Chapter 11

Israel has a special history in three dispensations—the dispensation of Israel, the dispensation of the Church, and the Millennium. In the dispensation of Israel the Jews became the first client nation to God in history, after the Exodus. The four unconditional covenants to Israel guarantee that Israel will have a future forever, but only to those Jews who possess eternal life through faith in the lord Jesus Christ—in other words, true Israel. In the Church dispensation the final administration of the fifth cycle of discipline occurred forty years after the Church Age began. It resulted in the times of the Gentiles in which no Jewish nation can be a client nation to God in this dispensation. Because the Jews in this dispensation have rejected Christ as saviour they are branches broken off the good olive tree. We, the wild Gentiles, are grafted in to the good tree. That tells us that even though in many generations of history there have been relatively few Jews who have accepted Christ as saviour they are still the tree. Therefore we are grafted in to their spiritual heritage. In effect, our spiritual heritage as the Church, the royal family of God, the body of Christ, is still Jewish. Because it is we must avoid any arrogance and, above all, we must avoid like the plague that vicious type of evil called anti-Semitism. So the Jews in the dispersion still have the spiritual heritage of which we partake. The Gentile believers are grafted in; the Jewish believers are really the tree. In every generation of the Church Age there will always be Jewish believers. There never will be a generation in the dispensation of the Church without Jewish believers. The Millennium brings us to the restoration of Israel as a client nation God and the fulfilment of the four unconditional covenants.

In Romans chapter nine we learn five points about the Jews. a) the uniqueness of Israel—verses 1-5; b) the premise: all Israel is not Israel—verse 6; c) the premise was illustrated by the formation of the Jewish nation—verses 7-18; d) the premise was illustrated from the essence of God—verses 19-29; e) the premise was illustrated by the salvation of the Gentiles—verses 30-33.

In Romans chapter ten two points were added. a) the failure of Israel to accept Christ as saviour—verses 1-11; b) the failure of Israel to function as a client nation—verses 12-21.

Because of Israel’s failure, does Israel have a future? That is a major consideration in chapter 11. There are three paragraphs: a) the rejection of Israel is not total—verses 1-10; b) the rejection of Israel is not final—verses11-24; c) the perpetuation of the Jewish remnant in the Church Age demands special consideration because the nucleus for the body of Christ is the born-again Jew of the Church Age, and we, the Gentiles, are grafted in.

Verse 1 – a rhetorical question. “I say” is the present active indicative of the verb legw. The present tense is an aoristic present for punctiliar action in present time. The aorist conveys the idea of punctiliar action with reference to past time, but the aoristic present gives us punctiliar action in present time, and therefore sets forth an event as now occurring. Active voice: Paul in the function of debater’s technique produces the action of the verb. The aoristic present connected with thew active voice tells us that this is just as pertinent right now as it was at the time of writing. The indicative mood is declarative, which views the action from the standpoint of reality.

With this is the postpositive inferential particle o)un in which we have a concept, inference from what precedes, namely Romans 9:16-33 and 10:19-21. The question anticipates opposition from the brilliant minds of Israel. Those who have rejected Christ as saviour and are guilty of the big blot-out have accepted lies in place of the truth.

The nominative singular subject is o( qeoj. The definite article does not have to be translated. The purpose of the definite article is merely to indicate either a noun with which you are familiar, i.e. God, or a proper noun which is set up as the subject by the use of the definite article. Next is the verb, aorist middle indicative from a)poqew, to refuse, to reject, to cast away, to push aside, to repudiate, plus the negative mh. The negative mh in a question always demands an answer. The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, it views the event in its entirety but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results. The rhetorical question which demands a negative answer says, Definitely God has not repudiated His people. The middle voice emphasises the agent or the subject. This is a direct middle, the subject acts with a view toward participating in the outcome. The indicative mood is interrogative, it assumes that there is an actual fact of doctrine which may be stated in answer to the question.

With this is the accusative singular direct object from laoj, plus the possessive genitive singular from the intensive pronoun a)utoj used as the third person personal pronoun. “I say then, God has not repudiated his people, has he?” In addition to the negative mh which demands a negative answer we get a strong answer, the old idiom, mh genioto. The aorist optative of ginomai plus the negative mh would literally be translated, “Let it not be so.” But the idiom is not translated literally, it translated with something that emphasises the no—“Emphatically not.”

Principle

1. The Jews are the people of God in the sense of election to privilege.

2. They were brought into existence as the newest of races, a race to become the first as well as the last client nation to God.

3. While they do not function as such during the times of the Gentiles, which includes the Church Age, the Jews have not been repudiated as the people of God.

4. However, racial Jews who have the genes of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through physical birth are not qualified until they become regenerate Jews through faith in Christ.

5. We have noted that all Israel is not Israel [9:6]. Only those racial Jews who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are true Israel.

6. The Jew was the only race to be founded on regeneration and to require regeneration for the fulfilment of the unconditional covenants.

Paul now emphasises the strong negative by adding the explanatory postpositive conjunction gar, and with it the adjunctive use of kai, and the first person singular pronoun e)gw followed by the present active indicative of e)imi. The present tense is a static present for a condition which has perpetually existed or is taken for granted as a fact. Active voice: Paul produces the action. The indicative mood is for the dogmatic historical reality involved in his statement. “For I also am an Israelite” –I)srahlithj. He adds to that the ablative singular of source from the noun fulh for tribe. Whenever any nation is developed into a client nation it evolves as a nation from establishment organization. The tribal system provided the basic system of establishment from which the client nation Israel came; “of Benjamin” – Beniamin.

Paul establishes the pattern for the Jew in the Church Age and in the times of the Gentiles. He is both a racial Jew and a regenerate Jew. The profile of Saul of Tarsus, known as Paul, forms the categorical pattern for the true remnant of Israel. Paul’s biography as a Jew is found in Philippians 3:5-9. Paul as the worst sinner in history is found in 1 Timothy 1:12-15. Remember he was the worst sinner in history because he was self-righteous. The third area of the Pauline profile is found in 1 Corinthians 15:10 where he states the fact that he is a trophy of grace where cursing is turn into blessing by the grace of God.

Because the Jews were set aside as the client nation to God they were also by A.D. 70 scattered throughout the world under the fifth cycle of discipline, sometimes called the diaspora. But this great discipline administered by the justice of God does not imply or suggest that God has cast off His people. Far from it. The regenerate Jew is always in the election of God, either as a believer in the dispensation of Israel or as a member of the royal family of God in the Church Age. If God could save Paul, then He could save any Jew. The Jews, therefore, have no excuse under the big blot-out.

Translation: “I say then, the God has not repudiated his people, has he? Definitely not. For I also am an Israelite, from the tribe of Benjamin.”

Principle

1. The general overall principle introduced by this verse is: Israel is not rejected. The elect of Israel are saved and accepted forever as the people of God.

2. So an Israelite, the greatest Jew of them all, writes how God has not cast off or repudiate His people.

3. Even though there are times of great apostasy, and divine discipline which becomes national disaster, God preserves a remnant of Jews who are believers, just as He did in the time of Elijah when 7000 Jews had not bowed the knee to Baal. But there is more to it than that: 7000 Jews had formed a pivot of mature believers, preserving the northern kingdom in its time of apostasy.

4. The principle: The inevitable deliverance and preservation of a client nation to God is a spiritual factor.

5. In spite of the Satanic conspiracy the Jew continues to live on the earth. He continues to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of Israel. And the unbelieving Jew continues on the earth as well.

6. The failure of some Jews to believe in Christ does not cancel the grace of God, just as the failure of some believers to accept doctrine does not hinder the plan of God.

7. Individual or collective failure to believe in Christ has never hindered the plan of God in history, and especially for Israel. And it has not hindered the validity of the Word of God.

8. The plan of God moves on with or without the Jews, with or without us as believers.

9. Failure on the part of the Jew does not abrogate the promises of God for regenerate Israel. The failure of the Jew does not cancel the promises of God for true Israel.

10. While rejection of Christ puts the Jew outside the plan of God, such individual rejection does not cancel God’s plan for the elect of Israel.

11. God’s promises to Israel have not been cancelled because some Jews have rejected Christ as saviour. Being a racial Jew does not imply automatic salvation.

12. The unconditional promises are fulfilled only to that Jew who believes in Christ. In other words, the only rejection of Israel is individual. The Jew who rejects Christ as saviour is out.

Principle

1. The physical descent of natural birth is worthless in the transmission of divine promises and the imputation of divine blessing.

2. The individual Jew must possess the imputed righteousness of God for the fulfilment of the blessings of his heritage.

3. This righteousness of God is only imputed through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only saviour, and the God of Israel.

4. Paul as a Jew illustrates the pattern. When Paul believed in Christ God’s righteousness was imputed to him.

5. Therefore as the recipient of ⁺R God could provide logistical blessing as well as special blessing beginning at maturity.

6. Those Jews who do not possess the righteousness of God will be cast off in eternal judgment—as individuals. But Israel will go on into eternity as a nation composed of its regenerates.

7. Those Jews who believe in Christ have followed the pattern of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore regenerate Jews of the dispensation of Israel, including the Tribulation, will be the recipients and the beneficiaries of the unconditional covenants to Israel at the Second Advent.

8. Regenerate Jews of the Church Age will be blessed under a separate category since they belong to the royal family of God forever.

9. Therefore the basic principle and doctrine of verse 1: God has not, and God will not repudiate the Jew. There will always be a remnant of believing Jews in every generation of history.

Verses 2-4, the application of the foreknowledge of God.

Verse 2 – “God,” nominative singular of qeoj, plus the aorist middle indicative of the verb a)poqew, and with it the negative o)uk: “God has not repudiated.”

The aorist tense of a)poqew is a gnomic aorist for a generally accepted fact or doctrine regarded as so fixed in its certainty as to be axiomatic in its character. This is a direct middle voice, the subject acts with a view toward participating in the outcome—the preservation of Israel. The indicative mood is declarative, plus the negative o)uk, emphasising the fact that Israel has not been repudiated by God. Individuals, yes; the nation, no. Next is the accusative singular direct object from laoj, plus the possessive genitive from a)utoj is “his people.” The Jews are His people.

The accusative singular relative pronoun o(j –“whom,” and the aorist active indicative of the verb proginwskw, which means to foreknow, is correctly translated, “whom he has foreknown.” The culminative aorist views the foreknowledge of God in eternity past but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results and application to our own lives.

“how” – the comparative w(j indicates the manner in which something proceeds. Here it is used as a temporal conjunction which is why we translated it “when” instead of the KJV “how.” Then comes the present active indicative of the verb e)ntugxanw. It means to petition, but when you have kata following it, the preposition, it means to speak against, to plead against in the sense of courtroom procedure. We might even say to prosecute—“when he prosecuted before God against Israel” would be a legitimate translation but we translate it, “when he pleaded to God against Israel.” The present tense is a pictorial present which presents to the mind a picture of events in the process of occurrence. The active voice: Elijah produces the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for historical reality.

The dative singular direct object from qeoj means here “against God” when the preposition kata is found following it, plus the definite article tou used as an indeclinable proper noun with Israel. It means he “pleaded to the God against Israel.” The word “saying” in not in the original, therefore we leave it out.

Translation: “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Or do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah? when he pleaded to God against Israel.”

Principle

1. In the principle of this verse Paul refutes the casting off of Israel since it is impossible for God to ever repudiate what He has foreknown.

2. Since foreknowledge is a printout of the divine decrees for believers only it is obvious that regenerate Jews are in view, not Israel as a whole. It is important to understand that when it says all Israel shall be saved in Romans 11:26 it doesn’t mean that at the end all Jews are going to be saved, it means all those Jews who are born again at the Second Advent, coming out of the Tribulation, will be delivered.

3. Nothing can be foreknown until it is first decreed—which means that foreknowledge and omniscience are not synonyms. Logically omniscience precedes the decrees and logically foreknowledge is a printout of the decrees.

4. There is always a remnant of believing Jews in every generation of the dispensation of Israel.

5. To this remnant of believers in Christ the unconditional covenants will be fulfilled at the second advent.

6. There was such a remnant in the time of Elijah when in self-pity and arrogance Elijah sulked in the cave. He had an attack of arrogance under pressure which produced self-pity, and later when he came out of the cave it switched to self-righteousness. He came up with a conclusion that only he was left. He was totally divorced from reality.

7. The arrogance of Elijah ignored the existence of this remnant because he was too preoccupied with what is wrong with Israel.

8. The prevalence of apostasy and degeneration does not warrant ignoring the remnant of believers or the pivot. The only hope of a nation is always the divine solution—a believer advancing to maturity. It is the pivot that changes everything.

Principle

1. The failure of many Jews to believe in Christ does not hinder the plan of God for Israel.

2. There is nothing the unbeliever can do to frustrate the plan of God, and furthermore there is nothing the believer can do to frustrate the plan of God.

3. In eternity past God knew that many Jews, though possessing the genes of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, would not possess the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of Israel.

4. Nevertheless, the plan of God is constructed around believers in Christ, therefore all regenerate Jews of the previous dispensation will receive the unconditional covenants, and the failure of the unbelieving Jews will not hinder the blessing of Israel in the future.

5. God never permits human failure to cancel his promises or abrogate His plan.

6. What is true of the Jew in the dispensation of Israel is true of the believer in the Church Age, Jew or Gentile. The failure of any believer does not hinder or frustrate the plan of God.

7. The plan of God marches on with or without the cooperation of the believer.

8. Preoccupation with disaster becomes a distraction to the Christian life.

Verse 3 – the principle: preoccupation with apostasy is a distraction. This is the distraction of disaster, a quotation of 1 Kings 19:10 which was repeated again in

19:14. Notice the accuracy of Paul’s quotation. He uses the words that Elijah used but it is in the Greek. In the Hebrew Elijah used the tetragammaton, the sacred word for God. In quoting it Paul uses kurioj, equivalent to Jehovah and has the basic connotation of deity. The secondary implication which will be emphasised is that the plan of God for the believer continues in time of crisis and disaster as well as in time of blessing and prosperity. God’s plan for the believer goes on whether times are good or bad. Logistical grace works just as well in time of war as in time of peace, in time of disaster as well as in time of prosperity. Therefore the believer must not become so preoccupied with disaster that he is distracted from the plan of God. This is the implication of Psalm 48:14.

“they have killed the prophets” – aorist active indicative of a)pokteinw, which means they killed them in a terrible way, to kill with extreme violence. The culminative aorist views the disaster in its entirety but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results. Active voice: apostate and reversionistic Jews produced the action of the verb in the northern kingdom around B.C. 850. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of the disaster and also the reality of Elijah’s obsession with disaster.

Principle:

1. Preoccupation with disaster is a distraction to both logistical and supergrace blessing.

2. Preoccupation with disaster is a distraction to doctrinal perception as well as capacity for life. There is no momentum in the plan of God and there is no motivation when you are preoccupied and obsessed with disaster or failure.

3. Obviously then, preoccupation with disaster is a distraction to the Christian way of life.

4. Disaster must be regarded in the light of the Word of God and pertinent Bible doctrine.

Preoccupation with disaster produces blind arrogance in the form of fear, self-pity, self-centredness, and a distortion of the truth.

“prophets” – accusative plural direct object from the noun profhthj. This emphasises one category being persecuted by the Ahab-Jezebel team: “they have killed your prophets,” the possessive genitive singular from the pronoun su. We do know that the prophets had been killed. What we do not know is whether they had been straight or not. There are a couple of passages which seem to indicate that they might have been apostate. In which case, better to have no clergy than confused clergy. If God put them out under the sin unto death, then that is the way it should be. If they were martyrs then the nation would not be restrained by their preaching and would follow its ultimate course to the fourth and fifth cycles of discipline.

“and digged down thine altars” – aorist active indicative of kataskaptw [kata = down; skaptw = to dig or to tear]. Here it means to tear down. The culminative aorist tense views the disaster in its entirety but regards it from the viewpoint of its existing results—the attack on doctrine. Apostasy and reversion always mean an attack on doctrine. Active voice: the people in apostasy have destroyed property that has a sacred connotation, the connotation related to the work of Christ on the cross where offerings under five categories were offered to portray who and what Christ is and His ministry of salvation. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality and accuracy of the historical disaster, plus Elijah’s preoccupation with it. To the extent that you become preoccupied with disaster to that extent you do something beside building scar tissue. Preoccupation with disaster starts shock, and the greater the shock waves in your soul the father you become divorced from reality.

“altars” – the accusative plural direct object from the noun qusiasthrion, meaning an altar used for burn offerings, with the possessive genitive su referring to God: “they have torn down your altars.”

Principle

1. Note that the attack is against both doctrine and the communicator of doctrine in time of apostasy and national disaster. You can always tell times of apostasy. There is always an attack upon whatever spiritual forms may exist, and also upon property.

2. The prophets communicate doctrine and the altars represent doctrine.

3. All historical disaster is related to negative volition toward Bible doctrine and toward the Lord Jesus Christ (represented by the altar).

4. Rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as saviour means rejection of Bible doctrine, which is the mind of Christ. When the lie is believed and Christ is turned against, any property which is related to it is destroyed—the altars were destroyed. This indicates the madness of the population.

5. Historical prosperity is related to adherence to doctrine, while historical disaster results from rejection of doctrine.

6. The doctrinal foundation of David’s reign over Israel resulted in the prosperity of Solomon’s reign.

7. The accuracy of Elijah’s estimate of the situation is followed by the inaccuracy of his application. He can see what is happening but he can’t explain it.

8. Elijah was still alive, therefore God had a purpose for his life.

9. Disaster must not become a source of distraction from doctrinal perception or application.

10. Disaster had finally broken Elijah’s concentration, resulting in preoccupation with disaster; therefore arrogance, therefore vacillating between self-pity and self-righteousness.

11. Distraction from doctrine means self-centredness. Self-centredness always cracks under pressure.

“and I” – a contraction made up of two small particles, kai plus the personal pronoun e)gw which is kagw. It is translated literally, “and I,” but this is the intensive use, so we translate it, “in fact I.” Then follows an adjective, monoj in the nominative, and it should be translated “only” or “alone.”

Next comes the aorist passive indicative of the verb u(poleipw which means to be left in the sense of remaining. “In fact I alone am left.” The aorist tense is a dramatic aorist which states a present reality with the certitude of a past event. Passive voice: Elijah receives the action of the verb through logistical grace. The indicative mood is declarative for a simple statement of fact.

The present active indicative of zetew follows—“and they seek.” The present tense is a perfective present which denotes the continuation of existing results. It refers to a fact which has come to be in the past but is emphasised as a present reality. Active voice: the apostate Jews and Phoenicians produce the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative representing the verbal idea from the viewpoint of reality. The accusative singular direct object yuxh is literally soul, but generally means life in this type of a situation.

Translation: “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have torn down your altars; and I am the only one left, and they seek my life.”

Principle

1. Self-centredness is always a form of arrogance.

2. Such arrogance placed under pressure produces self-pity.

3. The historical disaster in northern Israel includes apostasy, economic depression, lawlessness resulting in violence.

4. God has renewed the economic discipline but the apostasy continues.

5. Elijah has become so preoccupied with the pressure of historical disaster that he has become distracted from such basic and fundamental doctrines as the fact that Jesus Christ controls history, and the principle of logistical grace.

6. Therefore Elijah has forgotten that God has a plan for his life as long as he is on this earth, and that God personally takes the responsibility for sustaining his life as long as that plan continues.

7. Elijah has in arrogance blinded his soul to a doctrine present in his soul—logistical grace.

8. So by becoming occupied with self Elijah lost the perspective of grace and succumbed to the pressure of historical disaster.

Verse 4 – “But.” The adversative conjunction a)lla sets up a contrast between arrogance and self-pity in Elijah on the one hand, plus divine viewpoint on the

Other. Next is the nominative neuter interrogative pronoun tij—“But what.” With it is the present active indicative of the verb legw, to say, to communicate. The present tense is a historical present, it views a past event with the vividness of a present occurrence. The nominative singular subject, xrhmatismoj, means the divine answer. With it is the dative singular indirect object from the intensive pronoun a)utoj used as the third person personal pronoun, and it is translated, “to him.” “But what says the divine answer to him [Elijah]?” This is an idiom which means, “What is the divine response to him?”

Principle

1. When the believer rationalises in his right lobe instead of functioning under the faith-rest drill the human viewpoint immediately replaces the divine viewpoint.

2. Elijah completely lost track of logistical grace. Therefore he lost a special blessing at Mount Carmel.

3. Yet, Elijah is one of the greatest experts on logistical grace. He had many situations of being deprived of the necessities of life and had been the beneficiary of logistical grace.

4. Therefore, in emphasising the situation, Elijah was being supported in a miraculous way under the principle of logistical grace.

5. Elijah could have reasoned from his experiences of logistical grace and come up with the right answer. As long as God wants him on this earth He will provide.

6. Therefore Elijah could have applied logistical grace through reverse concentration. Instead of being preoccupied with disaster he could have been preoccupied with Christ.

7. Under the faith-rest drill Elijah malfunctioned for two reasons—arrogance from authority and irrationality with regard to logistical grace.

8. The divine answer relates to a pivot of mature believers who are still functioning under the faith-rest technique. It would be over 100 years before the northern kingdom would lose its client nation status.

“I have reserved” – aorist active indicative of the verb kataleipw. It means to leave behind, but with the reflexive pronoun e(mautou [for myself] it means to reserve to one’s self: “I have reserved for myself.” The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, it views the remnant or pivot in its entirety but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results—the fact that the nation will continue for another 130 years, the fact that they will not be destroyed, the fact that the major part of the crisis is over and there will be some problems from time to time, the fact that the nation will be victorious in its great wars with Benhadad and Syria. So the culminative aorist emphasises the preservation of the northern kingdom as a client nation to God due to the fact that there is a pivot of 7000 people. Active voice: God has preserved or kept for Himself the remnant or pivot of mature believers. Under the principle that Jesus Christ controls history this pivot of 7000 believers in the basis for the preservation of northern Israel during the time of apostasy. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of the pivot which has not compromised.

“men” – a)ndraj, accusative plural direct object, used also for honourable men. It does not mean male, it means honourable people. They were not all males.

“who have not bowed the knee to Baal” – the nominative masculine plural from the qualitative relative pronoun o(stij. It has to be translated in such a way that these people are high quality people—“who are of such a character.” What makes them high quality? They were born again and they advanced to maturity. The verb is the aorist active indicative from kamptw, plus the negative o)uk because we have the indicative—“have not bowed.” The constative aorist is for a fact or an action extended over a period of time. They had been under great pressure but they were never distracted. They had grown to maturity and maintained. Active voice: the mature believers in the pivot produced the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for a statement of absolute fact. The nominative singular from gonu, the word for knee in the Greek, is next. It is an independent nominative and it names an idea rather than the object of the verb.

“Baal” is dative singular indirect object, “to Baal.”

Translation: “But what is the divine answer to him? I have kept for myself a pivot seven thousand honourable men, who [because of their maturity] have not bowed a knee to Baal.”

Principle

1. The history of a client nation depends on the pivot of mature believers in that nation.

2. Both preservation and prosperity are related to the attitude of believers toward doctrine.

3. As goes the believer in the client nation, so goes that client nation in history.

4. The seven thousand mature believers preserved Israel in time of maximum apostasy.

5. The northern kingdom would last for 130 more years.

6. The true dynamics and impact of history is located in the pivot of mature believers in any given generation.

7. Jesus Christ controls history, and a major factor in preservation and prosperity resides in the principle of blessing by association plus historical impact of the pivot of mature believers.

