Dispensationalism: Israel and the Church

There are two olive trees, one cultivated and the other wild. God tends only the cultivated
tree. This good tree has three kinds of branches. The natural branches represent believing Jews. Secondly, there are
also dead branches. These have been broken off and cast down. They are the unbelieving Jews. Thirdly, the brokenoff
branches have been replaced on the good tree by grafted-in branches imported from the wild olive tree. These are
the believing Gentiles. Believing Jews and believing Gentiles are all part of the same cultivated tree, and they all
"share in the nourishing sap from the olive root" (verse 17).
If and when unbelieving Jews "do not persist in unbelief" but repent, these cut-off branches can be grafted back
on the same good tree (verses 12, 15, 23). God will neither create nor tend a separate tree for them. He can graft the
revived natural branches onto their own olive tree (verse 24). As a result, believing Jews, believing Gentiles and
spiritually revived Jews are all attached to the same cultivated tree, the covenant stock of Abraham, the father of all
believers, both Jews and Gentiles. From beginning to end, God grows only one tree for the family of faith. See http://www.bilezikian.com/gbilezikian/publications/dispensationalism.pdf

Created over 4 years ago