What does the Scripture declare concerning the restoration of the natural branches?...

And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord (Isaiah 59:20)

. . . There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins (Romans 11:26,27).

Notice the difference between the two passages. Isaiah tells us that the Redeemer shall come to those who "turn from transgression in Jacob."

Paul then claims that the Deliverer shall come from Zion and "turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Will the Redeemer-Deliverer come to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, or will He turn away ungodliness from Jacob?

Both are true. The Redeemer will come first to Zion, to the firstfruits of His Church. These are the remnant who, because of God’s election upon them and working within them, are enabled to gain through Christ victory over the works of Satan.

When the firstfruits have been perfected in the Lord they will be gathered to Jesus and return with Him to save the nation of Israel. This is the coming of the Deliverer from Zion.

The Holy Spirit of God through Christ—Head and Body—will turn away ungodliness from those who repent of their sins today. In the future, the Holy Spirit will bring repentance to the entire nation of Israel, opening their eyes to Christ. Then the power of deliverance in Christ will break the chains of sin and the Jews once again will dance and sing in the greatest joy before their Lord and King.

Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest (Isaiah 32:15).

The Scriptures teach clearly that a day of redemption is coming for Israel. Israel shall rejoice once again and find security and quiet rest in the Lord.

And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; (Isaiah 32:18).

Israel’s Redeemer-Deliverer shall appear in the last days.

Here is a most important prophecy, which surely shall come to pass. There may be no more intense longing in the heart of the Lord Jesus than for the deliverance of His countrymen, the people of Israel.

The teachers of today who believe the Lord Jesus has rejected His own nation in favor of the wild Gentiles know neither the Lord nor His Word.

Notice the Divine sovereignty: "There shall come"! There is no question about what will take place as soon as the last Gentile, according to election, has been grafted on the root of Israel.

The Deliverer will come from Zion. Zion speaks of a firstfruits of the Church. The Ark of God was in the city of Zion, a suburb of Jerusalem, while the remainder of the Tabernacle of the Congregation was located at the high place of Gibeon outside of Jerusalem.

The removal of the Ark from the remainder of the Tabernacle of the Congregation portrays the removal of the firstfruits of the Church from the remainder of the Church, for a season.

Zion speaks also of war in that the area of Zion was associated with the defense of the city of Jerusalem (II Samuel 5:7-9).. Zion was David’s city, and David was a man of war.

The Lord’s firstfruits, His deliverers, His warrior-saints, will gather together on the heavenly Zion, and then the Lord will descend with them and deliver the city of Jerusalem from the enemy.

And saviours [deliverers] shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau [the works of the flesh]; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s (Obadiah 1:21).

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads (Revelation 14:1).

We know from the prophecies of the Old Testament that the Anointed Deliverer is the Servant of the Lord. The Servant of the Lord is Christ—Head and Body.

Just as the Egyptian Asenath was part of Joseph, so are we Christians part of Christ. Wherever He is, we are. Whatever He does, we do.

Christ will reveal Himself to a remnant of the Jews during the "years of famine," the great tribulation, following the allegory of Joseph. We of the remnant of elect Gentiles will have the privilege of sharing His inconceivable joy as He receives the adoration that was denied Him at His first appearing to Israel.

According to our understanding, the two remnants, the elect Jews and the elect Gentiles, will be purified and brought together as a result of the pressures of the great tribulation.

Therefore will he [the Lord Jesus] give them [the Jews] up, until the time that she which travaileth [the Church] hath brought forth [Christ in the believers]: then the remnant of his brothers [Christ-filled victorious saints] shall return unto the children of Israel (Micah 5:3 ).

The two remnants will become "one stick" in the Lord’s hand.

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions (Ezekiel 37:16).

Judah portrays the remnant of Jews, and Joseph (Ephraim) portrays the remnant of Gentiles. The promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations (not just the nation of Israel) was carried forward in Ephraim. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations (Genesis 48:19).

When the spiritual darkness has attained its fullness, when the tares of evil have come to maturity, the Lord suddenly will appear. He will enter the two remnants (now one stick in His hand) in the fullness of the spiritual fulfilment of the feast of Tabernacles.

