Episode Fourteen: Remnant Who Remains

Hello everyone. This week's episode is about the remnant of Israel, and the fulfilment of Jewish salvation. We hope you enjoy!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the Purpose Podcast. I'm your host, Gabe.

SPEAKER_02 0:05

And I'm your co-host, Josh.

SPEAKER_00 0:09

I just realized well we did. We just recorded our Easter episode also. And in the last episode, I said that they're gonna get they're gonna be seeing this on April 6th. Uh you see what I did there?

SPEAKER_02 0:29

It it's it's a little April Fool's joke for the audience.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

This one's coming out April 6th. The one we just recorded for Easter is gonna come out on Good Friday, so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Stay tuned for both.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Just realized that hey, it happens. Nobody's perfect. No. I think it's just a little funny. I'll put I'll put in description.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

At least it's not on one on the sixth and one on the seventh.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Yeah, exactly. But today's episode is a little different. We're gonna kinda talk about a chapter. Kind of like a we're gonna do a deep dive into a chapter. And the chapter is Romans 11, which is about the remnant that remains. If you don't know what it is, it's basically Israel's salvation. And a lot of people make this a controversial topic, and it doesn't have to be. And I really didn't understand it to begin with. But I've been kind of I've been studying it for the past couple months because it has become an issue. And the people that go against our argument that we have today they their point of view isn't far off from ours. They just I I just think that they don't fully understand it, kinda. I don't I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Yeah. It it can be tricky because um it's a very tricky topic. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

It's hard to think about.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

Because I'm I don't know me personally. I've been I've grown up in church and I'm also I've always heard, you know, growing up in church, you know, uh for Jewish people are the chosen people, Israel is for chosen land. But then you have two types of different Jewish people, and I can't name the difference off off the top of my head.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

There is it's the Jews who do believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

Right. And then there's the ones that don't believe he's the Messiah. So it can be tricky because you know Jewish people are the chosen people, but half believe Jesus was the Messiah, the other half don't believe he's the Messiah. So it can be a little tricky on like how your brain wraps around it.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

And I'm glad you said that because the first set of verses is the remnant that remains, and that there is a remnant of the Israelites that God is still using. I think it says Anyway, let's get into it and we'll we'll talk about it. Okay, I'll start with Romans 11 1. I say then, hath God cast away his people, God forbid, for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people, which he foreknew, but he not what the scripture saith of Elias. He maketh intercession of God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets and lead down thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto unto them, I have reserved to myself seven thousand men. That's what I was trying to say a minute ago, it was you know that's that's the remnant of Israel, the seven thousand men. Who have not bowed to the knee to the image of Baal. Even so, then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace, and if by grace then is no more of works. Otherwise grace is no more grace. But let it be of works, and then it is no more grace. Otherwise work is no more work. 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, and David saith, Let their table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them. Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back Alway. Okay, so pretty much in these set of verses, Elijah is pleading with God that the Israelites are going against him in the beliefs. But God quick let him know that there is a remnant that hasn't bowed to the image of Baal. And you know We usually see when things get done in the world, it's usually by like a big group of people. But little do we know, it only takes one small group with a lot of faith. And sometimes God uses a small remnant to reach his plan. But when I say that, that doesn't mean that you know it's always gonna be small. But He can use He can use any type of group for His plan, if it's small, big, whatever. Right. And so I'm gonna go back to Romans 11 5. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Now sometimes I feel as Christians we kind of take advantage of grace, and grace is a gift from God based on kindness, and it's not performance based. You know, if if it's based on work, then there's no grace. And the remnant received his grace, but the others were hardened from rejection. When you was reading these verses, what did you get from it, Joshua?

SPEAKER_02 7:08

Um we're talking about first verse five, right?

SPEAKER_00 7:14

One through ten.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

One through ten. Okay. Um well he starts off asking a question, you know, um, has God cast away his people? And the answer is certainly not.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

Um on that.

