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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Israel—Spirit and Flesh, #18
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. (Zechariah 8:7,8)
It is our understanding that the returning of the Jews to their own land is a sovereign work of the Spirit of God. We recognize that the power of God is moving Christian people to encourage and help the Jews return to the land of Israel.
The convergence of the spiritual and material realms, and of the Christian saints and the land and nation of Israel, is included in the spiritual fulfillment of the following:
The Blowing of Trumpets declaring war against the enemies of the Lord who hold God's people captive, and also announcing the forming of the army of the Lord.
The Day of Atonement signifying the repenting, confessing of sins, and cleansing of the people of the Lord.
The feast of Tabernacles portraying the entering of God into His rest in us.
These three feasts take place in the seventh month of the Jewish ceremonial year, which is the first month of the Jewish civil year.
The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles is the coming of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of those who are keeping the Words of Christ (John 14:18-23). The Kingdom of God is the rule of God in Christ in the saints over the nations of saved peoples of the earth, the rule of those who have experienced the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles.
The whole house of Israel. Does the Scripture speak of a unifying of elect Israel in the last days? Indeed it does. The thirty-seventh chapter of the Book of Ezekiel is a graphic portrayal of what is taking place in our own day. Remember, the Messianic "Israel" of the Prophets is Israel by election, by promise, whether Jewish or Gentile, and does not, according to the Apostle Paul, refer to Jews who are of Israel only by race and not by election.
The thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel speaks of the valley of dry bones. Who the dry bones are is defined in verse 11:
"These bones are the whole house of Israel."
The phrase "the whole house of Israel" reminds us of an expression used by the Apostle Paul:
. . . all Israel shall be saved: . . . (Romans 11:26)
Before we claim that the resurrection of the dry bones includes those Jews and Gentiles who are part of Christ, we must show who is meant by "Israel."
The key to the identity of Israel is Paul's "olive tree." Let us turn to the eleventh chapter of the Book of Romans in order to determine precisely who or what is meant by the "good olive tree."
To be continued.