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itually blinded? Romans 11:7, 25. Why? Verses 20, 32.

COMMENT: YEHOVAH God has allowed Israel to be spiritually blinded to
fulfill His plan. And that plan includes the salvation of all of Israel!

13. Has the House of Judah being broken off the olive tree made it possible
for the House of Israel being grafted in? Verses 17, 24.

COMMENT: Paul pictures Israel as a natural olive tree whose branches
(the House of Judah) were broken off because of unbelief -- disobedience
to YEHOVAH God. This made possible YEHOVAH’s grafting in of the wild
olive branches – the House of Israel (the Gentiles).

14. But can Judah -- though now "broken off" -- be grafted back
in? Verses 23-24.

COMMENT: Ancient Judah’s blindness will not remain forever. Their time
of understanding and participation in YEHOVAH’s plan of salvation has not
yet come (verse 26).

But in the meantime the comparatively few physical Israelites whom
YEHOVAH God has called have become "spiritual Israelites." Through the
Messiah, they have become members of the spiritual household of
YEHOVAH God (Ephesians 2:19) and are unified into one spiritual body --
the Ecclesia of YEHOVAH God! (Galatians 3:28.)

15. Ancient Israel did not have access to a large measure of YEHOVAH’s
spirit. Yet what are they called? I Chronicles 13:2; Acts 7:38.

COMMENT: Israel was called the "congregation of Israel" because these
people were physical Israelites in the Old Testament congregation and

physical Israelites of the spiritual Ecclesia the Messiah began to build 2,000
years ago (Matthew 16:18). This is another example of the duality principle
in YEHOVAH’s plan.

YEHOVAH God is preparing the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God in dual stag-
es. First was Old Testament Israel. They were carnal-minded, without a
large measure of YEHOVAH’s holy spirit. They were the carnal congrega-
tion or ecclesia of Old Testament Israel. In New Testament times, spirit-
begotten physical Israelite children of YEHOVAH God are the spiritual Ec-
clesia of YEHOVAH God, composed of members of those physically de-
scended from Israel who have become "spiritual Israelites" through the
Messiah.

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