8. Such a remnant of pivot is constructed on the grace policy of God based on the individual believer’s attitude toward doctrine.

9. Preoccupation with disaster is one of the major reasons that believers peel off from doctrine. This preoccupation distracts from doctrine and becomes a case of demon obsession.

10. Such distraction results in arrogance which becomes obsessed with the problems and human solutions. The only divine solution is excluded.

11. Negative volition causes the believer to believe a lie.

12. Preoccupation with disaster becomes a distraction to perception of doctrine and momentum in the plan of God.

13. The believer who is preoccupied with disaster becomes an arrogant crusader full of self-righteousness which disaster turns into self-pity.

14. Self-righteousness ignores the divine solution in the pivot of mature believers.

Verse 5 – the perpetuation of the pivot. It begins with the adverb of manner, o(utoj, “in the same manner.” Then comes the inferential conjunction o)un which

introduces a conclusion, an inference from what precedes—“therefore.” The conjunction kai is used as an adverb, “also.”

Next comes a prepositional phrase, e)n plus the adverb nun, plus the locative of time, kairoj. Literally, “in the now time,” but we translate it, “in the present period of time.”

“a remnant” – nominative singular subject leimma, which means a remnant or a pivot.

Finally a prepositional phrase, kata plus the accusative of e)klogh—an election to privilege or a selection, plus the instrumental of means singular xarij, “by grace.”

Next is the perfect active indicative of the verb ginomai, meaning to come into existence. This is a dramatic perfect tense in which something has occurred in the past but is emphasised as an existing state. The dramatic perfect always emphasises the results of a past completed action, i.e. the formation of a pivot of mature believers. Every generation always has some type of pivot. Mature believers are the salt of the earth.

Translation: “Therefore in the same manner also, at this present period of time [Church Age], a remnant according to a selection by grace [the function of GAP] has come into existence.”

Principle: Just as a pivot existed in the time of Elijah preserving northern Israel, so a pivot existed in the time of Paul preserving the Roman empire as a client nation to God. The overriding factor: Jesus Christ controls history. The restraint of disaster, the restraint of historical catastrophe in times of apostasy, is directly related to the fact that Jesus Christ controls history.

Principle

1. Both Israel and the Church are special elections to privilege by God.

2. Therefore both Israel and the Church perpetuate their function in the plan of God through the existence of the pivot of mature believers.

3. In the previous dispensation of Israel the pivot of mature believers guaranteed the perpetuation as a client nation to God.

4. In the Church Age the pivot is essential for whatever Gentile nation or nations function as client nations to God in any given generation.

5. While disaster is immanent in USA such disaster has been postponed because of a pivot of mature believers in the country.

6. Once the pivot has departed to be with the Lord then judgment often falls on a nation.

7. The judgment of Israel occurred in AD 70, two years after the death of Paul.

8. Any period of stability in human history must be related to a pivot, a remnant according to a selection by means of grace.

9. Therefore the greatest thing a believer can do for his country is to persist in his perception of doctrine to form a part of the pivot which preserves that nation and forms the basis for national prosperity.

Verse 6 – “And” is the postpositive conjunctive particle de used in a transitional sense, “Now.” With it is the conditional particle e)i which introduces the protasis of a 1^st class condition, a supposition from the viewpoint of reality; “grace” is the instrumental singular from xarij, a word that expresses the policy of the integrity of God. “Now if by means of grace [and it is].” There is a time when sin is the issue and there is a time when sin is not the issue. When we are talking about grace sin is not the issue—not in salvation because our sins were judged on the cross. Anything that is by means of grace excludes any works of any kind.

The next phrase is logical rather than temporal use of an adverb—o)uketi. It usually means no longer and has a temporal connotation. Sometimes it means no more. But here the logical use is translated “then not.” Then we have a prepositional phrase, e)k plus the ablative plural of e)rgon—“then not from works [plural].” This is plural works because people are always contending that God is blessing them because of what they do. God doesn’t bless us because of what we do! God does not bless us for any reason except one: His integrity—grace.

“not by means of works” – the ablative of means which expresses means when accompanied by the implication of origin or source. The origin of blessing is never any works. Grace and works, therefore, are mutually exclusive. They cannot coexist. “Now if by means of grace then [logically] not by means of works: otherwise grace no longer grace itself”—no verb.

“otherwise grace” – the causal conjunction e)pei after an ellipsis to introduce a logical conclusion. It stands for a conclusion based upon rational, lucid, logical thinking. Then the nominative singular subject xarij plus the generic use of the definite article setting aside grace as a category with which there can be no compromise. The no compromise is found in an adverb, o)uketi, meaning no longer—“otherwise grace no longer.” Then the verb to be, the present middle indicative of ginomai which means to be or to become— “otherwise logically grace is no longer grace itself.”

Principle

1. The existence of a picot in any given generation is strictly a matter of grace.

2. First the believer in the pivot is saved by grace—Ephesians 2:8,9.

3. Then the believer is sustained by logistical grace in the advance to maturity or the retreat into reversionism.

4. After maturity the pivot of mature believers are blessed in six categories by grace, including blessing by association, including historical blessing—the two categories which are the basis for the preservation of a nation.

5. At no point in the advance is legitimate production, illegitimate production, or any other works or self-righteousness a factor.

6. Any system of self or works righteousness is a hindrance to the advance of the believer.

Principle

1. The believers starts with grace and therefore he must continue in grace. All spiritual advance is based on the grace policy.

2. To deviate from grace is to become involved with arrogance. Arrogance is not only a mental attitude sin but it is a whole system of sinning.

3. All blessing after salvation, whether logistical or special, originates from the justice of God and is imputed to its target or home, the imputed righteousness of God now resident in every believer.

4. The plan of God continues in every type of historical circumstances. Advance in the plan of God is a grace operation, therefore never hindered by historical disaster and never helped by historical prosperity.

5. Logistical grace makes provision to sustain the believer in every circumstance of history.

6. Therefore catastrophe or disaster does not hinder the believer from spiritual growth.

7. The only hindrance to growing in grace—works, self-righteousness as a distraction, crusading as a distraction.

8. Both self and works righteousness compete with and exclude grace provision from God. They become a distraction from doctrine and from spiritual growth.

9. Because of grace in every era of history there has always been a remnant, a pivot of mature believers. Spiritual momentum and motivation is based on grace. Apostasy and reversionism is based on self-righteousness and the expression of self-righteousness in human works.

Translation: “Now if by means of grace [and it is], then logically not by means of works: otherwise [logically] grace is not longer grace itself.”

That is the end of the verse, the rest as in the KJV is not found.

Verse 7 – When it says “Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for,” it means with the greatest spiritual heritage the world has ever known the big blot-out separates the origin from the possession. The Jews had great possession. They have the greatest spiritual heritage in history. They also have great genes—they are smart. And when they started out in the Exodus they had tremendous wealth and possessions.

“What then?” – not quite the correct translation. We have the nominative neuter singular from the interrogative pronoun tij, correctly translated “what.” Then comes the inferential postpositive conjunction o)un. This is literally translated, “What shall we say then?” It is an idiom. It means, How does the case stand? Since God has not cast out Israel and although many Jews have failed, even as many Christians are failing today, does it mean the plan of God is cancelled? God never changes His plans to accommodate failure! God’s plan doesn’t depend on us.

“Israel” – the indeclinable proper noun I)srahl, the subject, plus the nominative neuter singular from the relative pronoun o(j—“what.” Then the verb, the present active indicative of e)pizetew [zetew = to seek; e)pi intensifies the seeking]—“What Israel is seeking for.” The pictorial present tense presents to the mind a picture of the events in the process of occurrence. Israel is constantly seeking for salvation through works. They are seeking for salvation by something they can do. Active voice: Israel produces the action as the election to privilege in the Old Testament. The indicative mood is declarative viewing the verbal action from the viewpoint of reality.

Next is the nominative singular subject from the demonstrative o(utoj—“this.” “What Israel is seeking for is this.” Then the aorist active indicative of the verb e)pitugxanw, plus the negative—“this it did not obtain.” The constative aorist contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety. Israel constantly sought salvation by works. Active voice: the unbelieving Jews did not produce the action of obtaining or attaining salvation. The indicative mood is the historical reality of unbelief.

“Therefore to what conclusion are we forced [how stands the case]? What Israel is constantly seeking this [salvation] it did not obtain.”

“but the election hath obtained it” – the election means that there are exceptions to Jewish unbelievers in every generation.

“but” – postpositive conjunctive particle de, used to set up a contrast between the Jews who are trying to be saved by self-righteousness [unbelievers] and the Jews who are saved by believing in Christ. In this passage we call them elected to privilege. The word election is referring to the believing Jew of the Old Testament. The subject is the nominative singular from e)klogh. With the generic use of the definite article it emphasises believers in Israel as a special category: privileged—“but the elect to privilege.” The privileged ones, the believers, those who have ⁺R.[1]

Next is the aorist active indicative from e)pitugxanw which means to attain or obtain. The culminative aorist regards salvation in its entirety but it emphasises it from the standpoint of its existing results, i.e. in every generation there is a remnant of Jews who are privileged. The privilege we are studying in this passage is logistical grace. Active voice: Jewish believers in Christ produce the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for the historical reality of regenerate Jews in Israel in every generation in the Old Testament, and in the Church Age the continuation of such a remnant.

“and the rest were blinded” – o(i de loipoi, but the rest. These are unbelievers who do not fulfil the principle of founding the Jewish race; “were blinded” is not quite correct. The aorist passive indicative of the verb porow which means to harden. The word means to build scar tissue on the soul. The Jews began hearing the truth, or doctrine, in their youth. They said no, and that started porow. Passive voice: the unbelieving Jews through persistent negative volition received the action of the verb—scar tissue of the soul [the big blot-out]. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of this type of reversionism—scar tissue of the soul.

Translation: “Therefore to what conclusion are we forced? [How stands the case?] What Israel is constantly seeking this [salvation] it did not obtain, but the election have obtained it, and the others were hardened.”

Verse 8 – “According as” is kaqaper and correctly translated “Just as.” With it is the perfect passive indicative of the verb grafw. The perfect tense is the intensive perfect, it emphasises the existing results of a finished product—the Old Testament canon which is going to be used to document the fact that the majority of Jews on the OT times failed, and yet Israel was perpetuated from generation to generation. The failed under the principle of the big blot-out—negative volition at the point of God-consciousness and at gospel hearing. We have a quotation here which is a colation of three verses found in the Old Testament: Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 29:10; 6:9,10. The passive voice of grafw gives us the mechanics of inspiration. Inspiration is basically involved under two concepts: a) the inhale of the information. The human writer takes in the doctrine; b) the exhale. The human writer puts it down in the language in which he thinks.[2]

Isaiah 29:10 –“For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep.” This is the first description of the big blot-out in the documentation. This spirit of deep sleep also goes to two categories of communicators—prophets and seers. There is a slight difference between them. A prophet was recognised throughout the land as one who stayed in one place essentially, and people came to him for the message. The seer went out to others. Both had the gift of communicating doctrine but one went out communicating here and there, but the prophet had a regular ministry in some specific location. The prophets: “he has shut your eyes.” The seers: “he has covered your heads.” In other words, the communicators of doctrine also were caught up in the big blot-out.

Deuteronomy 29:4—“Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart [right lobe] to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.” These are three descriptions of the big blot-out.

Isaiah 6:9,10 – “And he said, Go, and tell the people, Keep on listening, but you will never understand; keep on looking, but do not understand. Render the right lobes of these people insensitive, make their ears dull, and their eyes dim; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their right lobes, and consequently repent and be healed.”

“God” – o( qeoj. Literally, “the God.” It is not necessary to translate the definite article. The definite article is generic, and it indicates that at least the ones who are reading this passage have familiarity with God.

“hath given” – aorist active indicative of didomi, which stems from the fact that Jesus Christ controls history and that He controls history directly and then indirectly: directly through His own power; indirectly through His laws which He has set up. The violation of these laws leads to destruction. This is a culminative aorist tense which views the big blot-out in its entirety but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results—great apostasy and resultant divine discipline. Active voice: God produces the action of the verb. He gives as a result of apostasy. The indicative mood is declarative for the historical reality—the maximum reversionism and spin-off from the pivot.

“them” – dative plural indirect object plus the dative of disadvantage from the intensive pronoun a)utoj which is used as a personal pronoun. It is used here as a personal pronoun for the people of Israel and is correctly translated “to them.” The principle is very simple. The alertness of a nation is found in its thinking. A nation is alert through thought or it is non-alert through thought. The greatest of nations cannot exceed the greatness of its thinking or the failure of its mental attitude.

“the spirit” – accusative singular direct object from pneuma, used here for a state of mind. Pneuma means breath or spirit, but here it refers to an actual state of mind.

“of slumber” – descriptive genitive singular of katanucij, and is means insensibility. So we translate it, “to them a state of mind of insensibility.” Insensibility comes from arrogance. This is scar tissue of the soul as a part of reversionism, and it results from maximum negative volition toward Christ and the fist advent, as far as Jews are concerned—in other words, the big blot-out. This scar tissue is now described.

“eyes that they should not see” – accusative plural of general reference from o)fqalmoj. The accusative is used with the infinitive as the subject. Actually, it is not the subject but it appears to be that way because the accusative of general reference describes the person or the thing connected with the action of an infinitive. So we just simplify that by saying this is a case of where the accusative acts as the subject of the infinitive. With it is a genitive article, tou, and then the present active infinitive of the verb blepw which means to see, to glance; plus the negative mh. The present tense is historical present which views the past function of Jewish negative volition with the vividness of a present occurrence. The Jews produce the action of the verb under the big blot-out, and the infinitive plus the negative mh is a negative purpose—“eyes for the purpose of not seeing.” The eyes are used in reading for perception and the whole connotation is perception—failure in that field.

“and ears that they should not hear” – the word for ears is the accusative plural of general reference, o)uj. Then the present active infinitive of a)kouw with the negative mh. This, again, is the basic system for learning—teaching, listening, concentrating. The eyes refer to the concentration, the ears refer to the reception of the material. Again, the historical present views the past event (the big blot-out) with the vividness of a present occurrence. Active voice: Jewish unbelievers produces the action. The infinitive plus the negative is a negative of purpose—“and ears for the purpose of not hearing.”

And Paul brings it right up to date when he says, “unto this day.” The temporal conjunction e)wj used as an improper preposition with the genitive singular of the definite article and a genitive adverb h(mera—“until this very day.” In other words, the big blot-out continues right down to Paul’s day. The change of dispensation in which there is no longer a Jewish client nation to God, and cannot be until the Second Advent, sees the continuation of the Jewish unbelief.

Translation: “Just as it stands written, God has given to them [unbelieving Jews only] a state of mind of insensibility, eyes for the purpose of not seeing, ears for the purpose of not hearing, until this day.”

Principle

1. The greater the presentation of the gospel (evangelism) the greater the resistance of the unbelieving Jew “until this very day.” The greater the presentation of doctrine to the believing Jew, the greater the resistance of the negative volition believing Jew.

2. The reason for this is interlocking systems of arrogance.

3. Arrogance often manifests itself in prosperity through self-righteousness, and at the same time manifests itself in adversity through self-pity. Both self-righteousness and self-pity reject doctrine.

4. Therefore arrogance, whatever its manifestation, produces strong negative volition.

5. Furthermore, the greater the revelation, the clear doctrinal presentation, the greater the resistance to that doctrine.

6. In the status quo, then, that develops [scar tissue of the soul] the eyes do not see and the ears do not hear. Once the perceptive system of faith is shut down by negative volition then not only has arrogance resisted but it produces an empiricism or a false rationalism. That is the difference between a philosopher who is anti-doctrine [rationalism] and an empiricist who is anti-doctrine [e.g. a scientist who believes in evolution]. When you reject doctrine and the means of perception of doctrine as a believer arrogance must select a system of perception which is compatible with the arrogance resident in the soul.

Verse 9 – “Also David saith,” quoting Psalm 69:22, 23: “Let their table be made a snare, and a trap.” This begins with the nominative singular of the noun trapeza. It refers to the Jewish spiritual heritage, as it did in Psalm 69, the Jewish spiritual heritage of Codex numbers 1, 2 & 3 of the Mosaic law. It includes in Codex #2 the concept of the table of shewbread. Plus the possessive genitive plural of the intensive pronoun a)utoj. It is used for the third person personal pron0oun and is correctly translated “their table.”

Then the aorist passive imperative of ginomai. The aorist tense is a gnomic aorist for a doctrine which is regarded as so certain that it is axiomatic in character and described as though it were actually occurring at this moment. Passive voice: the table or the spiritual heritage of Israel as a client nation receives the action of the verb. This is called the imperative of entreaty in the Greek which does not convey the finality of a command but has the force of an urgency of request and is therefore comparable to the jussive in the Hebrew. With this we have a prepositional phrase, e)ij plus the accusative of pagij—“for a snare.” Then the connective kai—“and,” then a second prepositional phrase, e)ij plus qhra—“and a trap.” So there is a slight amplification from Psalm 69.

Why does Paul add “for a snare” which is not found in the Hebrew of Psalm 69? The snare indicates responsibility; the trap indicates what happens when that responsibility is ignored. 1. The responsibility of freedom under the laws of divine establishment. This belongs to the entire client nation; 2. Evangelism, which is the responsibility of believers only; 3. Spiritual growth or advance through the perception of Bible doctrine; Missionary responsibility.

The fact that a client nation has these responsibilities means that there is the potential of failing, the potential of not living up to the responsibility. The possession of these things requires a responsibility response. When this responsibility fails then it becomes a trap. The ritual of the Mosaic law becomes a trap when the reality of the person of Christ is rejected.

“and a stumblingblock” – the preposition e)ij plus the accusative skandalon, a word which is used in a very significant way in 1 Corinthians 1:23. It is a stumblingblock only to the Jews. But to the Greeks and Gentiles in general it is foolishness. The Jews had client nation responsibility. When they reject the very source of the existence of their client nation, as well as their own salvation, then they stumble and fails as a client nation. The Greeks had no client nation status and therefore they had no responsibility. Their rejection is tantamount to saying that this is merely foolishness. Those who have responsibility and reject that responsibility are the ones who actually suffer the most in this life. Christ at the first advent is a stumblingblock only to the Jews because they were the client nation. Skandalon is the big blot-out, it refers to the Jewish obstacle in believing in Christ. When they reject Christ as saviour they build scar-tissue on the soul, they enter into interlocking systems of arrogance. Cf. 1 Peter 2:6-8.

“and a recompence unto them” – this should be translated, and for a retribution. We have e)ij plus the accusative of a)ntapodoma, and that means to whom much is given much is expected. The word means just punishment. When the responsibility of the client nation to God is rejected then there is only one thing left. The justice of God must punish that lack of responsibility. With this is the dative plural indirect object and the dative of disadvantage from that same intensive pronoun a)utoj—“to them.” This refers to the fact that throughout history in the last dispensation the Jews suffered terrible things and acted in a very strange way, nationally and individually, because of their arrogance in the big blot-out. So also they do the same thing again and again in this dispensation.

Translation: “Also David says, May their table [the spiritual heritage of Israel] be for a snare, and for a trap, and for a stumblingblock, and so for a retribution to them.”

The table is the spiritual heritage of the client nation, the snare is doctrine and the gospel, the trap is the ritual gospel, and for a stumblingblock the first advent of Christ with emphasis on the cross. The retribution is the five cycles of discipline, the fifth of which destroys the client nation.

The spiritual heritage of Israel is so lucid that there is no excuse for rejection of Christ as saviour or the function of the big blot-out. Therefore this same spiritual heritage, including gospel presentation and the illustrative ritual, becomes a snare and a trap for the Jewish unbeliever. The key is the stumblingblock of the first advent with emphasis on the cross, and therefore the threefold retribution from the justice of God.

There are four results, then, of rejecting the table of spiritual heritage:

1. The snare—rejection of the gospel as it is presented.

2. The trap—rejection of the ritual presented in the gospel in Codex #2 of the Mosaic law.

3. The stumblingblock—the Jew rejecting the omega glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. The retribution from the justice of God.

Verse 10 – we have now a quotation from Psalm 69:23. The first line is quoted from the Hebrew and the second line is quoted from the Greek of the Septuagint. The first line starts with the aorist passive imperative of skotizw, which means to be darkened. The aorist tense is a constative aorist, it contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety. It refers to a fact or an action extended over a period of time. Passive voice: the eyes of the Jewish unbelievers and the eyes of the Jewish reversionistic believers receive the action of the verb under the function of the big blot-out. The imperative mood is the imperative of entreaty which does not convey the finality of a command but the force of a request in an imprecatory prayer. The nominative plural subject o)fqalmoj refers to objective perceptive ability. These are not literal eyes. Plus the genitive plural of a)utoj used as a third person pronoun. This is quoted from the Hebrew and translated into Koine Greek—“Let their eyes be darkened.” It is a reference to scar-tissue of the soul which comes from reversionism. The unbeliever’s reversionism is the rejection of the establishment principles of Codex #1 & 3. The believer’s reversionism comes from the resistance of Bible doctrine.

This is followed buy a negative purpose clause, including the genitive singular of the definite article used to introduce that negative purpose clause, plus the present active infinitive from blepw and the negative mh. The historical present views the past function of Jewish negative volition or the big blot-out with the vividness of a present occurrence. The active voice: the Jews produce the action of the verb as a part of their reversionism historically, and that becomes an illustration for the reversionism of any client nation during the Church Age. The infinitive with the negative mh indicates a negative purpose clause. It is correctly translated, “for the purpose of not seeing.”

The problem here is twofold. In a client nation there is the believer and the unbeliever. The unbeliever rejects establishment. With this we have destruction of freedom and the taking of the authority into the hands of incompetent and irresponsible people, so that whereas before there was a balance, now there is tyranny. Freedom without authority is anarchy, but authority without freedom is tyranny.

The next line does not follow the Hebrew text, it follows the Greek of the Septuagint. The Hebrew says, “Make their loins tremble.” But Paul does not quote that. So by not following the Hebrew text but the Septuagint we have, “and make their backs crooked always.” This is what Paul is going to quote from. A crooked back is a terrible handicap in life. Why does Paul quote the Septuagint instead of the Hebrew text? The answer can be found in the historical fact of the perpetuation of the big blot-out which has two factors related to it: arrogance and blackout of the soul. Blackout of the soul or scar tissue of the soul destroys the talent and the ability of one’s perspicacity and talent. The trembling loins is a temporary fear but a crooked back is a permanent disease with perpetuating pain. Perpetuating pain changes one’s outlook on life, and this is a great illustration of the Jews who, along with the Calvinistic peoples of western Europe, are responsible for the industrial revolution and free enterprise in Europe for 200 years. The Roman Catholics were anti-free enterprise, as admitted by their own historians. The bog blot-out is the permanent disease of Israel until the Second Advent of Christ, with wonderful exceptions in every generation when there are Jews who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“and” – kai, plus the aorist active imperative of sugkamptw which means to bend or to bow. Here it means to bend—“and to cause their backs to bend.” It is a culminative aorist, it views the big blot-out in terms of its entirety but emphasises the result. With this is the accusative singular from the noun vwtoj, which means the back of a person, and with the generic use of the definite article it indicates the backs of the Jews who fell into the trap—interlocking systems of arrogance from rejecting Bible doctrine.

Next comes the prepositional phrase, dia plus paj, which means literally, through all. This is a prepositional phrase which is used as an adverbial idiom meaning always or constantly. So the corrected translation: “and caused their backs to bend constantly.”

Translation: “Let their eyes be darkened for the purpose of not seeing, and always cause their backs to bend.”

Verses 11-24 is the second paragraph.