The Glory of God then will arise upon the holy remnant, for this is the royal priesthood and the first resurrection from the dead.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee (Isaiah 60:1).

Then the Lord will speak to them, and the whole body of the firstfruits, the true witnesses of all ages, will rise to meet the Lord in the air. They will be clothed in the robes of righteousness—robes fashioned from their own Christ-filled righteous deeds while on earth. Each has gained victory in the Lord during his or her own period of history.

My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? (Song of Solomon 6:9,10).

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteousness's; righteous deeds] of saints (Revelation 19:8).

The royal priesthood, the judges of the nations of the earth, will be assigned to the thrones in the air previously occupied by the lords of darkness.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: . . . . (Revelation 20:4). The Lord Jesus will descend to the Mount of Olives at the head of His army. Antichrist will attack and occupy Jerusalem, as we understand it, but the Lord and His forces will come against Antichrist and totally destroy his armies.

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle (Zechariah 14:2,3).

... and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee (Zechariah 14:5 ).

The Lord will pour His Spirit upon Israel and by His sovereign power remove the bondages of sin from them. The Lord Jesus will enter the city of Jerusalem with His warrior-remnant and be crowned King of all the earth, sitting on the Throne of David at the site of what today is referred to as the Temple Mount.

And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them (Ezekiel 37:24).

The reason Jesus will remove the sins of His people by His sovereign power, while today we must labour in the Spirit for many years in order to gain the upper hand over our wicked nature, is that the Lord Jesus is making us kings and priests. We must gain not only deliverance from sin but in addition the crown of righteousness and life. This is to say, we must obtain the kind of spiritual character and authority that can enforce righteousness and life. It is not sufficient that we merely receive righteousness and life for ourselves.

In that Day the Jews will be granted deliverance from Satan. We of today are being helped to gain deliverance from sin and also the authority and ability to govern the nations of saved peoples of the earth; just as the authority and ability to judge the tribes of Israel have been created in the Apostles of the Lamb.

We are given many obstacles to overcome so ruling strength may be developed in us. The right response to suffering creates the ruling personality.

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).

Truly, it is "the kingdom and patience of Christ" (Revelation 1:9).

The Deliverer will "turn away ungodliness from Jacob."

Both deliverance and forgiveness are found in the new covenant, the Christian covenant. It is the covenant God promised to Israel, "when I shall take away their sins."

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more (Hebrews 8:10-12).

"Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

Does Christ indeed possess such authority and power?

Can He at will, through His own authority and power, declare an individual or a nation guiltless and also break the bondage of sin and implant righteousness in such people?

The Lord indeed can deliver whom He will at any time. He revealed this in His redemption of the Apostle Paul. And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (Acts 9:5).

Paul’s part was to obey God.

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do (Acts 9:6).

Salvation always is an opportunity. God takes the first step but we must take the second.

Salvation always is an invitation, an opportunity. It is presented to us according to the sovereign will of God in Christ, but we must respond to the Lord. This was true of Saul of Tarsus. Of all the Pharisees who were persecuting the Christians, only Saul was chosen by the Lord (and this while he still was attacking the Christians!) to be the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Then it was Saul’s turn. He had to respond in obedience. In the deepest sense, even his obedience was the gift of the Lord.

The Lord Jesus Christ possesses authority and power over the guilt and compulsion of sin and rebellion. As thou hast given him power [authority] over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him (John 17:2).

The concept of the Lord Jesus sovereignly redeeming and releasing the nation of Israel is part of the larger concept of foreknowledge, predestination, and election.

The purpose of the two thousand years of the Church Age has been the developing of the Body of the Redeemer, the Redeemer who is to come from Zion and deliver all Israel from the hand of the enemy.

The promised redemption will come at the end of the present age.

. . . shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation (Hebrews 9:28).

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (I Peter 1:5).

The promised salvation is yet ahead of us; but meanwhile, Christ is being formed in the members of His Body. God can declare and create righteousness by His own will. Salvation is by grace through faith according to the eternal purposes of the Lord God of Heaven who works all things according to His own sovereign will, who is blessed forever. Amen.

"I will take away their sins." Think of it!

What a Day of days is ahead for the nation of Israel!

And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. (Zechariah 3:4).

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