ROMANS UNWRAPPED 182

"For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead?"    Romans 11v15

Paul is expounding the ways of God with Israel, and he now focuses on his second deduction by stating two major issues.      1)   The reconciling of the world ;  2) The resurrection of the true Israel.   These are two massive subjects and he merges them together in one glorious verse.   The casting away of Israel says Paul, has meant, and will continue to mean, the reconciling of the world.   The term reconciliation assumes two things:   the world at large, namely non-Jewish nations, were at enmity with God, and at a distance from God, alienated from all Divine blessings spiritually.   Now a great change has taken place and God is wooing the nations at large, as the apostle Paul said  "and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.   Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead, BE YE RECONCILED TO GOD."     2nd Corinthians  5v18 - 20  

Since the casting away of Israel has brought such vast results globally, what will it be when God receives Israel back, as He surely will?   The word "receiving" is only used here in the New testament and means a glad acceptance .   In Matthew 8v12 the Lord Jesus spoke of the "children of the kingdom being cast out," here Paul is speaking of the time when many of them gladly will be received back.   Paul describes this as "life from the dead" and he surely has in mind the imagery of Ezekiel chapter 37.     Readers are advised to read the whole chapter, understanding it is speaking of the mass spiritual resurrection of many in Israel.   The prophet views a vast valley filled with dried bones, suddenly coming to life, bone to bone, sinew to sinew, flesh to flesh, covered over by skin, then receiving the life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit to stand again alive as the people of God, at the call of God and in God's own time.      Some extracts from this chapter are as follows:   verse 11  "These bones are the whole house of Israel."   verse 12  Behold O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves.   verses 21-23   "Behold I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, whether the be gone, and will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all; neither shall they defile themselves anymore with idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and I will cleanse them and they shall be my people and I will be their God."  

When will this glorious spiritual resurrection of Israel take place?   It will take place (not sooner) at the return of Jesus Christ to this earth.   Revelation 1v7   "Behold He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him and they also which pierced Him."   Daniel 7v13-14   "I saw in the night visions and behold one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the ancient of days and brought him near before Him.   And there was given Him dominion and glory and the kingdom that all people, nations and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."    Matthew 24v30-31  "And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.   And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other."   Finally, readers should refer to Zechariah 12v10 - 13v1, where it says  "there will be a great returning by Israel to the Lord."   The section finishes by saying  "in that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."  

So Paul in this one glorious verse is describing what is happening from here to eternity so far as the programme of God is concerned; the reconciliation of Gentile nations and the glorious future resurrection of the nation of Israel. Does ISRAEL have a future? Most definitely!!