There are many patterns that can be tracked across the Bible. One of them is how God deals with unbelief. He casts out unbelievers, replacing them with believers, who then receive His promised rewards. Many stories reveal this pattern, but to make the point, here are just two. One from the Old Testament and One from the New:
Numbers 13-14
In this Old Testament story, God denies the Israelites from entering the promised land of Canaan because of their unbelief. He waits until a new generation of believers replaces the unbelievers — thus casting out the unbelievers who were there first, and then gifting his promised destination only to the worthy believers who came after.
Romans 11:11-31
In this New Testament writing, the apostle Paul uses an olive tree as a metaphor for Israel, God’s chosen people. However, when Jesus arrived, many Jews did not accept Him as their messiah. And so, for their unbelief, they were “broken off” by God, like a branch, and replaced with a new branch made of gentiles. This led some in the newly forming Christian church to think they were superior to the Jewish people. But, that is a misunderstanding which has caused much division and anti-semitism over time.
Paul goes on to explain that gentile believers replace only those Jews who fell into unbelief and were broken off. Not all of Israel. In fact, we are grafted into the original spiritual olive tree of Israel, and should not “boast”, as if we are separate or superior. For we are only a branch, grafted into the original tree, living off the roots that were already established. And, knowing this, we should tremble. For if God did not spare the natural original branches, neither will he spare the grafted branches if we too fall into unbelief. For we all make up the entire olive tree, together. All believers, from both the Old and New Testaments, combined.
And that is God’s plan in a nutshell. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, all unbelievers will be cast out and replaced by believers. Whether it’s for the promised land — or the promise of Heaven. This is what scripture means by separating “wheat from chaff,” or “sheep from goats.” There will be no unbelievers in Heaven no matter who they are or where they came from. Conversely, the believers, no matter who they are or where they came from, will be grafted into God’s plan, to inherit a new Heaven and earth.
If you say that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
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