“until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in”

This video is a follow-up to the previous “Rapture of the Church: Goodness and Severity.” These two videos, along with the next, discuss a little-studied rapture passage found in Romans 11:11 through Romans 12:2. References to the rapture are pictured for us by the Apostle Paul in the ancient practice of grafting olive trees, primarily to increase fruit-bearing. The olive tree pictured, of course, is Israel, while the wild olive branch is the church (“Gentiles”). As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul refers to “they” and “them” as the Jews, and “you” and “we” as the church, comprised mostly of Gentiles. While it’s sad that the church at large has turned it’s back on the Jews, and distorted scripture to justify it, we believers still have this mission and will be evaluated by the Lord as to our involvement in related fruit-bearing. In fact, the Apostle predicts that the church will be “cut off,” and that the “natural branches” will be grafted back in. This is a clear reference to the restart of Israel, a God-initiated modern event, the rapture of the church, and the “saving” of children of Israel during the Tribulation period.

Romans 11:23-24 starts with the grafting analogy, “For if you [gentile believer, church believer] 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?” The practice that they had in those days was to graft a sliver from a cultivated olive tree it into a wild olive tree that the wild olive tree might produce fruit. That’s the normal way of doing it. However, it goes against logic to graft a wild olive branch into a cultivated olive tree. But you must ask yourself the question, “What is the purpose of ingrafting? Why even do it?” To bring fruit from a tree that’s not producing! Dwell on that for a moment. Moses anticipated what was coming. In Deuteronomy 32:21 he said in essence, “I’m going to take a people who are not even a nation.” David also predicted the in Psalm 102, that God would “create a people that doesn’t exist” yet. Paul goes on to apply these prophesies to the church. In fact, he states quite emphatically in Romans 11, that the role of the church in relation to the nation of Israel is to “provoke them to jealousy.” The word jealousy Paul uses is really “zealousness.” Remember, earlier in Romans 10, Paul reports that his “heart was poured out for the children of Israel because they had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” Where are they going to get the knowledge? Tribulation saints are going to get the knowledge from the Apostle Paul’s epistles and from the ministry of the church

Question: What must happen for Israel to be grafted back in? Answer: We must be cut off. This is the pre-tribulation Rapture of the church. It’s the only perspective that makes any sense Biblically. Romans 11:25 says, “I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant.” Most churches today are ignorant. Church goers are like kids lost in the city who have no idea where they are nor where they’re going. We can’t see the signs, even though they’re all around us. Let’s not be ignorant. Paul says, “I do not desire that you be ignorant of this mystery.” We’ve seen “mystery” again and again: in 1st Corinthians 15, 1^st Thessalonians 5, and 2nd Thessalonians 2. “Mystery” refers Church Age Doctrine specifically that which was revealed to the Apostle Paul. Paul says, “I do not want you to be ignorant this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion.” That’s the arrogance and attitude of superiority and condescension to the nation of Israel. “Lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until…” Here’s the key word, “until.” How long will the nation of Israel be blind? Why are they blind? The reason for the blindness is listed in 2nd Corinthians 3. Paul talks about the veil and in the reading of the law, covering their eyes. He states that, “the veil remains even to this present hour. But when they turn to Christ, the veil is taken away.” That’s been true of Jews throughout the entire duration of church history. Suddenly, however, and almost instantaneously, with the opening of the eyes of 144,000 Jewish evangelists following the rapture of the church, the veil will be lifted. “Blindness in part” now, because, some Jews have come to Christ. Yes, it’s a wonderful thing when you see a person that comes out of the people of Israel come into the church. But you know what? Once they come into the church, the fact that they’re out of Israel, doesn’t make them a superior Christian. They’re simply a member of the church. Remember that part of the mystery is that we are one body now — “neither Jew or Gentile, male or female.”

