Link: The Messianic Significance of the Feast of Tabernacles

The Messianic Significance of Sukkot

Sukkot - September 26, 2007 to October 3, 2007

My brother and his beautiful family in their sukkah (tent) at their home

Happy Sukkot!

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Article: The Messianic Significance of the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement

The Messianic Significance of

Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)

and Yom Kippur

Rosh Hashanah - September 13, 2007

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The symbolism in the all the feasts (Leviticus 23), the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25) included, clearly demonstrate various aspects of Messiah's purpose and Kingdom. God has been preaching the Gospel from the very beginning, as Jesus told us (Luke 24:27,32,45 and John 5:39), and as Paul told us (Galatians 3:8).

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The parallels drawn between the feasts and Messiah's purpose and missions are remarkable. The Scriptures in the Tanakh (Old Testament) do tell us of the Messiah - they tell us precisely who He is: His looks, His personality, His methods, His purpose, and His missions. His first mission on earth was to come as a suffering servant (Isaiah 52-53) to redeem those who accept Him as the perfect sacrifice, once and for all time, for the atonement of their sins and who obey His commandments (John 14:21-24, Revelation 22:14 (KJV)). His second mission is to come as a King (2 Samuel 7:12-13, Daniel 7:13-14, Psalm 2 and 110, Isaiah 9:6-7).

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The Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, is no less than a perfect demonstration (picture or shadow) of the need to sanctify (set apart) ourselves from the world and then be assembled unto rest (Hebrews 4:1-11) upon being called by a trumpet blast.

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The Feast of Trumpets occurs 10 days before the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The trumpet blasts that are performed during the Feasts of Trumpets come after sanctification (being set apart). The blasts are the same type of blasts that Moses was told to have the priests perform in calling together an assembly of the people so they could go up to Mount Sinai to receive instruction from the LORD - the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:10-25).

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The blasts of the trumpets mean five different things depending on the sound or length of the blast (Numbers 10:1-10). The blasts: (1) called together an assembly of leaders, (2) forewarned the people when they were to set out on the next journey (with two different warning blasts), (3) called together an assembly of the people, (4) served as a warning to Israel's enemies and caused the LORD to remember them so He would save them from their enemies, or (5) called them to remember the LORD in their days of rejoicing, in their appointed Feasts, and at the beginning of each month; the trumpet blasts were performed over their sacrifices and peace offerings to remind them of the LORD their God.

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For those who believe in Jesus as our Messiah, the Feast of Trumpets is now the true fulfillment of: (1) a call to remember what God has done by offering His Son as the perfect sacrifice for sin and the peace offering who reconciled us with God forever (Hebrews 10:1-25, Colossians 1:19-20, Romans 5:9-11), (2) a call to remember that He has given us victory over our enemies - Jesus' enemies, our same enemies, are His footstool (Psalm 110:1), (3) a call that will assemble the righteous when being caught up in the clouds with Jesus at His appearing - before His millennial reign and establishment of His Messianic Kingdom (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

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Through the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, God demonstrated the coming of Messiah's Kingdom and the preparations that have to be made in people's hearts and minds to be received into His Kingdom. God has been preaching the Gospel from the beginning - He prepared the hearts and minds of His people, Israel, to receive their Messiah, who would make a new covenant with them (Jeremiah 31:31-40). They would have understood this if God had not veiled the truth for them for a season.

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For the time being, their eyes are blind, their ears are shut, and their minds are veiled because of their disobedience and rebellion ((Isaiah 28:12-13, 16, 29:9-10) Romans 9:30-33, 11:7-8 and 2 Corinthians 3:14-18). The good news is that God says He has kept a remnant all along, like the 7,000 who did not bow their knee to Baal (1 Kings 19:18, Micah 7:18-20). The remnant have accepted Jesus as Messiah, and better news yet, God will save all of Israel when He removes the veil from their minds and opens their eyes and ears to see and hear Jesus as their Messiah (Romans 11 and Zechariah 12:10-14, 13:1, Isaiah 44:1-8). They will certainly understand the meaning of the Feasts that they have kept when that time comes.

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We can see that the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25) is symbolic of the calling that will assemble the Saints when being caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus in the air and taken to heaven. The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-31) is symbolic of the final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). And the nine days that lie between the two may be the time of preparation for the Bride for the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-8). Perhaps the nine days, the Days of Awe, in between represent the fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10-14 for God's people, Israel - literally occurring in the time between the in-gathering of the Saints and the final judgment day. The fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10-14 seems most fitting since the Days of Awe are a serious time of introspection for the Jewish people; it is during the Days of Awe that they consider the wrongs done to others and seek to be forgiven and to forgive. Read Zechariah 12:10-14 in light of the Days of Awe - awesome!

