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ROMANS CHAPTER 11 KJV WEB See previous page Rom 11,1-36 (50dc) Judgment >> Last Days >> Jewish Led endtime revival >> Israel prophesied to restore the gentiles to salvation – Paul proved through Scripture that God has not rejected His people Israel but that the Jews will return to the faith at the end of the age, but what does the Church think of the Jews? Most support Israel, why? If Israel doesn’t exist as a nation and Jerusalem as the city of God, then the return of Christ cannot occur according to prophecy. America politically supports Israel in order to have a presence in the Middle East, but these are selfish reasons to support Israel. Does anyone support Israel with pure motives, for the sake of the Jews themselves? No, not really! Then they are missing a blessing and accepting a curse, for the promise to Abraham was that those who bless you He will bless and those who curse you He will curse, not the nation but the people! Catholics hate Jews; they are responsible for coining the phrase "Jesus killers," who influenced Germany to persecute the Jews during World War II with Hitler’s war machine that set up death camps to exterminate them as the Final Solution. His goal was to expand the borders of Germany and rule the entire world. In his mind, he was trying to do the world a favor by eliminating certain undesirables and people groups that he considered deleterious to the human race. The Catholics hate the Jews too because they crucified the Lord, but had they not crucified Him, the gentiles could not be saved, meaning that the Church is hinged on Israel’s rejection of Christ, and so instead of hating the Jews, they should be thanking them for rejecting Christ. There are many protestant believers who think that the Jewish people will recognize Jesus is their Messiah only moments before His actual return, but Paul is making a defense that the Jewish people will repent of their unbelief years before His return, for Paul speaks of the Jews as those who will manage the gospel during the Great Endtime Revival, because they understand it better, simply because the gospel belongs to them first, then also to the gentiles. See also: Great endtime revival; Rom 11,1-5; 242a / Israel (Ho locaust); Mat 22-7; 69d Rom 11,1-32 (36l) Gift of God >> Adopted >> We are adopted by the Spirit Rom 11,1-5 (102k) Thy kingdom come >> Loyalty (Faithfulness) >> Tried and true >> Loyal (242a) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecution to the death >> Killing God’s prophets – Elijah complained to God that his enemies have killed all the prophets and that he alone was left, but God corrected him saying there were seven thousands prophets who were faithful to the Lord and never bowed their knee to Baal. God protected them, hiding some in a cave by the hand of Obadiah (1Kings 18-4). It is difficult to define a prophet of the Old Testament. We know Elijah, Jeremiah, Isaiah and others, but who were these 7,000, and what did it mean to be a prophet? It seems that anybody was considered a prophet who was actually faithful to God and sought His will for their lives, and the same is true today, according to Jn 16-13, “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” These seven thousand prophets were the remnant of Israel, who represent the 144,000 who are yet to come. Elijah pleaded with God against Israel, seeking His judgment and feeling totally alone. A remnant of Israel will remain with the Lord, and they will carry an anointing that will be greater than the Church has ever known. It says in verse six that this movement will be a sovereign act of God’s grace, meaning that God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh and especially endow His 144,000 Jewish prophets with a level of anointing stronger than He has given to anyone besides Christ Himself. They will effect a Great Endtime Revival that will incorporate hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. Paul was giving us a head’s up that Israel will return to their faith in the last days, and we will see events occur that have not happened in the history of the world. See also: Great endtime revival; Rom 11-1,2; 218a Rom 11-1,2 (218a) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> You cannot control the judgment of God >> You cannot control how God responds to rejection – This entire chapter is about Israel returning to the faith at the end of the age, an event prophesied to occur in the last days by an act of God’s grace (v6). God has a job for them to do; He wants His people Israel to lead an endtime revival for the sake of the gentiles, who will be saved by the millions, “That My house may be filled” (Lk 14-23), and we know He has a big house. Many people have been saved over the course of time and there will be many people present in Heaven, but God says it isn’t enough; He wants more, so He will call his people Israel to call the gentiles to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb that is scheduled to occur at the end of the age. Israel will call the developed nations of the world first, probably through television and radio and other media forms, and they will make excuses why they can’t attend the wedding feast; they are preoccupied with the pursuit of happiness. Then God will through the Jews call third-world nations: sick, lamb, blind, deaf and social outcasts, and they will come by the millions to this revival and God will protect them from the antichrist, who is in the process of depopulating the earth. See also: Great endtime revival; Rom 11,2-5; 94g Rom 11-1 (148g) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Natural advantage regarding the Church -- This verse goes with verses 17-27 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11,2-5 (94g) Thy kingdom come >> God’s perspective >> His perspective on the sovereignty of God – Later in this chapter Paul said that the Jews will come to faith in Jesus at the end of the age. When he says that God has preserved 7,000 men who have not bowed their knee to Baal, he was talking about what God intends to do in the last days, just as He did in the days of Elijah, who acts as a microcosm of endtime prophecy. Paul’s definition of a prophet in this context is someone who has not bowed his knee to the antichrist. We don’t need to prophesy to be a prophet when the Church stops following God; all we need to do is serve Christ and we are automatically prophets, embracing the wisdom and knowledge of God after the Church has fallen away from the faith, and we can therefore speak His oracle with the smallest nugget of truth booming like thunder in the ears of imposters and liars who have rejected the faith. Israel will come to faith in the last days; Paul called them a remnant, yet Israel will be saved (v26). Revelation chapter seven says that twelve thousand from every tribe will partake of God’s gracious choice, and they will represent all Israel. Elijah represents the Two Witnesses that are coming, whom God will choose from the 144,000, and they will war against the Dragon, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Elijah was very courageous and challenged the false prophets to a duel, commanding them to call down fire from heaven to consume the evening offering, and if they couldn't he would, letting them go first, just as God will offer Satan first move as in a game of chess. After Elijah called down fire from heaven and destroyed the false prophets, he ran for his life, because Jezebel was coming for him, and so he ran into the wilderness, which represents what it says in Revelation that the woman fled into the wilderness (Rev 12-6), where this Great Endtime Revival will take place. See also: Great endtime revival; Rom 11-3,4; 142a (195h) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Worshipping other gods >> Worshipping other gods as a servant Rom 11,2-4 (106k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Means of hearing from God >> Through prayer Rom 11-2 (218k) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> We are chosen before the foundation of the world (220c) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Predestined according to His foreknowledge Rom 11-3,4 (142a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears witness to the new >> Prophesy about the dispensation >> The end times -- These verses go with verses 26-29. The context of this chapter goes back to Romans chapter nine, God has not rejected His people