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Yeah. So I got to thinking about that because I kind of thought that was interesting. And um if you go back to Genesis, um we kind of see where the chosen people and the chosen land started, and the chosen land, which is also known as the promised land, um is known to be Israel, and it talks about Abraham received this land, and it was passed down to his son Isaac, and then to his grandson Jacob. And then it talks about in Psalm 105, verse 6, O seed of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones. So I can I kind of feel like with those two verses, and with the question and answering at the beginning of Romans 11, I kind of feel like that's a confirmation that the Jewish people are the chosen people, Israel is the um chosen land, and then um you know verse 2 says God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew. So he's not tossed them out, you know, he he loves them, he cares about them. And um I was reading verse five, even so then at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Twinsies the twenties so that kind of lets you know, you know, there is a remnant, so you know something something special.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

There's something special there's at least a group of them that's saved right now, at least and then I'm sorry if I missed you there.

SPEAKER_02 9:40

No, you're good. I'm trying to go back between the Bible and my notes. Um I think that's all I got for those those um first few.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Yeah, those few verses is kind of like just straightforward.

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Yeah, but I think with the question at the very beginning, with the question and answer, and then some of the previous verses from other books of the Bible, I kind of feel like that's your confirmation right there that they are of a chosen people.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

And before I keep on reading, I'm gonna put my reading glasses on. I was kind of struggling there. Okay. So the next set of verses is called New Branches Graft in. It starts on verse eleven. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall, God forbid, but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and diminishing of them the riches of the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness? For I speak to you, Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles. I magnify mine office, if by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be? But life from the dead? For if the first fruit be holy, then life is also holy, and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou being a wild olive tree, were drafted in among them. And with them part ofest of the root and the fatness of the olive tree. Boast not against the branches, but if thou boast thou bearst not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then the branches were broken off, thou might be graft in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off and thou standest by faith. Be not high minded but fear. For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed thee seed also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them which fell, severity but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou shalt cut thee, be shall be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graft in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were graft contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more shall these which be the natural branches be graft into their own olive tree? That one was a tongue twister. Oh my goodness. But what I took from it was, you know, you know, it Israel stumbled, but they will eventually recover. And God is still using his remnant, and the sinful majority of Israel isn't gonna last forever. The riches of Gentiles started because of the rejection of the gospel from the Jews. But these riches weren't meant to only be enjoyed by the Gentiles. And what I found interesting in this in this set of verses is in verse 11, and it says, For to provoke them to jealousy. So Paul was desired the Jews to become jealous of the blessings that that the Gentiles are receiving, and this wasn't meant to be a bad jealousy. It was it's just for them to see you know how they was living the blessings they were receiving, and they start thinking, wow, they're receiving all this. They believe that. Maybe no, maybe I'll start reading the gospel, their gospel. Maybe I'll convert. Maybe I'll start believing Jesus is the Messiah. It was the jealousy was supposed to motivate them to accept him. But you know, throughout throughout history, we haven't shown our Christian characters enough to make them feel envious in our gospel. Instead, we see most Christians act in hatred to other human beings. And Jews have constantly persecuted through the years. They've been persecuted since really the beginning, if you think about it.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

And lately we see Christians rejecting them openly. They're like little talks, like you see them in podcasts, TV shows, in the world. I I bet you money that we can all name at least one person that we know that's rejecting them.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

