The Big Picture
Would you please let me share with you what I think could fundamentally change how you see the Bible’s story? I am not talking about changing theology, salvation, the Trinity, or any other major doctrine. Instead, I’m focusing on how we interpret scripture as one unified narrative.
It all begins in Genesis 1-2, where God created a paradise called the Garden of Eden. That is the start of God’s Kingdom on Earth. We were made to rule the world with God (Genesis 1:26-28). That purpose drives the entire Biblical story. We know that Adam and Eve failed to let the Lord impart the wisdom they needed to rule well, so humanity was cast out of the Garden. This imagery echoes throughout scripture (Isaiah 5:1-3, Matthew 21:33-40, Revelation 22:14-14).
Humanity is now outside of the Kingdom and becomes so violent that God destroys humanity with a flood. Then the humans rebelled again by building a city with a tower to defy their Lord. To address this, God divides them into nations by language. Still, God has not, and will not, give up on having a Kingdom with humans reigning with Him.
God’s Covenant with Abram
What the Lord does next is call out a man named Abram. Here is a pivotal moment in scripture. The Lord says to Abram that He will make of him a great nation:
“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)
The creation of this nation is essential because it becomes the promise‑keeper through which God will finally establish His Kingdom. It is not an individual Jew who is promised greatness, but the nation itself. My favorite verses to demonstrate this are in Jeremiah:
“For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
(Jeremiah 29:10–11)
Seventy years is essentially a lifetime. Those who went into captivity would not see this promise fulfilled personally. The point is that God had not given up on His desire to make Israel His Kingdom. After the Lord worked through the judges and kings, it was time to reach out to the whole world, just as He said He would through Israel.
The Gospel and the Church
The gospel is this: The Lord is bringing His Kingdom to earth and will rule over it. That is good news, but it is only part of it. For us, the good news is that Jesus came to redeem people for His Kingdom. Anyone who repents and accepts Him as Lord will be allowed in. Anyone who rejects His Lordship will not be allowed to enter.
So those who repent and call Him Lord are the called, the elect, the chosen. When they assemble, they are called the ecclesia or the church. Here is something that people often get confused about. The church is not a nation or a kingdom. It possesses no land or dominion. It is simply people called out to be part of God’s Kingdom. Israel is a nation, and it has land promised to it. There are many promises made to Israel, and that is why Israel still exists and will always exist. It is the place from which Jesus will reign over the earth.
Israel and the Gentiles
Just before Jesus left for His throne in Heaven, He spoke with His disciples about this.
“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:”
Acts 1:3
After that discussion, the disciples asked this question.
“When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”
Acts 1:6
Jesus does not refute the question; instead, He says it is not for you to know when (verse 7). For anyone to say that Israel is not part of God’s place must be overlooking these verses.
Understanding the big picture helps us to interpret many passages. One of these is Romans chapter eleven.
“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? 16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.”
Romans 11:15–16
In verse fifteen, Paul says that cutting them off for a time will lead to the world being reconciled to Jesus, and when that is complete and Israel is revived, it will be life from the dead. If the lump dries up or the root dies, then the branches too.
“And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;”
Romans 11:17
The Gentiles are the wild branches that Jesus is grafting into the promises He has made to the nation of Israel. Notice I said nation, not Jews. The Jews are the stewards of the land, but they are not necessarily the people who get to live in Jesus’ Kingdom. They must believe like the Gentiles. The fatness of the Olive tree is all the promises that were made to Israel (Romans 3:1-2).
“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. 26 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:”
Romans 11:25–26
The Gentile is grafted into Israel so that all Israel will be saved. Note again, it is not saying all Jews will be saved; instead, it is the nation that will be saved and the people of the country, both Jew and Gentile (Galatians 6:5-6).
The Fulfillment
The conclusion is that if you do not understand what God is doing in the story, you will not identify the characters at play, and confusing their purpose will lead to dangerous conclusions. The land that was promised to Israel, the nation, is also the Gentiles’ land, because we have been grafted into those promises. Satan wants Israel destroyed because he wants the Lord’s promises and plan destroyed. But we know we have the victory, and Israel, with her great city, will fulfill the Lord’s plan of His Kingdom on earth.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
Revelation 21:1–3
“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
Revelation 22:1–2
”And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
Revelation 22:5
From Eden to New Jerusalem, the Bible’s story is God’s Kingdom with humanity reigning alongside Him.
Life is won or lost in the mind!
ThinkFaith is my new YouTube channel where I discuss the things that I have learn. I have tough questions like everyone else, and I want honest answers. My channel is a place where people can come, hear what I have learned, share their ideas, and ask questions in the comments.