whom he foreknew, suggesting that God has predestined Israel to return to faith in God, foreknowing they would reject Him, the cross being the predetermined plan of God. Elijah the prophet had a showdown with the false prophets of King Ahab as to whose God would answer by fire. Once the flames of God licked up the water in the trench surrounding the altar, Elijah had four hundred false prophets rounded up and destroyed. Then he learned that Jezebel was looking for him, which brought on his prayer that we see in verse three of this chapter, thinking he alone was left, and they were seeking his life. God had to remind him that He had reserved seven thousand men who had not bowed their knee to Baal. In a similar way there are Jewish people in the world today whom God has hidden from the likes of King Ahab and Jezebel, and if Elijah the great prophet didn’t know this, how much less do we know about them whom God has reserved for Himself in the last days? These things are predestined to occur, for God has left nothing to chance, as it says in the book of Revelation, 144,000 Jews, who represent the remnant of God’s gracious choice. See also: Predestination; Rom 11-6; 205i / Great endtime revival; Rom 11-5; 220b Rom 11,5-12 (58d) Paradox >> Opposites >> Gentiles seek wisdom, but the Jews have it; Jews seek righteousness, but the Gentiles have it Rom 11-5 (92g) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> What kind of trail is this? >> Gate is small and few are those who find it (219c) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God has chosen us -- This verse goes with verse 7. If salvation is not a matter of man’s will but of God’s gracious choice, how much more is the working of miracles an aspect of God’s choice? Whenever we come into partnership with Christ, we work with the grace of God. A person can say, today I am going to be saved, and since it is the will of God that all men be saved, He is ready and willing to work with anyone who will come to Him, yet no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him (Jn 6-44). (220b) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Predestined according to the sovereignty of God – There was a remnant that returned from the Babylonian takeover during Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (626-539 BC). Paul testified that there was also a remnant in his own time who believed in Jesus, and his point was that there will also be a Jewish remnant in the last days who will believe in Jesus. If Israel's rejection resulted in glory for the gentiles, how glorious will be their acceptance in reference to a Great Endtime Revival that will occur in the last days, headed by the Jews? More people are currently living on this planet than ever existed at one time, and therefore more souls to be won to Christ. This revival will effect a great ingathering of souls to the Kingdom of God with a quantity greater than all the souls won to Christ throughout the age of grace. History tells us that Christianity among nations is a process of acceptance, flourishing of people and ideas brought glory to the world through the gospel and raised up the nations to elevated heights of power, then they become haughty and arrogant and fell into a state of apostasy from which they cannot arise. All the developed nations of the world have gone through this process, and so they will all be exempt from the coming revival, indicating that it will occur mostly in third-world nations. At the end of the age, it will be turn for the undeveloped nations of the world to hear the gospel and believe in the Savior, only they will hear the gospel in purity of doctrine, not muddied by a lot of religious gibberish. A great persecution will occur, which will scatter these Jewish believers throughout the world, and they will seek asylum in wilderness places within the borders of third-world countries, and there they will call a people for God’s own possession, who will come to hear their preaching and be saved (Rev 12-6). Their numbers will range into the hundreds of millions, and the developed countries will be left behind, namely America and Europe, and they will suffer God’s most severe judgment for sins committed throughout the age of grace. See also: Great endtime revival; Rom 11,23-29; 142a KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11-6 (31g) Gift of God >> Grace >> Salvation >> God’s mercy opposes man’s theology -- This verse goes with verse 24 (205i) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> Faith versus works >> The faith of God versus the faith of men >> Faith is the work of God – This statement summarizes some of the beginning chapters of Romans, which covered the fundamental doctrines of salvation better than any other book of the New Testament, though he is using this statement about grace in a different context than in earlier chapters, or perhaps finally revealing its true meaning, going back to predestination, speaking about grace in terms of his gracious choice. He graciously chooses certain people out of the world to become His worshippers and hardens the rest. In so doing, He erases any potential for works to be involved in salvation, just like He said about Jacob and Esau, choosing Jacob before he was even born before he had the opportunity to do anything good or bad (Rom 9,10-13). See also: Predestination; Rom 11,7-11; 168j / Predestination excludes the works of men; Rev 3,20-22; 106g Rom 11,7-11 (168j) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world has deaf ears to God >> Deaf from a hardened heart – Rom 9-16 says, “It does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” Predestination in relation to the will of man is like a sergeant and a general choosing the same private to do a job; the general nullifies the sergeant’s choice. This corresponds with Jesus’ statement, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain” (Jn 15-16). We were predestined for these things. A person can try hard as he wants to be saved, but if he is not chosen, He cannot be saved. He can faithfully go to church and pray and ask Jesus in his heart, but if he makes it to heaven, it is only because God chose him for this purpose. In other words, being in heaven has nothing to do with our efforts in getting there. This is the concept of predestination: “Those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.” Note the word “obtained” is a verb, an action word, meaning they sought and found. Although we see an effort on the part of man seeking God, yet Paul’s point is that God’s choice nullifies man’s effort. However, this does not make man’s effort any less important. Israel also sought God but did not find Him. So, we have two people seeking; one finds God and the other doesn't. It says that those who sought and did not find Him were hardened. See also: Predestination; Rom 11,7-10; 249c (169g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is blind to God >> God blinds their eyes – There are people who find fault with God, setting up an elaborate case against Him, but they would never successfully prosecute Him, because the people whom God has hardened have willingly hardened their own hearts. God has His reasons for everything He does, and many of those reasons are beyond us. We have a limited perspective, like being lost in the Amazon basin. We could fly over it in an airplane and see everything from a bird’s-eye view, watch the river wander through the dense jungle, but when we are among the trees bound to the earth, our perspective is extremely limited, and we can get lost very easily without much hope of finding our way. It is better to simply admit we are blind, lost and at fault, and then fall on the mercies of God, hoping He will choose us to be His worshippers rather than His critics. (241e) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Obstacles in the way of the kingdom >> Ask but don’t receive because of unbelief Rom 11,7-10 (26d) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death is separation from God’s life (249c) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> Do not trust the carnal perception of wealth >> The pursuit of wealth brings a curse – Where there is nothing to eat, the dinner table is vacant and people become malnourished, but food on the table is a place of joy, where people come to celebrate life. Paul through David the psalmist is saying let the good things of God that He has given us become a snare, meaning that people tend to enjoy the