaism brought riches to the Gentiles, for now we are able to enjoy the blessings of grace and mercy as God has given His salvation to the pagan nations. Yet Paul also refers to a period of "fullness" in the future for the Jews. In other words, in the future, something wonderful is going to happen to the Jewish race. A great restoration is coming, a time when the blindness will be healed, where Jews will come in repentance and faith to the throne of Christ. Paul also tells us that when this restoration comes, it will have an incredible repercussion on the Gentile world. We can imagine what a national turning to Christ by the Jews would do to this world! Their restoration in the future will certainly awaken even more Gentiles to the grace in Christ.

Paul also speaks here of his ministry to the Gentiles, and how he sees it affecting his work among the Jews. In his mission work, Paul is usually rejected by the Jews as he confronts the great apostasy of his day. He then turns to the Gentiles, yet we must realize that he has not really ended his ministry with the Jews, even though they have rejected him. He is hoping that when the Jews see the Gentiles receiving all the blessings of grace and mercy which should have gone to them, that the children of Israel will become jealous, and then come to Christ. Paul wants to make his fellow countrymen jealous for the Gospel. He wants them to see the pagan Gentiles believing on their Messiah. By this, he hopes that the Jew will realize what he is missing and come to Christ. Here is a tactic which we might use whenever we are speaking to Jewish people about the Gospel. Let us show them the things which they have missed in their own Bible, and provoke them to jealousy by showing them that Gentiles now enjoy the blessings which were once theirs.

2) THE GENTILE RESPONSE TO THE JEWISH HARDENING - Romans 11:16-22 - Paul uses the imagery of an olive tree in this passage to teach us about the kingdom of God, the place of the Gentiles in that kingdom, the way the Jews have been cut out, and the way they will be brought back in again in the future. Israel is the olive tree of the Old Testament (Jeremiah 11; Hosea 14), a tree rooted in God, a tree whose sustenance is Christ (John 15:1). Yet with the great apostasy in Israel, we see that there are dead branches on the tree, Jewish apostates, who must be cut off. Christ rejects Israel in the first century and thus cuts off the Jews, leaving a small remnant on the tree. Yet Christ now turns to the Gentiles (wild olive branches) and grafts them into the tree. It is the same tree, not a different one. It is the kingdom of God, the kingdom which both Jew and Gentile are a part of. Thus, we see that the Gentile has now been raised to a privileged position in the kingdom of God, while the Jewish nation has been cut off.

Yet this raised position for the Gentiles can lead to pride and arrogance, thus Paul warns us in verses 18-21 to not boast against fallen Israel. We, as Gentiles, might forget where we have come from. We might think more of ourselves than we should. Like apostate Israel, we might forget the grace and mercy of God which has been shown to us. The warning is that if the Gentile church becomes like apostate Israel, God can just as easily cut us off in His judgment. Thus, we are called to walk by faith, remain in the grace of God, and fear the Lord. We are not to be so proud as to think that what happened to the Jewish nation could not happen to the Gentile church. Surely we have seen God "cut off" Gentile churches when they have fallen away from Him. Let us not make the same error as unbelieving Israel!

3) THE FUTURE HOPE OF NATIONAL ISRAEL - Romans11:23-28 - Paul now shows us what will happen with Israel in the future. Though the Jews have been presently cast off and we see that hardening evidenced in the nation today, there will come a time when they will be grafted in again. The hardening will be brought to an end, once the elect of the Gentiles have entered into the kingdom. On that day "all Israel will be saved...", the Jews living in that day will come to Christ, there will be a great awakening in Israel, and a great restoration of that people as they join the Gentiles in the kingdom of God.

This is why Paul ends the chapter with a doxology praising the grace and mercy of God in salvation. God has brought salvation to the Gentiles. One day we shall see national Israel turn back to Christ, and apostate Jews will one day happily enter into the kingdom of God! Though the destruction of Jerusalem was an event of great judgment, ending the old dispensation and cutting off apostate Israel, yet we must not lose sight of the Jew today. God still has a place for national Israel in His plans. One day hardened Israel will find grace and as revival strikes that nation, so the Jews will come to Christ. Until then, let us rejoice with Paul in the wonder of God's salvation and let us speak that grace to both Jew and Gentile throughout the world!