We know that God uses all Scripture to tell parables, historical stories which convey spiritual truth. We make sense of God’s parables by understanding the literary principle of types (specific people, places, things, or events) and antitypes (the spiritual reality or prophetic truth meant by a particular person, place, thing, or event). Today I want to discuss the prophetic or parabolic meaning of the mountains of Israel in Scripture. But before we can do that we must understand the meaning of Israel itself. People usually misunderstand the meaning of the mountains of Israel because they do not know who or what Israel is. Most believe that word Israel refers to that ancient land in the Middle East and to the Jews who made it their homeland once again in 1948. Thus when they read prophecies concerning Israel and the mountains of Israel they interpret them in the natural and so miss God’s intent. Paul says,
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which[b] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:14-16 ESV)
Was Paul talking about the Jewish race and the other Israelites who had betrayed Jesus just a few years before he wrote this? Of course not, for remember what he told the Philippians,
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God[b] and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more…. (Philippians 3:2-4)
These dogs and evildoers, as Paul calls them, were the Jews and Israelites that he once associated with. But now, he says, “whatever gain I had [by virtue of my Israelite heritage], I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:7-8)
In chapters 9 through 11 of Romans Paul wrote an in depth analysis of the meaning of the word Israel. Let’s look at some that Scripture now. Paul begins his revelation of who Israel is by saying, “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.” (Romans 9:6) This succinctly states that we must not consider all of natural Israel by hereditary lineage to be part of spiritual Israel. Therefore, “the Israel of God,” consists only of believers in Jesus Christ and his work on the cross. But, does that include all who call themselves Christians or even all who ever believed in Jesus?
Let’s move on to Romans chapter 11 and read the following passage.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness,[f] if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 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?
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved,[g] as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”[h] (Romans 11:19-27 NKJV)
Now consider these questions: 1) If a Gentile Christian believer can be “cut off” from the spiritual olive tree known as Israel doesn’t that mean that a Christian can lose his salvation forever? 2) What is the fullness of the Gentiles? and 3) How can all Israel be saved if most natural Israelites were excluded from faith in Jesus for two thousand years?
First, remember that the word Israel literally means “he strives with God.” God himself told Jacob that he was renaming him “Israel” because “you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” (Gen. 32:28) God gave Jacob the name “Israel” when he finally learned to stop trying to achieve success in the flesh and thereby supplant others by his carnal power. By wrestling with the Angel of the Lord Jacob learned to trust in God instead of in himself. Likewise God desires his real nation of Israel to be a spiritual people who depend upon him rather than a carnal people who always go astray into idolatry and rebellion against him. Natural Israel’s history, both ancient and modern, proves that man cannot perfectly obey God and satisfy his requirements. Jesus came in order to demonstrate perfect submission to God and to provide a way for men to emulate his kind of life. He did this by providing his spiritual seed (spiritual sperm) to fertilize the (female) soul of all who believe in him. This “fertilization” comes by faith and begins the process of becoming a son of God. The Bible calls this being “begotten of God” or being “born again.” Just as a human baby is not born the moment that his father’s sperm fertilizes his mother’s egg, so a Christian is not “born again” the moment he believes in Jesus as Savior. As Paul says, a Christian may be “cut off” if he does not continue in faith.
All this corresponds to what John says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12) When we believe in Jesus we do not suddenly become children of God. Yes, we receive the spiritual seed of Christ, but now we have a choice as to what to do with this new life within us. Will we learn of him and choose to walk in his ways? Or, will we choose to walk in the ways of the world in disobedience to his commands instead? The parable of the seeds in Matthew 13 speaks to these issues.
I have written of these things dealing with “the salvation of the soul” in many posts here, so please search the archives for more on this topic. Briefly, there exist three deaths and three salvations, that of the spirit, the soul, and the physical body. Our first death was that of the spirit which occurred in Adam. But, “as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22) Likewise, our first salvation occurs in our spirit and Jesus Christ brought spiritual life to all men. (This means the doctrine of universal reconciliation to God must be true) Most of the Bible, however, concerns the salvation of the soul because that is something we each participate in. This is that salvation Paul speaks of when he says, “Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling,” (Philippians 2:12) and of which Hebrews speaks, “But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:39) The Book of Hebrews and Peter’s two books speak exclusively to the salvation of the soul for they address believing Christians only. They do not concern coming to an initial faith in Jesus at all. They presume the reader already has such faith. Therefore Peter begins his first book,
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen[a] you love. Though now you do not seeHim, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end [goal] of your faith—the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9)
The Bible calls the second salvation the salvation of the soul. And it calls the purging or purification of the soul “the second death.” The second death is the application of God’s Word to the individual soul. A person may escape this during his short sojourn on earth, but he will not escape it at the great white throne judgment depicted in the Book of Revelation. The person who goes on to become a child of God, however, is the one who submits to the application of God’s Word during his earthly life. He thus effects the salvation of his soul during his natural life and becomes what Jesus calls an overcomer. Overcomers exist in each of the seven churches described in Revelation 2 and 3. God, though, “cuts off” the one from that spiritual olive tree known as Israel who fails to work out his own salvation in fear and trembling. This cutting off deals with one’s soul salvation, not the spiritual salvation Jesus wrought for all men. Such a one, though, does not lose his “salvation” forever. He will have to submit to the Lake of Fire (the rod of iron, the application of God’s Law) after his death in order to ever come in to the fullness of God. This answers the first question posed above.
“The fullness of the Gentiles” speaks of the fullness of people from all nations, not just natural Israel, who have been called to become part of spiritual Israel. We saw above that not all Christians will be part of this group. Some will be “cut off.” They may well have believed in Jesus Christ, but the devil or the cares of this life stole the truth of Christ’s salvation from their hearts. They produced no fruit according to Jesus’ parable of the seeds. The fullness of the Gentiles thus speaks of the time when the full number of God’s overcomers has been prepared and chosen. This answers the second question. The third is simple. All Israel is saved because God foreknew and chose every overcomer. God ordained each overcomer to become his child, fully made in his image.
… to be continued.
