With this visit to Revelation chapter 20's notes we find ourselves looking at Romans 9 beginning with the 10th verse and its dealings and treatment of revealings with Israel.
Israel:
Romans 9:10-14, 25-33, "Rebecca and Isaac also conceived, consistent with the promise, to further prove the point of faith versus performance. GOD spoke to Rebecca while the twins were still in her womb. Nothing distinguished them in terms of good looks or performance ( except the fact that the one would be born minutes before the other, which would give him 1st born preference, according to human tradition). It was recorded to emphasize the principle of [1] faith-identity as the ultimate value above any preference according to the flesh. (The word often translated as "election" is the word [1, G1589 from G1586 eklegomai, to elect, middle voice from G1537 and G3004] ekloge, it comes from ( G1537) ek, meaning origin, source, and the word (G3004 ) lego, which is from (G3056) logos, the word, see John 1:1 and 14. Faith nullifies any ground the flesh has to boast in Rom. 3:27.) She was told, 'the elder shall serve the younger.' We would say that Esau had the raw deal; He was disliked while Jacob was favored. (And the LORD said to her, 'Two Nations are in your womb, and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided; The one shall be stronger than the other; The elder shall serve the younger.' [Gen. 25:23]
The two come out of the same mold; Yet they represent two types of people: one who understands his true identity by faith and one who seeks to identify himself after the flesh. Again, the law of performance verses the law of Faith is emphasized in order to prepare the ground for the promise-principle. Humanity's salvation would be by promise and not by Performance, i.e. it would not be a reward for good behavior. No one will be justified by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; (G4190) poneros, "evil," full of hardships, annoyances and labor!) To say that GOD is unfair, is to miss the whole point...... Being Jewish or Gentile no longer defines US; GOD's faith defines us. (He "called" US; (G2564) kaleo, to identify us by name, to surname.) Hosea voiced the heart of GOD when he said, "I will call a people without identity, My people, and her who was unloved, My Darling." (Hosea 1:1-2, 2:23; 1Peter 2:10) ( 'Even Esau whom you said that I hated' [ver. 13]. It was common among the Hebrews to use the terms "love" and "hatred" in this comparative sens, where the former implied strong positive attachment, and the latter, not positive hatred, but merely a lesser love, or the withholding of the expressions of affection [compare Gen. 29:30-31; Luke 14:26]) He prophesied that the very same people who were told that they were not GOD's people, will be told that they are indeed the children of the Living GOD. Isaiah wept for Israel: "You might feel lost in the crowd, because your numbers equal the grains of the sand of the sea, but GOD does not abandon the individual." Numbers do not distract GOD's attention from the value of the one. ("Israel maintains this same emphasis: If each grain of sand on the seashore were numbered and the sum labelled "chosen of God." They'd be numbers still, not names; Salvation comes by individuals realization, of their true identity. GOD doesn't just count us; He calls us all by name. Arithmetic is not His focus we are!) For His word will perfect His righteousness without delay; His word is poetry upon the earth. (John 1:1, 14, Rom. 1:16-17) The LORD of the [1]multitudes preserves us a Seed, to rescue us from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. ( From Hebrew, (tsabaoth), meaning a mass of people. [see note on Rom. 3:10 in our section on it elsewhere (earlier) within this blog site] In Genesis 18, Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah, "If there perhaps are 50 righteous people, will you save the city on their behalf?" He continued to negotiate with GOD, until he's down to "perhaps ten?"....there was none righteous, no not one....." The remnant represents the one Seed that would rescue the mass of humanity! In Romans 5:17, "one man's obedience and act of righteousness, surpasses the effects of a multitude of sins!" If (spiritual) death saw the gap in one sin, and grabbed the opportunity to dominate humanity in Adam, how much more may we now seize the advantage to reign in righteousness in this life through that one action of Christ, who declared us innocent by His Grace. Grace is superior in authority to all transgressions! The single (light beam is dim compared to two joined as one, both become one brighter beam) grain of wheat did not abide alone! [John 12:24] Rom. 5:18-19, states, "The conclusion is clear: it took just one offense to condemn humanity; One act of righteousness declared the same humanity (G1342) innocent/righteous! The disobedience of the one exhibited humanity as sinners; While the obedience of another (second Adam) exhibits humanity as righteous!") This means that the Nations/individuals that stand outside and exclude themselves, exhibit the very Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness through religious disciplines of any kind, have stumbled (pierced themselves through) upon this treasure of faith. Yet Israel who sought to achieve righteousness through keeping the Law, based upon their own discipline and willpower, have failed to gain what they sought/seek. How did they fail? Faith seemed just too good to be true. They were merely more familiar and felt more comfortable with their own futile efforts than what they did with faith. Their faith identity (reflected in Christ, their promised Messiah) was a stone of offense (and it remains so). The conclusion of the prophetic references pointed towards the Rock as the spirit identity of human life. In Their Messiah/Christ, GOD has placed His testimony of humanity's identity in front of their eyes, in Zion, the center of their religious focus, yet, blinded by their own efforts to justify themselves, they tripped over Him. But those who recognized Him by faith, as the Rock from which they are hewn, are freed from the shame of their sense of failure and inferiority. (see Deu. 32:18, "you have forgotten the Rock that birthed you....," and Isaiah 51:1, "Look to the Rock from which you were hewn." It is only in Him that humanity will discover what they are looking for. "Who is the son of man?" Humanity's physical identity is defined by their spiritual awakening to their origin, (Gen. 1:26-27, 2:7), in the image and likeness of GOD, 'I say you are Petros, you are Mr. Rock, a chip of the old block!' [mat. 16:13-19]. Humanity's origin and true identity is preserved and revealed again in the Rock of the ages. The term, "rock" in those days represented what we call the "hard drive" in our computer language; The place where data is securely preserved for a long time. Rock fossils carry the oldest date and evidence of life.) (The Mirror, with editing.)
Until our next visit may our LORD help us all to awaken in His fashion to who we truly are. Our next visit will bring us to Romans 11.
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