blessings of life and forget God. His gift of health and a long and happy life can actually work to close a person’s heart. When bad things happen, people get mad and blame God, closing their heart to Him, so when good things happen, it should have the opposite effect, but what do we see? They harden their heart in both cases. For this reason God must choose people from the world to be His worshippers; otherwise nobody would serve the Lord. If good things harden a person’s heart and bad things harden a person’s heart, then the only people who can be saved are those whom God chooses, yet for those who do not serve God, it is nobody’s fault but their own. Verse 7 says “the rest are hardened,” meaning they didn't harden their heart but it happened on its own, meaning that mankind is predisposed to a hardened heart if he hasn't been chosen. God blamed pharaoh for hardening his heart in Rom 9-17,18, though it says that God hardened his heart in Ex 4-21, yet Pharaoh was no less involved in the hardening of his own heart, and the same is true with Rom 11-7, “Those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.” See also: Predestination; Rom 11-3,4; 142a Rom 11-7 (219c) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God has chosen us -- This verse goes with verse 28. Rom 11,8-10 (142c) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears witness to the new >> Prophesy about evangelism KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11,11-16 (31h) Gift of God >> Grace >> Salvation >> The ministry of reconciliation (203h) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Withdraw from obeying God >> Withdrawing from God – Israel has not fallen away or lost all hope of salvation but have merely backslidden for thousands of years. Paul is talking about the entire nation of Israel; for them to fall away from the faith entirely as a nation, they would no longer exist, for they were called through faith, and they would vanish through systemic unbelief. To fall away from the faith is to step over a line that we cannot un-step, which brings about the loss of all hope. Paul is saying this has not happened to Israel, because it is chosen of God. He may not have chosen every son and daughter of Abraham to become a child of the kingdom, but He has chosen the nation itself as a whole, and for this reason Israel will remain the nation of His choice where He will establish His name forever. Yet, many Jewish souls were lost who were not chosen for the Kingdom of Heaven, because their hearts were hardened. Rom 11,11-14 (20m) Sin >> Disobedience >> Demonstrating unbelief in the validity of God’s word – Israel and those who have hardened their hearts against the gospel are in bondage to unbelief. They are like a man in jail looking through the bars of his cell at a big dinner party happening in front of him. He can see and smell the food, but he can’t taste it, because they don’t serve prisoners. So it is for every person whose heart is hardened. It's not that he doesn’t want to believe and receive the gospel; it’s that he can’t, and when he sees people who are feasting on the good things of God, it makes him jealous. The person whose heart is hardened is like a combination lock; three tumblers turn to the exact numbers, causing their openings to fall in line and release the lock. So, there are open gates that allow the elect to proceed by faith, whereas the one who has made poor choices are led in the wrong direction by the consequences of his life, cementing his way and barricading him from the gospel, where he loses the ability to believe in God. There are some who get mad at God and later repent, but there are others whose whole life is mad at God. It’s not just an emotional flare or a moment of temptation or frustration; his entire life becomes enraged and devoted to his distain for God, and as a result he cannot repent of his unbelief even if he wanted. He can’t repent because a spirit has been assigned to him, and this spirit will not allow him to cross the chasm he traversed sometime in his past. A guard now stands posted at the door of his heart preventing him from believing in Jesus. This is the very concept of God hardening a person’s heart, suggesting that it has roots in the spiritual realm, only in the wrong spirit. God often uses demons to judge the wicked. See also: Formation of the reprobate mind; Rom 11,19-21; 21a Rom 11,11-13 (145h) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Demon possession >> Human state >> Filthiness >> Deeds of the flesh -- These verses go with verses 19-21 Rom 11-11,12 (211c) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Gentiles included >> Gentiles steal the kingdom from Israel through obedience -- These verses go with verse 28 Rom 11-11 (24i) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Jews are envious of the gospel -- This verse goes with verse 14. There are some Jews who have been chosen of God whose jealousy of the gentiles has led them to faith in Jesus. Jealousy is typically considered something negative, for it nailed Jesus to a cross, yet it can also be seen as a strong motivator, leading people to Christ. For example, if all our friends get saved, it will make us want to get saved too, though it is far more negative an influence than positive. The gospel was meant for the Jews first, but they rejected it, so God went over their heads and offered it to the gentiles, and they gladly received it. (62f) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Being clever >> Lure in your prey (63c) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Righteous deception >> Church deceive the world -- This verse goes with verse 14 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11-12 (210h) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is from the Jews >> The Jew first -- This verse goes with verses 15-32. If Israel’s rejection of God has created the greatest blessing the world has ever known, how much greater will be Israel's blessing when they come to faith and finally receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and serve the gentiles as rightful leader of the Christian Church? The gentiles should be looking for the day when God calls His chosen people and removes their stony hearts and gives them a heart of flesh. This will not be hinged on Israel’s obedience so much as God's predetermined plan, which cannot fail! The problem with the gentiles, they don’t have doctrines established to believe the Jews will become this blessing one day. The reasons the gentiles support Israel is religiously to rebuild their temple to fulfill Bible prophecy and politically to have a presence in the Middle East. The gentile Church knows Israel must exist as a nation and the Jews must exist as a people, and they must rebuild their temple in Jerusalem for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. What the gentile Church doesn’t expect is that God will use the Jews to lead a global endtime revival, which will save more people than have been saved throughout the entire age of grace. This will come to the contemporary Church as quite a surprise, for to the extent that the gentiles have been inadvertently blessed as a result of Israel’s disobedience is the extent that the current Church will wax into unbelief when they see the Jews picking up the gospel and running with it in a fuller knowledge than the gentiles ever did. God will choose gentiles who currently don’t believe in God to follow this Jewish-led revival. In this way, much of the religious baggage of the gentile church will be dispensed, and God will work with virgin hearts that are soft and pliable, having never been tainted by the religious institutions of men. Faith is like a large ship at sea that needs miles and requires hours and vast amounts of fuel to turn and go the opposite direction. According to this analogy, the gentiles who don’t expect this blessing from the Jews will not repent in time to be partakers of this Great Endtime Revival. The result will be that many will fall away from the faith because they will not receive the Jewish ministry or the doctrines they bring to the world, which will become God’s provision of salvation as a means of surviving the last day’s atrocities. Instead, the gentile church is fully vested in their contrived pre-tribulation rapture theory. The current gentile Church has no intension of going through the tribulation. There will be a rapture well enough, but it won’t happen when the majority