All Israel Shall Be Saved.

The Chosen Vessel, as he was loving called by his Lord and master, Jesus Christ (Acts 9:15) is writing one his most recondite and sublime Epistle to the Romans. The Epistle is replete with doctrines; not a single word of exhortation is written, until chapter twelve.

Sadly, this Epistle, like Ephesians and many other Epistles, were sealed documents in WCG. None of the hireling ministry ever understood the Epistles of Paul.

In this post I want to examine and elucidate a concern the Chosen Vessel expressed about the children of Israel. He began by saying: "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit. That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish (and we have to add, had it been possible. For only Jesus can die for redemption of God's elect) that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh (Rom.9:1-2):

The question that demands an answer is this: If all Israel shall be saved (Rom.11:26), why would the Chosen Vessel (had it been possible) be willing to sacrifice his salvation for the salvation of his kinsmen, according to the flesh?

Understanding the phrase, "according to the flesh," is essential to understanding, why the Chosen Vessel was in "great heaviness and continual sorrow?" Of course, King Solomon was inspired to write: "He that increases knowledge, increases sorrow." The Chosen Vessel understood that there are two Israels, one according to the flesh, and the other according to the spirit. The Israel, according to the flesh, is destined for destruction. They are called, "vessels of wrath, fitted to destruction (Rom.9:22).  and that made Paul very sad, especially knowing that they were his kinsmen.

To begin to understand this deep, sublime mystery, one has to be able to understand the allegory of Galatians 4:22-31.

The allegory begins, "For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bond-maid, the other by a free woman."  The free woman, Sarai, despairing of being able to have a child, pleaded with Abraham, her husband, to go in unto Hagar, and make her pregnant (Gen.16:1-4).

The son conceived, and born from the relationship, was Ishmael, and is described in the allegory, as a child according to the flesh.

In the allegory,  Hagar, represents the old covenant, given from mount Saini, and administered from the earthly Jerusalem, who is in bondage with her children, that were born according to the flesh.

Sarai told Abraham. "Cast out the bond woman and her son; for the son of bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free women." 

That means, cast out the old Jerusalem, Hagar, and her children; the old covenant and its rituals, which were performed by the Levitical priests.

The casting out occurred at resurrection of Jesus. The abolition of the Levitical priesthood occurred at the same time. On the day of Pentecost, the new covenant was implemented, and the heavenly Jerusalem began to give birth to her children. Hence, the quotation from Isiah thus: "Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break (in the allegory, Sarah represented as the barren that did not bear) barren forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate (Hagar) has many more children than she that has a husband.

The Chosen Vessel, a man endowed with exceedingly great wisdom, anticipated the question that most thinking people would ask: "Is there unrighteousness with God (Rom.9:14). For God choose Isaac instead of Ishmael, and Jacob instead of Esau, and that decision was made in eternity, and was revealed in the dispensation of the fullness of time. Paul's initial reply to the question is, God forbid. But then he proceeded to prove by pure, logical deduction, that God cannot be unrighteous. The basis for that process of reasoning is contained in the analogy of God being the master potter. where the question is asked: "Can the thing formed say to him that formed it, why has thou made me thus" (Rom.9:21?" Well, you can ask the question, but are you justified in asking it?

When pure reason led Paul to the proof that God cannot be unrighteous, his exclamation of wonder is recorded here (Rom.11:33-36).

 

To be continued.

 

Without Love, Part 2

The Epistle to the Ephesians is one of the most recondite, profound and sublime epistle of Paul.  He considered himself particularly privilege to be chosen by God to write the mystery, which from the beginning of the world was hidden in God.  For the Chosen Vessel, writing from prison, and trembling with humility, said, "Unto me, who am the less than the least of all saints is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph.3:8). Sadly this epistle was a sealed document among the hireling ministers, that were in WCG.  

The epistle begins with greetings to the saints, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Who were the faithful in Christ Jesus? The Chosen Vessel then mentioned the doctrine election, which takes us back to the allegory of Jacob and Esau (Rom.9:10-11). Then he referred to predestination, adoption and redemption.  Doctrines that were never understood in WCG.

After establishing that the church was a church in which the love of God was evident, he wrote: "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: That the God of our Lord Jesus, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints..." (Eph.1: 15-18). This pray will not be answered on behalf of anyone who does not have the holy spirit of love.

The great Apostle, from his prison cell, continued his pray by saying,  "For this cause, (what cause is that?) I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; (The next request must be fulfilled in the Christian life, for it to be worth living).  The pray continues, "That you being rooted and grounded in love...

What does it mean to be "rooted and grounded in love?" Simply stated, it means to dwell in God, and God in you (1 John 4: 13). . Being rooted and grounded in love is a prerequisite for comprehending what comes next.

You "May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath, and the length, and the depth, and the height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph.3:18-19).

What is this cube that he described as have breath, length, depth and height? Simply stated, it is the heavenly Jerusalem or Sion, the wife of Christ, the mother of all true Christians (Rev.21:2). Isn't that astonishing?  

Also, if the saints are being asked to comprehend the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, what is it that the saints are comprehending?  Aurelius commenting on this text in the fourth contrary, rightly concluded, that the saints were comprehending the incomprehensibility of the love of Christ. And if one has comprehended the incomprehensibility of anything, one has fully understood it.

That logic may escape the hirelings, but nonetheless, it is true.

Finally, the Chosen Vessel summed up the horror of the human condition and actions, without the motivation of the love of God.  If our actions are devoid of God's love, we "become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal" (1 Cor. 13: 1). It may be a beautiful tune we are making, but it profits us nothing.