02 dead in christ

God's Covenant with the Jews
To the Jews, God's chosen people, for their strict obedience to the law given to Moses that pointed them to their Messiah, their reward was to rule in the Kingdom of God on earth for eternity.

But God also established another covenant with another group of people when He revealed a mystery to the Apostle Paul. This mystery is defined as the grafting on to the tree of the root of Abraham, the wild olive branch known as the Christian Church. The establishment of this covenant was made necessary when the Jews as a nation refused to accept Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah during His first coming to earth. [#19]

God's Covenant with the Christians
To the Christian Church, for believing by faith that Jesus is the Messiah, their reward is the escaping of the wrath of God that will be poured out on the earth during the last seven years of earth time. [#20] The same seven years of time that begins when King Abdullah confirms his peace covenant with the Jews.

Dead in Christ
According to the prophecy, the Christian Church will be given a supernatural "warning sign" 40 days prior to their escaping the wrath of God. The "warning sign" to watch for is called 'the dead in Christ rising' and it will occur on the Jewish Feast of First Fruits which is celebrated in the spring of the year.

Caution: Watch for the 40 Day Warning sign of the Rapture.

(Dead in Christ is closely related to the next article, Rapture.)

Footnote 19 [back to top]
Romans 11:13-36
11:13 I am saying all of this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I lay great stress on this,

11:14 for I want to find a way to make the Jews want what you Gentiles have, and in that way I might save some of them.

11:15 For since the Jews' rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, how much more wonderful their acceptance will be. It will be life for those who were dead!

11:16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their children will also be holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

11:17 But some of these branches from Abraham's tree, some of the Jews, have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God's rich nourishment of his special olive tree.

11:18 But you must be careful not to brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. Remember, you are just a branch, not the root.

11:19 "Well," you may say, "those branches were broken off to make room for me."

11:20 Yes, but remember - those branches, the Jews, were broken off because they didn't believe God, and you are there because you do believe. Don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.

11:21 For if God did not spare the branches he put there in the first place, he won't spare you either.

11:22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe to those who disobeyed, but kind to you as you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.

11:23 And if the Jews turn from their unbelief, God will graft them back into the tree again. He has the power to do it.

11:24 For if God was willing to take you who were, by nature, branches from a wild olive tree and graft you into his own good tree Ð a very unusual thing to do - he will be far more eager to graft the Jews back into the tree where they belong.

11:25 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud and start bragging. Some of the Jews have hard hearts, but this will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to Christ.

11:26 And so all Israel will be saved. Do you remember what the prophets said about this? "A Deliverer will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel from all ungodliness.

11:27 And then I will keep my covenant with them and take away their sins."

11:28 Many of the Jews are now enemies of the Good News. But this has been to your benefit, for God has given his gifts to you Gentiles. Yet the Jews are still his chosen people because of his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

11:29 For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.

11:30 Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the Jews refused his mercy, God was merciful to you instead.

11:31 And now, in the same way, the Jews are the rebels, and God's mercy has come to you. But someday they, too, will share in God's mercy.

11:32 For God has imprisoned all people in their own disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

11:33 Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods!

11:34 For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor?

11:35 And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back?

11:36 For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen.

Footnote 20 [back to top]
IThes. 5:9
For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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