says it will happen. Many within the current gentile church will sadly not receive the ministry of the Jews, and because they will not listen to the Jewish remnant, the 144,000 as spoken in the book of Revelation, they will go their own way during the days of the antichrist when he comes to power, and they will fall into his trap and consequently lose their faith and their souls. (249g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our hope in this life -- This verse goes with verse 33 Rom 11,13-16 (210j) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Gentiles included >> Fellow heirs with Israel (Spiritual Jew) >> God welcomes the Gentiles to the promise of Israel Rom 11-14 (24i) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Jews are envious of the gospel -- This verse goes with verse 11 (63c) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Righteous deception >> Church deceive the world -- This verse goes with verse 11 Rom 11,15-32 (210h) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is from the Jews >> The Jew first -- These verses go with verse 12. If the Jews had no enmity with God, He would not have grafted the gentiles into the Jewish faith, but because the Jews were disobedient the gentiles were grafted in their place. Nevertheless, God never disowned the Jew, even while they were crucifying His Son. He loves them for the sake of the fathers and for the sake of the vision He has for them, that they would create a nation from nothing who would establish a legacy of faith toward God that would never end. After all, the city of God in heaven is called the New Jerusalem, the city that Abraham sought by faith as he roamed the earth in search of the promise that God made to his descendents forever. It is this vision that God has of Israel and of the Jew that makes Him continue to love them, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Rom 11-15,16 (241i) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecution to the death >> Kill Jesus >> Kill Jesus by the predetermined plan of God >> The apostles taught about His death – The root of the gentile faith in the gospel of Christ is Israel. Crucifying their own Messiah and doing the very thing that God predestined to occur doesn’t make them any less guilty of what they did, but the sacrifice itself can remove the stain of sin if they would just accept it. The fact that they have rejected the gospel of Christ is the cause of their long tarried sorrow. Crucifying the Lord was the predetermined plan of God, and because of this the gospel stands as God’s remedy for sin. He didn’t use another nation, but went to His own people and let them perform the sacrifice, which they had been practicing since the days of Moses. Although Jesus’ cross represents the deepest level of sin, God used it to prove the full extent of man's problem by crucifying the only good man that ever lived, the person whom Israel had greatly anticipated. God was not angry at Israel for crucifying Jesus, evidenced by Peter's sermon that led two thousand Jews to faith in Christ, and then later five thousand. Crucifying Christ was for their own salvation, but they rejected Christ as their Messiah. God has been more disappointed in Israel these last two millennia for rejecting Christ as their Savior than for crucifying Him, so the gentiles took their place as stewards of the gospel. Paul warned the gentiles to be careful and do not become haughty and do not finger-point at the Jews or cop an attitude against them, because they are the root of the gospel. Rom 11-15 (38i) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Resurrection of the righteous Rom 11,16-24 (225i) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about the garden of the kingdom >> Parables about plants Rom 11,16-22 (97j) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> Standing firm in the faith >> Immovable (98e) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> To keep from falling away KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11,17-32 (96n) Thy kingdom come >> Having a negative attitude about sin >> Having a rebellious attitude (186f) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> The fool >> The heart of a fool – This is a message to all the neo-nazis out there, who think they need to eliminate the Jews, who think Hitler had the right idea. Based on the fact that you wish people dead says you don’t belong to God, but when you specifically want to kill Jews, God’s chosen people according to the flesh, it confirms your reprobate mind. Then, when you consider yourself Christian, it proves you are oblivious to the wisdom of the Scriptures. See also: Anti-Semitism; Rom 11,17-25; 211b / Antichrist (Anti-Semitism); 1Jn 2-22,23; 201a Rom 11,17-27 (148g) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Natural advantage regarding the Church -- These verses go with verse 1 Rom 11,17-25 (211b) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Gentiles included >> God gives the Gentiles Israel’s place – The Jews were broken off for their unbelief and God grafted the gentiles in their place is the analogy, though the cross was meant for both Jews and gentiles. “You [therefore] stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear” (v20). Anybody who would persecute the Jew is not standing by his faith, nor does he fear God. We can hate and persecute the Jews, or we can stand by our faith, but we can’t do both. That is, there is no such thing as a born-again neo-nazi or a Christian anti-Semite. If we side with the neo-nazis, God will not spare us; He will not let us into His heaven. It is impossible to be a child of God and hate the Jews, or any people group for that matter. If we can’t be kind to the Jews and to all people, then we don’t belong in heaven. See also: Anti-Semitism; Rom 11,17-22; 181h (231d) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> God’s grace is the mystery of godliness >> Having favor with God is a mystery Rom 11,17-24 (49a) Judgment >> Nations are destroyed >> Israel judged as an example for us (58e) Paradox >> Opposites >> You do not support the root; the root supports you – The key words are cultivated and natural. There is the wild olive tree that represents the gentiles, and then there is the cultivated olive tree representing Israel, and the farmer is God who has been cultivating Israel ever since he called Abraham to faith. Israel has a very long past, and the Jews are able to tap into their past to believe in God, because the things we read in Scripture actually happened to their ancestors. When the Jews return to their faith, they will be very zealous for Jesus, and they will receive a strong anointing from God. They will rule the world for a short period during the great tribulation derailing the antichrist, and they will gather the believing gentiles to themselves, considering them their children. This 144,000 Jewish remnant will be the woman of Revelation chapter 12. (64d) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Limits of God >> God cannot help but judge sin (130k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Accept one another >> Love tears down social differences in the Church – To say that the Jews are more evil than any other nationality is like saying men are more evil than women. In the Genesis account of the curse, God charged them both equally with sin. He was more disappointed in Adam, because he knew better and because he had authority over his wife, but when it came to doling out the judgments, no one was more cursed than the other. So, if there is no difference between men and women regarding sin, then neither is there a difference in the curse from one ethnic group to another. Someone might be prejudiced and name off some reasons for the prejudice, but his prejudice is against the Lord. God commanded us to love everyone, but to be prejudice is the antithesis of that. To hold another in contempt is for God to hold us in contempt at the judgment. (223e) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Conceit >> Conceited toward God KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11,17-23 (184j) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace of God >> Dragging God’s Grace Through The Mud >> Unwilling to honor God’s grace (206l) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> Perish in your sin >> Perish from a lack of fruit (starvation) – This is probably the best passage debunking the false doctrine of eternal security. Those