Thoughts on the End Times [8]: Only One Blessed Olive Tree
My last seven blogs laid out why I left the pretribulation rapture behind. The pretrib rapture is built on Israel and the Church being two separate peoples with two distinct programs that operate separately in history (which arose at the same time), and I don’t think the Bible teaches that.
What does the Bible teach about the Church and its relationship to Israel? Romans 11 gives us a clear picture of that relationship.
Gentile Christians coming together with morally scrupulous Jewish Christians in one church created social fireworks in the early church, and the apostles spilled a lot of ink to help these two different groups of believers get along as one people.
Throughout the book of Romans it appears that Jewish Christians were critical of Gentile Christians for failure to observe certain points of Jewish tradition, and Gentile believers responded that this judgment was baseless since God was finished with Israel for turning from the truth and crucifying Jesus.
Paul counters that God’s plan to bless the world was given to Israel (Romans 9.1-5), and though many Israelites turned away in unbelief, there has always been a small group of Jewish believers faithful to God’s promises and God’s program for Israel lives on in them (Romans 9.6-10.21). The faithlessness of some doesn’t nullify God’s faithfulness to keep His promises to those who believe (Romans 3.3.) Paul says that he, a believing Jew, is evidence that God has not thrown away the Jewish people (Romans 11.1-12). The issue, the apostle argues, is not one’s birth or ethnicity, but faith in God and His promises.
Speaking to Gentile Christians who appear to have seen Christianity as “a Gentile thing” that had nothing to do with national Israel or Old Testament religion, Paul says they have it backwards. He depicts the program given to Israel (e.g. Romans 9.4) as the roots of a domestic olive tree that feeds and supports the tree’s branches (Romans 11.16).
Some branches (Jews that rejected Christ) were broken off from their own Jewish olive tree and Gentiles who believed were grafted in – not to a new or different olive tree but to the same tree from which the unbelieving Jews were broken off (Romans 11.17)! God didn’t throw Israel away and start a new Gentile people (the Church), but rather, Gentiles enter the ancient program for Israel – the promises made to Abraham and the new covenant of forgiveness – by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 11.18). Jewish people who come to faith in Christ are simply grafted back into their own program of God’s ancient promises to them (Romans 11.19-24).
There are not two different domestic olives trees – Israel and the Church.
Just one – Israel, rooted in the promises to Abraham – and one wild olive tree – all Gentiles who have no natural connection to God’s promises.
Christ, the son of Abraham, the son of David, king of the Jews, is the heir and recipient of all the promises – the great “connector”, as it were.
Jews who believe in Jesus (like Peter and John) continue in the ancient program of God’s promises. Individual Jews that don’t believe in Jesus are broken off from their own olive tree – the ancient Israel of promise. If they come back and believe in Jesus (like Paul), they are grafted back into their own tree.
Gentiles never had a program of promise, so unless they believe in Jesus, they remain disconnected from God’s promises. But Gentiles who come to faith in Christ are broken off of the “Gentile tree” and grafted into God’s domestic olive tree, the Israel of promise, and receive the blessings of the promises to Israel (and the world) through Jesus Christ.
What does the Bible teach about the Church and its relationship to Israel? Romans 11 gives us a clear picture of that relationship.
Gentile Christians coming together with morally scrupulous Jewish Christians in one church created social fireworks in the early church, and the apostles spilled a lot of ink to help these two different groups of believers get along as one people.
Throughout the book of Romans it appears that Jewish Christians were critical of Gentile Christians for failure to observe certain points of Jewish tradition, and Gentile believers responded that this judgment was baseless since God was finished with Israel for turning from the truth and crucifying Jesus.
Paul counters that God’s plan to bless the world was given to Israel (Romans 9.1-5), and though many Israelites turned away in unbelief, there has always been a small group of Jewish believers faithful to God’s promises and God’s program for Israel lives on in them (Romans 9.6-10.21). The faithlessness of some doesn’t nullify God’s faithfulness to keep His promises to those who believe (Romans 3.3.) Paul says that he, a believing Jew, is evidence that God has not thrown away the Jewish people (Romans 11.1-12). The issue, the apostle argues, is not one’s birth or ethnicity, but faith in God and His promises.
Speaking to Gentile Christians who appear to have seen Christianity as “a Gentile thing” that had nothing to do with national Israel or Old Testament religion, Paul says they have it backwards. He depicts the program given to Israel (e.g. Romans 9.4) as the roots of a domestic olive tree that feeds and supports the tree’s branches (Romans 11.16).
Some branches (Jews that rejected Christ) were broken off from their own Jewish olive tree and Gentiles who believed were grafted in – not to a new or different olive tree but to the same tree from which the unbelieving Jews were broken off (Romans 11.17)! God didn’t throw Israel away and start a new Gentile people (the Church), but rather, Gentiles enter the ancient program for Israel – the promises made to Abraham and the new covenant of forgiveness – by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 11.18). Jewish people who come to faith in Christ are simply grafted back into their own program of God’s ancient promises to them (Romans 11.19-24).
There are not two different domestic olives trees – Israel and the Church.
Just one – Israel, rooted in the promises to Abraham – and one wild olive tree – all Gentiles who have no natural connection to God’s promises.
Christ, the son of Abraham, the son of David, king of the Jews, is the heir and recipient of all the promises – the great “connector”, as it were.
Jews who believe in Jesus (like Peter and John) continue in the ancient program of God’s promises. Individual Jews that don’t believe in Jesus are broken off from their own olive tree – the ancient Israel of promise. If they come back and believe in Jesus (like Paul), they are grafted back into their own tree.
Gentiles never had a program of promise, so unless they believe in Jesus, they remain disconnected from God’s promises. But Gentiles who come to faith in Christ are broken off of the “Gentile tree” and grafted into God’s domestic olive tree, the Israel of promise, and receive the blessings of the promises to Israel (and the world) through Jesus Christ.