Chapter 11

In Romans 11, beginning with verse 16, Paul speaks of the principle of the firstfruits.

¹⁶ For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, were graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

¹⁸ Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

The principle of the firstfruits is found in the divine law. In the three main feast days of Israel, the people were required to offer to God the firstfruits of the new crop. In the Spring on the first Sunday after Passover, they had the Wave-sheaf offering, when the priest waved the firstfruits of the barley. This sanctified the entire harvest, allowing the people to harvest and eat of their barley from that point on. This law is found in Leviticus 23:14.

¹⁴ And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn [lit. “grain”], nor green ears, until the self-same day that ye have brought an offering unto your God.

One might think of the firstfruits offering as a kind of random inspection of the field. A fruit inspector comes and takes a sampling of the harvest. If it passes inspection, he pronounces the whole harvest clean and fit to eat.

James 1:18 speaks of believers in this present age as “the firstfruits of creation.” They are the “root” that will make the whole tree holy unto God. If we are, indeed, the firstfruits of a greater harvest to come, then we can see how all of creation is impatiently awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19).

Paul was very familiar with this theme and often writes about it. Usually, however, he brings it forth in terms of the firstborn sons of God. As you know, in the law God told Israel that all the firstborn of man and beast belonged to Him. The first ripe of the harvest is called firstfruits, and the firstborn of man or beast likewise belongs to God.

On a higher level, the field (the world) is producing a number of different kinds of harvest (people). Some are barley, some wheat, and some grapes—the firstfruits given to God on each of the main feast days. The barley ripens first, and so these people are “the first of the first-fruits” (Exodus 23:19) brought unto God. Revelation 20:5 calls it “the first resurrection.” In Romans 8:19 Paul calls it “the manifestation of the sons of God.”

The offering of the firstfruits to God is the signal that begins the greater harvest. So also, the manifestation of the sons of God is the signal that begins the greater harvest of souls in the world. Hence, all creation awaits this day of manifested sons.

This manifestation is NOT a day of weeping and wailing for the rest of creation, as so many teach. Much of the Church teaches that the firstfruits manifestation spells the end of the harvest, rather than its beginning. They teach that once we come to that fateful moment—often depicted as “the rapture,” no man will be able to come to God any more. It will be too late, we are told.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Scriptures teach that it is a day of rejoicing, not weeping. It is the event which was to bring blessing to the entire land in Israel's day and ultimately to the entire world. Moses said in Deuteronomy 26:

¹ And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

² That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place His name there.

¹¹ And thou shalt REJOICE in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.

¹⁸ And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be His peculiar people, as He hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments.

This law prophesies that when the firstfruits are given to God, it is a time of rejoicing, because it is the time of the manifestation of the sons of God. This is also the day that God avouches, or declares, that they are a peculiar people unto Him in the earth. It prophesies honor to the firstfruits company, as well as blessing for the entire land.

With this in mind, let us again look at Romans 11 to see what Paul meant by mentioning this law of firstfruits. Paul was applying this principle to the lost sheep of the house of Israel—and by extension, all the nations of the world. That he is referring primarily to lost Israel is evident by the fact that he speaks specifically of “a wild olive tree” (Greek: agrios). The olive tree was symbolic of the whole house of Israel. Jeremiah 11:16 says of Israel, “The Lord called thy name a green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit.”

The fact that it was “wild” shows us that it referred to the lost Israelites in the world. The Greek word translated “wild” is agrios, which means living or growing in the field or woods. We have already shown that Israel was the treasure hidden in the field. So once again, in Romans 11 Paul focuses upon his brethren of Israel, as he said in 10:1,

¹ Brethren, my heat's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.

Yet Paul does not focus exclusively upon Israel, for he fully recognizes that in the regathering of the outcasts of Israel, others will be gathered as well. Jesus purchased the whole field in order that He might lawfully claim the treasure that was buried in it.

The wild olive tree of cast-off Israel was being grafted into the root, or trunk of the green olive tree. The green olive tree represents those in a proper covenant relation-ship with God. For example, the twelve disciples of Jesus were in time past in a proper relationship with God under the Old Covenant. They were able to then make the transition into the New Covenant, which was the continuation the main stock, or root, of the green olive tree. During this transition, God pruned the tree of its dead branches. First, the house of Israel itself was pruned from the Kingdom of God and His Covenant from 745-721 BC; and later the remnant of Judah and Jerusalem was pruned from 33-73 AD.

Throughout this pruning, there remained a remnant of grace to carry the name of the kingdom. They were the “root” or main trunk of the Kingdom of God. Those of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi who accepted Jesus as the Christ continued the kingdom of God into the pentecostal era. Then the first of the wild olive branches began to be grafted to that main trunk of the tree.

