God's Plan of Salvation

Introduction and Summary

After I was saved in 1998 I started reading the Bible regularly and for the first time began to understand what was being said. I was shocked to discover that, to a great extent, the teachings, focus, message and spirit of the Bible were in direct contrast to what I had learnt growing up in the world, not knowing Jesus and not knowing the Bible.

Falling in love with Jesus and accepting that the Bible was in fact the true revelation of God caused me to let go of things I had formerly believed to be true and this—at times—caused conflict with friends and family.

As I continue to walk with the Lord Jesus and to learn his character, both from communion with him, communion with other believers and from reading the Bible, I have begun to come to terms with persecution and misunderstanding from those who don't know him.

One of the issues I have had to deal with is the issue of Israel's place in God's plan of salvation. I began discovering the Bible's position on this issue in 1999 while I was in England. Refer to "How I fell in Love with Israel" April 2009

There is a position in the Christian church today called "Replacement Theology". Replacement Theology teaches that that the church has replaced Israel as God's chosen people and that God is finished with Israel.

This doctrine is contrary to what is written in the Bible.

Those of us who are born again, love Jesus and read the Bible are waiting with expectation for Jesus to return. After the rapture, Jesus will return to the earth with all the believers and set up his millenial kingdom in Jerusalem.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Thessalonians 4:14-17

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Corinthians 15:51-52

I provide more Biblical references below concerning the calling of believers into heaven to meet the Lord. This event is known as the rapture.

After the rapture there will be a period of great tribulation upon the earth. All the nations of the earth will attack Israel and there will be great destruction in the land.

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Zechariah 14:2

Jesus will return on the clouds of heaven with all the believers that had been raptured.

and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Zecheriah 14:5b

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Jude 1:14-15

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews 9:28

The Jewish people will see Jesus and believe that he is the Messiah finally crying out: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord and all Israel will be saved.

For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Matthew 23:39

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Romans 11:26-27

He will set His feet on the mount of olives near Jerusalem.

Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zecheriah 14:3-4

Jesus will establish His millenial kingdom in Jerusalem.

The best way to discover God's truth is to know him personally by inviting him into your heart.

You can learn about him by spending time reading the Bible. Please read the references from the Bible that I have provided as they will clarify and confirm what I have written. May God bless you with an understanding of the scriptures.

God's Awesome Plan of Salvation

Since Adam sinned and sin passed onto humanity, God has been unfolding His plan of salvation to restore humanity to Himself. He has spoken to people directly and through His prophets so that his plan of salvation would be clear to all those that know Him.

Omniscient as he is, God already had a plan of salvation before Adam and Eve sinned. God himself performed the duty of highpriest and sacrificed an animal using the skin to cover Adam and Eve's sin. We know from scripture that their is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. Refer to: "He died for our Sins" April 2009

Man sinned. God had a plan of salvation even before the foundation of the world.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 13:8

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

1Peter 1:18-21

He then proceeded to unfold his plan of salvation for a fallen humanity. He planned on establishing a people who would be His own. Through them, He would bring salvation to the whole of humanity.

He spoke to Noah and saved his family from the judgment of the flood. Only Noah, his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth and their three wives survuved the flood. Through these eight, the whole earth was repopulated. The people of Israel are descendants of Noah's son Shem: they are a semitic people.

God called Abram and changed his name to Abraham, which means, the father of all nations. He promised that He would make of Abraham a great nation and in him all the nations of the world would be blessed.

Abraham had Isaac, Isaac had Jacob, who was renamed Israel and Israel had twelve sons who became the heads of the twelve tribes of the kingdom of Israel. King David and Solomon are descendants of Jacob's son Judah to whom was promised the kingship and from whom King Jesus the Messiah would arise. Jesus is also called the Lion of Judah.

Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Genesis 49:9-10

God communed with the nation of Israel throughout history with the purpose of communicating his word, bringing the Messiah into the world, restoring humanity to himself and ultimately establishing his kingdom on earth to reign from Jerusalem.

God was in constant communion with the people of Israel directly speaking to them Himself, through angels, through judges, kings and prophets.

The children of Israel rebelled against the Lord; nevertheless, God promised that he would be faithful to them, that He would never forsake them and that he would restore them in their land, with a king who would rule over them in righteousness. This king would be God himself, the Messiah and he would give Israel peace from their enemies and bring peace to the world.