But because of grace, we can all be grafted today. And as Christians, our we can be cut off, just like any unbelieving Israelite can. And that's what we have to understand too. You know, like just because we say we're Christians doesn't mean that we're saved. Like if we don't take it serious, if you don't live the life we're supposed to, you're pretty much you're gonna be as saved as somebody who don't believe. When when you're when you're saved, you know, you you have to show you you have to have it, you have to show your Christian character. You gotta believe in the Lord. You know, you can't go to church on Sunday and night before. You let you you stayed all up all night drinking and partying and and to expect us to go into church the next day and just you know just sit there and now Monday you're doing the same thing again. I mean it don't really work like that. But that's off topic, but let's say the Jew the Jews branch on all three was cut off. You know, why can't they be grafted back in if they stopped their unbelief? If Christians can get grafted in, why can't the original branches come back? You don't think that if they if they started believing, you don't think that they can bear a lot of fruit? When in terms of the Gentiles gospel, their rejection of Jesus was a blessing for us. But whenever eventually when they do accept Jesus they are they're going to share the blessing for them. And that's that's fun. That's that shows how forgiving God can be. Is if they spent all these years rejecting the Son of God. Yes. He came to a virgin, Mary, and then he died on the cross, he was beaten, he was rejected. And then even after he died, even after they didn't see him in the tomb, they still rejected him. Over 2,000 years later they still are. And all it takes is for him to say is to have a change of heart and say that Jesus was the Messiah. He was He was the Son of God. That's all they have to say, and it be they they truly mean it, and they'll be saved. That shows his love for us. That's all it takes is for us to to love him and to ask him in our lives, and then show it in our life that we want to do better, right?

SPEAKER_02 18:43

And there's always gonna be that remnant, so you know that he's never gonna leave you or or forsake you. So, you know, you can always go back to him. He's always gonna be there for you.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

He always, he don't he don't never stop. That's the thing. He's he's he's been there since the beginning of time, he's gonna be there at the end of time. He's there for you every step of the way. So when you re when you reverse studying these verse from 11 to 24 to 24, what did you get out of it, Josh?

SPEAKER_02 19:35

I was kind of taken back by the olive tree. And um I was trying to think of like how the olive tree goes with what it was talking about. And you know, it was talking about the branches, and I was kind of thinking when I was doing some research, I was like, the branches symbolize Israel and grafted in, you know, the gentiles kind of grafting the gentiles in, and um it started talking about the roots, and you don't support the root, but the root supports you, so uh you can take that however you want it, but I've I kind of take it as you know, no matter how far astray you are from God, or no matter how close you are to God, he's always gonna be there to support you, you know, he's always gonna be there to lift you up when you're down, or um when other people are saying things about you, you know, he's he's gonna be there. And um Yeah, I I was I was mainly taken back by the olive tree because I knew I was like I know the olive tree has to symbolize something, so that's what I got after I did some research.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

I'm gonna throw in a movie quote on this just because I love Karate Kid. Like it can't it can kind of go with this. It's Mr. Miyagi, and he said, if roots strong, trees survive. Yes, and the way I see it is Christianity came out of Judaism. So technically they they are the Christian roots that we but we we accepted Jesus, so we kind of we kind of went a different path, but it also says that the Jews later later on in the next set of verse that we're gonna talk about, it talks about that they're gonna be fulfilled and come back and that they're gonna take the way the ungodliness from. From the Jews. So I mean the Jews had our roots, but they they refused to accept Jesus. And we did. So and so the next one, the next set of verses is God's covenant with Israel. And it's gonna be Romans 11, 25 through 32. For I would not, brethren, that ye shall be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye shall be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, there shall come out of sign the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concern the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but as touching the election they are beloved for their father's sake. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, for as ye in times past have not be believed God. Yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, even so have these also now not be believed, that through your mercies they also may attain mercy, for God hath included them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. They think that they're automatically saved. It's just like Christians, just because you claim to be a Christian does not mean that you are saved. It means as a whole, the Israelites will accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. And God made a promise to his people, and he don't give up on anybody. If he makes a promise to you, he's gonna fulfill it. And I think this is a good like example of you can you can reject God your whole life. And let's say you turn 65 and you decide I'm gonna I'm gonna I wanna check out going to church. I want to check out the gospel and you become saved. You spent 65 years of not worshiping Jesus, and one day you can change your mind and then you can be saved. It's kind of kind of how I see it with Jews. So you spent all this time rejecting Jesus. They've rejected he's rejected today since he died before he died. But in the end, they will have the opportunity to be saved. So it shows a path to salvation because there always will be.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

Yeah, that's I mean, everything's based around that land. And and a lot of people don't understand this as you know, just because we say Israel, we're not really talking about a government. We're talking about the body. We're talking about yeah, we're talking about Israelites, not a state that was created in 1948. We talk about the land that sits there, we talk about the Jews, the body.