Paul's Epistle to the British War-Captives in Rome

Most people assume that Paul's letter was addressed to the Romans, since that is the title in most Bibles. However, this is not strictly correct. In Romans 1:7 Paul addresses his epistle “to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints.” In other words, these are people who are IN ROME, but not necessarily Romans.

Paul wrote his letter in 58 AD, six years after the emperor Claudius had expelled all Christians and Jews from Rome. He expelled them for disorderly conduct, because the Jews had raised such a tumult over someone called “Chrestus.” (In his ignorance Claudius confused the Greek title Christos with the name Chrestus.) Their expulsion seems to give credence to the view that Paul was indeed writing to Roman Christians. But in actuality, they were members of the British royal family who had been captured and brought to Rome earlier. They were Christians, having been converted under the ministry of Joseph of Arimathea (Jesus' great uncle on his mother's side).

Joseph of Arimathea had been a member of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, along with his friend, Nicodemus, the richest man in the city. Joseph had been appointed as Minister of Mining for Rome, since he owned the tin mines in Cornwall, England. Both Joseph and Nicodemus were eventually expelled from Jerusalem after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Joseph then made his home in England about 35 or 36 AD. There the royal family of Siluria was converted to Christianity, and they gave Joseph about 2,000 acres of land near Avalon, where he established the first Celtic Christian Church in England.

In 41 AD Claudius became emperor of Rome, and the next year he launched an all-out war to conquer Britain. He sent his best legions under the command of their best general, Aulus Plautius. They arrived in 43 AD. The British troops were led by Guiderius, who was killed in the second battle. His brother, Arviragus, who had given the land to Joseph earlier, took over for him, until they had time to elect a new military commander. His first cousin, Caradoc, was elected, and he was then able to hold the Romans at bay for the next two years.

In 45 AD they signed a 6-month truce, while Caradoc and Arviragus went to Rome to negotiate a treaty. While they were in Rome, the emperor Claudius gave his daughter, Venus Julia, to Arviragus in marriage in order to cement the treaty. Arviragus took his new bride back to England, where she was called Venissa.

Meanwhile, during the truce back in England, the Roman general, Aulus Plautius, fell in love with Gladys, the sister of Caradoc. Gladys was a devout Christian, as were the other members of the royal family. They were soon married. In spite of these two marriages, however, the truce was soon broken. In 47 AD Claudius recalled Aulus Plautius back to Rome—probably because he could hardly be expected to wage war against his wife's brother. The Roman historian, Tacitus, tells us that back in Rome, Gladys was known as Pomponia Graceina Plautius.

Hence, Claudius' daughter was now in Britain, while Caradoc's sister was living in Rome! The war now continued under the leadership of the Romans general, Scapula. He was assisted by Vespasian, who was destined to become an emperor of Rome in 69 AD, and whose son destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. After another 5 years of wars, Caradoc and his family were captured and brought back to Rome as prisoners of war. Quoting from The Annals of Tacitus, pp. 239, 240:

“There is seldom safety for the unfortunate, and Caractacus [as Caradoc was known in Rome], seeking the protection of Cartismandua, Queen of the Brigantes, was put in chains and delivered up to the conquerors, nine years after the beginning of the war in Britain. His fame had spread thence, and travelled to the neighbouring islands and provinces, and was actually celebrated in Italy. All were eager to see the great man, who for so many years had defied our power. Even at Rome the name of Caractacus was no obscure one; and the Emperor, while he exalted in his own glory, enhanced the renown of the vanquished. The people were summoned as to a grand spectacle. . . Next were to be seen his brothers, his wife and daughter; last of all, Caractacus himself. . . .

“When he was set before the Emperor's tribunal, he spoke as follows: ‘Had my moderation in prosperity been equal to my noble birth and fortune, I should have entered this city as your friend rather than as your captive, and you would not have disdained to receive, under a treaty of peace, a king descended from illustrious ancestors and ruling many nations. My present lot is as glorious to you as it is degrading to myself. I had men and horses, arms, and wealth. What wonder if I parted with them reluctantly? If you Romans choose to lord it over the world, does it follow that the world is to accept slavery? Were I to have been at once delivered up as a prisoner, neither my fall nor your triumph would have become famous. My punishment would be followed by oblivion, whereas, if you save my life, I shall be an everlasting memorial of your clemency.'

“Upon this the Emperor granted pardon to Caractacus, to his wife, and to his brothers. Released from their bonds, they did homage also to Agrippina who sat near . . . .”

Under the terms of this pardon, Caradoc would never again take up arms against Britain. (However, this did not prevent his cousin, Arviragus, from continuing the war.) Caradoc also agreed to remain in Rome for 7 years. He was still there when Paul wrote his letter to the “Romans.” It was his family of Christians that received Paul's letter. His oldest son, Cyllinus, had returned to Britain to take the reins of government in Caradoc's absence. Another son, Cynon, stayed a short time, but later returned to enter a religious order to devote his life to the service of Christ.