who believe in eternal security have fabricated an intricate belief system using various passages to support the idea that we cannot lose our salvation, but this passage is adamant that we can. Their doctrines are interpretations of Scripture, whereas this passage requires no interpretation at all but plainly states we have reason to fear God. The eternal security crowd bypasses these verses, wanting nothing to do with them, except to go to their books and see how their teachers have spun it in order to maintain their preconceived doctrines. Paul uses another term, “fear God.” Many Christians today don’t believe there is a need to fear God because He is all about love, love, love. They think they can live anyway they want and still have no reason to fear God. This again flies in the face of Scripture. Paul is talking about a bona-fide Christian who loses his salvation from a lack of fruit in his life. He was grafted into the vine, whether he ever bore fruit is questionable. He may have born fruit for a while and then quit; branches do that. Following the context, Israel is only one nation, so the branches, stems and twigs represent individual Jews; therefore, the branches and twigs that have been grafted into the cultivated olive tree by extension represent gentile replacements. Therefore, if God would not tolerate the insubordination of Israel, much less will He tolerate the gentiles abusing His grace. Israel as a nation was never truncated but Jews within their nation have perished and gentile believers have in fact replaced them. Paul was telling us to be careful not to be arrogant against the Jew, because “if God did not spare the natural branches, then neither will he spare you” (v21). This suggests that if a person were to cop an attitude against the Jews, it could lead to falling away from the faith, for we who were grafted into the natural olive tree can just as easily be broken off and replaced because of our unbelief. Jesus said in Jn 15-6, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” There is cause to fear God, for if they were replaced because of their unbelief, then it could just as easily happen to us, so we must stand by our faith. (227f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >> Depending on Jesus to have compassion >> Depending on Jesus to receive us -- These verses go with verse 32 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11,17-22 (5n) Responsibility >> Jesus’ yoke of obedience >> Our obligation to believe God – This is a straightforward analogy about the gentiles being grafted into the cultivated olive tree, taking Israel’s place, saying that if we do not continue in his kindness, we too will be cut off, especially if we become embittered against the Jews, since Israel is the root of our faith. (19e) Sin >> Mocking God Without a cause >> Uncontrollable circumstances (24b) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anxiety >> Fear of losing the fruits of your labors (51c) Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world >> Warning of Wrath >> God warns the Church (88c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith produces works >> Relationship between faith and works >> Faith without works is dead – Paul is reiterating the words of Jesus in Jn 15-6, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dies up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” There are main branches and there are stems and smaller twigs. Pruning cuts off branches that don’t bear fruit; this could mean peripheral issues in a Christian’s life, or it could mean people who once believed but no longer bear fruit. Pruning disallows non-fruit-bearing branches from using up the limited resources of the tree, suggesting that works have a way of legitimizing our faith. The vine dresser will continue cutting off branches that don’t bear fruit and grafting in new ones, until the tree (the Church) bears fruit according to the will of God. (167h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It does not believe the word of God (167k) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world >> The world’s unbelief (179j) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> Unworthy servant >> Unworthy of eternal life (180j) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Rebellion >> Rebelling against God’s narrow way >> Rebelling against the ways of God (181h) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Self deception >> Imaginary perception of self >> Distorted perception of self – Obviously Paul was writing to Roman Christians, who would persecute the Jews. Maybe they were already saying back then that they were Jesus killers, but they failed to realize the fact that had the Jews not crucified their Lord, none of us could be saved. They inadvertently obeyed the Lord when they made the holy sacrifice, which is admittedly complicated, but these are the ways of God. Neo-nazis and anti-Semites say that Jewish people are the cause of most of society’s ills, and they get angry when we confront their hatred and demand proof of their accusations. The Jews are not more involved in the ills of society than other nations; they played their part, and the Germans also played their part; every nation has had a hand in adding sin to man’s legacy. No person, people or nation is worse than another. We have no right to judge the Jews for killing their Messiah, because they made the holy sacrifice for the forgiveness of every man’s sin. The Romans actually performed the sacrifice, but the Jews demanded it of them, making both Jews and gentiles equally guilty in crucifying the Son of God. Romans were Italians. Nobody blames the Italians for crucifying Jesus; in fact, the Roman Catholic Church situated in Italy makes the claim that it is the true Christian Church, and it was at their hands that Jesus was brutally murdered, yet the Roman Catholic Church to this day has a low estimation of Jews. Man’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. See also: Anti-Semitism; 202j (202j) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Running from walking in faith >> Running from God through unbelief – Skinheads and neo-nazis and anti-Semites and everybody who condemns the Jews for being "Jesus killers" are completely ignorant of verse 18, “Do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.” Paul used the word “arrogant” twice. Arrogance is the root problem of prejudice. When we look at Skinheads, neo-nazis and anti-Semites, the trait they all have in common is arrogance. A world of bigots do all the judging, and those faithful in Jesus do not. Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (Jn 7-24). Everyone thinks they have wisdom from God, but their fruit tells the real story. See also: Anti-Semitism; Rom 11,17-32; 186f (217f) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> God gives up on you >> After you refuse to comply (222b) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Do not give what is holy to dogs >> God does not entrust his treasures to dogs >> God retrieves his treasures when sheep revert to dogs (230g) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> Partaking of God’s judgment Rom 11-17,18 (229j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> Partaking of Jesus >> Partaking of Jesus’ gift Rom 11-17 (32a) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Grace >> God’s grace seeks man -- This verse goes with verse 22 (237l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> Transformed from death to life -- This verse goes with verse 24 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11-18 (94j) Thy kingdom come >> God’s perspective >> His perspective on the premise Rom 11,19-22 (88h) Thy Kingdom Come >> Fear of God >> Fearing the judgment of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Fear the sovereign hand of God on your life Rom 11,19-21 (21a) Sin >> Disobedience >> Demonstrating unbelief in the character of God -- These verses go with verses 30-32. “They were broken off for their unbelief.” We could look up the word unbelief in a Bible dictionary, and what do you think we would find? "Unbelief" means unbelief. That is to say, there are subtle nuances, implications and connotations embedded in the context of what Paul is saying that a Bible dictionary just doesn’t address. First of all, the Bible teaches primarily in the book of Hebrews that unbelief originates from a spirit; there are demonic spirits that attach to a person to produce