Verse 11 – a second debater’s question. This begins with the postpositive inferential conjunction o)un which is translated “therefore.” An inference is drawn from the previous paragraph, an inference from the rise and fall of nations, as illustrated by the rise and fall of client nation Israel in its various categories. O)un begins an idiom.

Next is the present active indicative of legw, the verb of communication. It is derived from logoj which means word or thought. Legw means to communicate a word or thought and is generally translated to say—“Therefore I say.” The customary present is for habitually occurs after the dissertation in verses 1-10, the first paragraph. Active voice: Paul produces the action of the verb with a rhetorical question. The indicative mood is declarative representing the verbal action from the viewpoint of reality in order to establish the basis for the communication of doctrine in the second paragraph. The negative mh in a question expects a negative answer. (The negative adverb o)u in a question expects a positive answer)

Then comes the aorist active indicative of the verb ptaiw which means to stumble. “Therefore I say, They did not stumble so as to fall into ruin, did they?” The constative aorist contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety, which is the big blot-out in Israel—unbeliever reversionism. Believer reversionism is related only in the sense of rejection of doctrine after salvation. The active voice: the unbelieving Jew produces the action of the verb. The historical indicative mood indicates the reality of this in every generation, not only among Jews who are used for the illustration but for Gentiles as well in any client nation during the Church Age.

Next we have the phrase, “that they should fall”—i(na peswsin. I(na introduces a final clause which expresses a distinct purpose conceived as the objective of the action indicated in the principle verb, translated here “so as.” Then the aorist active subjunctive of piptw—to fall, referring to the fifth cycle of discipline. The culminative aorist views the Jewish big blot-out or the unbeliever reversionism in its entirety but emphasises the existing results from it, which is the 5^th cycle of discipline. The active voice: the Jews produce the action in the former dispensation. Paul is using them as the illustration as to what will happen to any Gentile nation in the dispensation of the Church. We have the deliberative subjunctive mood employed as a rhetorical device. Not only do we have the negative mh demanding an answer, no, but we also add to it another negative idiom, mh genoito—may it not be so, but it is an idiom which means of course not or definitely not.

Principle

1. The failure of some Jews to believe in Christ did not destroy the plan of God for Israel. Furthermore, by application the failure of some Jewish believers to accept doctrine did not destroy the plan of God for believers who are positive toward doctrine.

2. The failure of many racial Jews to believe in Christ does not cancel the integrity of God. God’s integrity is never cancelled on the basis of our personal failures, neither is God’s integrity cancelled on the basis of the collective failure of a national entity. The integrity of God is never diminished or cancelled in any way by any human failure, collective or individual.

3. The failure of certain Jews to respond to the gospel and believe in Christ does not abrogate the integrity of God, and the failure of certain Jewish believers to respond to doctrinal teaching does not cancel logistical grace support.

4. The grace policy is never cancelled by those who reject it at any point. The unbeliever rejects the gospel; that doesn’t cancel the grace policy. The born-again believer rejects Bible doctrine and becomes a reversionist; that does not cancel the grace policy. In other words, grace is never neutralised by what others do or fail to do.

5. Man’s failure cannot cancel the integrity of God.

6. God never lowers Himself to man’s failure, except once: at the cross, i.e. when He took all the sins of the human race and imputed them to Christ at the cross and judged them.

7. Jewish rejection of Christ declares God to be false. But such blasphemy does not change God. Principle: Failure may change you but failure never changes God. God’s integrity remains reliable in judging the big blot-out while blessing those who believe in Christ—logistical grace blessing.

Principle

1. The Jewish rejection of their spiritual heritage resulted in rejection of Christ as saviour. In effect, this is what rejection of their spiritual heritage is, inasmuch as the whole foundation of Israel is regeneration.

2. This apostasy, which we might classify as unbeliever reversionism, resulted in the eventual administration of the fifth cycle of discipline, a final administration in A.D. 70.

3. The fifth cycle of discipline administrated by the Romans in A.D. 70 destroyed the client nation status of Israel and ushered in the times of the Gentiles mentioned in Luke 21:24.

4. The fifth cycle of discipline administered to Israel in A.D. 70 was not designed to destroy Israel but to transfer their spiritual heritage to the Gentiles temporarily, i.e until the Second Advent. Such a transfer of heritage demands not only understanding the Old Testament but understanding something that God gave in the transference, making every believer in this dispensation a member of the royal family of God forever—permanent royalty.

5. Throughout the Church Age certain Gentile nations will be called client nations.

6. Gentile nations have become client nations to God so that Gentiles throughout the world with ⁺V at God-consciousness can be evangelised. Inasmuch as the Jews are now scattered throughout the world as well they too can be evangelised.

7. As stated at the end of this verse, an additional purpose in the evangelisation of Gentiles is to stimulate the Jews to emulation, i.e. to faith in Christ.

8. We live in the dispensation where Gentiles evangelise Jews, rather than Jews evangelising Gentiles, as per the dispensation of Israel and as per the dispensation of the Millennium, as well as the Tribulation.

Principle

1. Israel is not ruined by the fifth cycle of discipline. Israel is scattered throughout the world to face the issue of the gospel.

2. Being scattered throughout the world the Jews are evangelised by the Gentiles. There is another advantage to the Church Age: wherever the Jews are scattered they bring blessing—for several reasons. For example, given freedom they have demonstrated a genius for business.

3. Furthermore, the Jewish race is preserved during their dispersion by Gentile nations who act as client nations to God.

4. While at various times during the Church Age there has been a Jewish nation in Palestine, that Jewish nation is barred from functioning as a client nation. This is the times of the Gentiles during which no Jewish national entity can serve as a client nation to God.

5. In other words, there will be no Jewish client nation until the second advent of Christ which will terminate the diaspora, and under the aegis of Christ they will be regathered to form the client nation for the Millennium.

6. There will be no Jewish client nation to God, then, until the Millennium. Then they will be the client nation for the last thousand years of history and for all eternity.

7. It is our privilege as a client nation to provide a haven for Israel during these troublesome times.

8. The divine discipline of the Jew, then, is not to blot out Israel or to destroy the race. The race cannot be destroyed; God preserves it.

Verse 12 – the application of the principle of cursing turned to blessing. That is, we have here the a fortiori of Israel’s cursing and blessing, but always a

Gentile blessing.

It begins with the postpositive conjunctive particle de, and is correctly translated Now. It is a transitional use of the conjunction, and with it is the transitional particle e)i which introduces a protasis of a 1^st class condition, if and it is true. Then, the nominative singular of the noun paraptwma which refers to apostasy and reversionism, and with it the possessive genitive of the intensive pronoun a)utoj used as a third person personal pronoun: “Now if their apostasy” – referring to the Jews’ defection from their spiritual heritage. There is no verb in this verse, hence ellipsis in which an idea is not fully expressed grammatically. The ellipsis of the verb in this verse indicates the strong emotional undercurrent of Paul as the human writer. We therefore insert the present active indicative of e)imi or ginomai which are not found here. They are legitimate because they are the only two common verbs that take a predicate nominative. The reason that one of these can be inserted in the translation is because we have a predicate nominative (not an accusative) of ploutoj—“becomes the riches.” Next is a descriptive genitive plural from kosmoj—“of the world.” This is true. The apostasy of Israel has become the riches of the world—client nation status to Gentile nations.

Principle

1. The spiritual heritage of Israel included its client nation status with the responsibility of missionary evangelism.

2. The failure of Israel in this regard resulted in the times of the Gentiles. The apostasy of Israel in rejecting their spiritual heritage and transferring of evangelistic and missionary responsibility to other than Jewish nations results in the riches to those nations throughout world history.

“and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles” – as Israel diminished certain Gentiles began to prosper. The connective kai continues the 1^st class

condition; the nominative subject is h(ttma, it means failure or defeat rather than diminishing; with it is the possessive genitive plural of a)utoj—“and their failure.” Loss of client nation status. Again, since this is an ellipsis we use the aorist active indicative of ginomai—“became.” Then we have the predicate nominative, ploutoj, plus e)qnoj in the possessive genitive—“the riches of the Gentiles.”

The spiritual heritage of Israel is transferred to the Church. The Church is not a national entity and this is the basic reason why there must always be a separation between Church and state. The Church is royal family in any nation, and the larger the royal family in a nation the greater the prosperity of that nation historically. This is the spiritual interpretation of history. The rise and fall of nations since A.D. 70 can be directly attributed to the amount of true believers who reach maturity in that nation.

Principle

1. Without Jewish apostasy there would be no royal family of God in the Church Age.

2. Without Jewish apostasy the glorious spiritual heritage of Israel would not be transferred to the Church as the body of Christ. Christ is the origin of the spiritual heritage of Israel and Christ is the origin of the spiritual heritage of the Church. Therefore it is transferred from origin to origin, which makes it compatible with the essence of God.

3. Without Jewish apostasy there would be no hope and no divine plan for the Gentile. In that we have the fulfilment of Psalm 76:9,10.

“how much more their fullness?” This phrase will bring us face to face with a detailed study of a fortiori. It begins with a dative of advantage from an

interrogative, correlative pronoun, posoj—“how much.” Also, the instrumental case of posoj means literally, by how much. But when used adverbially before a comparison it is translated, instead of the instrumental by how much, simply the dative of advantage (or disadvantage), how much. With this is the comparative adverb mallon, which introduces concept a fortiori [a = with; fortiori = greater reason]—“more.”

If Jewish apostasy [the big blot-out] and discipline to Israel has become a blessing to the Gentiles, it follows a fortiori that their restoration at the Second Advent and resumed client nation function during the Millennium will be even a greater blessing than ever before. Paul is using this system of logic under the ministry of the Spirit to demonstrate that not only have the Jews not been set aside permanently but their future is greater than their past. That is grace.

Next is the predicate nominative, plhrwma, which refers to the restoration of Israel as a client nation in the Millennium. Again, we have the possessive genitive plural from the intensive pronoun a)utoj, and again it is used as a third person plural personal pronoun. It is correctly translated, “their fullness.” Here plhrwma refers to the great blessings of Israel during the Millennium and the blessing by association of other nations which will exist in the Millennial reign of Christ. Obviously, plhrwoma connotes the client nation of Israel in the Millennium which provides great blessing, as per Zechariah 8:22, 23. We translate this, “how much more will be their fulness?” The words will be are not found in the original, it is simply inserted on the basis of the fact that this is an ellipsis and you go from the nominative subject to a predicate nominative, and therefore a verb can be inserted, e)imi or ginomai.

Translation: “Now if their apostasy [the big blot-out] becomes the riches of the world, and if their failure [5^th cycle of discipline] the riches of the Gentiles; how much more will be their fullness?”

Principle: If the justice of God provides the greater by blessing the Gentiles through Jewish discipline in the times of the Gentiles, it follows a fortiori that He

will not withhold the less—greater blessing to the Gentiles in the Millennial restoration of Israel as the client nation to God. While the Gentiles have great blessing in the Church Age and the times of the Gentiles they will have even greater blessing in the Millennium in the time of Israel’s fullness. Perfect environment cannot exist in this world until Christ supersedes Satan as the ruler of the world, and until Israel is restored to client nation status.

The a fortiori of verse 12

1. If the justice of God provides the greater in blessing the Gentiles through Jewish apostasy and punishment it follows, a fortiori, that God will not withhold the less – even greater blessings to the Gentiles in the Millennial restoration of Israel as a client nation.

2. This emphasises the fact that the greater is not quality or quantity but degree of effort. In other words, it is easier for God to bless the Gentiles when the Jews enjoy client nation status than during times of the Gentiles when only Gentile nations can function as a client nation.

3. The greatest blessings will come to the Gentiles during the Millennial reign of Christ when the Jews have been restored to their client nation status.

4. The Millennium, then, is the time of Israel’s fullness which produces much more blessing for the Gentiles under the principle of blessing by association.

5. The times of the Gentiles, therefore, is in contrast to the time of Israel’s fullness.

6. The Gentiles have maximum blessing in the Church Age through Israel’s fall, but the Gentiles will have greater than maximum blessing in the Millennium when Israel is restored as a client nation to God.

7. There cannot be perfect environment on the earth without the overthrow of Satan and the function of Israel as a client nation, plus the restraining of the old sin nature.

Verses 13 & 14 is a parenthesis in which we have Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. This helps the Jews.

Verse 13 begins with the postpositive conjunctive particle de, used to insert an explanation or a parenthesis. If it is used to insert an explanation we simply put in

the phrase, “that is.” But we can use an explanation by simply putting in a parenthesis. With it is the present active indicative of the verb legw, which is taken from logoj which refers to thought. Legw means the expression of thought and is therefore generally translated to speak, to utter words. We translate this, “I am speaking.” This is a pictorial present, it presents to the mind a picture of Paul’s communication as in the process of occurrence. The active voice: Paul as the human writer produces the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative representing the verbal idea from the viewpoint of reality—verbal plenary inspiration of the Scripture. With it is the dative plural indirect object from the personal pronoun su—“to you.” It is also dative of advantage. Plus the dative of advantage plural from e)qnoj, referring to Gentiles in contrast to Jews.

“inasmuch as” is actually a prepositional phrase, the preposition e)pi plus the accusative, emphasising motion or direction, plus o(soj. With it is an inferential conjunction, o)un, translated “therefore”—“inasmuch as therefore.”

Next is Paul’s autobiographical statement: the present active indicative of the verb e)imi—“I am.” The present tense is a static present, representing a condition which is taken for granted as a fact—Paul is an apostle. The active voice: Paul produces the action as a part of his ministry. The indicative mood is declarative for the historical reality of Paul’s apostleship and unique position in the Church Age. With it is the nominative singular subject from the personal pronoun e)gw, plus an anarthrous predicate nominative from the noun a)postoloj which is transliterated, not translated. It emphasises the high gift and the quality of the ministry of the apostle Paul. With it is the objective genitive plural from the noun e)qnoj, referring to Gentiles in contrast to Jews in setting up for the Church Age the fact that there are no racial distinctions any more between the sons of Noah, and the only unique race and racial distinction is the fact that the Jews continue to exist after the administration of the 5^th cycle of discipline and they are scattered throughout the world until such time as the Second Advent—“inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles.”

“I magnify mine office” – the present active indicative of docazw should be translated, “I am magnifying.” Docazw refers to glorifying, honouring, praising or magnifying. The descriptive present indicates what is now going on in the parenthesis. The active voice: Paul is producing the action and doing so without arrogance. The confidence that comes from doctrine is not arrogance. The accusative singular direct object is diakonia, and we translate it “ministry.”

Translation: “I am speaking to you Gentiles, therefore inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I am magnifying my ministry.”

Paul magnifies his office because it is the ministry to bring blessing in the Church Age. It is the ministry of doctrine which the Gentiles accept whereby they whereby the fulfil one of the ministries of the client nation, which is to provide the haven for Israel during the 5^th cycle of discipline, and in some cases evangelise Israel.

1. The Gentiles are blessed by the cursing to the Jews. All Gentiles in history since AD 70 have had blessing because God removed the Jews as a client nation to the 5^th cycle. The dispensation of Israel is replaced by the dispensation of the Church.

2. The client nation of Israel is set aside and Gentile client nations exist in the royal family dispensation.

3. This means that the Gentiles are blessed by Israel’s failure and discipline. This also means that the Gentiles of the Church and the client nation to God have received the transfer of Israel’s spiritual heritage and therefore custodian responsibility.

4. The Gentiles are blessed by Jewish cursing in this dispensation, but Paul anticipates that Gentiles will receive even greater blessing when Israel is restored as the client nation to God in the Millennium.

5. As the apostle to the Gentiles Paul inserts a parenthesis to magnify the ministry to the Gentiles. This is because as the Gentiles are blessed from the perception of doctrine, so that blessing will overflow back to the Jews. The Jews receive their blessing, not directly from their spiritual heritage but from the Gentiles—client nations.

6. Therefore Paul has a ministry which not only blesses the gentiles but in turn provides blessing for true Jews.

7. The blessing to the Gentiles through justification results in the establishing of client nations and the evangelisation of the Jews. As the individual Jew responds to the message of salvation presented by the Gentile believer the curse is turned into blessing, and he, the Jew, becomes a member of the royal family of God forever. He is no longer a Jew, he is a royal family in a special category of blessing.

Principle

1. Paul is anxious for the salvation of the Gentiles and for the formation of Gentile client nations to God, because this is the way the Jews will be evangelised in coming generations.

2. Therefore for the Jew who believes in Christ his cursing is turned to blessing. His blessing is perpetuated under the freedom of the Gentile client nation.

3. Not only does the believing Jew of this dispensation receive eternal life but he is entered into the royal family of God by means of the baptism of the Spirit and has the same option and opportunity to use doctrine to advance to maturity.

4. In the previous dispensation of Israel only those Jews in the line of David were royal family. But now, any Jew who believes in Christ, regardless of his tribe, he is royal family of God because of the baptism of the Spirit.

5. Furthermore, many of the Jewish royal family in the dynasty of David were unbelievers, and therefore you have the case of royalty in hell. But any Jew in this dispensation who believes in Christ is royalty in heaven forever.

6. Any Jew, regardless of tribe or status, who believes in Christ during the Church Age automatically becomes royal family of God forever.

7. Therefore Paul’s ministry is glorified or magnified because a direct ministry to the Gentiles becomes instantly an indirect ministry to the Jews.

8. The preservation of a remnant of believing Jews in every generation of the times of the Gentiles and the double blessing of that remnant with imputed righteousness and royal family status is a magnificent display of God’s wisdom and grace.

9. The administration of the 5^th cycle of discipline to Israel in AD 70 indicates their terrible apostasy and total failure at that time. Their evil and degeneracy prior to their fall is well documented. But no matter how great their failure the plan of God marches on, and Jewish failure in the past does not hinder or destroy Jewish failure in the present or Jewish restoration in the future at the Second Advent.

Application

1. We have a magnificent consolation and encouragement to know that in times of maximum evil and degeneracy God preserves the believer, whether Jew or Gentile. No matter how bad things become for each believer God’s plan moves right on. Historical disaster does not in any way imply that God’s plan is cancelled and that until better times come no one is going to advance to maturity. Some of the greatest advances to maturity are accelerated by disaster.

2. Not only is the believer in the plan of God—Jew or Gentile—under logistical grace, but he is under the same principle of super-grace blessing as a potential as in good times. Illustration: Daniel.

3. Therefore times of defection and declension have never hindered the momentum of the plan of God for the positive believer. It is only the negative believer who peels off and goes through the cycles of reversionism.

4. The principle. No historical disaster can hinder the plan of God for the Jew or the Gentile; no historical disaster can hinder the momentum of those believers who are positive toward Bible doctrine.

5. No historical disaster can cancel either present blessing to the Jewish remnant or future blessing to restored Israel of the Millennium.

6. God is faithful; God keeps His word. The faithfulness of God is based on the integrity of God which is composed of two divine characteristics: righteousness and justice.

7. Divine judgment to degeneracy and apostasy never hinders divine blessing to the pivot of mature believers. Nor does historical disaster hinder the momentum of advance to maturity.

8. Many times in history Jewish declension and apostasy have been so great that alarming segments of the world’s Jewish population have been destroyed by divine discipline. Whenever this has occurred those Jews who died, died as a result of saying no more times than Pharaoh at the Exodus.

9. Such disastrous destruction does not cancel or abrogate God’s plan for the true Israel—those who believe in Christ. Nor does it hinder the future restoration of Israel at the Second Advent.

10. Jewish failure cannot destroy the Jewish future. The failure of Israel does not hinder the plan of God, and therefore does not hinder the future of Israel.

11. Today many Jews throughout the world are the richest people of the world, yet their wealth can never replace for them their spiritual heritage, the true riches.

Verse 14 – begins with the conditional conjunction e)i which introduces the protasis of a first class condition, assuming the protasis to be true. With it is the enclitic particle pwj, meaning in some way or some how—“If somehow.” Next is the future active indicative of parazhlow, which means to stimulate to emulation, to provoke or stimulate the Jews to emulate the Gentiles in believing in the Lord Jesus Christ in this dispensation. We have a gnomic future tense for a statement of fact or performance which may be rightfully expected under normal conditions. Therefore the future tense is not future from the standpoint of prophecy but future from the standpoint of it’s gnomic consideration. This is what can be expected under normal conditions—that throughout the Church Age Jews will be evangelised by Gentile client nations, missionaries or personal witnessing, and that out of all of the Jews being evangelised many of them will emulate Gentiles, believe in Christ and become members of the royal family of God. The active voice: Paul produces the action of the verb as the apostle to the Gentiles. This is why he is so enthusiastic about his responsibility and his title. His conversion will stimulate some Jews to believe in Christ; the writing of the doctrine which occurs in this chapter will stimulate others. The indicative mood is declarative indicating the reality of the situation.

Next comes the possessive genitive singular from the personal pronoun e)gw, the word for my. With it is the accusative singular direct object from the noun sarc—“flesh.” By using sarc Paul is referring to the racial Jew who has the genes of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but as an unbeliever does not possess the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore, “stimulating to emulation my flesh” refers to stimulating Jews to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“and” – the connective use of the conjunction kai; “might save” – aorist active subjunctive of the verb swzw. The aorist tense is a constative aorist for a fact or action extended over the entire period of the Church Age, beginning at AD 70 and going to the Rapture—the times of the Gentiles. The active voice: Paul produces the action. The subjunctive mood is potential, it depends on the individual volition of every Jew who hears the gospel. With it is the accusative plural direct object of the indefinite pronoun tij. The accusative plural is used to represent a specific category—the racial Jew.

Then there is a prepositional phrase, e)k plus the ablative plural of the intensive pronoun a)utoj, used as the third person personal pronoun—“from among them,” or simply “among them” or “of them.”

Translation: “If somehow I shall stimulate to emulation [of the Gentiles who believe] my flesh [the racial but not the regenerate Jew], and might save some of them.”

Principle

1. God has not cast away His people Israel, for in times of Jewish apostasy God has always preserved the remnant of believers, beginning with the Exodus generation right down to the last administration of the 5^th cycle of discipline in AD 70.

2. True Israel [those who have believed in Christ] is regenerate Israel, and in every generation there is a remnant of believing Jews.

3. The fall of Israel is neither universal nor perpetual, for during the times of the Gentiles Gentile salvation through faith in Christ will become a stimulus to Jewish faith in Christ.

4. In times of greatest Jewish apostasy and declension there is therefore always a remnant of believing Jews.

5. Paul therefore as the apostle to the Gentiles has a ministry which results in thousands of Gentiles believing in Christ, and among those who do some who will be missionaries to other countries, and others who will witness to Jews in the client nation.

6. Gentile salvation through faith in Jesus Christ stimulates Jews to look at the grace function of the plan of God.

7. The natural seed of Abraham can only become the spiritual seed of Abraham through faith in Christ—which means that Gentile believers are responsible for witnessing to Jews as individuals and responsible for missionary activity in any geographical area where Jews live.

8. Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles also benefits the Jews—evangelisation, indoctrination which advances the saved Jew to maturity, and the blessings which come from fulfilling the plan of God.

That ends the parenthesis, and now Paul resumes the concept, the amplification of verse 12.

Verse 15 – cursing is turned into blessing for the Jew because Gentiles have responded to the gospel. Cursing has been turned into blessing for the Gentile who

believes. This stimulates the Jew to believe so that cursing can be turned into blessing for him.