SPEAKER_02 28:46

I remember um one thing that my papa had said before he died was to always watch Israel. He was like, watch what happens over there, you know. Because then that's your son, you know. Um you don't you don't mess with God's chosen people, you don't mess with his promised land.

SPEAKER_00 29:08

So and one thing that I do believe too is if they weren't people God had a plan for, they wouldn't be being persecuted all these years.

SPEAKER_03 29:21

Right.

SPEAKER_00 29:21

They get persecuted a lot. Good creep. They went through so much over the years. It's crazy. But at the same time, you know, a lot of people can make the arguments, you know, like there's so much evil going on right now, and most of the people they all claim to be Jews. But the way I see it is the devil is the devil is putting people in those places who say they are Jews, just so that people start hating them and start turning away from them. That's the way I see it. And you can kind of see it with Christians too. I mean I I Christians and Jews are being hated on now. If you go to Canada and you speak out, I don't forgot what it was, but I don't forgot what you speak out on. You could be arrested just because there's a Christian view and they say it's hate, it's a hate speech. I know we I think it was marriage, like gay marriage. I can't I I can't remember what it was. It just happened.

SPEAKER_02 30:37

I know we we get out of all the religions out there, we get the most threatened.

SPEAKER_00 30:45

And it seems like the people who worship Islam, they like they hardly get any pushback. That's what it seems like.

SPEAKER_02 30:57

It's like the more you love the hate, the better it is. But the more you love the love, the worse it is.

SPEAKER_00 31:06

That's the way that's the way I see it too, Josh. Um it's I mean, it it's it's telling you right here in the word that he is going to save them. So, I mean, I can see a lot of what people say, and I can I can understand that it's kind of a it's kind of confusing because I was a little confused at first with it because I'm like, well, I would say I'm a Christian, you know. Why wouldn't I be considered this, this, and this, you know? I thought that at first, and then, you know, I was in Sunday school, my girlfriend's Ansley's um mama is our Sunday school teacher. And you know, I but I think there was one Sunday we was talking about like replacement theory and all this, and she went into a deep dive on it, and I was like, damn, that makes that makes sense. You know, if if he made a promise to them in the beginning with Abraham, he's gonna fulfill that promise.

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Uh he's gonna keep it.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

And you know, she described the age of grace, and you know, basically that as this is when we'll be fulfilled as Christians, and then after that is when he's gonna take the ungodliness way from Jacob. And when you see Jacob, you can kind of figure the Jews in that situation. I think it was an interesting subject for sure. It's kind of hard to talk about because I have been in heated uh heated talks with people. I'm really about to say arguments to get everybody in an argument.

SPEAKER_02 33:02

Yeah, people get um controversial about it.

SPEAKER_00 33:05

But I'm I and I can I can understand it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:11

Yeah. If you haven't read anything, if you haven't done your own research, then it is easy to get confused and mixed up.

SPEAKER_00 33:20

And especially if you know you watch TikToks or you see posts on social media.

SPEAKER_02 33:26

Yeah, it's gonna make it seem far worse than what it's gonna be one-sided.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

No matter what side, it's always gonna be on one side or the other. That's why it's important to, you know, if you see something online, I mean they got the Bible at. I'm sure if you ain't got a like an actual Bible, go get one. And actually go read the verses for yourself. And bring your own opinion off of that. But don't let someone else's opinion shape yours until like you can do your own research. Yeah. Because that's important. You need to do your own research. It's okay to go listen to what somebody else says, but it's more important just to go back and research and if you're confused with something, pray about it and pray for answers, pray for a new way of seeing things, and maybe he'll bless you with it. Whatever you want to know. But I think that's gonna conclude our episode today. Um if you was confused on the subject, I hope it kind of clarifies you a little bit. And I I do hope you go back and you research it for yourself. Like I like we said, it's very important for anybody to research on their own. I hope y'all have a good week. If you're on Apple Podcasts, make sure to go like and subscribe on YouTube. If you're on YouTube, make sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts. Remember, keep seeking your purpose.