unbelief. In other words, the biblical meaning of "unbelief" doesn’t mean non-belief, because a person who is a victim of an evil spirit believes many things, just nothing true or biblically sound. Demonic spirits cannot attach themselves to just anyone unless they have permission from the host that he grants through disobedience. Once the person develops a lifestyle of disobedience, a spirit of unbelief can rob him of his faith. So in this way, disobedience and unbelief can be seen as the same thing, in that they both produce each other's fruit in a cascading snowball effect that can very quickly get away from him, and before long his faith has eroded to the point that he doesn’t remember how he once believed. See also: Formation of the reprobate mind; 1Tim 5-14,15; 163l (145h) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Demon possession >> Human state >> Filthiness >> Deeds of the flesh -- These verses go with verses 11-13 Rom 11-22 (32a) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Grace >> God’s grace seeks man -- This verse goes with verse 17 (100c) Thy kingdom come >> Perseverance >> Persevere in abiding in Christ (219h) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> God chooses us as we choose ourselves >> God chooses us through our faithfulness Rom 11,23-29 (142a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears witness to the new >> Prophesy about the dispensation >> The end times -- These verses go with verses 3&4. God inaugurated a new age through the apostles in the first century and as He will do in the last days through the Jewish nation, initiating the second coming of Christ. A time is coming when signs and wonders will once again become commonplace as when Jesus walked the earth, for they are always present during age transitions, not necessarily during the revivals of men. Everyone will come to know these Jewish witnesses who have healing in their hands, and they will exercise the power of God to invite Jesus Christ back to the earth, ushering in the Millennium. Whatever the Two Witnesses say, God will do through them, because they are natural olive branches grafted into their own olive tree (Rev 11-4). Christianity is a perfect fit for the Jews, whereas the wild branches of the gentiles must change their whole perspective as Christians, because Jewish heritage had no place in their lives until they first believed. Rom 11,23-27 (210ia) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is from the Jews >> Jews are believers >> Gentile Christians have a Jewish religion – The natural branches come from the olive tree, but the branches that the gentiles represent did not come from fruit-bearing trees, but were grafted into the olive tree and began to bear fruit. The promises belong to the Jews, along with the adoption as sons, the glory of the covenants, the giving of the Law and the temple services (Rom 9-4). They are natural branches, yet because of their disobedience they must be grafted into their own olive tree, and this will happen at the end of the age. The need to be adopted comes from Adam’s sin whose children were born to Satan, whereas the need to be grafted comes from being estranged from God through disobedience and unbelief. If we possess the life of God, being wild branches grafted into the natural olive tree, how much more will the natural branches bear fruit when grafted into their own olive tree? Paul is making a distinction between the Jews and the gentiles, saying that the branches that will be grafted in the last days who are Jewish by nature will bear fruit in ways that the gentiles never could. Rom 11-24,25 (221g) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from the mind of man >> He denies His kingdom to man’s stubborn will Rom 11-24 (31g) Gift of God >> Grace >> Salvation >> God’s mercy opposes man’s theology -- This verse goes with verses 30-32 (237l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> Transformed from death to life -- This verse goes with verse 17 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11-25,26 (214g) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> Dispensation of God’s revelations >> Dispensation of the last days – The words “choice” and “chosen” pertain to God changing the circumstances to make events unfold according to His will, as when He delivered His people from the hand of Pharaoh, marking the difference between mere foreknowledge and predestination. That is, not only does God know Israel will repent one day, He will actually cause their repentance. Note the conflict this generates between the will of man and the will of God, yet God remains confident in future events, that man will follow His plan, though the Jews have had a shaded past with respect to obeying God. All these things will happen in God’s time; in fact all aspects of God’s foreknowledge and predestination are based on time. Notice that the book of Revelation uses language that depicts a certain time in which events must occur, indicating that endtime events don’t just happen; they are predestined! "There is a time for everything," Solomon eloquently stated in Ecclesiastes 3,1-10, only he was speaking in terms of human understanding, whereas predestination is a divine perception of time that says, "There is a time [prepared] for everything." See also: Predestination (God chooses us as we choose ourselves); Jn 17-9; 219e Rom 11-25 (22k) Sin >> Pride glorifies self >> Being wise in your own eyes – What is most important to arrogant people is being right. These are untrustworthy stewards, not so much referring to those who are wrong but those who refuse to admit they are wrong. Whenever we have an opportunity to humble ourselves, it always ends in our favor, but those who harden their hearts are unrighteous stewards, who deny that Christianity is a Jewish religion. Rom 11-28 (58e) Paradox >> Opposites >> Jews are enemies of God for the Gentiles sake, but are beloved for the sake of the fathers – The Jews are enemies of the gospel for our sake, and for that reason God has extended His salvation to us. This implies that if things were different, He might not have extended His grace toward the gentiles. Let’s just hypothesize for a minute that the Jews received their Messiah, how that would have changed history? Israel crucified their own Messiah, but had they repented and received Him, He would have called the gentiles to salvation through them, and they would have accomplished what is prophesied to happen in the last days. Instead, there was a 2000-year digression because of Israel’s disobedience, meaning that if Israel had received their Messiah, Jesus may have returned much sooner. All the apostles were expecting Jesus to return in their lifetime. God’s plan has always been that His Jewish race should lead the world in things pertaining to God, and at the end of the age they will lead the gentiles to salvation. Therefore, whatever happens at the end of the age is what God intended from the beginning, meaning that in the last days God will get His way. Faithfulness will be our ticket to heaven, and unfaithfulness will become our downfall. God will not monkey with man in the last days like He has these thousands of years, allowing the Church to do whatever it wants. In the last days He will expect us to obey Him, and if we don’t, we will be removed. (151ba) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> New Testament bears witness of the Old >> The Patriarchs >> Abraham >> Faith of Abraham – God loves Israel for the sake of His promises to Abraham and his sons, Isaac and Jacob, not for the sake of anything Israel did. He promised the fathers that He would love their offspring, since that was His plan from the beginning. He promised that Abraham’s offspring would become many nations. When we look at Isaac, he only had two sons: Jacob and Esau, and all of Jacob’s children are Israel but Esau’s children became the Edomites of modern-day Jordan. However, Abraham had a son before Isaac through Hagar, Sarah’s maid. Her son was Ishmael, who became the Arabians of the Middle East, who are currently at war with the world, and especially with Israel, being rejected as the fulfillment of promise made to Abraham for a son. (211c) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Gentiles included >> Gentiles steal the kingdom from Israel through obedience -- This verse goes with verses 11&12 (219c) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God has chosen us -- This verse goes