WBS.276
Q&A – WHAT IS THE MYSTERY OF THE GOSPEL? Part 6
Psalm 102:18 This shall be written
for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise
IAUE.
One of the dilemmas
IAUE had in restoring the lost sheep of the House of Israel was that they were
so diffused by mixed-marriages among the non-Hebrew nations over 700+ years
that many of them no longer knew they were descended from the tribes of
Jacob/Israel. How could IAUE restore
mercy to those from whom He had withdrawn His mercy; and once again call them
whom He said were no longer His people, the children of the living Elohim? Of course, we speak of it as a dilemma
because we can see it as a problem. IAUE
had already factored it in before the patriarchs were ever born.
Genesis 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed
IAUE, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they
which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture,
foreseeing that IAUE would justify the heathen through faith, preached
before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In
thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of
faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
16 Now to Abraham and his
seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of
one, And to thy seed, which is Messiah.
It was clearly, always
the intention of IAUE to redeem not just the physical offspring of Abraham, but
all the nations (gentiles) of the earth who would become the children of
Abraham by faith. There was a
particularly powerful illustration that IAUE used to help burn this realization
into the consciousness of the children of Israel. He arranged for the patriarchs to raise their
children in Egypt, and for their generations to reside in Egypt 430 years. Over and over again, IAUE referred to His
people as having been “sojourners” and “strangers” in the land of Egypt. By this experience, they were to have
cultivated a compassion for those who are sojourners and strangers in the land.
Leviticus 19:34 But the stranger that
dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou
shalt love him as thyself; for ye
were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am IAUE your Elohim.
Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, the heaven and
the heaven of heavens is the IAUE’s thy Elohim, the earth also, with
all that therein is.
15 Only IAUE had a delight
in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even
you above all people, as it is this day.
16 Circumcise therefore the
foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
17 For the IAUE your
Elohim is Elohim of elohim, and Master of masters, a great El, a mighty, and a
terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
18 He doth execute the
judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving
him food and raiment.
19 Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the
land of Egypt.
To the Jews who were
contemporary with Paul, the term “Gentiles” referred as much to their lost brethren
of the House of Israel as it did to the heathen nations around them. Only the context of the usage of the term in
the New Testament can help to distinguish if they are speaking of the paganized
Hebrews or the completely non-Hebrew peoples.
The term “the Greek” seemed to be a special reference to the House of
Israel, presumably because once their nation had been destroyed by Assyria,
they were either deposed to or migrated northward to Greece and beyond. The House of Israel was definitely identified
as the “scattered” people of IAUE. Moses
had prophesied that IAUE would scatter them throughout the nations of the earth
if they departed from their faithfulness to Him. They were unfaithful. IAUE divorced them; and they were scattered
across the face of the earth; however, it was because they were scattered that made
it possible got the covenant IAUE made with Abraham to be fulfilled: “in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.”
As the gospel began to
be taken to the lost sheep of the House of Israel to announce the “new covenant”
cut in the blood of the Messiah, it was not a message that was restricted to
those of Hebrew descent. In order to
capture and circumcise the hearts of the House of Israel, the message had to be
inclusive of all peoples.
Romans 3:19 Now we know that what
things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before Elohim.
20 Therefore by the deeds
of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is
the knowledge of sin.
The Law concluded the Jews (the tribes
of Judah and Benjamin and some of the tribe of Levi) to be in the same spiritual
condition as the lost sheep of the House of Israel…which is the same spiritual
condition as the heathen nations of the world.
The inability of the Jews to keep the Law made them no different than
any other people on Earth. It was the
keeping of the Law that was intended to separate them and make them different
from all peoples on Earth; but the Law convinced them of their own
sinfulness. Righteousness was never
going to come from keeping the Law. The
Law was its own proof of that.
Romans 11:32
For Elohim
hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might
have mercy upon all.
Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise
by faith of Yahushua Messiah might be given to them that believe.
The Jews rejection of Yahushua as
their Messiah unwittingly brought salvation to all nations.