Remember that blindness, in part has happened to Israel “until” the rapture of the church. This is “the fullness of the Gentiles,” as it says in Romans 11:25. And when “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,” when the harvest of the Gentiles has come in, Jewish blindness is going to be removed. Romans 11:26 continues, “And so all Israel will be saved as it is written, the deliverer will come out of Zion.” This quotes a Second Advent prophecy. “And he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is my covenant them.” God keeps His covenants! “…when I take away their sins.” Now notice carefully. Verse 28 says, “Concerning the Gospel, they are enemies, for your sake.” There are many among the Jews who hate us. And this is amazing because their economy depends largely on tourism that is fueled by Christian pilgrims going to Israel. And they love the crowds, the groups. When you go there, you see the tour busses, you see this and that church, this, and that ministry. Most Jews love that, but they hate your faith. If you want to see some hostility, ask a Jewish person why the most famous Jew that ever walked the planet is disregarded by the nation of Israel. Try to tell them that the Messiah that they rejected is the Messiah that’s coming back. Paul captures what was true then and now, “they are enemies against you for the gospel’s sake,” because as a people, they continue to reject him. That’s their problem, their hang up. But I want you to notice what Paul says here, “concerning the gospel, they are enemies, for your sake, but concerning the election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.” Could I suggest something to you? The term “election” is never used for salvation in the Bible election. “Election” is always to a purpose. God chooses for a purpose. And Jew are the elect for a purpose — to give the world a Bible and a Redeemer. The preponderance of the “elect” references in scripture are about the nation of Israel. We church age believers are elect for only one reason, and that is because we were grafted in to serve a purpose for them, the children of Israel.

“Concerning the election,” namely, the choice of God for that nation, “they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.” When the church stops loving the nation of Israel because of what God did through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the others, we’ve lost our sense of direction. We are adrift spiritually. The next verse that we like to quote all the time about ourselves. Romans 11:29 says, “But the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” That’s true of us, but only by application. The context tells us Paul’s talking about the nation of Israel. He continues in Romans 11:30, “For as you were once disobedient to God and yet now have obtained mercy through their disobedience.” Look at this word “mercy.” Is Paul making a point? In verse 31, “Even so, these Israel have now been disobedient that through the mercy shown to you, they may obtain mercy for God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.” And then Paul goes into a doxology as if he is just so overwhelmed with his thoughts. And he says, “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has become His counselor or who was first given to Him, and it shall be repaid to Him? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever and ever, amen.”

Take out the chapter division and read the next two verses. Paul concludes, “I beseech you [Church] therefore, by the mercies of God.” What did we see last in Romans 11? Mercy. Mercy. Mercy. “I beg you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body as a living sacrifice, wholly unacceptable under God, which is your reasonable service of worship, and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect?” What is the perfect will of God that He’s just told us about? A ministry of the Church to Israel — a ministry that will ultimately see them restored. This is a ministry that the church, for the most part, for 2000 years has failed in. Martin Luther was a magnificent giant, a man of tremendous spiritual stature, but he was antisemitic to the core. Luther hated the Jews. He wrote that they should be annihilated. In fact, when Hitler quoted Martin Luther to get the churches of Germany to support him in the annihilation of the Jew. Churches either went along actively or passively. The Church at large today is doing the same thing. Our world hates the Jew. What do you think Paul’s talking about when he says, “Do not be conformed to this world, be transformed by the renewing of your mind?” And then he goes immediately into spiritual gifts in ministry.

Every believer has a spiritual gift. Every believer has a ministry with a two-pronged focus — the great commission to the world at large and particularly a ministry to the children of Israel. It is a shame and a disgrace that when the world has persecuted the Jews, we as a church have not played the role that we should have played. We should have been a shield to them. There are wonderful exceptions, but they are so few and far between. The Ten Booms of history, risked their lives and ultimately paid by being sent to prison camps for hiding, protecting, feeding, clothing Jews. Similarly, during the tribulation period there will be believing Gentiles who will literally lay their lives on the line for the Jewish people. And that, by the way, is another reason why the rapture cannot come at the second advent. It must come before the tribulation, because when Jesus comes at His second advent, He is going to separate the nations. And how does He separate them? What does He call them? He calls them sheep and goats. And the goats are unbelievers, and the sheep are believers. But what does He say to those who are sheep, those who have come through this terrible, terrible time of tribulation? He says, “I was hungry. You fed me. I was naked. You clothed me. I was in prison. You visited me.” And what are they doing that He says this to them? They are doing something the church has failed to do, and that is they’re laying their lives on the line for the nation of Israel.

