In what way did the inclusion of Gentiles by the gospel (Romans 11) provoke Israel?

Romans 10:19* But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.  [Mid Acts believes the "foolish nation" here is the Little Flock.]

Romans 11:11* 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.

Romans 11:14* If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

Brian comments:  

Mid Acts doctrine is dragging later truth back into Romans where it will not fit.

The Gentiles of the Acts period were included according to prophesy, not the mystery of Ephesians. We have already seen this in Acts 13:47 = Isaiah 49, Acts 15:16 = Amos 9. In both these OT contexts, Israel's restoration is in view. Israel's restoration is in view in Romans 11 as well. The Gentiles of the Acts period were included by prophesy and the prophesy was about Israel's restoration.

Romans 9 says the Gentiles of Acts were the remnant of prophesy not the church which is His Body see 11:5-7. The grace of Romans 11 is the elect remnant of prophesy into which calling Paul included himself, 9:24. Paul is not writing Romans as a member of the church which is His Body.

The Gentiles of Romans were the Gentiles of prophesy.  Romans 10:19 is Moses, Deuteronomy 32:21.   Deuteronomy 32 is the Song of Moses which ends in Israel's blessing and the Gentiles blessed with her.

Three times we have seen Gentiles included according to prophesy and their inclusion is in OT contexts of Israel's blessing, Acts 13, Acts 15 and Romans 10:19. So to make Romans 11 mean the Gentiles were provoking Israel into the "gospel of grace" (which they thinks means the dispensation of the grace of God, the present calling), they are out of context..

Mid Act's understanding of Romans 11 is impossible by every right division principle.

The Gentiles of Acts were part of God's process to restore Israel.

The graft-in Gentiles of prophesy were there during Acts to provoke Israel, and those graft-in Gentiles were the seed of Abraham by faith and to be blessed with faithful Abraham.  Romans speaks of the Gentiles as the remnant of prophesy, their father was Abraham who was the heir of the world, Romans 4.  This is identical to Galatians.  How can the seed of Abraham, whose inheritance is the Land given by promise, Galatians 3, and who were typified in Isaac, Galatians 4, and whose mother was the New Jerusalem, be provoking Israel into the present calling?  Impossible.

These graft-in Gentiles were there to provoke Israel to the "grace gospel," which was Jesus of Nazareth was Israel's Messiah and in him forgiveness and justification.  They were provoking Israel to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus who was the one at the right hand of God ready to return and bring in the times of restitution.  The return of the Lord (the Deliverer coming out of Zion) is the hope of all Paul's letters during Acts, including Romans. The hope of Romans 15.  Things written aforetime were written for our learning ...that we might have hope. And part of the hope of Romans 15 is Deuteronomy 32, the very passage used in Romans 10:19. The WE of hope in Romans 15 doesn't include us.  And the Gentiles of Romans 11 does not include us.

That grace gospel doesn't include the dispensational things of today. The dispensational setting of Romans from front to back is the earth.  Mid Acts can't see the difference between forgiveness and justification, and the dispensation of the grace of God in Ephesians.

Romans 11 says the Gentiles were included because Israel was stumbling; this is not Ephesians truth.  The church which is His Body is not in existence because Israel stumbled but can be provoked.

Romans 11 speaks of Israel's fullness, not a new calling. Mid Acts jumps over the parts of Romans 11 they don't like or are inconvenient.  What is Israel's fullness?  Not our calling where they have no dispensational superiority, but they did in Romans; it is Jew first from chapter 1, so how come it is Gentiles first and pulling Israel, in chapter 11?

The Gentiles were supported by the root; the Gentiles were not supporting the Jews or offering the Jews anything hid in God.

To say the Gentiles were there to stimulate the Jews into something not Jewish is back to front.  Romans 11 is not Gentiles first who were dragging the Jews along; Romans 11 is Gentiles (second) included because the Jews (first) were stumbling.  This is Jew first.  We can't have the Gentiles first and stimulating the secondary Jews into a calling never revealed to them in prophesy.  Everything Paul said until Acts 28 was "none other things..." (Acts 26:22).

The Acts period Gentiles were to stimulate the Olive Tree to fruit, not to stimulate them into another, different calling, see 11:29.  As a former Mid Acts brother pointed out, he was awakened when he realized the fruit of the tree in Romans 11, was Israel's fruit, not the Gentiles' fruit.

All Israel saved is in view in Romans 11, not the church which is His Body. Romans 11:29.

The graft-in Gentiles could be broken off in Romans 11, this is not the church which is His Body (I doubt it's the little flock either). And please note this verse;

Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

The Gentiles were included because some Jews were broken off? Is this the Gentiles of the church which is His body? Impossible, but it fits the Jew first theme of Romans from front to back.

Speaking of being cut off, Paul, like Moses in Exodus, was ready to be cut off himself for the sake of Israel. So Romans 9:1-3, 10:1 and 11:14 is understood in the earthly kingdom purpose.  Saving some of them is understood in the context of the warning Paul gave them in Acts 13. They were not warned they would be cut off and a new calling start, they were warned of the coming wrath – the northern army which would decimate the nation.  In Romans 2, Paul had written about wrath and righteous judgment of God. This is not a new calling warning.  BTW, Romans was written after Thessalonians so the wrath to the uttermost doesn't mean Israel cut off, else Romans 2 is a badly placed afterthought. See Romans 2:5 and 9. Tribulation and anguish is what Paul wanted to save some Israelites from.  He wasn't trying to save them into something not revealed, but out of something.

Nebuchadnezzar had pictured what this tribulation period would be like.  In Corinthians, Paul wrote it was the last days, 10:11; the ends of the world were upon them, not us.  In Romans 13:11-12, the same end of the ages theme is written.  Thus, those Israelites who did not repent would be under the threat of the great tribulation and wrath of God.

Paul willing to save some of his brethren didn't mean he wanted to save them into the church which is His Body, which wasn't in existence when Romans was written.   He wanted to save some of them out of wrath and into the Kingdom to judge the world and angels.  "Save" also included immortality (remember 1 Corinthians 15:  those Jews that did not repent, even if some survived the wrath and tribulation, would remain in the natural state).

Brian