The children of Israel are likened to branches. The 12 tribes of Israel are the “natural branches,” and the sojourners/strangers/foreigners who want to be in covenant with the Most High are grafted in as “wild branches.”
Our Messiah told us, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5).
Paul was confirming what was prophesied by Jeremiah when he said in Romans 11 that the natural branches were “broken off.”
Many people miss an important part of Israel’s history that can be found in Jeremiah 5:10 & 11:16, in which we learn that Yahuah “cut off” His branches. In other words, He divorced Israel. They were no longer able to be His covenant people.
They broke His covenant time after time and refused to turn back to Him, and the reason this is an important part of history (and prophecy) is because this marks a moment in time in which prophets were used to bring a message of hope.
Although their sin cut them off from Yahuah, they were still promised that He would renew His covenant with them. This is why the testimony of our faith in Messiah is such an important part of this new (renewed) covenant. His sacrifice allowed us to be reconciled. His blood is what renewed the covenant.
Scripture teaches us that there is one covenant, and the Father calls it “everlasting.” The only thing that makes it “new” is that it is Him who continues to renew it again and again, and that’s why He tells us to repent and return to Him, so He can renew our minds and cleanse our hearts. He desires mercy rather than sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). That’s why Paul said in Galatians 3:29 that “if you are in Messiah, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
But it’s more than just your faith in what He did. We must understand what He taught and what the Father’s covenant truly is. We must understand that if we are now “grafted in” to that same olive tree, what does it really mean to be likened to branches? We already know how Israel’s branches were broken off one time...we should heed Yahusha’s warning in John 15 to make sure that this doesn’t become our fate. Our Messiah warned His disciples that those who do not “abide” in Him, are likened to a branch that gets cut off and thrown into the fire.
So how do we make sure we are abiding in Him?
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
John 15:10
Our Teacher made it so clear. He taught nothing new. He only spoke what the Father told Him to speak (John 12:49).
When the New Jerusalem comes, there will be massive walls surrounding it. It will have 12 gates, in which each gate will be garnished with 12 different precious stones (representing the 12 tribes). Each gate will have a name, which will be the names of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Only Israel is allowed through these gates.
There will be no Gentile gates.
To be “heirs according to the promise,” means that you are either a natural branch or a wild branch grafted in—because that is who His covenant people are.
I have a deep, passionate desire for the body to understand their true identity. Many don’t understand what it means to be “Israel.” It’s more than a place—it’s a people who know and love Yahuah’s covenant.
We don’t want to be a branch that gets “cut off and cast into the fire.”
If we want to be a branch, and remain that way, we must understand what it means to “partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree.”
Because “if Elohim did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.”
Romans 11:21
With love,
Stephanie