Can you begin to see that, you can’t just rip “the Blessed Hope” out of its historical context. You can’t divorce it from where we’ve come. You can’t take this branch called “the church” and just break it off the tree and say, “Forget the tree, forget the roots.” You and I need to be transformed. And our transformation is not only so that I can reach a world in need of Christ, but so that I can stand up as a proponent of a people who have been hated and despised since the day they were born in their father, Abraham. Could I just throw this out as a last thought? One day you’re going to walk the streets of Jerusalem. Whether the Jerusalem of the Earth or the New Jerusalem. You are going to walk the streets and you’re going to meet Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Boaz, Ruth, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, etc. You’re going to meet them. Do you know that? They’re going to know your history. They’re going to know whether we, the church, did our job. They’re going to know whether we been the shield for Israel that we should have been. I don’t want to have to hang my head in their presence. I want my “blessed hope” to truly be a blessed hope.

Gene Cunningham - April 24, 2023

Title Deed to Everything

Who is worthy of owning everything? Who is worthy of claiming the title deed to the earth? Jesus Christ, of course. Revelation 5:1 starts, “I saw in the right hand of Him the sat on the throne.” After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to Psalm 110:1, where was Jesus seated? “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” So, the Lord Jesus is going to have to go very far to receive this from the Father, because He's right there. “In the right hand of Him who sat on the throne, a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.” What is the significance of being written inside and on the back? It was typical of a title deed in the ancient world that it would be written front and back and then it would be sealed. To break the seal, back then, you had to be the person to whom the deed was given. And so, in Revelation 5:2, John says, “I saw a strong angel proclaiming, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and loose its seals? no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it. “ Of all the great heroes none is worthy? Moses? "No one on the earth or under the Earth." None of all the greats of history are worthy to open this title deed. While weeping John reports in Revelation 5:5 that “One of the elders said to him, 'Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed.' When did Jesus prevail? Obviously, on the cross was Christ’s victory. “He has prevailed to open the scroll and to lose is seven seals. "And I looked,” John says in Revelation 5:6, “and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb.” Jesus, The Lamb of God, is standing “as though it had been slain having seven horns and seven eyes.” Once again, symbolism is being used; the "horn" is a symbol of strength, power, and authority. And the eyes, intelligence. “which are the seven spirits of God set out in the earth. And he came and he took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne when he had taken the scroll. The four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls of incense which are the prayers of the saints.” Did you know that every prayer you pray is on record? In Revelation 5:9,” they sang a new song.” These are the elders and those who are withthem. I include us in that group. “You are worthy to take the scroll and open a seal for You were slain. You have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue.” And notice in Revelation 5:10, “you have made us kings and priests.” These are Church age believers. No Old Testament believer was King Priest. 1st Peter 2:9 says, “we are a royal priesthood.” Are any believers in the tribulation going to be royal priests? No. Church age only. That's one of the privileges we have that no one of any other time of history had.Revelation 5:10 concludes, “…and we shall reign on the earth.“ One day each one of us will have responsibilities in the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 5:11 says, “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 saying with a loud voice say, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” So, the first chorus church is singing. Now the second chorus of angels starts in Revelation 5:13, “and every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and as are in the sea and all that are in them. I heard saying blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne under the Lamb forever and ever.” There is a day coming when every created thing will be singing praises to Jesus Christ. In fact, the Old Testament tells us that when the kingdom begins, the mountains and the hills and the trees and the rivers will begin to sing. You might think that this is just imagery. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the Pharisees rebuked his disciples, to stop speaking messianic prophecy. Jesus replied, “I tell you of these keep silent the rocks of the earth would cry out. I can't wait to see all creation, just joining in and singing, “blessing and honor and glory and power to Him who sits on the throne in the land forever and ever. Revelation 5:14, ends the chapter, “The four living creatures said, ‘Amen!” and the 24 elders fell down and worshiped Him, who lives forever and ever.” That is the last beautiful picture that you're going to see until Chapter 20.

Scripture References: Revelation 5:1-14