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.