The verse begins with the conditional conjunction e)i, introducing the protasis of a 1^st class condition—if and it is true. With it is the postpositive conjunctive particle gar. The explanatory use of the conjunction is translated, “Now if” or “For if.” The nominative singular subject is a)pobolh which means rejection, and with it is “autoj—“their rejection.” This is a reference to the administration of the 5^th cycle of discipline which destroyed Israel’s client nation status and in affect was the reason for the change of dispensation from the Age of Israel to the Church Age.

There is an ellipsis again in this verse—the omission of verbs. This shows the great emotional stress under which Paul wrote. We can insert the aorist active indicative of ginomai because of the predicate nominative coming up—“has become.” Then the predicate nominative of the noun katallagh, which refers to reconciliation. “For if their rejection has become the reconciliation [and it has].” We have an anarthrous situation here, there is no definite article. The absence of the definite article emphasises the quality of the noun, therefore it is translated into English with the definite article. English uses the definite article for emphasis; the Greek uses it for de-emphasis.

The removal of Israel as the client nation to God through the 5^th cycle of discipline had two results: the halting of the dispensation of Israel and the insertion of the Church Age. This means that Jews who believe in Christ in this dispensation are automatic royalty, whereas Jews who believed in Christ in the past dispensation were not. The second result was the beginning of the times of the Gentiles or the function of Gentile nations as a client nation to God. In the previous dispensation that was a function for Israel only, except for 70 years.[3]

“what” is the interrogative pronoun tij. We have to insert a verb here since it is elliptical, so we have the future active indicative of e)imi—“what is,” and then the predicate nominative from the definite article which is used here as a possessive pronoun—“what is their.” Then comes the predicate nominative from proslhmyij, which means acceptance—“what is their acceptance.” This is a reference to the restoration of Israel as a client nation to God at the Second Advent of Christ. The restoration of Israel includes not only the regathering of Jews from their present dispersion but the resurrection of all of the Old Testament saints, including the Jews, and the fulfilment of all the covenants to Israel.

The words e)i mh is an idiom. It is literally, “if not.” It is translated “but” here, it is an exclusion concept, and the result is in the nominative singular of zwh—“life.” Then comes e)k plus the ablative plural of nekroj. It means life from the dead, and it a reference to the resurrection of all the Jewish believers of the Old Testament who are present in their resurrection bodies for the restoration of Israel. This refers also to the resurrection of the nation as a client nation to God, which we call simply restoration.

Translation: “For if their rejection [the 5^th cycle of discipline and loss of client nation status] has become the reconciliation of the world [and it has], what will be their acceptance, but life from the dead?”

This also infers that there will always be a remnant of true Israel in every generation. Even though Satan is constantly working at destroying the Jews he will never succeed in doing so. The Jews today are under a curse, but when they believe in Christ the cursing is turned to blessing and they become royal family of God. The future restoration of Israel in the Millennium means fantastic blessing for the entire world in the environment of the Millennial government.

Verse 16 – the principle that comes out of the concept: the perpetuation of true Israel. The first half of this verse is the perpetuation of Israel during the dispensation of Israel; the last half of the verse is the perpetuation of Israel during the Church Age and/or the times of the Gentiles.

It begins with the transitional use of the postpositive conjunctive particle de, and since we are now moving into a new area for interpretation this is translated, “Moreover.” With it is the conditional particle e)i, which is used to introduce the protasis of a 1^st class condition. The first class condition of supposition looks at it from the standpoint of historical reality.

Next is the subject, the nominative singular subject of a)parxh, and it refers to sacrificial firstfruits of a heave offering. A heave offering is an offering that is waved before the Lord. It refers to a sacrifice, the sacrifice of the firstfruits with a heave offering. The word for heave offering goes back to the Hebrew of the Old Testament, terumah, used for a gift (usually a gift of food) brought to the temple or to the priest. It derives its name from the fact that a portion was lifted from it or taken by a person from his property as an offering to God. It included anything offered by the Jew, either by the command of God or of his own volition, for the erection and maintenance of the temple and for the living of the Levitical priests. Here it refers to a portion of dough taken as a heave offering. The generic use of the definite article represents a category at this point. A)parxh refers to the sacrifice of the firstfruits of the famous heave offering, called terumah in the Old Testament. This is the heave offering of Numbers 15:18-21.

18 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you,

19 Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the LORD.

20 Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it.

21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD an heave offering in your generations.

This heave offering was in recognition of the fact that God prospered them in an agricultural economy. When the harvest was in the first part of the harvest was to be given to the Lord.

So Paul uses the firstfruits of this heave offering to form an analogy to the meaning of true Israel in the dispensation of Israel. We also have to add the predicate nominative of a(gia which is used for the word holy. And by inserting because of ellipsis the present active indicative of e)imi we now have a translation: “Moreover, if the firstfruits [the dough of the heave offering] are holy [and they are]”—1^st class condition. What does it means that the firstfruits are holy? The word holy is the key, an old English word for integrity. The integrity of God is the combination of His justice and His righteousness. The grace pipeline goes from the justice of God to the righteousness of God. The blessing that comes through that pipeline is logistical grace blessing and, at the point of maturity, super-grace blessing. So when it says that the firstfruits are holy it is simply a recognition that no talent, ability, system of morality or self-sacrifice, are responsible for that blessing; but that it came from the justice of God, down the grace pipeline to the righteousness of God, totally apart from any system of human ability.

The Hebrew word terumah is exactly the same as the Greek a)parxh in this verse. It is analogous to the foundation of the Jewish nation. As goes the dough, so goes the entire nation. The firstfruits are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All were believers and all eventually advanced to maturity. If the first fruits are holy, and they are—because the firstfruits of Israel are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They are holy in the sense that they were born again and that they followed the plan of God to its logical conclusion, maturity adjustment to the justice of God through maximum doctrine resident in the soul. So the true Israel must follow Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and be born again. Throughout all history there will always be racial Israel but the true Israel is not racial Israel, it is the Jew who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and then goes on to advance to maturity. A)parxh represents the entire mass of anything, therefore the firstfruits are representation of the entire mass. So the firstfruits denote the representation of the entire mass of true Israel. The mass of true Israel is the believing Jew. True Israel is composed of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. That means that at the end of the Church Age there is a resurrection—Rapture—and then we have continuation and conclusion of the Jewish Age, called the Tribulation. Then we have the Second Advent of Christ when all of the Old Testament Jews who believed in Christ are resurrected to go into the Millennium with the Jews who believed in Christ during the Tribulation and remained alive. When Israel is restored as a nation it is the restoration of true Israel, those who are believers, and believers only. The protasis, then, refers to the foundation of true Israel while the apodosis which now follows refers to the true Israel of the Old Testament, those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ in Old Testament times.

“the lump is also holy” – this begins with the adjunctive use of the conjunction kai, “and” or “also.” Next is a nominative singular subject, furama, which means a lump or a batch of dough. It means anything that follows from the original dough. The lump or the batch of dough is also holy. If the starter is holy the batch of dough is holy.

Principle

1. The batch or lump of dough is true Israel of the Old Testament dispensation of Israel.

2. To be the physical seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not enough.

3. The Jew must be the spiritual seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and this can only occur through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. No Jew is a true Jew unless he possesses the righteousness of God.

5. No Jew can possess the righteousness of God unless he believes in Christ.

6. To substitute self-righteousness through keeping the law for the imputation of divine righteousness becomes the quintessence of blasphemy and blind arrogance.

So we have used the analogy firstfruits and batch of dough. As goes the firstfruits, so goes the batch. But now we have to change that for the New Testament

Jew where we have root, and out of the root comes the tree, and out of the tree comes the branch. This is what Paul is getting around to now. For the Jews of the New Testament we have the root and the branch. The root is comparable to the firstfruits and the branch is comparable to the batch or the lump of dough.

The second half of this verse deals with the true Israel in the Church Age. While the heave offering is used as a simile for the true Israel in the dispensation of Israel a change of simile is needed to represent the true Israel in the Church Age. The root and branch simile now comes into focus because it conforms perfectly to the concept of positional truth. The root in this case is the Lord Jesus Christ. Out of the root comes the tree and out of the tree comes many Jewish branches. It is a picture of the branch, the Jewish believer in the Church Age, being in union with the root. So it brings the concept into focus, the baptism of the Spirit and the various doctrines of positional truth—current, retroactive.

“and” is the connective use of the conjunction kai to introduce the same subject under a different simile. It is dealing now with the true Israel of the Church Age. With it is a conditional conjunction, e)i, which introduces the protasis of a first class condition, plus the nominative singular subject of the noun r(iza, which means root, and the nominative singular of the definite article used generically for a unique category. This is a unique category and the starter this time is the God of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ in hypostatic union. The branches are those Jewish believers of this dispensation. At the Second Advent of Christ the Lord Jesus Christ is pictured as coming to deliver Israel, but in the first advent He saves the world through His efficacious sacrifice on the cross. Inasmuch as Jesus Christ in His humanity is also the son of David it makes a perfect way to introduce the status quo of born-again Jews in this dispensation. The root which is a part of the simile of true Israel in the Church Age is taken from Jewish heritage in Isaiah 11:1—the basis for Paul using this particular simile. The root shoot refers to Christ in the first advent; the branch refers to Christ in the Second Advent. In Romans 11 only the root is used. Because of ellipsis we insert the present active indicative of e)imi and translate it, “and if the root [the Lord Jesus Christ at the first advent] is.”

Next is the predicate nominative from a(gia, which means “holy” [1^st class condition, and He is]. This is a reference to the incarnation, the hypostatic union, the impeccability of Christ; “so are the branches” – the adjunctive use of kai means so or also, and it introduces the apodosis. The nominative plural subject of kladoj is the branches, and it refers to true Israel or believing Jews in the dispensation of the Church. In the Church Age all believing Jews, or true Israel, are in union with Christ through the baptism of the Spirit and positional sanctification. So that all true Jews are in union with Christ just as there is a relationship between root and branch. The branches are also holy. But in the next paragraph we are going to see another type of branch, a branch that has been broken off—the unbelieving Jew.

Translation: “Moreover, if the firstfruits [the starter] are holy, the lump [the entire batch of dough, the Jew in the previous dispensation] is also holy: and if the root [the Lord Jesus Christ in the first advent] is holy [and He is], the branches [believing Jews of the Church Age] are also holy.”

Principle

1. The two similes portray the true Israel in every dispensation prior to the Millennial reign of Christ.

2. Remember that the Tribulation is a part of the Jewish Age—the end of the Jewish Age.

3. In summary, the first conditional clause portrays the true Israel of the dispensation of Israel; the second conditional clause portrays the true Israel of the Church Age. Again, this is an argument top demonstrate that God has not changed His plan because of Jewish failure in the past and it also indicates that God has not departed from Israel, or cast off or rejected Israel.

4. Put together these similes indicate that true Israel is always the believing Jew, not the racial Jew.

5. Therefore all racial Jews are not true Israel.

6. Obviously then, attitude toward Christ determines the issue.

7. To be racial Israel [to have the genes of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob] is not enough. Racial Israel must become true Israel through regeneration, following the pattern of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

8. Regeneration can only occur when the individual Jew personally believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

9. Christ was clearly revealed in both Old and New Testaments. Therefore all Jews are without excuse.

10. Christ is portrayed in the Old Testament through animal sacrifices of the Levitical offerings, the structure and the articles of sacred furniture in the tabernacle, the modus operandi of the holy days, the function of the Levitical priesthood, and the direct statements of the prophets.

11. As for the Church Age, the added revelation of the New Testament clearly portrays Christ both to Israel and to the Gentiles.

Verses 17, 18 – a dissertation on broken branches. This is the false Israel. In verse 17

we have a protasis and in verse 18 we have an apodosis.

Verse 17 – “And” is the transitional use of the postpositive conjunction de, and is

translated “Moreover.” Next is a conditional conjunction e)i which introduces

the first class condition. “Moreover, if [and it is true].”

Then the nominative masculine plural subject from the indefinite pronoun tij which represents a category, with the descriptive genitive plural of kladoj – branches—“some of the branches. This is a reference to Jewish unbelievers in every generation of the dispensation of Israel. The Jewish unbeliever cannot inherit the unconditional covenants to Israel. He is not qualified to inherit them because he does not have eternal life. This refers to unbelieving Jews of the Church Age as well.

“be broken off” – aorist passive indicative of the verb e)kklaw which means to break off. “Moreover, if some of the branches were broken off [and they were]” – unbelieving Jews. They do not partake of the root, they are not in union with Christ in this dispensation. This is a constative aorist for a fact or action extending over the entire period of the dispensation of Israel as well as the Church Age. Passive voice: unbelieving Jews receive the action of the verb because they are not true Israel. A broken branch is a racial Jew. He has the genes of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but he has not personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of the fact that in every generation of the dispensation of Israel there are racial Jews who are going to reject Christ as saviour, and this is true also in our dispensation. We have here both temporal and eternal judgment of unbelievers. The temporal judgment is any kind of a holocaust that might occur; the eternal judgment refers to eternity, the great white throne when all unbelieving Jews are going to be resurrected with unbelieving Gentiles and cast into the lake of fire forever.

“and thou, being a wild olive tree” – the transitional use of the postpositive conjunctive particle de, the proleptic use of the second person personal pronoun su referring to all Gentile believers. It refers to Gentile believers in the dispensation of Israel, as per Romans 9:30-33, and it refers to all born-again believers in this dispensation as well. This principle brings the two dispensations together. Here we have the Gentiles being brought in. The word being is the present active participle from the verb e)imi. The present tense is a perfective present referring to a fact which has come to be in the past but is emphasised as a present reality—Gentile believers grafted in by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Active voice: Gentile believers of the Church Age produce the action of the verb. The indicative mood is the declarative for the historical reality of the fact that in this dispensation especially Christ is the root. The tree has branches. The branches are first of all Jews but some branches have been broken off. A wild olive tree, the Gentiles, are going to be grafted in, so this brings the Gentiles into the body of Christ as well. The body of Christ was originally composed of Jews. The first members of the royal family of God were Jews on the day of Pentecost. Now, we the Gentiles are brought into the picture.

Then we have the predicate nominative which is translated, “a wild olive tree.” The Greek word is a)grielaioj and it is used as a figure for heathenism. It refers to Gentile believers in the Church Age.

“were grafted in” – aorist passive indicative of e)gkentrizw, which means to engraft or to graft in. We are mentioned as Gentiles because the privileged race is the Jewish race. The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, it view Gentiles believers in Christ as being entered into union with Christ through the baptism of the Spirit but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results. We are joint heirs with Israel in this dispensation. Passive voice: Gentile believers receive the action of the verb through the baptism of the Spirit. The indicative mood is declarative for historical reality—Gentile believers being joint heirs with Jewish believers in the Church Age.

“among them” – e)n plus the locative plural from the intensive pronoun a)utoj, a reference to Jewish believers of the Church Age. This makes the olive tree a reference to the Church as the body of Christ, the royal family of God. The Bible must be interpreted, however, in the time in which it was written, and at the time of the writing the olive tree was a source of prosperity in the ancient world. It was the symbol of prosperity because of its oil and berries.

The olive tree was used in connection with Israel, for its prosperity, its security, and its responsibility as a client nation to God. This is illustrated by Zechariah chapter four. The olive tree refers also to the Church and God’s plan for the Church related to the ministry of God the Holy Spirit. The olive oil represents the ministry of the Holy Spirit whereas the olive itself represents special blessing imputed to Jew or Gentile believer when they crack the maturity barrier. Since oil represents the ministry of the Holy Spirit His ministry is unique in the Church Age.

The Gentile believers were grafted in with Jewish believers in the royal family of God in the Church dispensation. We are actually, then, one in Christ. The true Israel of Jewish believers is depicted as the olive tree in which some of the natural branches have been broken off—Jewish unbelievers. The Jewish unbelievers are rejected, and that is the meaning of the breaking off of the branches. In their place Gentile believers have been grafted in. God in the Church Age has broken down the wall of partition, the wall that separates Jew and Gentile, so that Jew and Gentile become one body in Christ—Ephesians 3:6.

“and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree,” is poorly translated. It should be, “and have become co-partners [or, joint partakers] of the root and the prosperity of the olive tree.”

“and have become” is the aorist middle indicative of ginomai. The culminative aorist view the event in its entirety but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results. The result is that we, the Gentiles, no longer depend on client nation Israel for evangelism because we, the Gentiles, are now doing the evangelising. We, the Gentiles are the ones who form the client nation in this dispensation, but to do so we must believe in Jesus Christ who is the Gold of Israel. The middle voice is a direct middle in which the agent, the Gentile believer, acts with a view toward participating in the results of the action. The indicative mood is declarative for historical and doctrinal reality. Jew and gentile believer are in the same royal family in this dispensation, having the same privileges and the same opportunities.

There is also a predicate nominative, sugkoinwmoj, which means joint partakers, joint participation, partners. The noun was often used in the Greek for business partners—“and have become partners. The genitive of relationship singular from r(itza refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as the root, the foundation of the Church through His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and session.

Next is the possessive genitive of the noun piothj which means fatness, richness, or prosperity. This prosperity refers to the imputation of two categories of blessing—logistical blessing and supergrace blessing.

“of the olive tree” –the descriptive genitive singular e)laia. The olive tree is God’s plan for the Church.

Translation: “Moreover, if some of the branches [Jewish unbelievers of the Church Age] were broken off [and they were], and you [Gentile] being a wild olive tree, have engrafted in among them, and have become a partner of both the root and prosperity of the olive tree.”

Principle

1. This verse recognises the historical trend of Jewish rejection of Christ as saviour in this dispensation. Therefore there is plenty of room in the body of Christ for Gentile believers.

2. The branches broken off are those Jews who in every generation of this dispensation reject the Lord Jesus Christ as their saviour.

3. These unbelieving Jews follow the pattern of the big blot-out.

4. They understand and reject the gospel, which results in maximum scar tissue of the soul.

5. The human mind, no matter how brilliant, is helpless to cope with life apart from truth. The human mind cannot operate on that which is false. Therefore, no matter how great the IQ the thinking is distorted and ruined by operating on falsehood.

6. The mentality of the soul only functions properly on the fuel of Bible doctrine.

7. The human mind of the Jew, though brilliant, is useless without divine help. That divine help is Bible doctrine which they have rejected.

8. Israel’s failure is Gentile opportunity, Gentile blessing, when the Gentile believes in Jesus Christ, the God of Israel.

9. The Gentile believer is depicted in this verse as a wild olive tree. A wild olive tree cannot bear any fruit. Before it can it must be grafted in to a good olive tree.

10. The mechanics of grafting in—the baptism of the Holy Spirit whereby every believer is entered into union with Christ—Jew and Gentile alike.

Verse 18 – the apodasis. “Boast not against the branches” starts out with a present middle imperative from a compound verb katakauxaomai [kata =

over; kauxaomai = to boast], to boast over is a compound which emphasises comparative superiority expressed in boasting. The Gentiles, to compensate for their inferiority, become arrogant and boast of their superiority. It connotes boasting because of triumph over others, or because of imagined superiority over others. With this is the negative mh. The present tense is a progressive present for action in a state of persistence, therefore linear aktionsart. This is the indirect middle voice, emphasising the agent, the Gentile believer, as producing the action of the verb, which means he is antagonistic toward the Jew when he should be participating in blessing with him. This signifies the action as closely related to the subject and therefore giving a verbal command in an individual way in order to specify, Beware first of all interlocking systems of arrogance, and beware of interlocking systems of arrogance when they make you antagonistic toward the Jew. This should be translated, “Stop assuming arrogant superiority over.” The objective genitive plural from kladoj means “the branches.” These are the Jewish branches, Jewish believers in union with Christ just as the Gentiles.

“But if” – the conditional conjunction e)i introduces a 1^st class condition. With the indicative mood it introduces the second apodasis of a 1^st class condition, a supposition from the viewpoint of reality. The arrogant distortion of grace was actually occurring among Gentile believers. With this is the postpositive conjunctive particle de used as a transitional conjunction, no contrast is intended in context; “thou boast” – present middle indicative of the verb katakauxaomai, which means to be arrogant. “And since you are arrogant” is the corrected translation. Paul was addressing himself to the Roman believers. In their midst were those involved in interlocking systems of arrogance. The present tense is a perfective present referring to a fact which has come to be in the past (interlocking systems of arrogance) but is emphasised as a present reality and the basic problem of the Roman Church. The indirect middle voice emphasises the agent, the Gentile believer in Rome, as producing the action of the verb rather than as participating in the result. The indicative mood is declarative for historical reality.

Next is the negative adverb o)u plus the proleptic use of the pronoun su—“you and only you.” The verb is the present active indicative of bastazw, meaning to bear, to carry, to lift up. A function of the client nation to God is to protect the Jew. Since carrying is the exertion of power, including the exercise and application of volition, it comes to mean here to support or to sustain—“you [and only you] do not support/sustain the root,” r(iza, accusative singular direct object. The present tense is a static present for a condition perpetually existing. Active voice: the arrogant Gentile believer does not produce the action of the verb because of interlocking systems of arrogance. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of the spiritual condition of the Gentile believer [interlocking systems of arrogance] and his failure to sustain or support or carry the root, the root being the Lord Jesus Christ.

“but the root thee” – which takes us into the principles of logistical grace.

The meaning of this

1. The believer does not advance the plan of God but the plan of God advances the believer. The problem is that the Roman Gentile believers are not advancing in the plan of God, therefore the plan of God must discipline them.

2. The plan of God does not depend on the believer but the believer depends on the plan of God.

3. The plan of God supports the believer; the believer does not support the plan of God.

4. Arrogance reverses the function of grace so that a blasphemy is sponsored in the name of Christianity.

5. Arrogance overestimates the individual believer and underestimates the grace provision of God.

Arrogance emphasises the subject of faith while grace emphasises the object of faith—the root, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Principle

1. In blind arrogance a self-righteous person generally dominates a group of people.

2. An offshoot of blind arrogance is personality arrogance in which the arrogant person uses his personality to dominate a group within a system, and not only to dominate the group but to be antagonistic toward the policy of that organization, its authority, its leadership.

3. Personality arrogance finds the acceptable or dominating or pleasing personality setting false spiritual standards for the group or cell.

4. A dominating personality in a local church may enter blind arrogance by declaring that the pastor no longer has the right biblical message.

5. He therefore announces to his cell that the pastor has become mixed up and they must look to him for leadership to guide them in this matter.

6. This is a case of distraction from doctrine through personality domination rather than doctrinal control, resulting in the blind leading the blind.

7. All of them fall into the ditch of interlocking systems of arrogance.

8. Dominating personalities in local churches, or for that matter any organization, must beware of setting up their personal and often erroneous opinions against the authority or the policy of the organization.

9. Personality arrogance, then, is a self-centredness of personal opinion rather than truth. Personality arrogance seeks to establish personal opinion over doctrinal standards, or the policy or the authority of any given organization. At this point personality arrogance becomes not only blind arrogance but institutional arrogance as well. The believer must avoid allowing personal opinion to come into opposition with doctrine.

Verse 19 has to do with the arrogance that develops out of anti-Semitism. People are anti-Semitic because of personality domination. “Thou wilt say” – future

active indicative of legw, “You will say.” The gnomic future is for an action expected under conditions of Gentile believers’ arrogance. Active voice: Gentile believers produce the action through interlocking systems of arrogance. The indicative mood is declarative which anticipates the reality of arrogance among Gentile believers who become involved in ant-Semitism through becoming first involved in interlocking systems of arrogance. The inferential conjunction o)un is correctly translated “therefore.” It introduces an inference from what precedes.