with verse 5 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11-29 (35ja) Gift >> God gives Himself to us >> Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> Spiritual gifts >> Possessing gifts from God (91j) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> God’s calling transcends the will of man >> It is etched into our spirit – This is a verse that Eternal Security advocates use to bolster their popular doctrine. However, since it is in context with a chapter that is most incriminating against their Eternal Security ideas, it suggests we should take a closer look at this verse. Some say that a person cannot lose his salvation because “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable,” but Paul was talking about the entire nation of Israel, going all the way back to the promise He made to Abraham, in the way that it applies to the whole Church and not to individuals. God will never revoke Israel's position as His chosen nation, but He has revoked many individual Jews from the promise of heaven. Looking at their spiritual condition that has persisted for the last 2000 years, the faith of Israel is in ruins, yet God intends to reconstruct the Jewish people and call them to manage a Great Endtime Revival at the end of the age. See also: Eternal security? (Removing our lampstand); Rev 2-5; 105f Rom 11,30-32 (21a) Sin >> Disobedience >> Demonstrating unbelief in the character of God -- These verses go with verses 19-21. It is inspiring for people to develop a bona fide relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit and observe a logical procession of events elapse to conclude that we are indeed being led by the Spirit. However, when we look at “believers” who call themselves Christians today, all we see is a lot of worldliness. Had the gentiles obeyed the Lord as they were called, the Jews may have come to faith sooner, but as it is, the Jews will return to faith in the process of fulfilling endtime prophecy through God’s grace. It will be a sovereign and reverent work of God when the Jews recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah in the last days. We will see things happen before our eyes that the world has never seen. Christ will reveal the glory of the Father just before the kingdoms of men come to a close as God ushers in His thousand-year reign. (31g) Gift of God >> Grace >> Salvation >> God’s mercy opposes man’s theology -- These verses go with verse 6 Rom 11-30,31 (58e) Paradox >> Opposites >> We have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, now they will be shown mercy because of us – The scenario of this passage indicates that some Messianic Jews will help restore the Church, and as the Church is restored, Israel will take notice and be restored to faith too. Because of disobedience in Israel, God has shown the gentiles mercy, but He has done this that Israel might come to faith through us. God wanted the gentile church to obey Him in order that Israel might look upon us and see our faith in their Messiah and join us, that we might join them. However, over the age of grace the gentiles’ disobedience has rivaled Israel’s, so that when the Jews look upon the Gentile Church for guidance, all they see is a lot of mindless religion and hostility against them, particularly with the Catholic Church. How are the Jews supposed to look to the Gentiles and be inspired to believe in Jesus if we are not living the faith ourselves? Judaism is one religion, Catholicism is another, the Methodist, the Lutherans, and the list continues indefinitely with nobody particularly inspired to believe in Jesus through any of them. Rom 11,32-36 (16d) Sin >> Man’s nature is instinctively evil >> Disobedient to the will of God Rom 11-32 (127a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >> Be kind like God >> Practice the kindness of God – Kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5-22,23). We are to be kind to God’s people and to everyone. Peter taught that when we practice the fruit of the Spirit, “The entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you” (2Pet 1-11). John said, “God is love” (1Jn 4-8), and, according to the genesis account of creation, God spoke the stars into existence through faith (Heb 11-3). The Bible teaches that faith and love are interchangeable, so yes, we are saved by grace through faith; that is, we are saved by grace through love, practicing the fruits of the Spirit. This rubs people the wrong way because they just want to believe certain doctrines about God and trust they are going to heaven with having to obey Him. There are some verses that seem to say this, but the entirety of Scripture does not. Therefore, we must go back to passages such as Eph 2-8,9 that seem to talk about an ethereal mental ascent, and Rom 10-9, what is meant by, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” If we truly believe that God is good, than our works will surely show it. See also: Faith and love; 1Cor 8-1,2; 96g (227f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >> Depending on Jesus to have compassion >> Depending on Jesus to receive us -- This verse goes with verses 17-23 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11,33-36 (89g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom is the key that unlocks the mysteries of God – The Lord's Prayer (Mat 6-10) epitomizes the gospel of Christ better than any other verse in the Bible, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” So now we understand the gospel, but trying to understand God Himself we use this passage. He wants us to emulate the life to come in a body that is under the curse and in a world that is torn with sin. This passage refers to the fact that God possesses all things and has wisdom that transcends His creation. Anybody who would question His wisdom, God would answer him with His judgment that is equally unsearchable. After people challenge God in a duel of wits, they compare their actions to their consequences and come short of understanding Him. For example, in Rev 22-20 God says, “I am coming quickly;” that was 2000 years ago. Likewise, for those who condemn God, He condemns them to a hell that befits their actions, and they find it infinitely more severe than they think they deserve. He is very big, making everything we do have big consequences, and His rewards are equally beyond measure and scope for those who love Him. (138f) Exhortation (Key verse) -- Language intended to encourage (138g) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> Glorifying God in your exhortation – Throughout eternity God will make decisions and do things in ways that we would have never considered. After a hundred billion years God will continue to astound us. Man in control has drifted from the will of God and from the best way to govern himself. Even in heaven if God were not in charge, our empires would topple and eternity would continue without us. The decrees that God will make in the eons to come we would have never determined on our own, but He will lead man in ways that will endure forever. We see an easier way, but He sees the big picture and knows what’s best in the long run. (212a) Sovereignty Of God — Key verse for the entire chapter – The Bible speaks extensively about being His responsible children, yet our destiny is not in our own hands, but in the hand of God. Man has no power over God to alter His works, to frustrate His plans or to deny His word. Moreover, we can trust Him with our souls when the uncertainties of life attack the frailty of our flesh or when our emotions overpower our will to obey Him. This chapter shows how God is in complete control of everything even when it doesn't seem like it. This knowledge is often a great comfort, especially during tumultuous times when we need assurance that an infinite and loving God is watching over us. (213a) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all knowing >> God kn ows everything about everything – Who can read God’s mind? Paul said that we have the mind of Christ (1Cor 2-16). If man had to guess what God would do next, he would have a zero percent success rate, but when God reveals His mind to certain people, they can make statements that are true, and time will prove them right. They should not expect to be congratulated, though, because people are too estranged from God to let their pride admit someone else knew something they didn't know, also because so much time has elapsed that the people who spoke the word of