In Matthew 16:13-18, after Peter had identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus says he is about building his church. Jesus did not say he is about building Israel or the Nation of Israel.
Romans 11 engrafting principle forms the Matthew 16:18 church of which Jesus spoke. This church consists of people from all genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, etc.
Both Israelites and Gentiles have equal God given rights in the church human governments and humans recognize that truth or not.
Let us consider a diagram that displays the interrelationships between elements involved in the Romans 11 engrafting principle.
Notice that in the diagram God’s Family Tree is designated as the Church with Christ as Root/Head Under the New (Better) Covenant.
For purpose of discussing the engrafting principle, the word Israelite refers to biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel regardless of whether from the Northern or Southern Kingdoms. They are the natural branches. The words Israelite and Jew are synonymous and interchangeable for purposes of engrafting.
The term Gentile refers to all person who are not biological Israelites from every nation of every race and gender and ethnicity who accept the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through acceptance of Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
The false doctrine that Gentiles in Romans 11 and elsewhere are Israelites of the Northern Kingdom is easily dispensed with. All one has to do is recognize that even wayward disobedient Israelites of both kingdoms are still naturally or biologically Israelites; they are therefore of the natural branches.
There are two trees: God’s tree, & Gentile tree. Israelites (both kingdoms) as branches attached to God’s preexistent tree formed a prototype for the New Covenant Church (Matthew 16:18) brought in by Christ. The focus is now on the church not Israelites. Gentiles (non-Israelites) are branches grafted from a wild tree into the church (God’s tree) based on faith of Abraham not of Israel and not that of the law of Moses (Galatians 3:26-29; Romans 3:27-28), the middle partition being removed (Ephesians 2:13-16).
Three classes of connected branches that form the church are identified. These are listed in order in which they occurred in God’s plan of salvation.
The first category of connected branches consists of faithful Israelites and Gentiles (strangers/proselytes) who lived before Christ. These include Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel, David, and Rahab and Ruth as well as others. Hebrews 11 provides a list of example faithful believers who lived before Christ.
The second category of connected branches are believing Israelites/Jews who lived after Christ was born.
The third category of connected branches are believing Gentiles (non-Israelites) who lived after Christ came.
The unconnected branches are Israelite and Gentile unbelievers before and since Christ; these are those who are not members of the church Jesus is building.
Biblically under Christ Israelites and Gentiles inherit the same rights from Abraham regarding both spiritual and natural blessings.
Gentiles gain such inheritance through the principle of engrafting (Romans 11:11-24); Engrafting is also called conversion or proselytizing.
God’s plan for this is evidenced by the fact that Rahab and Ruth are Gentiles engrafted in through acceptance of the one true God and who are in fact ancestors of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). Nicolas of “The Seven” was also a proselyte (Acts 6:5).
Ruth by marriage and Rahab also likely by marriage became a part of the tribe of Judah.
Revelation 21:12 says: “And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:”.
Revelation 21:12 does indeed have a gate with each of the twelve tribes of Israel and does not mention a gate specifically associated with the Gentiles. Consistent with Galatians 3:26-29, It therefore seemingly follows that one of the following must be true regarding entering one of the gates with respect to those believers who are not biological descendants of Jacob/Israel:
- At the time of the engrafting God assigns such a Gentile to one of the tribes of Israel
- Or in the end time God assigns such a Gentile to one of the tribes of Israel
- Or Gentiles can enter any gate he or she chooses
- Or the names on the gates are for honoring the tribes not for restricting entry and therefore anyone, Jew/Israelite or Gentile, can enter any of the gates.
It is evident in the scriptures that God did not condemn slavery but did regulate it. Therefore, it is obvious that the American type of slavery violated a number of God’s laws and was therefore not biblical.
There are some who say that in the end time at least during the Millennial (1000 Years) Reign of Christ upon his return, engrafted believers who enslaved (held captive) Israelites anywhere at any time will become slaves (captive) to Israelites. I assume they speak of masters and slaves who are believers in contrast to unbelievers.