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Revelation 1:7

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

The Messiah would also be a light to the gentiles and he would give the gentiles the opportunity to enjoy the blessings that God promised Israel.

I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Isaiah 42:6-7

The Messiah would breakdown the wall of separation which separated the gentiles from Israel and would open the way for the gentiles to know God.

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Ephesians 2:11-19

We read here that the Gentiles were far from God. The gentile nations were idol worshipers and pagans: only Israel worshiped the one true God. The one true God is called, the God of Israel. Paul is saying that through Jesus the Messiah, the door has been opened for the gentiles to approach God, to be accepted of God and to receive the blessings that until that point had been reserved for God's chosen people, Israel.

God's has blessed the whole of humanity through the nation of Israel and salvation has come to the whole world through the tiny nation of Israel.

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 12:2-3

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2:2-4

God's truth has gone out to the world through Israel's prophets and Jesus the Messiah was born in Bethlehem in Israel into a Jewish family to a Jewish girl. He taught in Israel and commanded his disciples to teach the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 10:5-6

But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 15:24

Has God rejected His people Israel?

Let's have a look at what Paul says.

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.
Romans 11:1-2

To the contrary. When the fulness of the gentiles comes in, all of Israel will be saved.

Through Israel's rejection of Jesus the Messiah, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

Jesus the Messiah, the Lamb of God, came to die for the sins of the world and his people, the Jews, were made unready to receive him so that salvation could go out to the Gentiles. Refer to "He came to die for our sins" April 2009

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Romans 11:25-32

God has blinded Israel for a season so that the gentiles can be blessed with the gift of salvation and when the time comes he will reveal himself to Israel and all Israel will be saved.

As Isaiah prophesies in chapter 29:10-12 and Paul quotes in Romans 11:8, God has poured upon Israel and spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, ears that they should not hear and a heart that does not understand.

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. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
Isaiah 29:10-12

(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.

Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Romans 11:8-15

When Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection, accompanied by two angels, the disciples watched in awe. The two angels responded to the disciples saying: Why do you marvel? Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives in the same way that He left.

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.

Acts 1:9-12

The Lord's return to His land and His people was also prophesied by Zechariah: And His feet will descend on the mount of olives.

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Zechariah 14.4

Jesus will return to the land of Israel to save the Jewish people from their enemies. He will bring peace to the earth, set up his millenial Kingdom in Jerusalem and reign over the nations from there.

Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

Zechariah 14.3

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zechariah 12:9-10

As I have already mentioned, Jesus is also called the lion of Judah because he is a descendant of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was also called Israel. King David was from the tribe of Judah. Jesus is also called the son of David. King David established his Kingdom with his capital in Jerusalem. Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem and Jerusalem has been the centre of Judaism for the last three thousand years. Notice the coat of arms of the city of Jerusalem.

As the inscription on the plaque on Jesus' cross stated in Hebrew, Greek and Latin for the whole world to understand: Jesus the King of the Jews.

And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Luke 23:38

So uncommon was the idea of gentiles being in communion with God and with the people of Israel, that after Pentacost when gentiles began believing in the gospel and getting saved, there was contention amongst the disciples as to what the gentiles had to do in order to complete their salvation. Some began teaching that the gentiles could not be saved unless they converted to Judasim and got circumcised.

After Jesus ascended into heaven the disciples received power when the Holy Spirit descended on them and they went out out proclaimed the gospel to all the people. When gentiles started responding to the gospel, believing in Jesus and getting saved the apostles were at odds with each other over whether it was at all possible for gentile to be saved without first converting to Judaism and being curcumcised.

And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 10:45

And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
Acts 11:1-3

Peter goes on to explain to them how he had had a vision in which the Lord had told him not to consider anything unclean, for in the Lord all things are clean:

But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Acts 11:9

And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Acts 15:4-9

We understand that salvation to non-Jews was not taken for granted by the disciples because the promises of a Messiah were to Israel.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:

If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:31-37

Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Acts 11:17-18

The whole Bible is a testimony of God's faithfulness to Israel and through Israel his faithfulness to all humanity. If you really want to know God personally and intimately you must be born again.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 3:3

You will then receive the Holy Spirit and he will lead you in all truth.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:16-17

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:26

The Lord Jesus is alive. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is alive. We are all sinners and we all need forgiveness. The God of Israel is waiting for you to call upon him so that he can give you new life.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23

Don't be afraid and don't delay. He wants all to be saved.