A third son was Linus, mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21 along with his sister Claudia and her husband, Rufus Pudens Pudentius, a Roman Senator. Paul was writing to Timothy from a Roman prison and was sending greetings from these British Christians to Timothy. Eusebius tells us, “After the martyrdom of Paul and Peter the first man to be appointed Bishop of Rome was Linus” (Hist. of the Church, III, 2). This would have been about 68 AD. Eusebius also tells us (Hist., III, 13) that Linus was bishop for just twelve years, giving the office to Anencletus in the second year of the emperor, Titus, in 80 AD.

The Roman Catholic Church considers Linus to be the second pope (after Peter). Linus was, indeed, the bishop of Rome, but he was a British prince and a war captive with his father, Caradoc, and the other members of the royal family. It is ironic that while all other Christians had been expelled from Rome in 52 AD, these British war captives were the only Christians allowed in Rome. Hence, at the end of Paul's letter to them (Romans 16:7), he greets “Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners” (Greek: sunaichmalotos, “war captives”).

It was common in those days to have different names in different locations, like Caractacus and Caradoc. I believe Paul called him Andronicus, “a conqueror.” This might be the equivalent to his British military title as head of the army: Pendragon. At any rate, it certainly described the man who had held the best Roman legions at bay for years and was finally captured only when betrayed by the Queen of the Brigantes.

Junia was probably his wife. Paul tells us (Romans 16:7) they had been converted even before him and were “of note among the apostles.” Obviously, they had been converted earlier under Joseph's ministry. For further information, I refer you to our booklet, Introduction to the Book of Romans.

“You Gentiles”

We have digressed somewhat in order to explain what P aul meant when he spoke of the wild olive tree being grafted into the trunk of the domestic olive tree. In Romans 11:13 he says, “I speak unto you gentiles.” As we have already shown in earlier bulletins, the term “gentile” is the Greek word ethnos. It does not mean “non-Jew.” It means an ethnic group of people, a nation. The context alone must determine which nation is the subject. In John 11:48 and in many other places, the word is applied to the Jewish nation of Jesus' day.

In Romans 11:13 Paul was specifically addressing the British people, who were a part of the lost tribes of Israel. The word “British” is a Hebrew phrase meaning, “Covenant Men.” Their language even in Paul's day was derived from ancient Hebrew. (See the book, English Derived From Hebrew, by R. Govett, first published in 1869 in London.)

The Sonnini Manuscript is a very old copy of the book of Acts that the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire gave to C.S. Sonnini around the year 1800 AD. King Louis XVI of France had sent C.S. Sonnini to the Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey). This copy of the book of Acts had a 29^th chapter in it, which completed the book. Everyone knows that the book of Acts ends abruptly as though it were an unfinished book. Anyway, this lost chapter of Acts tells how Paul was released from prison in Rome, and how he went first to Spain and then to Britain preaching the Gospel. It tells us Paul's motive in verse 2:

² For he had heard in Phoenicia that certain of the children of Israel, about the time of the Assyrian captivity, had escaped by sea to the isles afar off, as spoken by the prophet, and called by the Romans, Britain.

³ And the Lord commanded the gospel to be preached far hence to the gentiles, and to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. . . .

⁷ And they departed out of Spain, and Paul and his company finding a ship in Armorica sailing unto Britain, they went therein . . .

⁸ Now when it was noised abroad that the apostle had landed on their coast, great multitudes of the inhabitants met him, and they treated Paul courteously; and he entered in at the east gate of their city and lodged in the house of an Hebrew and one of his own nation.

9 And on the morrow he came and stood upon Mount Lud [now Ludgate Hill and Broadway in London, where St. Paul's Cathedral is located]. And the people thronged at the gate and assembled in the Broadway; and he preached Christ unto them, and many believed the word and the testimony of Jesus. . . .

¹³ And it came to pass that certain of the Druids came unto Paul privately and showed by their rites and ceremonies they were descended from the Judahites which escaped from the bondage in the land of Egypt; and the apostle believes these things, and he gave them the kiss of peace.

The Druids in those days were priests whose rites and ceremonies were nearly identical to that found in ancient Israel. Multitudes of them came to accept Jesus as the Messiah, since they had been looking for one named “Yesu.” Only later, among the few Druids who had refused to accept Christianity, did those rites often degenerate into a various forms of the occult.

With the historical evidence we have at hand, we can say for certain that Paul's letter was addressed to British Christians who were descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. These are the “gentiles” of Romans 11:13. These are the “wild olive branch” that God was now grafting back into the domestic olive tree. The angel had said in Matthew 1:21 that Jesus was to “save His people from their sins.” The focus was upon the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but the scope of salvation was to include the whole earth.