The nominative plural subject, kladoj, “branches,” refers to Jewish unbelievers who are involved in maximum scar tissue of the soul and the big blot-out, and are being punished by the fifth cycle of discipline and therefore scattered throughout the world. The aorist passive indicative of the verb e)kklaw means to be broken off. This is a constative aorist for a fact or action extended over the period of Israel’s client nation status, all of the way from the Exodus to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The passive voice: the unbelieving Jews received the action because they are not true Israel, believers in Christ. They receive both temporal and eternal judgment. The indicative mood is declarative, indicating the fact that historically there will always be times when client nations to God become degenerate. They do not become degenerate through immorality—immorality is merely one of many manifestations. They become degenerate through interlocking systems of arrogance.

The conjunction i(na introduces a purpose clause, “that.” Then we have the aorist passive subjunctive of e)gkentrizw, which means to be grafted in. The culminative aorist views the arrogant presumption in its entirety, but here we see the existing results--the distortion of grace doctrine, the function of anti-Semitism. Passive voice: the gentile believer assumes that he receives the action of the verb because of an imagined superiority over the Jew. The subjunctive mood is potential as a part of the purpose clause.

Translation: “You will say then, The branches [Jewish] unbelievers were broken off, in order that I might be grafted in.”

Principle

1. Arrogance is behind anti-Semitism.

2. Gentile believers distort grace blessing into racial superiority.

3. Because the Jew is under divine punishment of the fifth cycle of discipline it does not infer that he is inferior to the Gentile. Far from it.

4. If ever there was a super race it is the race of Israel.

5. Contempt for those under historical discipline is that same interlocking system of arrogance which divorces the believer from reality and repudiates the Christian modus operandi of the royal family honour code.

6. Arrogance and its interlocking system is the worst of all degeneracies. It is a series of sins, a complex, and therefore becomes almost synonymous with the old sin nature.

7. Arrogance motivates most of the mental sins, the verbal sins, and the overt sins.

Principle

1. The assumption and distortion of this verse is a reflection of the degeneracy of soul and thinking which comes from interlocking systems of arrogance. The assumption is incorrect and refuted by the next verse.

2. You will note that arrogance exploits and abuses those who are under divine discipline.

3. Arrogance, then, not only divorces the believer from reality but causes him to participate in a form of mass cowardice known as kicking someone when they are down.

4. But kicking the Jew while he is down is one of the most disastrous and suicidal functions in history. God does not permit man to interfere with his discipline of someone else.

5. To interfere with the function of divine discipline is to invite disaster to self, plus a life of future misery and punishment.

6. Therefore, no believer can afford to be anti-Semitic for even a second.

7. The believer who is arrogant is also inadequate. To compensate for his inadequacy he must kick something to show how “good” he is.

8. No matter how great the IQ arrogance not only divorces one from reality but guarantees stupidity. Arrogance destroys perceptibility.

Verse 20 – “Well” is the adverb kaloj used as an affirmative adverb. It means, “Quite right” [it is true]. The instrumental of cause in the singular is

a)pistia—“unbelief.” The instrumental usually expresses intermediate or impersonal means, often related to ordinary factors producing it. Hence, we have the instrumental of means, “because of unbelief.” Because something has been rejected; because they have rejected Christ as saviour, because they have rejected establishment principles.

“they were broken off” – aorist passive indicative of e)kklaw. When it says they were cut of because of unbelief it does not simply mean rejection of Christ, though that is the heart of it. It also means that there were reverberations in both ways. There was negative volition toward the cross, toward Jesus Christ the God if Israel. The reverberations move in two ways under interlocking systems of arrogance. It meant, first of all, rejection of the laws of divine establishment; it means the destruction of their freedom. It also contributed to the interlocking systems because some believed, but instead of advancing to maturity so that there would be a pivot of mature believers to protect in times of apostasy they went into the sin unto death under the principle of reversionism. So whatever direction is taken the interlocking systems of arrogance caught believer and unbeliever in a maelstrom of historical disaster. The passive voice: this refers to the client nation of the past. The indicative mood is declarative indicating that this happened; this is a reality.

“and” – the postpositive conjunctive particle de emphasises the contrast between the Jews under discipline as a client nation and believers in the Lord Jesus Christ assembled in local churches—“but.” Jews are the branches broken off and saved Gentiles are the branches grafted into the olive tree. With it is the proleptic use of the personal pronoun su, “you [and only you].” This is a reference to believers who are Gentiles and it emphasises the dispensation in which we find ourselves.

“standest” – perfect active indicative of the verb i(sthmi which means to stand. The intensive perfect denotes a completed action with emphasis on the existing results. We stand on the basis of the integrity of God and what He has provided. Active voice: the Gentile believer produces the action. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of the doctrines which cause us to stand.

“by faith” – the instrumental singular of cause, pistij. This can be one of three things. It can refer to faith which saves, it often refers to salvation. It also refers to the faith-rest technique. Faith also is used for doctrine. Here it stands for a combination of the latter two.

The present active imperative of the verb fronew means to think, but when you put the negative mh with the imperative of fronew it is a prohibition. So we have to correct the translation to “stop thinking.” The present tense expresses the continued action of thinking in an erroneous manner. The prohibition therefore demands that the thinking be stopped. One of the most difficult things for the believer to do, and one of the greatest tests of flexibility, is the ability to change your opinions when he is wrong. So this demands that the action in progress, arrogant thinking, be discontinued. By way of contrast, a prohibition in the aorist subjunctive forbids a thing before it has begun. A prohibition in the present imperative says that it is already going on, so now stop it. Therefore we translate it, stop thinking.

With this is the accusative neuter plural from the adjective u(yhloj which means arrogance, and with fronew it means to be thinking from inside interlocking systems of arrogance. So the Gentile believers to whom Paul originally addressed Romans were thinking inside of the interlocking systems of arrogance. Arrogance divorces the believer from reality as far as God is concerned.

“but” is the adversative conjunction a)lla, and it sets up a contrast between what believers in Rome were thinking and what they should be thinking. What they should be thinking is the present middle imperative of the verb fobew, which has two almost antithetical meanings. One is fear and the other is respect. One has the connotation of sin and one has a connotation of honour. So when we deal with fobew we have to deal with the fact of these two connotations. The present tense is a tendencial present used for an action which is purposed or desirable, but not actually taking place, and demanding it as a way of life—linear aktionsart. The middle voice is a permissive middle representing the agent, the arrogant believer, being commanded to voluntarily yield himself to the results of the action or to seek to secure the results of the action in his own interests. He does this by his own flexibility, humility, respect for authority wherever it is found. It is translated, “but keep having respect.”

Translation: “Quite right; because of unbelief they [the unsaved Jews] were broken off, but you [saved Gentiles] stand because of faith in Christ. Stop thinking proud thoughts, but fear [or, respect].”

Verse 21 – “For” is the explanatory use of the postpositive conjunctive particle gar. Here is a reason or explanation why Gentile believers should avoid interlocking systems of arrogance. Not only does it mean anti-Semitism for which there is divine discipline but it means a lot of other things for which there is also divine discipline. With this is the conditional particle e)i which introduces the protasis of a 1^st class condition—“if [and it is true].” Sometimes it is even better to translate this “since,” which it is a conjunction which means ‘if and it is true.’ So we have supposition from the viewpoint of reality. When this fact of doctrine is realised then arrogance and the interlocking systems can be avoided.

Then comes the subject in the nominative singular, qeoj, “God”—“For if God.” With it is the aorist middle indicative of feidomai, plus the negative o)u which is used when you have the indicative mood. If the mood here was imperative or subjunctive or infinitive then the negative would be mh. “For if God did not spare.” The aorist tense is a constative aorist for a fact or action extended over a period of time. The middle voice—this is really a deponent verb, middle in form, active in meaning. God produces the action of the verb in administering discipline to those who fail. The indicative mood is declarative for a first class condition. The objective genitive plural of kladoj refers again to Israel—“the branches.” For if God did not spare the natural branches.” These are Jewish unbelievers. The word natural is a prepositional phrase—kata plus the accusative of the noun fusij, literally: “according to nature.” But it is an idiom meaning natural. This is a reference to the Jews whose spiritual heritage includes the original client nation to God, the great heritage of the Mosaic law, of the prophets, the Old Testament canon; everything that goes to make up their spiritual heritage, including the unconditional covenants. With all of this spiritual heritage God does not spare the Jew who rejects Christ as saviour, the Jew who enters interlocking systems of arrogance. If God judges the unbeliever He must also discipline His own children.

The apodasis starts out with the negative conjunction o)ude, and it is translated neither. Next is the future middle indicative of feidomai. The gnomic future tense is for a statement of fact which may be rightfully expected under conditions of anti-Semitism—“neither will he spare you.” This does not imply that the believer can lose his salvation but simply the fact of divine discipline from the justice of God to the believer who sins, or is guilty of the evil of anti-Semitism, or gets himself involved in interlocking systems of arrogance, or turns his back on doctrine and becomes a reversionist. Principle: God does not require the help of anyone else in punishing someone else in the human race, believer or unbeliever. Such interference on the part of the believer is blasphemous.

Translation: “For if God spared not the natural branches [and He did not], neither will he spare you [Gentile believers guilty of anti-Semitism].”

1. When the Jew rejects Christ he is rejecting his great spiritual heritage, for Christ is not only the saviour but also the God of Israel.

2. Now regarding the Jews, obviously to whom much is given much is expected.

3. Both the individual Jew who rejects Christ and the client nation of Israel in apostasy have been judged by God.

4. The client nation has received the administration of the 5^th cycle of discipline, which means there is no more client nation Israel until the second advent and the millennial reign of Christ.

5. The individual Jewish unbeliever is also judged during the times of the Gentiles. He is judged as an individual and he is judged collectively. This is the function, then, of the justice of God toward Israel, both national and individual.

6. That same justice of God will not tolerate sin in the believer, therefore the importance of the rebound technique on the part of the believer.

Once rebound has occurred the discipline from God can be removed, as in the case of 1 Corinthians 11:31, or it can be continued for a blessing out of cursing.

Verse 22 – the application of divine essence to the situation. The first two words here are i)de o)un. I)de is correctly translated Behold, if you understand that this particle is simply the aorist active imperative of the verb o(raw. It is used as an interjection of concentration. It points out something to which the human author Paul wishes to draw special attention. It also points out the fact that in the reading of this there would be a long enough pause so that everyone suddenly became aware of the fact that no one was saying anything, and they would immediately look toward the speaker to see what was wrong. Nothing is wrong, he is just waiting for everyone to refocus. This is called in English speaking, dramatic pause. The inferential conjunction o)un denotes that what it introduces is the result of what precedes.

Next is the accusative singular direct object from the noun xrhstothj. It often connotes goodness or doing what is right but it doesn’t mean either here, it means the origin of what is always right. Therefore it means integrity—“Behold therefore the integrity.” We have an anartharous construction of the noun xrhstothj, i.e. there is no definite article. This emphasizes the quality of God’s integrity rather than the identity of God’s integrity. Therefore the absence of the definite article in the Greek is equivalent to the emphatic use of the definite article in the English.

Then we have a connective kai because we are to look at something else, a second accusative and therefore a double direct object. The accusative singular direct object from the noun a)potomia [a)po = away from; tomia = cut], to cut away from or cut off. Cut off finally comes to mean severity if you think of cut-off in terms of the guillotine. The possessive genitive of the noun qeoj follows, referring to God.

“on them which fell severity” – we begin with the emphatic particle men, which is Classical Greek. It is used with another particle, de, and is translated “on the other hand.” Next is the prepositional phrase, e)pi plus the accusative which always emphasises motion. In this case it is e)pi plus the accusative plural of the definite article, touj. It is correctly translated “to those,” since the definite article is used as the demonstrative pronoun to emphasise the unbelieving Jew as the one who is the recipient of all of this discipline.

We have no come to the time when only Gentile nations can become a client nation. This means that the Jews under the fifth cycle of discipline are scattered throughout the world.

Then we have a verb, the aorist active participle from the verb piptw, which means to fall. So we have, “on the one hand to those [the branches broken off, the unbelieving Jews] who fell. The constative aorist tense contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety. It takes the Jewish negative volition toward the gospel and regardless of its extent or duration gathers it into a single whole, therefore a fact or action extended over the entire period of the Church Age. The participle is circumstantial for the big blot-out.

Next is a nominative singular subject from the noun a)potomia, which means cut off or severity; plus the adversative use of the conjunction de, and here is the Attic Greek correlative clause—“but on the other hand, to you.” This is a reference to the Gentiles of the Church Age who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then the nominative singular subject xrhstothj, which means integrity, plus the possessive genitive of qeoj, “the integrity of God.”

This is a constant emphasis on the difference between those who believe in Christ and those who reject Him. But in this interpretation it is the unsaved Jew and the saved Gentile. It is based on grace rather than race, therefore the issue is grace and not race. This verse emphasises the doctrinal principle that divine blessing to the Gentile should never be distorted into arrogance of racial superiority. Jewish punishment from God does not imply racial inferiority but rather the denial of the Jewish spiritual heritage and rejection of Christ as the God of Israel. Jewish reversionism has not only resulted in loss of his client nation status in history but the periodic reoccurrence of the holocaust experience. Except for faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the Gentile would be in the same boat.

“if thou continue” – the protasis is introduced by the conditional particle e)an which, with the subjunctive is the recognition of the 3^rd class condition—probability. The verb is the present active subjunction of e)pimenw, and it means if you continue, or if you persist. The present tense is a perfective present, it denotes the continuation of existing results—the blessings of logistical grace support and eventually the blessings of supergrace support. Active voice: the Gentile believer produces the action. The subjunctive mood is potential for a 3^rd class condition implying a future reference and qualifying it by an element of contingency. This is followed by the locative of sphere of xristothj again—“if you persist in the sphere of the integrity.”

“otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” – the conjunction e)pei, usually causal but here is the Attic Greek use, and it means, “if it were different” or “otherwise.” This is called alternative through ellipsis, meaning if you do not continue you will be cut off from blessing by divine discipline. With this is the nominative singular for the personal pronoun su, the subject, and it refers to the Gentile believers, the branch grafted in. Then the adjunctive use of kai, translated also.

Next is the future passive indicative of e)kkoptw, used for the cycles of discipline in this passage. It means to be cut off, to be removed, to be prevented. This is a gnomic future for what may be judicially expected when the believer becomes reversionistic or becomes involved in interlocking systems of arrogance. The passive voice: the Gentile believer receives the action of the verb through rejection of doctrine and consequent reversionism. So we have: “if you continue in the sphere of the integrity of God [maybe you will and maybe you will not]: otherwise you also [Gentile believers] shall be cut off from blessing by divine discipline from the justice of God.”

Just as the Jewish unbeliever is maladjusted to the justice of God through rejection of Christ as saviour, so the Gentile believer becomes maladjusted to the justice of God through rejection or neglect of Bible doctrine. It means loss of client nation status because of a shrinking pivot of mature believers. It means divine discipline for carnality, for reversionism. It means historical disaster in time, loss of maturity blessing in time, loss of eternal blessing and reward, but it does not imply any loss of salvation.

Translation: “Therefore behold the integrity of God and the severity of God: on the one hand severity to those who fell [Jewish unbelievers]; but on the other hand the integrity of God [blessing from the justice of God] to you [Gentile believers], if you persist in the sphere of the integrity of God: otherwise you also shall be cut off.”

This refers to the cycles of discipline. The cycles of discipline are based on the fact that Jesus Christ controls history. He controls it directly through the function of His essence or His deity. He controls it indirectly through the laws of divine establishment. He also controls it permissively through the policy of permitting the angelic conflict to be perpetuated and concluded in human history. Therefore human good and evil coexist with the spiritual factors related to Bible doctrine. Under the principle that Jesus Christ judges nations with the administration of five cycles we have that principle involved at the end of this verse. These cycles of discipline are punitive measures against apostasy, reversionism and evil, and they relate not only to the spiritual life of the client nation to God but at the same time to the economic life, the military life, and the social life; in fact every aspect of life.

The cycles of discipline are found in Leviticus chapter twenty-six. The first three cycles are found in verses 14-22. In verse 14 we have the warning the precedes every cycle of discipline—“But if you will not obey me…” This relates to the three areas of the Mosaic law—Codex #1: freedom; Codex #2: spiritual heritage; Codex #3: the laws of divine establishment.

The fifth cycle of discipline is the removal of a client nation—verses 27-38.

The only hope for the Jewish unbeliever as a broken branch is given in verses 23 & 24. In verse 23 we have the principle of doctrine.

Verse 23 – kakeinoj combines the conjunction kai with the demonstrative pronoun e)keinoj. This is a kind of slurring of words in the Koine Greek, and it is because of some hope or excitement after condemnation. The Jewish unbeliever in the big blot-out is the one that needs the hope. But when translated it doesn’t come up with much, it is simply “And those,” referring to the Jewish unbelievers. Then there is a postpositive conjunctive particle de used as a transitional conjunction—“And those also.”

Next comes the conditional clause. The third class condition is introduced by the conditional conjunction e)an plus the subjunctive—“if” (maybe it is true and maybe it is not). The present active subjunctive which follows is e)pimenw which means to persist or to continue. With the negative it means “if they do not persist in.” The progressive present denotes the action in a state of persistence. The action is the big blot-out, the Jews rejecting Christ in the Church Age. Active voice: unbelievers of the Jewish race produce the action. The subjunctive mood is the potential subjunctive which is used for the protasis of the 3^rd class condition.

The locative of sphere, a)pistia, indicates in what they are not to persist if they are ever going to have any blessing from God. It means unbelief. “And they [those Jewish unbelievers] also, if they do not persist in their unbelief.” Their unbelief refers to the big blot-out.

What will happen? The future passive indicative of e)gkentrizw, “they shall be grafted in.” The future tense is a gnomic future for what will happen in the future under specific conditions—where Jewish people who have rejected Christ, still alive on this earth, will believe in Christ. The passive voice: the unbelieving Jew at the moment of faith in Christ receives the grafting in by the baptism of the Spirit. The indicative mood is a potential indicative, meaning they have to believe in Christ before it can happen. As long as Jewish unbelievers are alive, therefore living in time, there is hope that they will personally believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. But when time runs out through either physical death or the Second Advent, or the end of the Millennium, then the Jew has had his last opportunity to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. When there is life there is hope, hence the explanatory addendum to this verse.

“for God is able to graft them in again” – the explanatory use of the postpositive conjunctive particle gar begins this addition, “for.” Then the subject, nominative singular, o( qeoj—“the God,” plus the present active indicative of e)imi, the verb to be. The present tense is a static present, it represents a condition as perpetually existing. Active voice: the omnipotence of God produces the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for a dogmatic statement of fact. Then the predicate nominative singular of dunatoj, which means to be able, to have ability, and is a direct reference to the omnipotence of God who controls history.

Principle

1. God’s ability to control history is related to His omnipotence, backed by His omniscience which knew every detail of history from eternity past.

2. This principle of doctrine has been used many times in history. For example, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo is answering Nebuchadnezzar—Daniel 3:17, “God is able to deliver us.” They didn’t say He would, they said that if God so desired He could do it.

3. The ability of God is a warning against violating the royal family honour code. One of the great violations of this is judging others. Cf. Romans 14:4.

4. The ability of God is noted in relationship to His grace policy—2 Corinthians 9:8 deals with the doctrine of logistical grace. Logistical grace blessing is the ability of God.

5. The ability of God is beyond human imagination. Ephesians 3:20.

6. The ability of God includes all creatures, according to Philippians 3:21.

7. The ability of God is greater than disaster—2 Timothy 1:12.

Then we have one other word, the accusative plural direct object from the intensive pronoun a)utoj, used as the personal pronoun—“them.” The aorist tense is

a constative aorist, it refers to that moment when the Jew believes in Christ. It contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety; it recognises that instant of time when a person who is a Jew believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. In that moment he is grafted in, the baptism of the Holy Spirit enters him into the royal family of God forever. Active voice: God has the ability and therefore produces the action. This is the infinitive of an actual result.

The last word is the adverb palin, it denotes the return of the racial Jew to his spiritual heritage. It doesn’t mean he is saved again, it means he has returned to the greatness of his heritage, but with one difference: he is now royalty whereas as a Jew with his spiritual heritage in the past he had to be in one family of the tribe of Judah to have that royalty, the family of Jesse, the family of David. So being a Jew in the Church Age when the Jews are scattered under the fifth cycle of discipline has one of the greatest advantages, a far greater advantage than any Jew of any tribe or family in the past, except the family of Jesse, the family of David.

Translation: “And they [Jewish unbelievers] also, if they do not persist in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in.” This is why when any Jew believes in the Lord Jesus Christ he becomes a member of the royal family of God.

Verse 24 – “For if” is e)i gar. Gar is on the postpositive position, it is the explanatory use of this conjunction and is correctly translated “For,” or “For you see.” The addition of the conditional conjunction e)i introduces the protasis of a first class condition. This is supposition from the viewpoint of reality. We translate this, “For since.”

Next is the proleptic use of the pronoun su—“For since you.” This is referring to Gentiles. Then the first verb, the aorist passive indicative of e)kkoptw which means to cut off. The constative aorist contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety. We, Gentile believers, receive the action of the verb in the passive voice. This is a declarative indicative mood for a dogmatic reality. The Church Age is the time when Gentile believers join Jewish believers in becoming the royal family of God forever. The reason for this is because of our Lord’s royalty resulting from His resurrection, ascension and session. “For since you were cut off” is the corrected translation.

Next is the preposition e)k plus the ablative of fusij—“by nature.” It is simply an idiom meaning natural. “For since you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree.” This is a reference to Gentiles who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the wild olive tree status quo is the unsaved status of Gentiles.

“and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree” – we started out as unbelievers, we were in darkness, we did not know that Jesus Christ went to the cross and was judged for our sins. We discovered it because we live in a client nation where we have freedom to do so. To go from status quo unbeliever to status quo believer one must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. When this happens God the Holy Spirit takes every believer and enters him into union with the Lord Jesus Christ, forming the royal family of God for this dispensation of the Church. For this to occur there must be this umbrella of freedom, which is why we have during the times of the Gentiles Gentile client nations to God. Evangelism must line up with freedom. The words “were grafted [in]” refers to each one who has personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and received Him as saviour. “For since you [Gentiles] were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree” refers to the status quo of being an unbeliever; “and since contrary to nature you were grafted in to a good olive tree” – grafted in is the aorist passive indicative of e)gkentrizw. It is a culminative aorist, it views the salvation of all Gentiles during the Church Age in its entirety but it looks at it from the viewpoint of existing results. So the aorist tense gathers up into one entirety every Gentile during this dispensation who believes in Christ, but it emphasises the results: they are now members of the royal family of God.

Then a prepositional phrase, e)ij plus the accusative of kallielaioj –“into a good olive tree.” This is the baptism of the Spirit by which we enter into union with Christ. In both cases in this verse you refers to Gentiles believers in contrast to the Jews. The Gentiles are pictured as branches of a wild olive tree which are broken off and then brought into a good olive tree—grafted in. The broken branches or Jewish unbelievers are said to be broken out. In other words, when the Jews lost their client nation status for the last time in A.D. 70 the fifth cycle of discipline was administered. That was the last time that the Jews functioned as a client nation. That means the end of an era historically, and no Jewish nation can be a client nation to God until the Second Advent. That means that the responsibility for client nation function falls upon Gentile nations. That means also that a Gentile nation, to maintain its client nation status, must have a large pivot of mature believers. The broken branches, or Jewish unbelievers, have denied their spiritual heritage under the principle of the big blot-out, whereas the Gentiles are portrayed as branches cut off of a wild olive tree and grafted in to a good tree. The good olive tree of the Old Testament was Israel with its spiritual heritage, the law and the prophets, but the good olive tree in the Church Age is the body of Christ composed of both Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ. The good olive tree is still the spiritual heritage of Israel since the human writers of the NT are Jewish, and the protasis of this first class condition confirms the fact that Gentile believers were cut off of the wild olive tree and grafted in with Jewish believers to form the body of Christ.

