GRAFTED IN
And when the fullness of gentiles comes in, all Israel will be saved.
Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved… [1]
There is salvation coming for all Israel. And the thing that sets it off is the full number of gentiles coming to faith in Messiah. Then they will see Him whom they have pierced and mourn deeply and receive mercy from God.
And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. [2]
Jesus, speaking through Zechariah, says, “When they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced…” this is hundreds of years before Jesus was even born, let alone pierced. It’s so deeply personal. It reminds me of when Jesus said to Paul, “Why are you persecuting me?”[3]
This amazes me. It’s fantastic writing (conceived by an unrestrained imagination). God chooses Israel to be a blessing to all nations. Israel largely rejects her Messiah, shedding His blood. Then, by His shed blood, the New Covenant with the house of Israel is inaugurated and Gentiles are now partakers of the New Covenant with them. Then, by a wild turn of events the Jewish people are made jealous by that fact that Gentiles are now enjoying their Messiah, when many Jews themselves are not!
Imagine how much more provocative it is that many of the Gentiles saved by this Jewish Jesus are ones that formerly made themselves enemies to the God of Israel and His beloved people (Iranians, Saudis, Turks etc.)! And this jealously has the desired outcome of provoking Israel back to faithfulness to the covenant God made with them. [4]
DONKEY MOUNTAIN
The Prophet Zechariah has proven his trustworthiness in speaking on behalf of God. He predicted that Jesus would come to Jerusalem humbly and riding on a donkey. [5] Five centuries later, that’s exactly how He entered the city! [6]
He predicted the moment when Israel will finally recognize her Messiah. I can’t wait for that day to happen! And he predicted the discipline of Israel and the judgment of the nations.
Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley… [7]
Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. [8]
Consider the modern nations that have come against Israel in recent years. Imagine ISIS, Hamas, the Iranian Regime, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Houthi Rebels going up to Jerusalem every year to worship the Jewish King alongside their Jewish brothers!
I think that is the Lord’s “I have a dream” speech.
That’s where this whole thing is going.
So what now? What does all this mean to me?
Our blessed hope as Christians living amidst this present, evil age is to look to, long for, and hasten the coming day of God.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. [9]
What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God. [10]
Anticipation for the next age, the return of the Lord, the salvation of Israel directly informs how we live our everyday lives now. How so?
We know that when the gospel of the Kingdom is preached to all nations, then the end will come. We know that when the fullness of gentiles comes in, all Israel will be saved… when they see Him whom they pierced— in person at His great revealing!
Until then, we have a responsibility —given to us by Jesus — to bear witness to His coming Kingdom. We have been commissioned by the Lord to preach the gospel to all nations. And to do so while living lives consistent with the Sermon on the Mount. The timing we leave to Him, but the obedience is still on us.
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the [revealing] of Jesus Christ. [11]
So how can we practically implement all of this into our daily lives?
1. Read the Word become familiar with what the Lord says about the Church, about Israel, and about the return of the King.
2. Preach the Gospel of the coming Kingdom when Jesus will physically return to personally rule from the throne of David in the City of the Great King, Jerusalem.
3. Long for His return. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! [12]
4. Love Jesus’ brethren, not with popular or political opinion, or blind loyalty to the State of Israel who can do no wrong, but in the way Jesus asked us to in Matthew 25.
5. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may they be secure who love you! [13]
6. Live a godly life of self-control, set apart from the world for honorable use by the King. Look different. Talk different. Don’t mimic Fox or CNN. Mimic Messiah!
7. Purposefully engage your community with these subjects in a meaningful way, rooted in Scripture (not conspiracy) that capitalizes on opportunities to actually advance the Gospel of the coming Kingdom.
Because, what if God would be pleased to use us as ministers of reconciliation to foster dialogue across religious and cultural divides? What if we had something of substance to offer the conversation around Israel and Palestine?
What if God desires for the Church to be a voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight” [14] working to make ready for the Lord a people prepared [15] for what’s ahead?
So we can say confidently—with our chests:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. [16]
Lets help those around us to “love His appearing”
Maranatha!
Daniel Scott is a writer for FAI who loves resourcing those who have the Gospel to reach those who don’t.
