Jotham's Parable (Olive Tree ==> Judges 9:8-9)

(Class Notes)

• Earthly Adam (Genesis 2:8-10; Genesis 3:22-24)
  • In the BEGINNING - "God PLANTED a GARDEN" (Genesis 2:8) with TWO TREES "in the MIDST of the GARDEN" (Genesis 2:9) and "a RIVER ... to WATER the GARDEN" (Genesis 2:10):
    • "The TREE of LIFE" (Genesis 2:9), which will be yet again "in the MIDST of the PARADISE of God" (Revelation 2:7)
    • "The TREE of the KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL" (Genesis 2:9) - its FRUIT was FORBIDDEN on PENALTY of DEATH (Genesis 2:16-17)
  • Having EATEN the FRUIT of the FORBIDDEN TREE (Genesis 3:6) - Man was BARRED ACCESS to the TREE of LIFE (Genesis 3:22) and PLACED OUTSIDE of the GARDEN (Genesis 3:23) with RESTRICTED ACCESS to the FIERY DIVINE PRESENCE (Genesis 3:24 cf. Genesis 4:3,7,14,16) "BETWEEN THE CHERUBIMS" (Isaiah 37:16; Ezekiel 10:2,6-7):
    • Man was BARRED ACCESS (Genesis 3:24) to PREVENT him from LIVING ETERNALLY (Genesis 3:22) in his SINFUL CONDITION (Psalms 51:5)
    • Man will have ACCESS RESTORED (Revelation 22:1-2,14) via REDEMPTION THRU CHRIST (Hebrews 2:14-15; (Revelation 1:18)
  • The OLIVE TREE is REPRESENTATIVE of ISRAEL'S SPIRITUAL THINGS, which are NOW SHARED WITH the GENTILES (Romans 15:25-27) - under the GENTILE "DISPENSATION of the GRACE of God" (Ephesians 3:1-2):
    • The GENTILES - "a WILD OLIVE TREE" (Romans 11:17)
    • ISRAEL - "the NATURAL BRANCHES" (Romans 11:21)
  • SPIRITUAL EXPRESSIONS of "the TREE of LIFE" (Genesis 2:9):
    • WISDOM (Proverbs 3:13,15,18)
    • The RIGHTEOUS, i.e. they that are WISE UNTO SALVATION (Proverbs 11:28-30) by virtue of what they are MADE IN CHRIST (I Corinthians 1:30)
    • The REALIZATION of HOPE (Proverbs 13:12)
    • "A WHOLESOME TONGUE" (Proverbs 15:4) - as in "SPEECH ... WITH GRACE" (Colossians 4:6), which FLOWS FROM "the WORD OF HIS GRACE" (Acts 20:32)

• Earthly Israel (Romans 11:16-24)
  • The "ROOT" and "BRANCHES" and "FATNESS" of the OLIVE TREE (Romans 11:16-17):
    • The "ROOT" of the OLIVE TREE (Romans 11:16-17) is ABRAHAM - "the FATHER of us all" (Romans 4:16), i.e. "the FATHER of all them that believe" (Romans 4:11):
      • It was ABRAHAM who God CALLED OUT OF IDOLATRY (Joshua 24:2-3) and who God made the REPOSITORY OF THE PROMISE - "IN THEE shall ALL the families of the earth BE BLESSED" (Genesis 12:3)
    • The "BRANCHES" of the OLIVE TREE (Romans 11:16-17) are a reference to ABRAHAM'S MULTIPLIED SEED (Genesis 15:1-6) resulting from ABRAHAM'S FAITH in GOD'S PROMISE (Romans 4:17-22)
    • The "FATNESS" of the OLIVE TREE (Romans 11:17) is a reference to ISRAEL'S "SPIRITUAL THINGS" (Romans 15:25-27), i.e. ISRAEL'S NEW COVENANT BLESSINGS (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and of which the GENTILES are made "ABLE MINISTERS" (II Corinthians 3:6) "according to the GRACE of God" (I Corinthians 3:10)
      • The "MINISTRATION of the SPIRIT" (II Corinthians 3:8), i.e. the giving of DIVINE LIFE (II Corinthians 3:3):
        • The giving of DIVINE LIFE to ISRAEL (Jeremiah 31:31,33 cf. Ezekiel 36:26-27)
        • The giving of DIVINE LIFE to the GENTILES (Romans 8:2,15-16 cf. Galatians 4:4-6)
      • The "MINISTRATION of RIGHTEOUSNESS" (II Corinthians 3:9):
        • The bestowal of DIVINE RIGHTEOUSNESS upon ISRAEL (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
        • The bestowal of DIVINE RIGHTEOUSNESS upon the GENTILES (I Corinthians 1:30; II Corinthians 5:21)
        • The SAME CONFESSION of DIVINE RIGHTEOUSNESS by both ISRAEL and the GENTILES (Romans 14:10-12 cf. Isaiah 45:23-25)
  • The "GRAFTED IN" BRANCHES versus the NATURAL BRANCHES that were "CUT OFF" (Romans 11:18-24):
    • The "GRAFTED IN" BRANCHES" (Romans 11:18-19,22) are the BELIEVING GENTILES who are INCLUDED in the ABRAHAMIC PROMISE (Galatians 3:6-9,26-29)
    • The NATURAL BRANCHES that were "BROKEN OFF" (Romans 11:20-21) are the UNBELIEVING JEWS who are "NOT COUNTED" in the ABRAHAMIC PROMISE (Romans 9:6,8)
      • Isaac "COUNTED" (Romans 9:7 cf. Genesis 21:12); (Romans 9:9 cf. Genesis 18:14); and NOT Ishmael (Genesis 17:20-21)
      • Jacob "COUNTED" (Romans 9:10-12 cf. Genesis 25:23); and NOT Esau (Romans 9:13 cf. Malachi 1:1-3);
    • The "BROKEN OFF" NATURAL BRANCHES of the PAST will be AGAIN REPLACED by the "GRAFTED IN AGAIN" NATURAL BRANCHES of the FUTURE (Romans 11:23-24):
      • This will occur - AFTER "the FULLNESS of the GENTILES be come in" (Romans 11:25), i.e. AFTER the COMPLETION of the GENTILE "DISPENSATION of the GRACE of God" (Ephesians 3:1-2)
      • At that time - God will FULFILL His COVENANT PROMISE to ISRAEL (Romans 11:26-27 cf. Isaiah 59:20-21)
      • At that time - God will cause the LIGHT of His GLORY to SHINE upon ISRAEL and, thus, she will THEN be the SOURCE of SPIRITUAL BLESSING to the GENTILES (I Peter 2:9-10 cf. Exodus 19:5-6; Hosea 1:6,9-10; Hosea 2:23; Isaiah 60:1-3)
  • "OLIVE TREE" representations of SPIRITUAL ISRAELITES:
    • DAVID - who the Lord called, "a MAN AFTER" GOD'S "OWN HEART" (I Samuel 13:14) and who refers to himself as "a GREEN OLIVE TREE in the HOUSE OF GOD" (Psalms 52:8)
    • The TWO TRIBULATION WITNESSES (Revelation 11:3-4) in "the TIME of JACOB'S TROUBLE" (Jeremiah 30:7) - who the Lord called His "TWO ANOINTED ONES, that STAND BY the LORD of the WHOLE EARTH" are pictured as "TWO OLIVE TREES" (Zechariah 4:11-14)

Study Outline

Audio Message #1

Audio Message #2

Audio Message #3