21 But now the
righteousness of IAUE without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law
and the prophets;
22 Even the
righteousness of IAUE which is by faith
of Yahushua Messiah unto all and
upon all them that believe: for there is
no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of IAUE;
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Messiah: for it is the power of Elohim unto salvation to every one that believeth; to
the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the
righteousness of Elohim revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The
just shall live by faith.
You will remember in
reading the book of Acts that Paul always went first to the synagogues to
preach to the Jews. Most of them
rejected his gospel from city to city; until finally he said he would take the
gospel to the gentiles. Later, Paul
explained to the Romans that there was a blindness from IAUE that had come over
most of the Jews.
Romans 11:7 What then? Israel (the House of Judah) hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were
blinded.
8 (According as it is
written, Elohim hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should
not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
9 And David saith, Let
their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence
unto them:
10 Let their eyes be
darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
11 I say then, Have they
stumbled that they should fall? Elohim forbid: but rather through their fall
salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of
them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of
the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
The Jews’ rejection of
the gospel is what released it to be taken to the lost sheep of the House of
Israel; but the lost sheep of the House of Israel had become in essence no
different than any gentile; and many, if not most, no longer had any idea that
they were even of Hebrew descent. Hence,
a wide net had to be cast to bring in what IAUE refers to as “the elect.” The elect has only one meaning in all of
Scripture; and that is the redeemed remnant of the House of Israel. To redeem
the elect, the door had to be opened to all nations.
Romans 9:1 I say the truth in Messiah,
I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Messiah for my
brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the
glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of Elohim,
and the promises;
5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Messiah
came, who is over all, Elohim blessed for ever. Amen.
When IAUE revealed the
mystery of the gospel to Paul, he was made to realize that the new covenant was
indeed a NEW covenant. It was not just a
whitewashing of the failures of the old.
Many people attribute the book of Hebrews to Paul’s authorship. In it, he explains:
Hebrews 8:7 For if that first covenant had been
faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For finding fault with
them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith IAUE, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the
covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my
covenant, and I regarded them not, saith IAUE.
10 For this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
IAUE; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I
will be to them an Elohim, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach
every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know IAUE: for all
shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful
to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember
no more.
13 In that he saith, A new
covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is
ready to vanish away.
Paul realized that the
gospel was not going to succeed long-term with the House of Judah. It was to the House of Israel that IAUE had covenanted
to give them a new heart; and the House of Israel was diffused throughout the
gentile nations of the world.
Romans 11:15 For if the casting away
of them (the Jews) be the reconciling of the world, what shall the
receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
The Scriptures prophesy
the redemption of the House of Judah; but during their period of blindness, the
gospel is released to the nations of the world, principally seeking the lost
sheep of the House of Israel; but of necessity making salvation available to
all. We who are the true gentile and not
the descendants of Israel are the “collateral benefit” (as opposed to
collateral damage) of the gospel.
Because the House of Israel had become “gentiles,” all gentiles are able
to respond to the redemption in Messiah. We become like the sojourners who
benefitted from all the blessings that were bestowed upon the Hebrew people;
but with one truly significant distinction.
Romans 9:6 Not as though the word
of IAUE hath taken none effect. For they
are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all
children:
but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Paul goes on to explain
in this passage the supernatural nature of the seed of Abraham; showing that
even though Ishmael was the son of Abraham, he was not heir to the
covenant. Even though Esau was born to
Isaac, he was not heir to the covenant.
The children of Abraham were never going to be just his physical descendants.
Even before there was an Israel, there was the promise of blessing to all who
would believe IAUE.
Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed IAUE, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that
they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture,
foreseeing that IAUE would justify the heathen through faith, preached
before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with
faithful Abraham.
Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew,
which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which
is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit,
and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of Elohim.
Colossians 3:9
Lie not one to another,
seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is
renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Messiah
is all, and in all.
All of Adam’s race has
never left the eye of His creator. Yes,
He separated unto Himself the bloodline of Abraham; but His “children” were
always going to include those who trusted in His Son, the Messiah, by
faith. His love is not diminished to any
who believe. His redemption is not
withheld from any who believe. He has made of all peoples of the earth, one new
man, who is a new creature.
Psalm 102:18 This shall be written
for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall
praise IAUE.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Messiah, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