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Revelation 3:3-5 is just one passage of Scripture that simply demonstrates the fulfillment of Feast of Trumpets, the nine days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, and then the Day of Atonement. The meaning God assigned to each of these as found in Leviticus 23:

(1) The Feast of Trumpets (3:3): Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

(2) The days of preparation for the coming Day of Atonement (3:4): You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy (Revelation 7:14).

(2) The Day of Atonement (3:5): He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels (Psalm 2:6-7, 10-12).

12 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." (Isaiah 44:6)
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes (Exodus 19:14, Revelation 7:14), so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the [congregations*]. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."
17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come " And let the one who hears say, "Come " And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost (Isaiah 55:1, John 4:13-14).
- Revelation 22:12-17

I pray you have heard the Gospel of Salvation, believe in Jesus, are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13), and your name is now written in the Lamb's Book of Life!

Have a very sweet and blessed New Year! I'shanah tova tikkatevu vetechatemu (Hebrew): May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year!

-Deborah

(click on the picture link above to read the entire tradition of Rosh Hashanah. To read, The Christian and Rosh Hashanah, scroll to the bottom of John J. Parson's article)

*Revelation 22:16: The English translation of the Greek word for "congregation" is "church". The Greek word for "congregation" is "ekklesia", which means "a calling out, i.e., a popular meeting place, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): assembly." - Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

I bring this point out to remove the belief that "churches" are only Gentile in nature, and to undermine the negative connotation that the word "church" has in the minds of some precious Jewish people who have been truly slighted, historically and presently, by unbelieving, so-called Christians who are really anit-Semitic, evil-spirited people that cast stones, or worse, from within their "churches". (Believe me, for those who presently perpetuate anti-Semitism, I pray that those kind of Gentiles will truly believe in Messiah, too, so they will love you as He does! For those who were guilty of proliferating anti-Semitism in the past, who are now dead and gone, God is their Judge and it's a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God - our God is a consuming fire!). So understand that in Revelation 22, Messiah said, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the congregations. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

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.1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. - Psalm 103:1-5

Hurricane Humberto

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Let the Bible Speak for Itself: Think Not That I Am Come to Destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I Am Not Come to Destroy, but to Fulfill

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."
- Jesus, Matthew 5:17-20

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1 Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? 2 Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.[a]

3 True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? 4 Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him,

“You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”[b]

5 “But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) 6 Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? 7 “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” 8 And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.

9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles,[c] are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say,

“No one is righteous—
not even one.
11 No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”[d]
13 “Their talk is foul,
like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”[e]
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[f]
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”[g]
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”[h]

19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses[i] and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.[j] 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
- Paul, Romans 3

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1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[a]

4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:

7 “Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sins are put out of sight.
8 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”[b]

9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles?[c] Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. 10 But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!

11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.

13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”[d] This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”[e] 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
- Paul, Romans 4

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.'[a] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me."
- Jesus, John 6:44-45

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1 With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters.[a] I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. 4 They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.[b] God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. 5 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.[c]

6 Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! 7 Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,”[d] though Abraham had other children, too. 8 This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. 9 For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”[e]

10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.[f] 11 But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; 12 he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.”[g] 13 In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”[h]

14 Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! 15 For God said to Moses,

“I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”[i]

16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”[j] 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.

19 Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? 22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. 23 He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. 24 And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.

25 Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea,
“Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.”[k]

26 And,

“Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”[l]

27 And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out,

“Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant will be saved.

28 For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality.”[m]

29 And Isaiah said the same thing in another place:
“If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.”[n]

30 What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law[o] instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. 33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem[p] that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”[q]
- Paul, Romans 9

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1 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.[b] As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.[c] 6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” 8 In fact, it says,

“The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.”[d]

And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”[e] 12 Jew and Gentile[f] are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[g]

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”[h]

16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[i] 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 18 But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have:

“The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.”[j]

19 But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said,

“I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”[k]

20 And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying,
“I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”[l]

21 But regarding Israel, God said,
“All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”[m]
- Paul, Romans 10

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1 I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”[a]

4 And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”[b]

5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel[c] have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. 6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

7 So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened. 8 As the Scriptures say,

“God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.”[d]

9 Likewise, David said,

“Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve. 10 Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”[e]

11 Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. 12 Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, 14 for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. 15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! 16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. 21 For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t[f] spare you either.

22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. 23 And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. 24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

25 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters,[g] so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. 26 And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,

“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,[h] and he will turn Israel[i] away from ungodliness. 27 And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”[j]

28 Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29 For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. 30 Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. 31 Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share[k] in God’s mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?[l] 35 And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?[m]

36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

- Paul, Romans 11