“how much more” – the ablative singular of comparison from posoj plus the comparative adverb mallon. This sets up an a fortiori [with greater reason] system. If God does the most for the Gentiles at the point of salvation He cannot withhold the less from the Jew at the moment that he believes in Christ. So the Jew and Gentile become one in Christ. This is the true issue of the baptism of the Spirit. So with greater reason God will graft in the natural branches [the racial Jews] whose spiritual heritage is salvation by grace through faith in Christ. The Jewish race was begun through regeneration and the Jewish nation was the first, and will be the last, client nation in history.

“shall these” – the nominative plural subject from the immediate demonstrative pronoun o(utoj, “these [Jews who believe in Christ],” plus the nominative plural definite article used as a relative pronoun—“who are,” and then kata plus fusij, which means nature: “the natural branches.”

“be grafted into their own olive tree?” – future passive indicative of e)gkentrizw plus the locative of sphere from the adjective i)dioj, their own.

Translation: “For since you [Gentiles] were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and since contrary to nature you were grafted into a good olive tree [body of Christ, the Church, perpetuating the spiritual heritage of Israel]: how much more [with greater reason] shall these [Jews], who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree [when they believe in Christ].”

Principle

1. While Israel is no longer a client nation to God, nevertheless their spiritual heritage has been passed on from the client nation now defunct to a special group, the believers in this dispensation—Church, body of Christ, or royal family of God. The spiritual heritage of Israel related to the Lord Jesus Christ is perpetuated in every generation of history.

2. Therefore the Jewish heritage in mystery form is still available to any Jew who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. But his heritage is not found from his racial genes, it is found from regeneration. This is why Jesus told a Jewish Pharisee, “Ye must be born again.”

3. At the moment of salvation through faith in Christ the Jew is grafted into the olive tree through the baptism of the Holy Spirit and resultant positional sanctification.

4. During the time that Israel is defunct as a client nation to God they can only participate in the benefits of their spiritual heritage by believing in Christ and becoming members of the royal family of God, i.e. the Church.

5. If God enters the saved Gentiles into the royal family of God at the point of faith in Christ, it follows a fortiori [with greater reason] that He will not withhold royal family status from the Jew who believes in Christ.

Paragraph three, verses 25-36: the perpetuation of the Jewish remnant in the Church Age.

Verse 25 – the big blot-out and the fullness of the Gentiles. “For” is the explanatory use of the postpositive conjunctive particle gar; “I would” – present active indicative of the verb qelw, plus the negative adverb o)u—“I do not wish” or “I do not desire.” The historical present tense is the idiom which views the past event with the vividness of a present occurrence. Active voice: the apostle Paul, the human writer, produces the action of the verb. He is saying this for his contemporaries, as well as all Jews of the Church Age, and for the Gentiles. They must understand their status quo by believing in Christ. This is a potential indicative of obligation. With it is the accusative plural direct object from the pronoun su, plus the vocative plural from a)delfoj which refers to the Church. “For I do not desire you brethren.” A)delfoj refers to believers of this dispensation. It is addressed to all Church Age believers, Jew or Gentile.

Then we have the present active infinitive of a)gnoew, which means to be ignorant. The descriptive present tense is for what is now going on. Active voice: Church Age believers produce the action of the verb through ignorance of pertinent doctrine. The infinitive of intended result indicates the fulfilling of a deliberate objective, therefore blending of purpose and result.

“of this mystery” – accusative singular direct object from musthrion, plus the accusative of the demonstrative pronoun o(utoj, emphasising the importance of something: “this mystery.” “For, brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant of this mystery.” Mystery is a technical word here, referring to the Church Age and its concept of intercalation.[4]

“lest ye be wise in your own conceits” is not a correct translation. We have the conjunction i(na plus the negative mh introducing a negative purpose clause—“that not.” However, we have to get some words in between that and not—the present active subjunctive of the verb e)imi. The present tense is an aoristic present, punctiliar action in present time. The perception of doctrine is the means of stopping ignorance and arrogance. “That you may not be” is the way most people would translate this. However, because we have an active voice plus the negative mh this demands a cessation of some action which is in progress. The action in progress is said to be arrogance from ignorance. The subjunctive mood plus the negative mh is the subjunctive of discontinuance as a part of a negative purpose clause. A purpose clause is formed by the conjunction i(na plus the subjunctive mood. So instead of translation it literally, “that you may not be,” we translate, “that you stop being.” The present subjunctive with the negative mh is equivalent, then, to the present imperative. The purpose of prohibition when expressed by the aorist subjunctive is to forbid a thing that has not yet begun, but a prohibition in the present imperative, or in some rare cases the present subjunctive, commands you to stop doing something that you have been doing.

“wise” – predicate nominative plural fronimoj. It means wise or smart, but that isn’t what we are saying here. It is the prepositional phrase which follows which is so important—e)n plus the locative of the reflexive pronoun e(autou, which is literally, “in yourselves.” But it is an idiom meaning in your own estimation.

Principle

1. To be wise in your own estimation is to be arrogant from ignorance.

2. Rejecting doctrine produces both scar tissue of the soul and arrogance simultaneously. This is why a believer comes to believe a lie.

3. Ignorance of truth inevitably produces arrogance.

4. Therefore the negative purpose clause demands that the believer avoids ignorance of doctrine which produces arrogance of life.

5. The removal of ignorance regarding doctrine destroys arrogance in the soul of the believer.

6. Cognisance and conceit are mutually self-exclusive where Bible doctrine is concerned.

7. Ignorance of doctrine pertaining to Israel in this Church Age has often caused believers to become arrogant—wise in their own estimation.

Principle

1. Ignorance of doctrine is tantamount to rejection of doctrine. The reason so many Christians are ignorant of doctrine is because they do not care for doctrine.

2. Scar tissue of the soul is built up through rejection of doctrine, either deliberately or inadvertently.

3. Accompanying the build-up of scar tissue in the soul is arrogance, for pride increases in proportion to the amount of scar tissue resident in the soul.

4. Therefore blackout of the soul plus scar tissue of the soul increases and intensifies arrogance.

5. A person may be positive toward doctrine and still have great areas of ignorance. That is inevitable. Such ignorance will produce arrogance but we call it blind arrogance in contrast to deliberate rejection of doctrine which results in obvious vanity. Perception of doctrine, then, destroys the potential of arrogance in spheres of ignorance.

“that” – the conjunction o(ti, a conjunction for after perception. In this case negative perception to indicate the context of that perception. Next is the subject,

the nominative singular pwrwsij which refers to hardening, insensibility, obstinacy. This hardness of heart or scar tissue of the soul is tantamount to the big blackout, Israel’s scar tissue of the soul which caused them so much trouble. With it is the prepositional phrase a)po plus the locative of meroj – in part.

Next comes the perfect active indicative of ginomai which means to become, but here is means has occurred or has happened. The perfect tense is a dramatic perfect, it describes a fact in an unusually vivid and realistic way. It emphasises the results of an action. Active voice: hardening of the heart or scar tissue of the soul produces the action of the verb. The declarative indicative mood regards the action from the viewpoint of historical reality in this dispensation—explaining certain things that have happened to the Jews.

Then follows the dative singular of the indirect object from the generic use of the definite article, plus the noun I)srahl. The very basis for the administration of the fifth cycle of discipline to Israel in A.D 70 has been perpetuated in every generation of the Church Age. Each rejection of doctrine in their spiritual heritage adds a layer of scar tissue to the soul so that their brilliant IQ is neutralised by arrogance and blackout of the soul. Therefore the Jewish unbeliever comes to believe a lie because of scar tissue—that Christ is not the Messiah, that Christ is not the God of Israel, as well as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. The hardness in part means that all Jews do not follow the pattern of rejection of Christ as saviour, some of them believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” – the phrase begins with an Attic Greek adverb, a)xri, used as a conjunction and correctly translated until.” The adverbial genitive of time from the relative pronoun o(j follows. It is translated here as an idiom—“until which time.” Next is the nominative singular subject plhrwma, which means a completion, a finish. It connotes that which fills, the full content of some container, a basket, a ship, a group. The connotation of entirety indicates a great mass or the whole sum of something, a totality or a full measure of. Then follows the genitive plural of e)qnoj—“the full measure of the Gentiles.” That is the dispensation of the Church from the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to the Rapture or the resurrection of the Church. In other words, the full measure of the Gentiles is that period of time when only a Gentile nation can become a client nation to God.

The fullness or the full measure of the Gentiles must be distinguished from the times of the gentiles. The times of the Gentiles places direct emphasis on the client nation status. The fullness of the Gentiles emphasises how the client nation continues to function, continues to be perpetuated---70 A.D. to the Rapture. The times of the Gentiles emphasises client nation status while the fullness of the Gentiles emphasises what they do in that client nation.

The final phrase, “be come in,” is an aorist active subjunctive from the verb e)iserxomai—“has come in.” The culminative aorist tense views the fullness or the Gentiles or the Church Age in its entirety but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results, namely the Rapture of the Church. In other words, the resurrection of the Church terminates the Church Age and/or the fullness of the Gentiles so that the Jewish Age can be continued and concluded.

Translation: “For brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant of this mystery, that you stop being wise in your own estimation; that hardening in part has happened to Israel, until which time the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”

In verses 26-28, the Jews are going to win in history.

Verse 26 – the future restoration of Israel. “And so all Israel shall be saved” is not correctly translated. It begins with kai, the connective use which introduces a result of what has preceded—the branches broken off, the branches grafted in, the wild olive tree, to good olive tree; plus the adverb o(utoj which also refers to what precedes—“and so.” This means we have come to our first conclusion. The Jews are under discipline today, the fifth cycle. Israel is no longer a client nation, and no Jewish nation can be a client nation. Today Gentile nations are functioning as client nations to God. Then we have the subject, the adjective paj in the nominative singular, and then I)srahl—“all Israel. This phrase does not refer to all Jews nationally or racially. The true Jew is not the racial or the national Jew, he is the born again Jew. This phrase refers to those Jews who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, as per Romans 9:6. It actually refers to Jewish believers of the Tribulation, so we are not even talking about Jewish believers in this dispensation of the Church.

“shall be saved” is the future passive indicative of the verb swzw. The problem with swzw is that it has three different meanings. It means to deliver from any kind of trouble, it means as an individual to be delivered, it also has a collective deliverance connotation, and then it also refers to regeneration. This is not referring to salvation here, it is referring to the deliverance of the Jews in the Tribulation from the greatest period of anti-Semitism the world will ever know. The future tense here is a predictive future for an event which is expected to occur in the future at the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. Passive voice: Jewish believers of the Tribulation receive the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for historical reality.

“as it stands written” – the comparative adverb kaqwj, “as” or “just as,” introduces documentation from the Old Testament scriptures, specifically Isaiah 59:20; 27:9. Plus the perfect active indicative of the verb grafw, which means to write. The intensive perfect tense emphasises the existing results, the completion of the Old Testament canon. The passive voice of grafw gives us the mechanics of verbal plenary inspiration of the scripture.

Isaiah 59:20 – “And the Redeemer will come to Zion [Second Advent], and unto those who turn from transgression in Jacob, declares the Lord.”

Isaiah 27:9 – “Therefore through this, Jacobs’ iniquity will be forgiven; and this will be the full pride of the pardoning of his sin.” This is an eschatological passage also dealing with the Second Advent and the restoration of Israel.

Paul is going to quote from these two verses and put together something to indicate that even though the Jews are now out as the client nation under the fifth cycle of discipline, and scattered throughout the world until the Second Advent, God still has a purpose for them.

Next is the articular nominative singular subject, present middle participle from the verb ruomai plus the definite article o(. The definite article in the nominative masculine singular is the subject, it is used as a personal pronoun and is translated he. It is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. The present middle participle is used as a relative clause—“He who delivers.” We have the futuristic present of the verb ruomai, it denotes an event which has not yet occurred but which is regarded as so certain in thought that it is contemplated as already coming to pass. It is the same as the prophetic perfect in the Hebrew. The middle voice is the indirect middle which emphasises the agent, the Lord Jesus Christ, as producing the action rather than participating in the results of the action. The participle is circumstantial.

The main verb is “shall come” – future active indicative of the verb h(kw which means to come or to arrive. This is a predictive future for the Second Advent. The active voice: Jesus Christ produces the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for the historical reality of the future Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then we have the preposition e)k plus the indeclinable proper noun Ziwn [equivalent to Zion in the Hebrew]—“from Zion” emphasises Jesus Christ in hypostatic union coming as the ruler of Israel in the line of David, and therefore fulfilling the Davidic covenant.

“and shall turn away” – the future active indicative of a)postrefw means to remove. This is a predictive future and it refers to the baptism of fire, one of the events after the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The active voice: all judgment is committed to Christ. He is the judge who will eliminate all of the unbelieving Jews at the Second Advent.

“ungodliness” – accusative plural direct object of a)sebeia, which means Godless ones, unbelievers, unbelieving Jews.

“from Jacob” – a)po plus I)akwb. Jacob is used for the restored Israel. Why Jacob? Because Jacob means chiseller. Jacob had two wives and a few mistresses, and twelves sons which forms Israel. The nation, the race came from the twelve sons of Jacob. Whenever the Jews are presented in their racial aspects, divided into two groups, Jacob is used. Jacob refers to the nation and it means here that the unbelievers will be removed.

Translation” “And so all Israel [born-again Jews] shall be delivered [Second Advent: just as it stands written, He who delivers will come from Zion, he will remove Godless ones from Jacob.”

The concept of the restoration is found in a number of passages: Isaiah 5:26,27; 10:20-23; 11:11-16; Joel 2:18,19; Zechariah 10:6-12.

Verse 27 – on the surface this verse appears to be somehow dealing with the problem of sin, but in reality it is God’s contract with Israel, the contract which has been written up in the numerous covenants.

It begins with the conjunction kai which is used as an adverb, the adjunctive use of kai which is translated “also”—“Also this.” The nominative singular feminine subject from the immediate demonstrative pronoun o(utoj is translated “this” and refers to Israel as a client nation. There is no verb here, Paul is using ellipsis, a much greater expression of intensified thought in the Greek. But we do have to include the verb to be—“Also this is.” Then the predicate nominative diaqhkh which refers to the contract of a client nation. It is correctly translated covenant but it actually refers to a contract. It refers to the New Covenant to Israel or the new contract to Israel, which is found in Jeremiah 31:33,34.

Jeremiah 31:33—“But this is the covenant [contract] which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord”—in other words, the contract which began at the Exodus when Israel became a client nation to God is going to be perpetuated. There is no client nation today, this is the times of the Gentiles. After those days means after the elapse of the Church Age, the termination of the Tribulation and the Second Advent—“I will put my law”—the basics concept of the contract; each part of the Mosaic law tells the client nation how it should operate.

Verse 34 – “And they shall not teach again each man his neighbour, and each man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me”—this is the future aspect of the contract. In the past the Jews failed because they did not know the Lord; they did not learn the contract, they did not understand the laws of divine establishment found in Codex #3 of the Mosaic law—“from the least of them to the greatest of them, declares the Lord; furthermore I will forgive them their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

This covenant is mentioned by the apostle Paul when he says, “Also this is the covenant.” With this is a dative plural indirect object from the intensive pronoun a)utoj. The intensive pronoun is generally used in the New Testament as the third person plural personal pronoun and should be translated, “to them.” The indirect object indicates the one in whose interest the new covenant was given. Just as God has a contract with us it is in our interest to fulfil that contract. Failure to fulfil that contract on our part results in the destruction of a client nation. Then a prepositional phrase, a)po plus the ablative of source from the personal pronoun e)gw—“from me.” “Also this is the covenant to them [Israel in the future] from me [God].”

The New Covenant is given at the Second Advent with the restoration of Israel as a client nation to God. It is given to Jewish believers who form the nucleus of the restored client nation of the Millennium. These Jewish believers will have survived the Tribulation.

“when I shall take away their sin” – this must be understood in the light of the eschatology of the Millennium. The temporal clause is introduced by a temporal conjunction, o(tan, plus the subjunctive mood for an indefinite temporal clause. The time limit is based on contingency, and that is when the Second Advent occurs. It can be translated either when or whenever, but it refers to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. With it is the aorist middle subjunctive of the verb a)fairew which means to remove, to take away something from someone. The culminative aorist views the Second Advent of Christ and the fulfilment of the New Covenant to Israel in its entirety, but it regards it from the viewpoint of existing results. The existing result is the removal of the stigma on the Jew which is related to the 5^th cycle of discipline. The middle voice is the indirect middle, emphasising the Lord Jesus Christ as the agent fulfilling the New Covenant to Israel. The subjunctive mood is a potential subjunctive, it implies a future reference and therefore this the mood used in a temporal clause.

The accusative plural direct object is a(martia, “sin.” However, this is taken from the Hebrew of Jeremiah 31 and it is not correctly translated here as sin. It must be understood as a quotation from Jeremiah 31 and it is actually taken from a noun chatath, which means with its third masculine plural suffix, punishment for sin. It actually refers to the fifth cycle of discipline. In other words, He is not going to remove sins, He is going to remove the punishment for their sin which is the 5^th cycle of discipline.

Translation: “Also this is the covenant to them [the Jewish believers of the Millennium] from me, when I have removed their punishment for sin [i.e. the 5^th cycle of discipline].”

The New Covenant to Israel is a contract; it is a reminder that the Jews have a future as a client nation to God. So it emphasises the restoration of Israel in the Millennium. It also emphasises the removal of their historical collective punishment, the fifth cycle of discipline.

The covenants to Israel

1. Definition: “The Old Testament” – the word for testament in the Hebrew is berith. It does not mean testament, it means covenant or contract. We have the

same problem when we come to the New Testament—H(keinh Diaqhkh. But that is incorrect, it is not a testament. A testament is a will of someone who is deceased, and this is not a will of someone who is deceased, this is God’s contract with certain segments of the human race. So we should call the Old Testament either the Old Covenant or the Old Contract; we should call the New Testament the New Covenant or the New Contract. The covenants to Israel are defined in terms of the actual language. Berith in the Hebrew, and diaqhkh in the Greek. These mean a contract in which there is favourable disposition on the part of party of the first part [God] to party of the second part [client nation]. These covenants to Israel actually cover two separate dispensations. First, when Israel is a client nation—the dispensation of Israel; and secondly, when Israel will be under the Lord Jesus Christ in His personal reign.

The five covenants to Israel are generally classified as conditional and unconditional. For example, the Mosaic law is regarded as conditional whereas the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New covenants are regarded as unconditional. This is a false classification. It is true that there are definitely conditional clauses in the Mosaic law, but that is because a population in a client nation is made up of believers and unbelievers, and if the population failed to make certain standards historical disaster is inevitable. But to call this conditional and unconditional is definitely confusing to the issue. By very definition we must eliminate this classification for a covenant or a contract is an agreement between two parties. Furthermore this contract is a covenant because a covenant is a disposition made by party of the first part in favour of party of the second part. The primary issue is favour or grace, therefore conditional and unconditional is always a secondary consideration. The key to the covenants to Israel is the Jewish client nation status, which again eliminates such categories as conditional and unconditional. Once understood under the client nation connotation neither conditional nor unconditional are ever proper issues. Furthermore there is neither reason nor purpose for the New Covenant to Israel apart from client nation interpretation. The client nation interpretation is the only one that will hold up.

2. The client nation interpretation of the covenants to Israel by way of classification. There are five covenants or contracts to Israel. They can be called one contract but they really come in five parts. Part one is the Abrahamic covenant. This deals with the subject of race. The race of the client nation of Israel had to be defined. Not only is the race defined as the Jew but also there are certain divine laws with regard to that race. We are told to keep our hands off the Jews and to not try to persecute him. There is, secondly, the Palestinian covenant which describes the real estate of the client nation. The third part of the contract is the Mosaic law which is both spiritual and temporal, for both believer and unbeliever. The fourth paragraph of the contract is called the Davidic covenant, and it is the dynasty for the client nation—who is going to rule in the client nation? The fifth paragraph is the New covenant which is merely the restoration of the client nation at the Second Advent and its Millennial modus operandi. (There is only one contract, and it has five paragraphs) There is another contract which belongs to the Church Age. God has made in history two contracts for client nations, one for the Jew and one for the time of the Gentiles. We have the times of the Gentiles and the fullness of the Gentiles, which means that certain parts of this contract, namely the Mosaic law, have now become pertinent to the Church Age—e.g. economic principles, the laws of free enterprise without government interference, etc. And we are to operate under this.

3. The covenants in the Messianic line. Some of these covenants which are in the contract simply deal with who and what Christ is. Remember a principle: Jesus Christ controls history. So we have he Adamic covenant—Genesis 2:15; 3:15. The seed of the woman is the Lord Jesus Christ. The humanity of Christ in His hypostatic union will originate with Adam’s seed. So the contract deals with the person of Christ and there must be an understanding in the contract and in its various paragraphs that there is a Messianic line and that Christ is the hope of the world.

The Noahic covenant which was reiterated to Noah with regard to the Messianic line—Genesis 6:18; 8:21-9:17. These deal with the fact that the only saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, would come through Adam, but then when Adam’s line begins to split up it is going to come through Seth.

The Abrahamic covenant—Genesis 12:1-3; 13:15,16; 15:18; 22:15-18; 26:3,4; Exodus 6:2-8. The line narrows, the line of Abraham was the only one of the semitic peoples. The seed of the woman would descend from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That means the Jew. But in the line of the Jew only one tribe would be involved, the tribe of Judah. But not the entire tribe of Judah, the family of Jesse, the father of David.

So now we get down to the Davidic covenant—2 Samuel 7:8-17; Psalm 89:20-27. The seed of the woman, the humanity of Christ, will descend from the tribe of Judah, the family of David.

Then finally, we have the New Covenant again. The seed of the woman, the humanity of Christ, will return to the earth a second time to restore Israel and to bring about the same conditions which existed when man was first on the earth—perfect environment.

4. The Abrahamic covenant, the first part of the contract.

1. It is a grace paragraph in which God as party of the first part made favourable disposition to Abraham and the race of Abraham as party of the second part. In other words, for client nations of the Old Testament we have a specific race, the Jewish race.

2. The Abrahamic covenant defines the Jewish race defines the Jewish race as citizens of the first and last client nation in history. There must be racial vigour in a client nation, or population vigour since there is no longer a clearly defined race outside of Israel—vigour from their freedom.

3. Like all of the paragraphs related to the covenants to client nation Israel Abraham and his spiritual seed are the beneficiaries of blessing and logistical support from the justice of God.

4. Abraham is the be the father of a new race which will eventually become the client nation known as Israel. So in setting up the contract a specific people are always in mind.

5. The original presentation of the Abrahamic paragraph includes both race and nation, and it was found as a three-point principle in Genesis 12:1-3.

6. The real estate promise was given for the first time in the Abrahamic paragraph, and it and the geographical boundaries were first part of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 13:14-16; 15:18-21. The reason for this is to prove that the people of a client nation must occupy a piece of geography on planet earth in order to function as a client nation.

7. The covenant was confirmed in sequence to those to whom it would pertain—Isaac in contrast to his brothers, Genesis 26:3,4.

8. The covenant was confirmed to Jacob instead of his twin brother Esau—Genesis 35:12. It is a reminder that members of the same family are different. Obviously, different races are not the issue if different members of the same family are as different as the twins. The difference is a spiritual factor.

