If the olive tree is Israel, how are we grafted in with a different church? Think it through.
11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.
This replaces the grafting in as shown in Genesis. Gentiles had to first bless Israel. Then males had to be circumcised and they had to keep the covenant and the law of Moses. That is grafting in.
You are correct I do need to think it through. This hasn't been a topic with which I've become obsessed (as some would say.) My Love is the image of God and the trinity concept; so have at it to teach me something.
Your comment does sound like the O T procedure. I had NT thoughts in mind ... and was dying to write something with not time to research due to holidays.
I have a suggestion due to how much I write ... start reading
Actually, My ideas flow like this. Many times in the OT trees are mentioned and related to a person of a certain tribe of Israel. Deborah sat under a palm tree when she judged Israel. Aaron's rod was formed from an almond branch. Saul of the tribe of Benjamin at some point sat under a pomegranate tree. Once I read something that made me think a fir tree was associated with God Almighty. Of course the Figtree that was cursed by Jesus seems to point to mankind due to what Adam and Woman did after they sinned. People in the world were not ready to accept Christ and; therefore, were not producing fruit to glorify the Christ. Trees seemed to relate to kings and those under them as subjects.
Now, I asked this question: Was there a tree related to Jesus? I've decided there was and it is the Olive tree.
First, He often went to pray and teach among olive trees. My theories are: In (Zechariah 4:1 ...) one beholds a golden LAMB STAND. Basically it looks like the Menorah with 7 branches and a bowl on top. I sort of figure the bowl represent the Spirit of God being poured out in seven ways. Might those represent all people as in the 7 continents the seven churches ???????? guessing.
To the left and right of the golden lamp stand are two olive trees. The two olive trees each also seem to give out
oil (spirit from God) through a pipe. Now, I associate oil with the Holy Spirit because ... Jacob
anointed the rock with oil where he laid his head to sleep. Moses stood upon a rock as he asked the children of Israel, "Shall we (himself and Aaron who are standing up the rock) provide the water? To me these fore shadows associate
the oil of the Holy Spirit with the rock of our salvation.
Well, there is too much symbolism to cover so I will just say: I believe the two olive trees possibly represent The LORD Father, who worked in the OT and the Lord Son of the NT. These two presences of God within the world represented the most high God on Earth - like Immanuel and Emmanuel (God appearing and working among men). Each had access to all of God's spirit and worked like they were conduits for God's will to happen among men.
At that time Zerubbabel in Zack. 4:1... was the high priest and re-builder of the temple. God was working through him as a priest.
IOW, by that time LORD God the Father had already chosen the descendants of Jacob (The nation of Israel) as his special people. That actions is why I associate the nation of Israel with the OLIVE TREE of the OT LORD.
Admission: I may have said things incorrectly in my first post for I made it sound like we were graphed into Israel but I think the following is more correct. If the Father was associated with one of the olive tress in Zech 4, then the second olive tree just might be associated with The
Olive Tree we call The Messiah. (God's Son Jesus.)The descendants of Jacob already have a covenant with The Father ... now Gentiles have a new covenant with our Messiah Lord Jesus.
I suggest that both the OT believers chosen among Israel by the Father in the past still has that covenant. They are grafted into the olive tree by the Father. There you will find Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and many others. Future believers among the Gentiles (The Church), who accept Christ as their Lord will be joined into his Olive TREE (The Kingdom of our Lord. Thus we are adopted by our Messiah to be with his chosen people in God
in his kingdom (guess I figured this part correctly.)
Jesus once said: "Oh that you could be one with the Father as I am." I asked how were the Father one?
Well, both the Olive trees (the manifested OT Father and the manifested NT Son) had a direct conduit from the bowl of God's SPIRIT unto them. Through the conduit God continually shared as much of his spiritual essence as he desired.
John 1: 32-34 connects Jesus to being one of the olive trees explained by John the B:
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove (a heavenly conduit), and it abode upon him (Jesus continually). 33 And I knew him not: but he (the Father olive tree) that sent me to baptized with water, the same said unto me (from a heavenly voice), "Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth (baptizes) with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw (Jesus), and bare record that this is the Son of God.
Now I saw a connection between spiritual oil and water baptism both to represent spiritual essence from God to do works among men who receive it. The Father and Son were one because they both had access to the two conduits (the pipes coming from the golden lamp Stand unto them as the two olive trees. The invisible God worked by also at times manifesting himself visually among men.
Watch what was said about the spirit given unto Jesus on earth. John 3:34-35
34 For he (His Son) whom God hath sent speaks the words of God:
for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. 35The Father loveth the Son, and hath given ALL THINGS into his hand.
Closing:
The golden bowl upon the lamp stand represents the Spirit of the ONE God. The two olive threes represent the two times God came visually among mankind to work as the Father and the Son. They were God appearing, speaking, doing miracles and working among men visually. The olive tree represents each of them and their kingdoms which will be filled with all the chosen saints grafted in along with the saintly descendants of Jacob.
Have you read in I Tim. 6:13-15 ...
13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession (report):
14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable,
until the appearing of our (risen) Lord Jesus Christ: 15 which in his (the risen Jesus's) times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and LORD of lords... who only hath immortality and dwells in the LIGHT which no man can approach unto ...
Of course, the saints will never behold THE invisible SPIRIT OF THE ONE GOD ... but they will see the supernatural presence (The SPIRIT'S chosen image mentioned in Gen 1 or 2) of the glorious Father which dwells within light.
So sorry for the length ... I get so carried away. Okay everyone have at my thought. Of course I pretty sure I'm no perfect in my assumptions.
