part 35: The Mystery of Israel
Puzzled About Revelation, august 11 2022
“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.”
introduction
Tonight we will be looking at the “mystery of Israel.”
The Apostle Paul called Israel a “mystery” that will be revealed in the last days once the FULLNESS of the GENTILES has come in (Rom. 11:25-26; Eph. 3:4-6). If we want to understand this MYSTERY, we need to understand the PROMISES & PROPHECIES spoken to Abraham and his “seed”.
Q: Who is Israel? What is God’s plan for Israel in the last days?
“7 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel...
. . .
9 After this, I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”
Vs. 7: The 144,000 = The FULLNESS of the Gentiles and ALL (REDEEMED) ISRAEL:
The number 144,000 is SYMBOLIC & represents ALL the REDEEMED—the great multitude who are called SAINTS and will enter the Messianic Kingdom!
Vs. 9: The question is, are these two different groups of people or is there some kind of connection?
I believe that the mystery/connection is found in the book of Genesis and in understanding the specific promises and prophesies spoken to a man by the name of Abraham and to his “seed” because it becomes apparent when we study those passages that there is an astounding truth being revealed here that has everything to do with God’s redemptive plan for the ages. This is all about how God is going to get glory through His redeemed people.
A. THE MYSTERY OF ISRAEL IN THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT:
1) The Promises to Abraham:
Gen. 12:1-3,7: “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples (lit. clans, families) on earth will be blessed through you.”
Gen. 13:14-17: “The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your [seed] forever. 16 I will make your [seed] like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your [seed] could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
Abram’s seed will be like the dust of the earth that no one can count; Rev. 7:9 speaks of a multitude that “no one could count.”
In Genesis 15, Abraham had complained to God that he had no heir, and that a servant in his household would become his heir. God responded in Gen. 15:4-6: “Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your [seed] be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”
Once again, God testifies that Abraham’s seed will be an innumerable multitude of people.
Gen. 17:1-8: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” 3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations (goyim = Gentiles). 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations (goyim). 6 I will make you very fruitful (#7238 – para); I will make nations (goyim) of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your [seed] after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your [seed] after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your [seed] after you; and I will be their God.”
The promise to Abraham is not only that he will be the father of a great nation, but that he will be the father of many nations, including the gentile nations.
Here we see God expand the scope of His promise to Abraham, as He makes an everlasting covenant, INCLUDING THE LAND COVENANT, with Abraham and his seed, including the GENTILES, forever.
Gentile believers, according to this promise, share in the land promise given to Abraham. We have a piece of real estate in Israel with our name on it as a result of having been grafted into Israel through the blood of Jesus, who is the Seed of Abraham, in whom all of the promises to Abraham find their fulfillment, including the land promises.
2) The Promises to Isaac:
Gen. 17:19,21: “Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his [seed] after him… 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.’”
Gen. 21:12: “…it is through Isaac that your [seed] will be reckoned [#7924 – called].”
Gen. 22:15-18: “The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your [seed] as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your [seed] will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your [seed] all nations (goyim) on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.’”
3) The Promises to Jacob:
Gen. 28:3-4: “May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community (#7736 – qahal = assembly, congregation) of peoples. 4 May he give you and your [seed] the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
Gen. 28:13-15: “There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your [seed] will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your [seed]. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Gen. 32:27-28: “The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with man and have overcome.”
Jacob’s name was changed from Jacob (deceiver) to Israel.
Gen. 35:11-15: “And God said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; be fruitful (para) and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations (lit. an assembly (“church”) of Gentiles) will come from you, and kings will be among your [seed]. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your [seed] after you.” 13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. 14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.”
4) The Blessing of Ephraim & Manasseh:
The promises made to Abraham transferred to Isaac, then transferred to Jacob, and now we will examine how these promises transfer to one of Jacob’s specific sons, and his grandson.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, and was taken to Egypt. After spending many years first serving Potiphar, and then in prison, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt as second in command. Joseph married and had two sons in Egypt.
Gen. 41:50-52: “Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim (“doubly fruitful”) and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful (para) in the land of my suffering.”
This is interesting because the “double” blessing usually went to the firstborn son. I believe the great multitude in Revelation is the spiritual descendants of Ephraim because they are the doubly fruitful great multitude coming out of the time of great suffering (tribulation).
Gen. 48:3-6: “Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful (para) and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your [seed] after you.’ 5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned [#7924 – called] as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned [#7924 – called] under the names of their brothers.”
Ephraim and Manasseh are now Jacob’s seed (not Joseph’s), and therefore, they are heirs of the promises. Their inheritance falls under the territories of the tribes in which they settle.
Ezekiel 47:21-25
“You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22 You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance,” declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Gen. 48:13-14,17-19: “And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim (“doubly fruitful”) on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn… 17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother (Ephraim) will be greater than he, and [Ephraim’s seed] will become a group of nations (melo hagoyyim = lit. “fullness of Gentiles”).”
Joseph crosses his arms (making a cross), and puts his right hand, the greater blessing, on the second-born child Ephraim. Manasseh represents the Jewish nation, the elder brother, but fewer in number. Ephraim, doubly fruitful and given the double blessing will become the “fullness of gentiles.”
Jacob prophesies over Ephraim, saying that he and his seed is going to be reckoned under Jacob’s name as receiving the inheritance (including the land promises), and that Ephraim will become a great multitude - a fullness of gentiles.
5) The Blessing of Joseph:
Gen. 49:1-2: “Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather (‘asap = gather, harvest) around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come (lit. the last days). 2 “Assemble (qabats = to collect, gather, assemble) and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.”
Gen. 49:22: “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.”
In the NT, Israel is called a vine, and Jesus is a spring of living water. (John 7:38)
Isaiah 5:7: “The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.”
This is why Jesus cursed the fig tree. God wanted His people Israel to be fruitful, but they became just like the pagan nations around them.
John 15:1,4: “I am the true vine…I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
In light of the OT prophesy, Jesus was saying, “I am the true vine of Israel (Jacob); I am the true vine of Joseph.” Remember that Joseph, more than any of his brothers, was a prophetic pattern of Yeshua (Jesus) who was to come.
See also: Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit (para).”
See also: Isaiah 11:10,12-14: “In that Day, the Root of Jesse will stand as a Banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to Him, and His place of rest will be glorious…12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather (‘asap”) the exiles of Israel; He will assemble (“qabats”) the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s hostility will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim. They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will lay hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.”
See also: Matt. 24:31: “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
B. THE MYSTERY OF ISRAEL IN THE NEW COVENANT:
Rom. 2:28-29: “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcisionis circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.”
Rom. 4:16-17: “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s [seed]—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.”
Rom. 9:6-8: “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are (physically) descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his (physical) descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your [seed] will be [called].” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s [seed].”
Gal. 3:7-9 “Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
Gal. 3:16: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.”
Gal. 3:29: “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Eph. 2:11-13,19-22: “Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ…19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
Eph. 3:4-6: “In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”
The Mystery of Israel & The Fullness of the Gentiles:
“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the fullness of the Gentiles (Heb. melo haggoyim) has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved.” (Rom. 11:25-26)
Next Week: “The Salvation of Israel (All Israel Shall Be Saved)”
Paul said that when the FULLNESS of the Gentiles has come in, all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26). What did he mean by that, how will they be saved, and where did he get that understanding from?