9. The covenant was the basis for the divine deliverance of the Jews from 400 years of slavery. Most people put under slavery for even one century would disappear, yet in one generation the Jews made the transition from slavery to freedom. The spiritual factor was the factor.

10. The mechanics of the Abrahamic covenant demanded at its very inception spiritual maturity: ultra-super-grace sexual prosperity.

11. The new race and the client nation are brought together in the covenant in Genesis 17:8, and circumcision is the ritual of confirmation and acknowledgement—Genesis 17:9-14. Then ritual in itself is not meaningful except as it relates to the truth of doctrine, the spiritual factor. Ritual is meaningless without the reality of truth. The reality is truth is that God set up a new race to form a client nation to provide blessing to all of the other peoples and nations of human history because of client nation function.

12. The ultimate of blessing in this covenant is declared in Genesis 22:15-18. This is both individual imputation of blessing to the mature believer and blessing by association in that a client nation is necessary for the other nations of history to be blessed in a contemporary setting.

5. The real estate on which the client nation would be located. You cannot have a client nation without property; you cannot have property without the sanctity of property, one of the most important concepts of freedom. Where you have a nation where the people are not allowed to own property, where the state owns the property, then you have a people with no freedom.

In the past God has promised the Jews certain property; in the future God has promised the Jews certain property. In the past the Jews only owned what property they could conquer by their military establishment. The book of Joshua is the history of how military establishment took certain property. But when the Lord Jesus Christ returns the military establishment will not be the basis for gaining or maintaining property, it will be the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the armies, the God of Israel. At that time Israel will own property which Israel has never owned in the past.

a) God is party of the first part and He made a favourable land grant to Israel as His client nation forever. The land grant is for their forever status. Only what they could conquer and hold was their land grant in the past but in the future Jesus Christ will give them what they could never conquer or hold. It will include part of Africa, south-eastern of Turkey, and all of the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, southern Iran, half of Egypt and half of Ethiopia.

b) The Palestinian covenant guarantees the entire Middle East as a land grant to Israel forever. The present nation of Israel only has that which they can hold by military function.

c) The grant which is mentioned in the Bible will never be fully occupied by client nation Israel until the Second Advent of Christ and the Millennial reign of the Son of David.

d) The grant was first proclaimed by God through Abraham as the father of the Jewish race and is mentioned under rather indefinite terms in Genesis 13:14,15 and Genesis 15:18. But it becomes very definite later on.

e) The land grant was confirmed to Isaac as the second generation of the new race, and was confirmed with geographical boundaries which were understood at that time and are partially obscured by nations of modern history.

f) The land grant was reconfirmed to Jacob as the third generation of the new race in Genesis 35:12.

g) The land grant was reiterated to Moses as the father of the Jewish nation—Exodus 6:2-8.

h) Therefore Moses describes the geographical boundaries of the land grant to Israel in Numbers 34:1-12. But these boundaries relate to the time of Moses.

i) Furthermore, Moses prophesied the fulfilment of the land grant being given to Israel in the Millennium—Deuteronomy 30:1-9. To encourage Joshua to conquer as much of the land as he could and hold it the land grant was reconfirmed in Joshua 1:2-4. Potentially the Jewish army could have occupied everything in that land grant. The fact that they failed to do so was a spiritual factor—lack of motivation.

j) Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel confirm the fact that this land grant will not be fulfilled to client nation Israel until the Millennial reign of Christ, that only what they could conquer and hold by military function would be pertinent, but that in the future when the Lord gave them the land it would be of a very large nature. Jeremiah 32:36-44; Ezekiel 11:16-21; 36:21-38.

k) What is the nature of this specific land grant in terms of modern geographical boundaries? The western border is the Mediterranean Sea, including central Turkey (The land of the Hittites). The southern border is the Nile River, including eastern Egypt and eastern Ethiopia, and also Saudi Arabia. The eastern border includes Jordan and Iraq. The north-eastern border is the Euphrates River.

6. The covenant to Moses (the Mosaic law). This is the divine paragraph dealing with client nation policy in several areas—freedom, spiritual life and establishment. It therefore has as much pertinency today as it had then, without certain factors, e.g. the observation of the Sabbath. We must, however, understand that this covenant to Moses was specifically given to the client nation Israel—Exodus 19:3; Leviticus 26:46; Romans 3:19; 9:4. It was specifically never given to a Gentile nation as such, en toto as a spiritual heritage. In other words, the Mosaic law is the spiritual heritage of Israel. Deuteronomy 4:8; Romans 2:12-14. It was not given to the Church—Acts 15:5, 24; Romans 6:14; Galatians 2:19.

As the policy for client nation to God the covenant to Moses is divided into three categories. (The ten commandments do not define sin, as per Calvinistic theology, though they mention sin in terms of defining freedom in terms of certain negatives) The Decalogue defines freedom in terms of morality, privacy, property, and authority.

Secondly, there is a spiritual code known as the ordinances. The function of a client nation demands regeneration plus momentum in the plan of God. Without born again believers there is no pivot; without a pivot there is no use of the spiritual heritage, no function of the spiritual heritage, no perpetuation of the spiritual heritage. The real heritage that must be perpetuated cannot be perpetuated by birth and therefore there must be a new birth—which is why Jesus introduced the term, “Ye must be born again,” which we simply call regeneration. Spiritual heritage is not perpetuated by physical birth, spiritual heritage is perpetuated by a new birth. The spiritual heritage of Israel includes a complete Christology and soteriology taught through ritual and oral communication.

The third category of the Mosaic law is the establishment code known as the judgments. Every principle related to the modus vivendi of a client nation to God is included—freedom, privacy, marriage, military policy, legitimate taxation, diet, health, sanitation, quarantine, the control of crime, the function of free enterprise and profit motivation.

The Mosaic law:

1. It establishes both policy and blessing patterns for the client nation collectively and for its citizens individually.

2. It authorises the function of a Levitical priesthood in separation from the modus operandi of the government.

3. It authorises the tabernacle and later on the temple as a sacred building for worship and a training aid for teaching doctrine. The concept of the sacred building has been perpetuated under the concept of the church building.

4. It authorises the Levitical sacrifice to communicate salvation. We have the gift and function of evangelism in the time in which we live. Hebrews 9:12,13.

5. The Mosaic Law authorised the blood of animals as the dedication of shadows—Hebrews 9:18-22 cf. 10:1.Today the shadow takes the form of personal evangelism as well as collective evangelism.

6. Keeping the law was neither salvation nor spirituality but the modus operandi of the client nation to God in both temporal and spiritual realms.

7. The law therefore could not justify. Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16.

8. The Mosaic law today has been set aside in two ways: the fulfilment by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross—the shadows are now removed because Christ fulfilled those shadows; it is set aside as a function of believers in a client nation, but it is never set aside in principle as the contract for the existence of any client nation. The cycles of discipline are found in Codex #3 of the Mosaic law, and the cycle of discipline function today.

9. Since the Mosaic law has no application to Israel during the times of the Gentiles, per se, the question arises: What is the purpose of the Mosaic law? The answer can be given four ways: a) a pattern for Gentile client nation function regarding freedom, military activity, taxation, government modus operandi, free enterprise; b) It is written for the believer’s instructions—Romans 15:4; c) It is written for the believer’s example—1 Corinthians 10:11,12; d) It is used as a divine standard to establish reality in a client nation to God.

1. The Davidic Covenant.

Party of the first part is God, and He makes a gracious disposition to party of the second part who is king David. As a part of his super-grace blessing he was to have a perpetuated dynasty forever. Not in his immediate line through Solomon, that line would be cut off. The line would be perpetuated through Nathan. 2 Samuel 7:8-17; Psalm 89:20-37. While the Davidic line would continue for 400 years in Judah (to 586), and about 72 over the northern kingdom (998-926), this is not the fulfilment of the covenant. The covenant is fulfilled through the Lord Jesus Christ. Cf. Isaiah 66:22. The covenant will be fulfilled with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

8. The Covenant to Jeremiah (the New Covenant to Israel) simply shows that the spiritual heritage of Israel, begun in the dispensation of Israel, is renewed in its contract in the Millennium. The Millennium could be called the dispensation of the second clientship of Israel. (In the meantime there is a new covenant to the Church which says that when the Church is big enough in any Gentile nation then that nation becomes a client nation to God.) The New Covenant to Jeremiah is defined as the divine promise to disciplined and dispersed Israel that they will be restored as a client nation to God at the Second Advent. Furthermore, the restored client nation will continue forever, both in time (Millennial rule of Christ) and in eternity. The Old Covenant, the Mosaic law, was only abrogated because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ—and only Codex 2. When it says Christ fulfilled the law, He fulfilled the Levitical sacrifices and the principle of the atonement. Codex 1 and Codex 3 have never been abrogated, and any client nation to God must follow the principles. When they do not, then they become immoral. The New Covenant emphasises the fact that God has not cast off His people because of their past failure and it guarantees the perpetuation of Israel as the client nation forever.

Verse 28—this is a verse where you have to have a preliminary idea of what it is all about. In the context there is nothing to indicate the meaning of the startling statement, “as concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election they are beloved for the Father’s sake.”

Principle of anticipation

1. In this verse we anticipate the New Covenant to the Church, or the covenant of Israel’s dispersion. There is a contract from God to believers during the time the Jews are out under the fifth cycle of discipline.

2. God as party of the first part makes a gracious disposition in favour of party of the second part—the Church, the royal family of God composed of Jewish and Gentile believers. Party of the second part in this dispensation is not a client nation like Israel but a key to any Gentile client nation.

3. The New Covenant to the Church or the new contract supersedes all of the Jewish contracts without destroying the continuity of spiritual heritage.

4. The new contract to the Church authorises a new priesthood, a universal one—every believer.

5. The New Covenant to the Church defines both spiritual heritage and client nation policy of the pivot during the times of the Gentiles.

6. Every Jew and every Gentile who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ is in the royal family of God, and as his own priest is commanded to function under a special modus operandi, that of the royal family honour code. We could not function without honour.

7. The New Covenant authorises the election of the royal family of God during the times of the Gentiles to replace the Jews as God’s people in this dispensation only. God’s people in the Church Age are all Jews and Gentiles who believe in Christ. The moment they do they are so signified as God’s people through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The scripture for the new contract begins in Matthew 26:28, includes a few references here and there in the Gospels—Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 7:22; 9:15-20; 10:29; 12:24. These are one-sentence citations authorising a new contract during the time when the Jews as a client nation Israel and as God’s people are out under the fifth cycle of discipline.

8. The key to the new contract to the Church is the function of the royal priesthood of believers inside of any Gentile client nation.

9. In effect, the New Covenant to the Church voids temporarily the covenant promises to Israel.

10. Distinction therefore must be made between the New Covenant to the Church which pertains to the dispensation of the Church and the New Covenant to Israel which pertains to the Millennial reign of Christ.

11. The New Covenant to the Church has a universal priesthood of believers while the New Covenant to Israel in the Millennium has a specialised priesthood in client nation Israel during the reign of Christ.

12. The New Covenant to the Church establishes a royal family of God forever while the New Covenant to Israel establishes Israel as a client nation forever.

13. This distinction becomes one of the fundamental differences between Israel and the Church, and between the Age of Israel and the dispensation of the Church. Client nation function of Israel is discontinued as AD 70, and the only client nations that will function from AD 70 until the Second Advent are Gentile client nations who have received and are to perpetuate (through their pivot) the spiritual heritage which once belonged to Israel.

The verse begins with a correlative use of the affirmative particles from the Attic Greek—men, and later on de. We translate men “on the one hand.” “On the

one hand with reference to the gospel” is the corrected translation. Then the preposition kata plus the accusative e)uaggelion. Kata plus the accusative here means with reference to. The gospel deals with soteriology. First it was in Israel as a part of their spiritual heritage, now it belongs to the Church as our spiritual heritage. We have to insert the verb to be, e)imi, 3^rd masculine plural for Jewish unbelievers—“they are.” Next is a predicate nominative from e)xqroj, which means enemies. It means that God regards the unbelieving Jew as an enemy. But He also regards the unbelieving Gentile as an enemy. However, the passage is simply dealing with the Jew.

Why are they regarded as enemies? Dia plus the accusative plural of the personal pronoun su—“for your sakes.” For the sake of the royal family of God composed of Jewish and Gentile believers. The Jewish unbelievers are excluded from the family of God, therefore they are regarded by God in terms of the anthropopathism—enemies. The preposition dia plus the accusative plural of su emphasises Gentile believers in the royal family of God. This is the divine viewpoint. God regards and treats as enemies Jewish unbelievers of the Church Age for the sake of Gentile believers who possess the righteousness of God through faith in Christ.

“but as” should be translated “on the other hand”—the postpositive conjunctive particle de, used in Attic Greek correlation.

Next is a prepositional phrase, kata plus the accusative singular of e)klogh, which means election—“But. On the other hand, as far as their election is concerned.” Following this is a predicate nominative plural, a)gaphtoj, the word for beloved, and it refers to Jewish believers—“they are beloved.”

“for the father’s sakes” – dia plus the accusative plural of pathr, “because of the fathers.” The word fathers emphasises the Jewish believers of the dispensation of Israel. Jewish believers in the Church Age have no Jewish covenant but they are still under a contract from God, they are under the New Covenant to the Church. The election of their fathers was related to client nation Israel. There is no client nation Israel during the Church Age, therefore the Jew can only fit into the picture by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and becoming a member of the royal family of God forever. Hence, there is a true Israel in every generation of the Church Age, it is composed of any Jew who personally receives Christ as His saviour. The fathers has a special reference to the origin of the Jewish race through regeneration.

Translation: “On the one hand, with reference to the gospel, they [Jewish unbelievers] are enemies because of you [the Church as a special election to privilege]: but, on the other hand, as far as their election is concerned, they [Jewish believers] are beloved because of the fathers.”

Principle

1. The contrast in this verse is between Jewish unbeliever in the Church Age and Jewish believer of the dispensation of Israel, called the fathers.

2. The similarity is between the Jewish believer of the dispensation of Israel who is elected to privilege under the old covenants and the Jewish believer of the Church Age who is elected to privilege under the new contract and the baptism of the Spirit.

3. In each dispensation there is a special issue called election to privilege.

4. In each dispensation election to privilege is based upon personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Each prepositional phrase beginning with dia emphasises the election to privilege of that dispensation.

6. For example, “because of you” in the first phrase refers to election to privilege in the Church Age.

7. For example, “because of their fathers” refers to election to privilege in the dispensation of Israel.

8. Under the doctrine of election there are two elections to privilege, Israel and the Church. Mankind enters either one of these elections through faith in Christ. The difference between the two elections is a difference of time, a difference of dispensation.

9. Because of the change is dispensation the Jew has no authorisation or excuse for rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The word enemies is technical for a description of unbelievers, as per Romans 5:8. The word beloved is a technical word for a description of the Church Age

believer, emphasising positional truth. We are “accepted in the beloved.” An election to privilege must have special relationship stated in terms of divine revelation. Ours is stated in terms of the baptism of the Spirit and positional truth. The first election, Israel, had special relationship revealed through the covenants to Israel. The second election, the Church, has a special relationship revealed through the baptism of the Spirit and resultant union with Christ. Each election had one thing in common, it demands personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore a change in dispensation does not change the way of salvation.

Verse 29 — because God is perfect His plan has no failures or regrets, therefore God has provided perfect security, perfect stability and perfect consistency. “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” That is not what it says.

We have the explanatory use of the post positive conjunctive particle gar, plus a predicate nominative neuter plural from the adjective a)metamelhtoj. In the neuter it means irrevocable. We actually have the first and the last words in the verse: “For … irrevocable.” In between we have a few things that are very important. Because God is perfect His plan is perfect; because His plan is perfect God has not regrets. This is generally all people can get from this verse in the English.

We also have the nominative plural subject xarisma which often means gifts, or spiritual gifts. In the Greek it refers to what is freely and graciously given. Essentially, it takes its meaning from xarij which means “grace.” So the correct translation is “For the grace benefits.”

Then we have a connective kai and a nominative singular subject, klhsij which means “calling” but is technical for election or election to privilege — “For the grace benefits and election.

Next we have the ablative singular of source from qoej — “from God.” Then we have to put in a verb because we have a predicate nominative “irrevocable” — “are irrevocable.”

Translation: “For the grace benefits and election from God are irrevocable.”

Grace benefits mean two principles of doctrine: the justice of God imputes to the believer the righteousness of God, establishing the grace pipeline. Grace benefits are what comes from the justice of God down the grace pipeline to the righteousness of God. So the grace benefits are twofold: logistical grace and supergrace. The grace benefits are for fulfilling the concept of election to privilege. We have a purpose for being here, we are the beneficiaries of logistical grace support and in some cases of supergrace imputation. With that we have a purpose: election to privilege — the deliverance of our nation as a client nation through the enlargement of its pivot. You may as well forget trying to wake up this country. You might as well forget the crusading, trying to straighten everyone out. When people have rejected truth it is inevitable that they will believe a lie. It is easy to believe a lie under the principle of strong delusion.

We as believers are in a plan that is based on truth. The foundation is truth, the edifice is truth. Our responsibility is to expose ourselves to the truth day by day as we listen to the teaching of the Word.

Principle

1. Note that klhsij or election is singular and xarisma is plural. Election is singular but grace benefits are plural.

2. This means simply that election to privilege is always the same. It is based on faith in Christ regardless of the dispensation. No one is elected to privilege unless he believes in Christ, therefore it is in the singular because regardless of the dispensation election to privilege is always the same.

3. However grace benefits [plural] to election to privilege differ in each dispensation and therefore grace benefits must be different.

4. In the dispensation of Israel election to privilege means relationship with the covenants of Israel.

5. But in the Church Age election to privilege means relationship with God through the baptism of the Spirit, i.e. the royal family of God.

6. While the Jews no longer have client nation privileges in the Church Age as such, they still have royal family privileges as members of the body of Christ through faith in Christ. Therefore this is great hope to the Jew. Has the Jew lost out? Has God cast away His people? No! Why not? “For the grace benefits and election from God are irrevocable.” If they are irrevocable obviously they can’t be cast away.

7. Each dispensation provides for the believer in Christ irrevocable election from God and irrevocable grace benefits from God.

8. Therefore the issue to the Jew is to believe in Christ whether Israel is a client nation or not. Can the Jew get along in a dispensation where Israel is not a client nation? Of course he can. Paul is the perfect illustration. God has not cast off his people. Therefore the issue to the Jew is to believe in Christ whether Israel is a client nation or not.

9. Neither man’s failure no a change in dispensation changes the plan of God. God did not make unsaved Jews unbelievers, their own freedom of choice made them unbelievers. Eventually, being unbelievers, the strong delusion principle overtook them and so did the fifth cycle of discipline.

Verses 31 & 32, God’s client nation plan benefits the Gentile and the Jew in this dispensation. Verse 30, an protasis; verse 31, an apodasis.

Verse 30—begins with the particle w(sper which introduces a protasis of a comparative clause, not a conditional clause. In a conditional clause you have a 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th class condition. They are generally introduced by the word if. We also have the same protasis and apodasis for another category of clause altogether, i.e. a comparative clause, which is not the same as a conditional clause. (In the next verse the protasis is introduced by the particle o(utoj) W(sper is translated just as; o(utoj is translated so or so therefore.

“For just as” is the way this verse begins, because the next word is the postpositive conjunctive particle gar, which introduces an explanation. A comparative clause introduces an analogous thought for the purpose of elucidating or for the purpose of emphasising the thought expressed in the principle clause. We have here a comparison between Gentiles when Israel was a client nation and Israel when the Gentiles are the client nation. Therefore the grammatical structure of these two verses is so cut and dried from the standpoint of advanced syntax that there is only one explanation. In other words, in the protasis we see how the Gentiles fared when Israel was the client nation (the Age of Israel), and then, how Jews fare when Gentiles are client nation.

Next is a second masculine plural personal pronoun su in the nominative case—“all of you,” a reference to the Gentiles. When Israel was a client nation to God what was the status of the Gentiles? So the protasis goes back to the Age of Israel. Why start out that way with the protasis? Because when you start out with the Jews at the peak of their glory as a client nation, using their spiritual heritage, and you place the Gentiles in the subordinate role of being evangelised from that client nation, then you immediately have the attention of all of the Jews in the time of the Roman empire, and for any Jews who will listen to the Word of God when it is taught here in Romans. This is their answer, it explains everything. How did the Jews treat the Gentiles? Sometimes well; sometimes poorly. If the pivot was large the Gentiles had a break; if the pivot was small the Gentiles fared poorly. Does that tell us anything? Now that the Gentiles have client nation status, if the pivot is large the Jews have a break; if the pivot is small they get a reaming.

There are a couple of words between just as and you. There is an enclitic particle of time pote which is in the sentence. “For just as at one time you”—which takes us back to the previous dispensation. The verb is the aorist active indicative of a)peiqew, which means to disobey, to disbelieve, to refuse to believe—“For just as at one time you had not believed.” Pote demands that you use the past tense. The aorist tense demands that you use the past tense, since the aorist tense is always past time; it is a certain type of action in past time. This is a constative aorist, which contemplates Gentile unbelief in its entirety in past time. The active voice: Gentile believers of the Age of Israel produce the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for historical reality of a fact.

The dative singular indirect object of qeoj follows—“God.” The dative singular indirect object emphasises the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ, both as the manifest person of the Godhead and as the unique person in hypostatic union, the God-Man. Therefore it refers to only one member of the God-head, the Lord Jesus Christ. The definite article merely strengthens the principle that this is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. “yet now” – nun de. The adversative particle de emphasises a contrast between the Gentile unsaved state and the status quo of the Gentile after faith in Christ—“but.” The temporal adverb nun means “now”—“but now,” referring to Gentiles as believers and members of the royal family of God forever.

Next is an aorist passive indicative of the verb e)leew. In the passive voice this means to find, to receive, or to be shown mercy—“but now have received mercy.” This is a culminative aorist viewing Gentile salvation in its entirety but regarding it from the viewpoint of its existing results in the plan of God as members of the royal family of God, plus the privilege of being the pivot in a Gentile client nation; therefore the recipients of divine blessing because of justification. Passive voice: the Gentile believers of the Church Age, in contrast to Jewish unbelievers, are receiving the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for a dogmatic and absolute statement of Bible doctrine, relating the Gentile believer to the dispensation of the Church.

“through their unbelief” – the instrumental of cause from a)peiqeia. This is the instrumental of cause meaning disbelief or disobedience, or unbelief. With it is the possessive genitive plural from the near demonstrative pronoun o(utoj, translated “of those.” Literally translated the phrase means “because of the unbelief of those Jews,” but in modern English it is translated a little more into the idiom, “because of their unbelief.”

Translation: “For just as at one time you [the Gentiles] had not believed in [the] God [Jesus Christ, the God of Israel], but now you have received mercy because of their unbelief.”

Verse 31 – the adverbial particle o(utwj introduces the apodasis. The conjunction is the adjunctive use of kai, translated also—“So also.” The nominative plural from the demonstrative pronoun o(utoj—“these.” The demonstrative pronoun calls special attention to the Jews in the Church Age. The temporal pronoun nun refers to the Church Age. Again, the aorist active indicative of the verb that sets up the parallelisms of the circumstantial and comparative clause, a)peiqew, which means to disobey, to disbelieve, to refuse to believe. “So now also these [Jews] have not believed.” The constative aorist contemplates the Jewish action in the Church Age in its entirety. The active voice: only Jewish unbelievers are in view, just as only Gentile unbelievers were in view in the protasis. This is the apodasis where the situation is reversed where we have Jewish unbelievers in the Church Age instead of Gentile unbelievers in the Jewish Age. The indicative mood is declarative for historical reality. This is first of all a reference to the big blot-out in the Church Age, it involves only the unbelievers of Israel. With this is the locative of time singular from the possessive pronoun u(mereteroj—“your,” plus the locative of time singular from the noun e)leoj—“mercy.” It actually means, “in your time of mercy,” and it is a reference to the Church Age when Gentile nations function as client nations to God. Gentiles are the missionaries to Jews in this dispensation which also doubles as the times of the Gentiles.

