(Rom. 11:7-8) “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” There are some that believe that Israel as a people have been cursed and rejected by God, and that they have no hope of restoration; but is that what the Bible teaches? Israel as a nation has been set aside temporarily because of their unbelief of Christ as a nation, but individually they can be saved if they place their faith in Jesus Christ, just like anyone else. The only difference between a Gentile and a Jew is that God has placed upon Israel a judgment of spiritual blindness. The word “blindness” means: ”to render insensitive to or to be not interested in.” Why did this happen, because they have chose to trust in their religion more than in God’s Word, causing a blindness of heart. Today, they stumble at the idea that God could become a man, the possibility of the trinity, and they have chosen tradition over God’s Word and Son. So because of unbelief “through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.” Israel has missed the salvation that we now have in Christ causing them to see God’s blessing upon the believer and become jealous. However that will change when Christ returns to this earth to set up Israel’s final kingdom.
( Gen 41:41-43) “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt... A nd he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.” When Joseph was introduced to us in chp.37, he was a young inexperienced 17 year old boy, and yet 13 years later God raised him up to rule the nation of Egypt. So, what made him different ? The Answer : “ Time,” and his faith in God ! You see time is a wonderful teacher; 1) Time strengthens endurance . Endurance and faith can only be strengthened over time. Like exercise, we start out not able to do much but over time we find that we can do more. You see, God allows us to go through the ups and downs of life, to help us gain not only spiritual maturity, but also spiritual abilities. Spiritual endurance therefore enables us to handle life’s trials better. 2) Time strengthens patience . Although Joseph, ...
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