What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 98 - 10/04/25

Led by Graeme McPherson

This study takes up the tabernacle as a deliberate picture of the gospel and of Jesus Christ. Right at the outset the group is careful not to run wild with symbolism, but to let Scripture itself govern the links that are made. The aim is not to invent meanings, but to see how Exodus 25–26, read in the light of the New Testament, shows God’s redemptive purpose and His desire to dwell among His people.

A major theme is that the tabernacle reveals the heart of God: “that I may dwell among them.” The discussion repeatedly connects this with Eden, with John 1 where the Word “tabernacled” among us, and with the final fulfilment in Revelation where the dwelling place of God is with men. The tabernacle is therefore treated not merely as ancient furniture for worship, but as part of the Bible’s great storyline of God coming to dwell with His people through Christ.

The group also gives significant attention to the willing offerings used to build the tabernacle. This becomes an exhortation about worship, gratitude, and stewardship. Israel had been rescued from Egypt entirely by God’s power, and so their giving is read as the grateful response of a redeemed people. From there the study presses into application: what we do with our resources shows what we worship, and what is not yielded to God can easily be turned toward idols.

The ark and mercy seat form the theological centre of the discussion. The mercy seat is seen as the meeting place between God and man, the place of atonement, and a powerful picture of mercy standing over law. The group reflects on the cherubim guarding the way to God, the law inside the ark condemning sinners, and the mercy seat above it all, covered by sacrificial blood. From this they move naturally to Christ: the better sacrifice, the true meeting place with God, and the reason believers can now approach boldly.

The table of bread is read as a picture of fellowship, provision, and communion. Bread, wine, and the setting of a table point the group toward the Lord’s Supper, the Emmaus road, and Jesus as the bread of life. At the same time, the discussion keeps pressing into discipleship: believers are not only recipients of grace, but vessels through whom the bread is served. The tabernacle therefore becomes a pattern for ongoing communion with Christ and for a life that ministers His provision to others.

The lampstand then opens up the theme of light, holiness, and the work of the Spirit. Its beauty, purity, and hammered construction lead into reflection on how God forms His people through suffering and shapes each one distinctly for service. The oil is understood as pointing to the Holy Spirit, so that shining for God is never a matter of natural strength or outward impressiveness, but of divine life within. The wider discussion reinforces this by insisting that God’s presence does not rest on equipment, atmosphere, or externals, but upon consecrated people.

Overall, the study presents the tabernacle as both Christological and pastoral. Christ is shown as the true tabernacle, the fulfiller of the law, the mercy seat, the bread, and the meeting place with God. Yet the study does not stop there: because believers are united to Christ, the church itself is spoken of as God’s dwelling place, a royal priesthood called to holiness, worship, service, and witness. The result is a study that is rich in biblical theology, but also full of practical exhortation toward reverence, gratitude, godly character, and Spirit-filled ministry.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 96 - 27/02/25

Led by Martin Rogers

In this second, conclusion of the study, we returned to Romans 11 and centred again on the great question: what does it mean that “all Israel will be saved”? The discussion began by reaffirming that Israel has experienced a partial hardening, not a total rejection, and that this hardening is bound up with God’s wider redemptive purpose in bringing salvation to the Gentiles. At the same time, the study firmly held that there is only one way of salvation for Jew and Gentile alike: through faith in Jesus Christ.

We then worked through Paul’s olive tree picture in Romans 11. Israel’s stumbling opened the door for the Gentiles, yet Gentile believers are not to boast, because they do not support the root; the root supports them. The grafting-in of the Gentiles was described as something “contrary to nature,” highlighting that our inclusion brings no merit of our own, but rests entirely on the grace of God. If God can graft in wild branches, then he is certainly able to graft the natural branches back in again.

From there, the study pushed back against the idea that God’s promises to Israel have been cancelled or absorbed away. Romans 11 was read as teaching that, though many in Israel are presently enemies with respect to the gospel, they remain beloved because of the patriarchs, and the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. The discussion stressed that this does not place Jews above Gentiles in salvation, nor create two peoples of God, but it does mean that God’s covenant faithfulness to ethnic Israel still matters within his purposes in history.

The prophetic foundation for this was then laid from Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36. Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, in which God writes his law on their hearts, forgives their sin, and maintains Israel as a nation before him. Ezekiel adds that this restoration is not for Israel’s sake, but for the sake of God’s holy name: he will gather them from the nations, bring them back into their own land, cleanse them, give them a new heart, and put his Spirit within them.

Ezekiel 37 then sharpened the picture through the valley of dry bones. The bones were understood as the house of Israel: scattered, cut off, and apparently without hope. Yet God promises both a physical return to the land and a spiritual renewal by his Spirit. The study noted that there appears to be a distinction between the bones coming together and the breath entering them. In other words, the regathering of Israel to the land may be visible already, while the full spiritual awakening still lies ahead.