Now we have the conjunction i(na plus the subjunctive, translated “in order that” introducing a final clause as a part of the comparative clause to denote purpose, aim, goal, objective. Then the aorist passive subjunctive of the verb e)leew which means to have mercy, to show mercy, but in the passive voice it means to receive mercy. The culminative aorist tense views Jewish salvation in the Church Age in its entirety, i.e. when a Jew believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, but it regards it from the viewpoint of existing results. The existing results: in every generation there will be a remnant of Jewish believers, along with the Gentiles. But Paul is making a special emphasis on Jewish believers in the royal family. The passive voice: the remnant of Jewish believers in the Church Age receive the action of the verb. The subjunctive mood is a part of the purpose clause within the apodasis of the comparative clause.

Then follows the adjunctive use of kai again—“also,” the nominative plural from the intensive pronoun a)utoj used in its usual way, the 3^rd person plural pronoun referring to that same Jewish remnant.

Translation: “So now also [Church Age] these [Jews] have not believed in your time of mercy [times of the Gentiles], in order that now [Church Age] they also [Jewish remnant] might receive mercy [be evangelised by the Gentiles].”

This means . . .

1. Jewish unbelief can be summarised as rejection of doctrine or truth, forming scar tissue of the soul.

2. As scar tissue accumulated so arrogance intensified.

3. The intensification of arrogance under prosperity produces self-righteousness.

4. This self-righteousness was applied to the Mosaic law with the result stated in Romans 9:31.

5. The Jew rejected Christ as saviour which is rejection of truth building scar tissue.

6. Having rejected Christ intensified arrogance and arrogance depended on self-righteousness in keeping the law.

7. Only the possession of the righteousness of God is compatible with the grace of God.

8. Rejection of Christ is the substitution of human self-righteousness for imputed divine righteousness, and that is arrogance in itself.

9. Arrogance is aware of self-righteousness but ignorant of the imputed divine righteousness and its implications.

Principle

1. Righteousness manufacture from religious zeal—self-righteousness and arrogance—can never replace God’s perfect righteousness and eternal life possessed through faith in Christ.

2. The zeal manufactured from arrogant self-righteousness is always in direct conflict with the grace policy of God.

3. The imputation of divine righteousness through faith in Christ results in humility and grace orientation, while the development of arrogant self-righteousness results in inflexible legalism and total blindness to Bible doctrine.

4. The Jews have a high IQ but mental blindness to the doctrines of the Old Testament.

5. In arrogance the Jews had established an imaginary orthodoxy, which does not exist in the plan of God but in their evil and vain imaginations.

6. By rejection of Jesus Christ, the God of Israel and their only saviour, the Jews have excluded Him from their imaginary system of orthodoxy.

7. Arrogance and self-righteousness in Israel are totally divorced from reality. Consequently they distort the service of God, as in John 16:2.

8. All legalism is based on self-righteousness; all grace orientation and all grace function is based on imputed righteousness from God. We can only have imputed righteousness from God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The doctrine of the great inversion

1. The great inversion is defined as a reversal of position between Jew and Gentile regarding client nation status. The contrast is between the Old Testament dispensation of Israel and the New Testament dispensation, the Church Age. This is a collective inversion.

2. The inversion of the Jewish Age found Israel as the client nation to God and the Gentiles were to be evangelised by Jews.

3. The inversion of the Church Age finds Gentile nations as client nations to God and the Jews evangelised by the Gentiles.

4. The inversion of the Church Age includes Jesus Christ as the God of Israel blessing Gentile believers and punishing Jewish unbelievers.

5. There are three categories of the great inversion of the Church Age: a) the reversal of client nation status; b) reversal of relationship—Gentile believers are royal family of God while Jewish unbelievers have no relationship with God; c) we have a reversal or order—the times of the Gentiles precedes the restoration of Israel in the Millennium.

Verse 32 – this is incorrectly translated in the KJV. “For” is the postpositive use of the inferential conjunction gar. The nominative singular subject o( qeoj follows, and these first two words are correct. It is the verb where the error starts, the aorist active indicative of sugkleiw, which is incorrectly translated “concluded.” It actually means to close up together, to hem in, to shut up together. The Koine is taken from an older word which really helps us more than anything else—cugkleiw, which is a military word which started with Xenophen. It means soldiers marching in closed ranks in order to break out of entrapment. It was later used for soldiers enclosed in fortifications, encircled but secure because they had set up some system of fortification. Finally, it was taken from the military and used for shutting up or locking up people in a prison, and it was used for fish caught in a net. This use finally slipped into the Koine in Luke 5:6 regarding Peter’s catch. It finally came to mean, as we have it here, being locked up. “For the God has locked up.” The aorist tense is a constative aorist, it refers to the fact of God’s condemnation of mankind by the imputation of Adam’s original sin to every person at the moment of life. The active voice: the justice of God produces the action of the verb after human birth—human life and Adam’s sin are imputed. The indicative mood is declarative for a dogmatic statement of doctrine, the fact that Jew and Gentile are condemned at the moment of life from the justice of God.

Next is the accusative plural of the definite article touj, the generic use of the article used with the accusative plural from the adjective paj to designate the entire human race—“the all,” literally, but the all comes to mean the entire. It is an adjective. It means the entire human race.

Then the prepositional phrase, e)ij plus the accusative of a)peiqeia which means a state of disobedience toward God. This is a reference to the imputation of Adam’s sin to each person simultaneously with the imputation of life. Notice the result of the imputation of Adam’s sin: a)peiqeia. Obviously one of the most important things in life for the control of the old sin nature is the antithesis, which is obedience. If God locks us up in disobedience because we have an old sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s sin then obviously any solution to any problem in life is to go from disobedience, wilful rejection, to obedience or positive volition. That is why we often have in the Bible “obedience to the gospel” which is believing in Christ—⁺V toward gospel information. And this is why children are given parents—because they are born disobedient. The first thing parents must teach their children is obedience.

“For God has locked up the entire human race with reference to disobedience.”

Beginning in verse 33 we have the doxology-a response to grace. Verse 33 starts out with and interjection, which is simply an W with a circumflex accent. The closest we can come in transliteration is “O”. This is a Classical Greek exclamation, it is not Koine. It is used before a vocative to express address or invocation, along with the W to introduce an explanation. Here we have the exclamation leading to a rhetorical question in verses 34 & 35, and ending in a solemn ascription in verse 36. Most of this is Classical and not Koine Greek. It is the maximum expression of praise to God in one sentence. It introduces an act of adoration and worship excluding the possibility that an abstract quantity is being addressed. So we translate in “O” with the nominative singular from baqoj which is also an Attic Greek word.

The old commentator A.T. Robertson says, “Paul’s argumentation concerning God’s elective grace and goodness had carried him to the heights, and now he pauses on the edge of a precipice as he contemplates God’s wisdom and knowledge, fully conscious of his inability to sound the bottom with the plummet of human reason and words.”

Baqoj, which is translated depth, means inexhaustible. In the ancient world when they wanted to say that something was inexhaustible they always went to depth. They were thinking about something that they could not probe. Anyone could look up into the sky and see, but they could not look down into the sea and see the bottom. Therefore, that denoted to them something that was inexhaustible. To the Greek there was no bottom to the sea when he got out into certain places over which he sailed. So that is really what this means: “O the inexhaustibility.”

Of what is brought out by the possessive genitive from the noun ploutoj, meaning wealth in the sense of abundance of what God possesses. What kind of wealth is involved here? Now there has to be a description of what that wealth is, and since this is not Koine Greek it can be done by putting in a dash. But they did not have diacritical markings, they did it by doubling the conjunction kai. It occurs here twice and it means “both and.” Then we have two words, the descriptive genitive of swfia for wisdom, referring to the sum total of God’s self-knowledge-omniscience in contrast to His foreknowledge; then the descriptive genitive from gnwsij. This is a Classical Greek structure. “O the inexhaustibility of the wealth, both of the wisdom and the knowledge.” Then comes the possessive genitive from qeoj-“of God.” There are no definite articles in this phrase in the Greek. The absence of the definite article emphasises the qualitative aspect of all of the nouns involved, rather than mere identity. Hence, the absence of the definite article in the Greek is equivalent to the definite article on the English. Therefore we put them in when translating, even though they are not there. When you translate from one language to another you not only translate the words but you translate the grammatical emphasis, or lack of it. Wisdom (swfia) has self-knowledge and omniscience; knowledge (gnwsij) has foreknowledge. All three of the areas of knowledge finally arrive. Principle: Wealth resides in thought. Your wealth as far as God is concerned is determined by your ability to think.

Category #1 is God’s self-knowledge, found in swfia. God has eternally known Himself. Each member of the Trinity has perfect subjective knowledge of self. Each member of the Trinity also has perfect objective knowledge about the other members of the Trinity. All members of the Godhead have self-knowledge-which is not the same as omniscience.

Category #2 is omniscience, which is also found in swfia. God’s objective knowledge of the universe and all of its creatures is the correct definition of omniscience. God’s knowledge of all creatures falls into two categories: actual and possible. God’s omniscience has nothing whatever to do with time-past, future, or contemporary time. When we see words like predestination, foreordination, the decrees of God, these are simply ways of describing God’s perfect omniscience related to reality and possibility. It has nothing to do with fatalism.

Category #3 is knowledge-foreknowledge, the gnwsij category in the phrase here. Foreknowledge is a print-out of the divine decrees. Nothing is foreknown until it is first decreed. Foreknowledge simply acknowledges what is in the decree-and for the believer only. Foreknowledge, predestination and election have nothing to do with the unbeliever. The unbeliever is not predestined; he is not foreknown; he is not elected; he is not justified; he is not glorified. These are all believer print-outs, they only pertain to the believer in the divine decrees.

Knowledge of God

1. God is eternal; His knowledge is eternal.

2. God is sovereign, therefore His knowledge is infinitely superior to any creature knowledge.

3. Every minute details of both angelic and human history is completely in the mind of God at all times. There never was a time when it wasn’t in the mind of God.

4. Therefore, omniscience perceives the free as free, the necessary as necessary, together with all their causes, conditions and relations, as one indivisible system of things, every link of which is essential to the whole. The free as free has to do with the volition of the soul; but more than that, it the relation of the soul to systems of authority. The necessary as necessary means that certain functions of establishment are designed to protect freedom-freedom to be evangelised, freedom to accept or reject Christ, freedom to choose a life-time partner, freedom to select a business or a job, etc.

5. Time has nothing to do with God’s knowledge, therefore the future is as perspicuous to Him as the past.

6. The omniscience of God knows all of the alternatives of your personal life and all of the history as well-actual (history); probably (the alternative).

7. In omniscience God knows all that would have been involved in every case where individual decisions might have been different from what they actually were. Not so the foreknowledge of God.

8. The computer of divine decrees prints out the facts about the believer under categories foreknowledge, predestination, and election.

9. This means that there is a difference between the omniscience of God which programs the computer and the foreknowledge of God which is the print-out of the computer. In other words, nothing can be foreknown until it was first decreed. You cannot get out of the computer what was never put into the computer.

10. Only divine decrees establish reality. Therefore, God’s self-knowledge and omniscience precede the decree while God’s foreknowledge follows the decree. Omniscience deals with the actual and possible of history; foreknowledge deals only with the actual. The foreknowledge of God makes nothing certain, but acknowledges what is certain, i.e. what is in the divine decrees. God foreknew all events as certainly future because He had first decreed them from His omniscience. Each of the print-outs of eternity past relates the believer to the plan of God in the form of a rationale. The plan of God rationale includes five print-outs from the computer. Omniscience feeds the facts into the computer about the believer. The first print-out is foreknowledge; the second print-out is predestination; the third is election; the fourth is justification; the fifth is glorification. Foreknowledge means we were in the mind of God in eternity past; predestination: we were in the plan of God in eternity past; election to privilege: the believer is a part of God’s plan in the function of client nations-the necessary as necessary. So we come down to this: the omniscience of God (swfia) feeds the facts into the computer of divine decrees, and the print-out is gnwsij.

The second sentence in verse 33 begins with the conjunction w)j used as a characteristic quality of God. Then the nominative neuter plural, the subject of the verb, a)veceraunhtoj, which means unsearchable, unfathomable, inscrutable. Next we have a predicate nominative which demands in the English the verb to be, krima, which does mean judgment [krisij] but it also means decrees—“how inscrutable are his decrees.” The possessive genitive from the intensive pronoun a)utoj is the word for “his.” God has thoughts beyond the ability of human thinking; His wealth is infinite because His thinking is infinite. Man’s wealth is limited because his thinking is limited. The believer has the right, says this verse in the second sentence, to penetrate. With the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of doctrine the believer has the right to penetrate into the inscrutability and infinity of divine wealth, i.e. God’s thoughts. Because this is true he is able to grow in grace, make correct applications regarding personal life, to have happiness in all circumstances, know where he is going. God’s decrees are inscrutable but we can understand them.

“and” – the connective kai, and the nominative plural subject o(doj, which means a highway or a road. Figuratively it means a way of life, a modus vivendi. It refers to God’s attributes and policies. Then the predicate nominative plural from the adjective a)necixniastoj, which means untrackable. This is strictly a Koine Greek word found only in Romans 11:33 and Ephesians 3:8.

Translation: “O the inexhaustibility of his wealth, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his decrees, and his policies untrackable!”

Apart from Bible doctrine we cannot understand either the person of the plan or the policies of God. God is inscrutable apart from the key—perception of Bible doctrine. Bible doctrine, therefore, is the most valuable thing in life for it is the wealth of God revealed to the royal family of God. Doctrine is the wealth of God revealed to man, therefore doctrine resident in the soul of the believer is not only the means of spiritual growth and momentum but it is resident wealth which cannot be taken from us unless we so decide from our free will. Thinking divine viewpoint through reverse concentration is one of the great pay-offs. Principle: Only the wealthy worship God. The wealthy are those who have doctrine resident in the soul. Wealth is measured in terms of doctrine. Reverse concentration is the most basic concept in worship. So the doxology begins with a reverse concentration response to the fantastic doctrine which reveals the wealth of God. The two rhetorical questions in the next verse emphasises the importance of learning it so that you can worship.

Verse 34 – this is a quotation from Isaiah 40:13: “Who has measured,” piel imperfect of taken. The piel stem says, in effect, that there is always someone who thinks he is smart enough to out-fox God, out-think God; “the spirit of the Lord, or as his counsellor has caused him to learn?”—hiphil imperfect of jada, which means to know. In the hiphil stem it means to cause to learn. The word ruach or spirit here is not the Holy Spirit, it is the human spirit of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ in hypostatic union, showing that in His humanity Christ did not seek or need counsel. He had the whole realm of doctrine.

Isaiah 40:14 –“With whom has he taken counsel,” the niphal perfect from jaatz. It should be translated, “From whom has he received counsel.”

“that he [the counsellor] should cause him to understand” – hiphil imperfect from bin, which means to know categorically.

“and who shall teach him” – piel imperfect of lamad, who has the authority to teach him.

“the path [or, way] of integrity, or shall teach him knowledge, and by intelligent words cause him to understand?”

Corrected translation:

Verse 13 – “Who has measured the [human] spirit of the Lord, or as his counsellor has caused him to learn?

Verse 14 – “From whom has he received counsel that he should cause him to understand [categorically], and who has the authority to teach him the path of integrity, or teach him knowledge, and by intelligent words cause him to understand?”

Verse 34 – begins with the interrogative pronoun tij which introduces the first of two rhetorical questions, plus the postpositive conjunctive particle gar used in questions to document or to provide a reason. This is the explanatory use of gar and it is translated with the interrogative pronoun, “Who then.”

Next is the aorist active indicative from the verb ginwskw, which means to know—“Who then has known.” The culminative aorist views the event in its entirety but emphasises the existing results. The active voice: by interpretation, no one; by application, the mature believer who has cracked the maturity barrier and entered the pivot. This is an interrogative indicative mood for a rhetorical question. This is equivalent to the hiphil imperfect of the Hebrew verb jada. The hiphil is causative active voice. With it is the accusative singular direct object of nouj, the left lobe of the soul and also the it refers to the mind as a faculty for thinking. This is equivalent to the word which is translated in the KJV, “spirit”—ruach, referring to the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since ruach means breath, spirit, life, it is also used for thinking, for understanding. And with it is the possessive genitive of kurioj which is equivalent to the Tetragrammaton, and it translated “Lord” in the English. “Who then has known the mind of the Lord?” This is the first rhetorical question. It emphasises the importance of advancing to maturity through the daily function of Gap. However, this is application. But by interpretation no one can produce the action of the verb. The mind of the Lord is defined in 1 Corinthians 2:16. What we know about the Lord’s thinking, the great wealth of God, comes to us from understanding the Scripture.

Principle

1. The mind of Christ or the mind of the Lord is revealed thought of God and/or Bible doctrine.

2. Knowing Bible doctrine or the mind of the Lord is the purpose of logistical grace for sustaining the believer in time. All of us are being kept alive with the primary purpose of learning the mind of the Lord and using Bible doctrine in the devil’s world. This emphasises the second stage of the faith-rest drill which is reverse concentration.

3. Perception of doctrine of doctrine is also the basis for the dynamic function of the second stage of the faith-rest drill.

4. It must be emphasised that in eternity past no one knew the mind of the Lord.

5. Only the mature believer in time can understand the thinking of the Lord, and this is the most basic wealth. All mature believers are wealthy in the sense of having Bible doctrine. Only the mature believer in time can understand the thinking of God which He had in eternity past. Only the mature believer possesses doctrine or the e)pignwsij of the soul, which is the mind of the Lord.

6. Thanks, then, to the grace policy of God it is possible for the believer to have the greatest privilege in life—to know the mind of the Lord and/or Bible doctrine.

The second question, “or who has been his counsellor?” starts out with the disjunctive particle h). The disjunctive particle is used in an interrogative sentence to

introduce and add a second rhetorical question. Translation: “or”. Plus the interrogative pronoun tij again—“or who.” Then the aorist active indicative of the verb ginwmai—to become: “or who has become.” The culminative aorist views the question in its entirety but regards it from the viewpoint of existing results. The active voice: no one can produce the action of the verb. We do not counsel God; we do not improve God’s policies; we do not help God. The indicative mood is the interrogative indicative for the rhetorical question. Next is the predicate nominative sumbouloj, translated a “counsellor.”

“Who then has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his advisor?” The rhetorical question demands an answer. No creature has known the mind of God in eternity past, therefore no creature could program the divine decrees. God Himself programmed the divine decrees. The mature believer knows from maximum doctrine resident in the soul the mind of Christ in part, but this is not the intent of the rhetorical question. The rhetorical question is designed to praise the omniscience of God who fed the actual into the computer with regard to the believer and the unbeliever. Print-out for the believer is foreknowledge which acknowledges what is in the decrees and is different from omniscience. Omniscience knows the alternatives, the decisions, the thoughts, the actions that did not occur but could have occurred. But only reality is fed into the computer and the print-out is foreknowledge, predestination, election, etc.

The first rhetorical question states dogmatically that only members of the Holy Trinity, using the attributes which they possess, know the thoughts, the motives, the decisions, the actions of every creature before any creature existed. While God knew our thoughts we did not know His thoughts. Therefore, we the creatures are nothing added to nothing, equalling more than nothing.

Verse 35 states the principle. The disjunctive particle h)—used in an interrogative sentence to introduce and add a third rhetorical question. It is translated “or”. Then the interrogative pronoun tij, used to introduce the rhetorical question—“or who.” The verb is the aorist active indicative of prodidomi [pro = before; didomi = give], which means to precede in giving, to give in advance to someone. The principle in this verse is quoted from Job 41:11. No gift is regarded as recompensing, paying back, or compensating God. “Or who has given to him [God].” The constative aorist contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety. The action is giving. The believer gives to the Lord under principles of giving. The active voice: the believer produces the action of the verb through the priestly function of giving. The indicative mood is a potential indicative of obligation which uses the indicative to face the reality of the obligation as a part of worship and understanding true wealth. You give on the basis of wealth in the soul. All worship demands wealth, and spiritual worship demands Bible doctrine in the soul.

Next is the connective kai and the future passive indicative from a double compound verb, a)ntapodidomi, which means to pay back or to repay—“and it shall be repaid to him.” This is a gnomic future tense for the statement of fact which can be rightly expected under normal conditions. This is an idiom and it means compensation—“Or who has given to God and has not been compensated?” On the surface this appears to be a gimmick for encouraging the believer to give, but in reality it is the quotation of a principle from Job 4:11. In giving, no one is bribing God.

Principle

1. The believer must be occupied with the source of grace so as not to be distracted by the blessings of grace. This is why the most basic concept of grace is occupation with the person of Christ. Upon reaching maturity this is the first factor.

2. The believer can be so occupied with his money that he forgets the source of that money—either logistical or super-grace blessing. In order that this does not occur true giving is based upon true wealth—doctrine in the soul. Therefore you give from doctrinal motivation.

3. The believer can be so occupied with success that he forgets the source of success.

4. The believer can be so occupied with friends and loved ones that he forgets the source of friends and loved ones.

5. The believer can be co occupied with life that he forgets the source of life.

6. Therefore Bible doctrine resident in the soul (true wealth) is designed to perpetuate occupation with Christ who is the source of both logistical and supergrace blessing.

7. Therefore Christ is the source of all blessing.

Verse 36 – emphasis on the source. “For” is the causal conjunction o(ti, which should be translated “Because.” Next comes three prepositional phrases. There are no verbs, subjects, predicates. In each case the object of the preposition is a)utoj, the intensive pronoun used as the third person singular personal pronoun. So it starts, e)k plus the ablative of a)utoj—“from him.” The ablative of source implies the original source of both logistical and super-grace blessing. The second prepositional phrase, linked by kai, emphasises Jesus Christ as God. As God He is the source of salvation; He is the source of all temporal and eternal blessing; there is no blessing apart from this source; He is the source of our logistical support; He is the source of super-grace blessing. This is dia plus the ablative of a)utoj, translated “through him.” The ablative is not the regular case for expressing means, the instrumental is. However, when the ablative is used it means emphasis on the source. This prepositional phrase emphasises the mechanics of blessing, “through him.” The third prepositional phrase is e)ij plus the accusative of a)utoj, translated “for him.”

The subject is the nominative neuter plural from paj. The definite article is used as a demonstrative pronoun—“all things.” We supply the verb. “Because those all things are from the source of him, and through the agency of him, and for him.”

“to whom be glory forever” is erroneously translated in the KJV. The subject is the nominative doca, “the glory.” Plus the dative singular indirect object from a)utoj, used for the third person personal pronoun, referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, and should be translated, “the glory belongs to him.”

“forever” – another prepositional phrase. “Amen” simply means “I believe it.”

Translation: “Because those all things are from the source of him, and through the agency of him, and for him in time; furthermore, the glory belongs to him forever. Amen [So be it].”

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[1] See the Doctrine of election

[2] See the Doctrine of inspiration

[3] See the Doctrine of Reconciliation.

[4] See the Doctrine of the mystery.