From a letter written by the apostle Paul
to believers in Rome:
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. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed 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 it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, 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 stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 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.-Romans 11:1-11***The apostle Paul (Saul) was an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin, descended from Jacob (Israel) and his 2nd wife Rachel, and Jacob and Rachel's 2nd and last son Benjamin. Jacob's 1st wife Leah was Rachel's older sister. Leah and Rachel were born to Laban the Syrian (Aramean). Jacob and his older fraternal twin brother Esau (Edom) were the only children born to Laban's sister Rebekah and her husband Isaac. Isaac was the only child born to Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai). Abraham, Sarah, Nahor, and Haran were born to Terah. Nahor was Rebekah and Laban's grandfather and great-grandfather. Haran was Rebekah and Laban's great-grandfather. Terah worshiped many gods. Laban and his family kept idols in their possession. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants the Israelites (Hebrews/Jews) worshiped the Lord God, and were in a covenant with the Lord God. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal the Israelites to be the treasured and chosen people of the Lord God. However, before and after the Israelites were led across the divinely parted Jordan River and began living upon the Promised Land, the Israelites sometimes worshiped idols. David was from the tribe of Jacob and Leah's 4th born son Judah. When David was 30 years old, he began to reign as king only over the tribe of Judah in the Promised Land, the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. When David was 37 1/2 years old, he became the 2nd king to reign over all of the Israelites in the Promised Land. David loved the Lord God and the Lord God knew David to be a man after God's own heart. Solomon, the 2nd child born to David and Bathsheba, was the 3rd king to reign. Rehoboam, the son born to Solomon and Naamah, was the 4th king to reign over all of the Israelites. After Rehoboam gave a specific answer, the Israelites split into 2 kingdoms, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of Solomon. Judah was the nation in the south, Jerusalem was the royal city, and Rehoboam was the 1st king to reign. Israel was the northern nation, Samaria was the final royal city, and Jeroboam, the son born to Nebat and Zeruah, was the 1st king to reign. Less than 200 years after Jeroboam's son Nadab became the 2nd king to rule the northern nation, the Assyrians invaded the kingdom and conquered Samaria, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. During the reign of Rehoboam's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson Zedekiah ((Mattaniah), the 19th king to rule Judah, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) conquered Jerusalem, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 500 years after Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Judah's kings, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by Mary's relative John the Baptist, from the tribe of Jacob and Leah's 3rd born son Levi. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach and perform miracles among the Israelites. When Jesus was near Tyre and Sidon and speaking to a woman who was not an Israelite, Jesus told the woman that he was sent to the sheep being lost of the Israelites. Jesus told the Israelites that he had come to seek and save the lost, to save lives, to save the world, and that through Jesus the world might be saved. Less than 3 1/2 years after Jesus was baptized, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the disciple and apostle, and Jesus was arrested, crucified, buried in a tomb, resurrected, and returned to heaven. Several years thereafter, Paul revealed to believers in Rome the relationship between the Lord God and Israelites and Gentiles, people not born into the Israelite tribes.-Genesis 1:1-4:26, 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 29:1-29, 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, 1 Samuel 1:1-3:21, 8:1-31:13, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 10:1-29:30, 2 Chronicles, Psalm 69, Isaiah 6:1-13, 29:1-24, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans
Reference Information:
election = eklogen/eklego = divine selection, choice
grace = charitos = charis = divine favor, blessing, kindness
Reference Scriptures:
Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.-Deuteronomy 29:4
And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.-1 Kings 19:9-10
Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it became a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.-Psalm 69:22-23
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.-Isaiah 6:9-10
For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.-Isaiah 29:10
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.-Acts 13:45-46
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