God have already died. These are the ways of God; large amounts of time often accompanies the fulfillment of His word. God doesn’t do this on purpose; He is an eternal being and time means nothing to Him. He tries to hurry-up, but when a thousand years gets past Him or two thousand years, it seems like only a couple days. (213c) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all powerful >> The creation is subject to Christ – There had to be a time when nothing existed except God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) before He created the first thing, not even space existed, and that period by definition was an eternity, for every segment of eternity is eternal in itself. God lived alone, solitary, forever, and then He started creating things. God spent an eternity alone, where there were no walls, ceiling or floor to contain Him, no stimulation of any kind, in pitch-black darkness. When God sends man to a place like this, He calls it hell. God already experienced hell for an eternity, and his environment of choice is fire and smoke. It is unlikely that experiencing all the sins of mankind was any worse than eternal solitary confinement, except that His experience of hell was heavenly, for the definition of heaven is the presence of God. He has gone though hell and back and it didn’t phase him, and He did it for those He will condemn to hell, because He would not subject His creation to something that He Himself has not experienced. This is the God we serve! Man will sit in darkness and think about all the things he has done, and his sin will eat him alive. (214a) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> God owns everything – God owns everything, and He makes sure that all glory and honor returns to Him, like rain that waters the fields, and then returns to the ocean. God will create a new heavens and a new earth, and we will be with Him at the beginning of it. He will create a new Adam and Eve, and place them in his new creation and command them to be fruitful and multiply, and over the course of eternity their numbers will increase to infinity, and we will reign over them through Christ. We will start as mayors of cities, them graduate to presidents of countries, then become rulers of planets and then emperors of galaxies, etc. We will be stewards of God’s kingdom, and those whom we govern will think very highly of us. They will tend to think of us as gods, but we will tell them that there is a God in heaven who reigns over all, that we were worms but He redeemed us from the power of sin and exalted us according to His own sovereign discretion, and we return the glory to God, for no one keeps the glory to himself, but forwards it all to Him. See also: New heavens and a new earth (Our inheritance is infinite and eternal); Heb 11-11,12; 128ia (216b) God’s Will Over Man (Key verse) (217b) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> God Is Independent Of His Creation >> No one can tell God what to do – If we don’t understand hell, which no one does, we should continue believing in God though we have questions. We personally would not condemn anybody to eternal punishment in the lake of fire no matter what sins he committed, but we understand that God does. That is, we don't understand the full extent of His holiness, otherwise we would understand hell. We may not like the truth about hell that awaits God’s enemies, but we trust His judgments though they are foreign to us. Therefore, the question of hell being right or wrong is irrelevant; the question is whether God can orchestrate and control a kingdom that will never end and will never stop growing, ultimately filling an infinite universe. A God who can do that is simply incomprehensible. We are unable to manage a city of eight million people without screwing up everything, much less a planet, because we don’t understand justice and mercy, nor do we have the wisdom and knowledge of God. See also: hell; 218b / God experienced hell before He created anything; Heb 8,1-6; 246d (218b) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> You cannot control the judgment of God >> You cannot control how God responds to rebellion – Witnessing all the carnage in this life and doing nothing about it would seem out of God’s character in view of His role as judge of all creation. He is allowing people to do what they want to prove what is in them. God is also doing what He promised; man has ownership of this planet and can do as he pleases with it. Therefore, to the degree that God does nothing in the face of war and genocide, is the degree of severity that God intends to judge the wicked at the designated time. If He stepped-in and stopped this human charade, it would become the ceiling of His judgment, but because God tolerates mankind and the unspeakable horror that he perpetrates on this planet against his fellow man and against the earth itself, it indicates the severity of His White Throne Judgment when it comes to order. We should pity our worst enemy who is destined to stand before the judge of all creation on that day, because there will be no mercy at all. This reveals the mercy and grace that we have received through Christ by faith in Him. See also: hell; 217b (252h) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God for who He is >> Worship God for being God – No one will be able to boast in heaven. Only by the mercies of God is anyone's name written in the Lamb's Book of Life; in the midst of our disobedience God has called and chosen us. This is His gift, and none of us are worthy of it, defining the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, that He should choose a family of sinners who must rely on Him to become His children. God doesn’t want anyone in His heaven who thinks he belongs there in his own right. He wants people who are humble and have no motive to base a rebellion. God had to humble His creation before He could receive us. Therefore, who can accuse God of evil? Man is not in a position to understand God or to pass judgment against Him. Who has first given to Him that He should pay it back? God is the source of all things! The crux of man’s sinful nature is summarized in the word "poverty". Man is impoverished from inside-out. He was born into this world with nothing, and during the short stay of his life he will possess nothing. To have cars and houses and whatever else he may accumulate will slide through his fingers on the day of his death. We Christians have eternal life by the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts as our only true possession. This means those who do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit live in utter poverty, regardless of their earthly possessions. The only thing God does not own in all creation is our hearts, and we offer it to Him. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 11-33 (41a) Judgment >> God glorifies Himself as the judge of all (249g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our hope in this life -- This verse goes with verse 12 Rom 11,34-36 (23e) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Poor are those who are rich in their own minds Rom 11-34,35 (141i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears witness to the new >> Old Testament is for our instruction >> Teaching from the Old Testament – Counseling someone apart from God's word is like throwing someone a lifebuoy without a rope; what good is that? He now has a floatation device, but no way to retrieve him. He is still in distress bouncing on the sea waves. Rom 11-36 (212b) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> The creation glorifies God >> God created all things through Christ – All we need do is look into the depths of hell and see all the worms squirming in their filth to know that we would have been there with them, except for God's grace and mercy. When God glorified His Son, it was the Father's own glory and honor, and the glory that He bestows on us is the same, and we glorify Him. He disseminates His glory to us that we might return it with praise and worship of His inconceivable wisdom that we find in every nook and cranny of His creation; but when His glory is absorbed in a person, instead of reflected back to Him, it turns into idolatry, like a river that runs dry and like a cul-de-sac that dead-ends abruptly. The one who seeks glory for himself will find judgment, but the one who seeks to glorify God will find humility, grace and mercy. See next page