Though I am not God, in my view I believe that if any such master and slave relationship shall exist when Christ returns, it will not be brutal but rather characterized by love and respect from and for master and slave.
One should also observe that not all Gentiles enslave (hold captive) Israelites at anytime anywhere. Therefore one ought to expect that the number of engrafted believers who did not enslave (hold captive) Israelites will be significantly more than those who did enslave them.
A consequence of this observation is that attempting to use such things as skin color or nationality to identify descendants of those guilty of enslaving or otherwise holding captive Israelites at anytime anywhere amounts to engaging in unwise wicked stereotyping.
Scriptures that provide insight into the slavery/captivity including any possible end time slavery/captivity conditions are given below. Some of them also provide insight into the question of reparations for slaves and their descendants to include the American promised “40 acres and a mule” on which the government reneged regarding the announced timing and form.
These scriptures include: Exodus 21:1-11; Deuteronomy 15:12-18; 2 Chronicles 28:8; Leviticus 25:44-46; Isaiah 14:2; 56:1-8; Obadiah 1:7; Ephesians 6:5, 9; Colossians 3:22; 4:1; Matthew 6:14-15; 22:34-40; Romans 13:1-8; Exodus 3:21; 12:35-36; Psalm 105:37.
One should also note that people like Titus, an Elder in the church of whom one of the books of the Bible is name, and Nicolas one of the Seven of Acts 6 held prominent positions in the church. Therefore, one would expect them though Gentiles to have a high role in any end time command and control organization, perhaps even over Jews/Israelites.
Having said all of that the love thy neighbor as thyself principle should cause all of us to have the following view of the totality of scripture: The Bible does not distinguish one nationality, race or skin color as superior to another or more favored by God under Christ and the New Covenant. Therefore, it is important that faithful Jew/Israelite and Gentile preach/teach/practice and stand against any claim that any nationality or race or skin color now deserves or will receive in the end time mastership so as to enslave any person or group or persons based on nationality or race or skin color. Yet, believe and exhort that people will receive greater blessings or rewards based on faithfulness regardless of nationality or race or skin color as that is common sense reading of the totality of scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
Note that the major thrust of this document explains how believing Israelites and Gentiles constitute the church. Furthermore, it aims to show that Gentiles become a part of God’s family through engrafting into God’s preexisting tree which believing Israelites were already a part of.
However, there is a condition whereby Israelites and Gentiles may be broken off due to unbelief or other unfaithfulness as determined by God. In such a case the broken off whether Israelite or Gentile may reconnect or be grafted back in through repentance.
One should also note that Paul by the Holy Spirit notes this engrafting because of the massive influx of Gentiles into God’s family under Christ. Before Christ there were Gentiles who joined God’s family as evidenced by the reference to strangers living among the Israelites in the Old Testament. There were two types of strangers. One type was visited for a time. The other time were permanent residents who actually committed to following the laws of God. This included becoming circumcised in order to participate in Passover under the Old Covenant; but circumcision, is no longer required under the New Covenant per Acts 15.
In Isaiah 56:1-8 the prophet speaks of the Lord not only gathering wayward Israelites (outcasts) but also strangers and their sons who join themselves to the Lord. The prophet also speaks of eunuchs being accepted even unto entering into the Lord’s Temple.
We know Isaiah 56 must be a prophecy about the New Covenant in contrast to the Old Covenant. We know this because under the Old Covenant a eunuch was not allowed to be somewhere in the congregation of the Lord according to Deuteronomy 23:1. That at least included priestly descendants of Aaron (Leviticus 21:17-21. Yet, Isaiah says there is a point in God’s plan where that will no longer apply. That point is the New Covenant which Hebrews 9:15-17 and Hebrews 8:6-13 says began with Jesus death on the cross and is now in effect though not fully in effect.