That future awakening was tied especially to Hosea 3 and Zechariah 12. Hosea speaks of Israel abiding many days without king, sacrifice, or temple, and afterwards returning to seek the Lord and “David their king” in the latter days. Zechariah then gives the climactic moment: God pours out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, and they look upon the one they have pierced and mourn for him. The study understood this as the national repentance of Israel and their recognition of Jesus as Messiah at the end.

So the conclusion reached was that “all Israel will be saved” does not mean every Jew who has ever lived, nor does it establish a separate way of salvation. Rather, it points to the future salvation of Israel as a people at the time appointed by God, when the remnant that remains will repent and believe in their Messiah. The whole thing is grounded not in human worthiness, but in divine mercy, covenant faithfulness, and God’s zeal for his own name. The study closed where Romans 11 closes: with wonder, humility, and worship before the wisdom of God, from whom and through whom and to whom are all things.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 96 - 13/02/25

Led by Martin Rogers

This first session opened with the foundational claim of Romans 11:25–29: Israel has experienced a partial hardening, but this is neither total nor final, and God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable. We began by reflecting on Jacob becoming Israel, and on the symbolism of his wrestling with God, as a possible picture of the nation itself: resisting, contending, wounded, yet ultimately clinging to God for blessing. That set the tone for the whole evening: Israel’s story is one of struggle, discipline, covenant, and eventual redemption.

We then moved to the Old Testament foundations for Israel’s election. Passages such as Deuteronomy 7 and Psalm 135 helped us see that God chose Israel as His treasured possession, not because of their greatness or merit, but because of His own love and covenant purpose. We stressed that Israel’s place in God’s purposes begins with God’s sovereign choice, not with Israel’s worthiness. That point mattered because it guarded us from the idea that Israel’s significance comes from human righteousness rather than divine promise.

From there, we considered Israel’s rebellion and blindness. Romans 10 was central here: Israel was described as zealous for God, but not according to knowledge, attempting to establish its own righteousness rather than submitting to the righteousness of God in Christ. We repeatedly returned to the language of Israel as a disobedient and obstinate people, while also recognising that this is not uniquely Israel’s problem, but a mirror of fallen humanity more broadly. We noted that the hardness of Israel’s heart was not an accident, but something God has permitted within His wider redemptive plan.

A major thread throughout the evening was that Israel’s unfaithfulness does not cancel God’s faithfulness. Romans 3 and Romans 11 showed us that unbelief among some Jews does not nullify the covenant promises of God, nor does it mean that God has rejected His people. The existence of a remnant according to grace was held up as proof that God has not cast Israel off. We emphasised that if God could simply abandon Israel, then the security of all His promises would be called into question. His covenant faithfulness to Israel therefore becomes a comfort to us as believers as well as a warning against pride.

We also explored the relation between Jewish unbelief and Gentile salvation. Romans 11:11 showed us that through Israel’s trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, with the purpose of provoking Israel to jealousy. We reflected on how extraordinary it is that Gentile believers worship the God of Israel, trust in Israel’s Messiah, and read Israel’s Scriptures. That reality itself was seen as part of God’s plan to stir Israel to reconsider her own promises. We also discussed the growth of Messianic Jewish faith in modern times, with the sense that God is already at work in drawing Jewish people to Jesus.

One of the key questions we raised in the session was the meaning of the phrase “all Israel will be saved.” We discussed several possibilities without forcing a final conclusion in this first part. We were clear, however, that salvation is always and only through faith in Jesus Christ, whether for Jew or Gentile, before the cross or after it. Hebrews 11 and Romans 9–11 helped underline that there is no second way of salvation. The unresolved question was not whether Jews need Christ, but how exactly Paul’s prophecy about “all Israel” should be understood in light of God’s covenant promises and future purposes.

We closed on a pastoral and worshipful note. Hosea helped us see God’s steadfast love toward an unfaithful people: chastening, grieving, yet refusing to give them up. That led us to rejoice not merely in Israel’s future hope, but in the wider truth that God is faithful to His covenant and faithful to His people. We ended with the sense that this doctrine should not produce arrogance or speculation, but humility, prayer, evangelistic concern, and deeper confidence in the God whose promises never fail. Part 1 therefore, set the stage for the next study by establishing the central truth that the salvation of Israel must be understood through the lens of God’s faithfulness, Christ’s righteousness, and the certainty of God’s redemptive plan.

#MCF #scriptureexplained #jesus #gospel #salvation #biblestudy #sounddoctrine #discipleship #church #christianliving #gracealone #holiness #eternallife #gospelofhope