We pray and hope that this simple explanation and compilation of Bible verses will help you to clarify some questions you might have on who is the Israel of the promise.
Does the flesh make us Israelites in God’s eyes? Does the secular state of Israel, as we know it today, was founded by God? When will the promises of the restoration of Israel as a nation be fulfilled?
● Jesus said that the house of the Jewish people was about to be abandoned and desolate for rejecting their prophets and their own Messiah, in fact until He returns:
Matthew 23:37-39 ESV
[37] “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! [38] See, your house is left to you desolate. [39] For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he (Jesus) who comes in the name of the LORD (God).’”
He also predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, which in fact happened in the year 70 AC by the Roman’s army, as a punishment for the sins of the people of Israel. Since then, they were all exiled, as their house was abandoned and desolate:
Matthew 24:1-2 ESV
[1] Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. [2] But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
● God has punished but never completely rejected the Israelites for their constant rebellion and disobedience to Him, and for rejecting and killing their Messiah. The reason why is because of the promises He had made with Abraham. God has chosen and kept a remnant of Israelites who believe in God's promise of an offspring given to Abraham:
Romans 11:1-6 ESV
[1] I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. [2] God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? [3] “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” [4] But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
[5] So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. [6] But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
Romans 9:27-29 ESV
[27] And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, [28] for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” [29] And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”
● According to God's Word after Jesus’ resurrection, not all Israelites in the flesh are the children of God, but only those who believe in the promise are counted as offspring. And the "offspring" that God promised to Abraham is in fact his Son Jesus the Messiah:
John 1:11-13 ESV
[11] He (Jesus) came to his own (the Jews), and his own people did not receive him. [12] But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, [13] who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Galatians 3:16 ESV
[16] Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
● As born-again believers in Jesus, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, we are all part of the same spiritual Israel. So we should not put our eyes on the physical Israel, as we are temporary residents on this earth, and we are looking for a better country, a spiritual one--the heavenly Jerusalem:
John 10:16 ESV
[16] And I have other sheep (the Gentiles) that are not of this fold (the Jews). I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Acts 10:25-35 ESV
[25] When Peter (a Jewish Apostle) entered, Cornelius (a Roman Officer) met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. [26] But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” [27] And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered.
[28] And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. [29] So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
[30] And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing [31] and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. [32] Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ [33] So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
[34] So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, [35] but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”
Galatians 4:22-29 ESV
[22] For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. [23] But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.
[24] Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. [25] Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. [26] But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. [27] For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”
[28] Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. [29] But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.
Hebrews 11:10 ESV
[10] For Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
[13] These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
[16] But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
● A real Jew is not the one who is only circumcised in the flesh, but the one who is circumcised in the heart in union with Jesus the Messiah:
Romans 2:25-29 ESV
[25] For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.
[26] So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? [27] Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.
[28] For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. [29] But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Philippians 3:2-3 ESV
[2] Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. [3] For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.
● Now through the blood of Jesus, Jews and Gentiles are reconciled to God, making peace with Him. They unite in one Spirit and are part of one body, the body of Christ–the spiritual Israel of God. They neat together as a temple of God, whose foundation are the apostles, the prophets and Jesus as the Cornerstone:
Galatians 3:26-29 ESV
[26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Galatians 6:12 -16 ESV
[12] It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. [13] For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. [14] But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. [15] For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. [16] And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
Ephesians 2:13-22 ESV
[13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
[14] For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility [15] by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, [16] and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. [17] And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
[19] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21] in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. [22] In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
● Jesus said that his Kingdom is not of this world, not an earthly kingdom. The Jews didn't believe in Jesus and killed him because they expected their Messiah to free them from Romans' occupation. But we, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, are God’s people in union with Jesus the Messiah. We are a holy, spiritual nation, but we are temporary residents and foreigners on this earth, according to the Scriptures:
John 18:36 ESV
[36] Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
1 Peter 2:9-11 ESV
[9] But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. [10] Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. [11] Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
● Do we need a physical temple made of stone to worship God? The Scriptures say that we are living stones filled with God's Spirit, and the moment we are born of the Spirit, our body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit of God:
John 2:19-21 ESV
[19] Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [20] The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” [21] But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
John 4:21-24 ESV
[21] Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. [22] You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
[23] But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. [24] God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
[19] Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, [20] for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
● Was Israel, as a nation with a secular government since 1948, founded by God? When reading the prophecies of Ezekiel concerning Israel, we can see that God will restore Israel one day and give them back their land:
Ezekiel 36:22-28 ESV
[22] “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. [23] And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. [24] I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.
[25] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. [26] And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
[28] You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
● But when will God restore Israel and give them back their land? The Scriptures say when He will give them a new heart and set up a King over them-his Servant David, who shall be King and Shepherd over them forever. Here is in fact a message from God talking about David’s Seed, and the Seed of course is Jesus his Son, the Messiah or Anointed One. It's referring here to the second coming of Jesus as a King, who will literally return then to the physical Jerusalem to rule over all the Earth for the period of one thousand years:
Ezekiel 37:21-28 ESV
[21] then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. [22] And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one King shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. [23] They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
[24] “My Servant David shall be King over them, and they shall all have one Shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. [25] They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. [26] I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. [27] My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [28] Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”
● Also Jeremiah the prophet prophesied about Jesus as the righteous Branch or Descendant from king David's line who will reign as King and with wisdom, and whose name will be “The Lord is our Righteousness.” It says that in that day the Jews will live in their own land:
Jeremiah 23:5-8 ESV
[5] “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as King and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. [6] In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
[7] “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ [8] but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”
● The apostle Paul wrote that after the salvation of the Gentiles who believe in Jesus is completed, then the salvation of the Jews who believe in the Messiah will also be completed when Jesus the Deliverer will return:
Romans 11:25-32 ESV
[25] Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. [26] And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; [27] “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
[28] As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. [29] For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. [30] For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, [31] so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. [32] For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all (Jews and Gentiles).
Here above it says that God will have mercy on ALL, yes, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. But this doesn't mean that all Gentiles and Jews will be saved. Only those of poor spirit, the meek, the merciful, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers will be saved and called children of God, according to Matthew 5:1-9.
● Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecies talk against Gog and Magog, who are coming in multitude from the North to spoil Israel, God's people in that time. It shows that God will send fire against Gog and Magog to destroy them, and He will be magnified among all nations.
Ezekiel 38:14-16, 21-23 ESV
[14] “Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? [15] You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. [16] You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.
[21] I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. [22] With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. [23] So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord."
Ezekiel 39:1-6 ESV
[1] “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. [2] And I will turn you about and drive you forward, and bring you up from the uttermost parts of the north, and lead you against the mountains of Israel. [3] Then I will strike your bow from your left hand, and will make your arrows drop out of your right hand. [4] You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. [5] You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. [6] I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the Lord."
● When will the prophecies of Ezekiel 38 and 39 against God and Magog be fulfilled? Let us consider what the book of Revelation tells us concerning the battle of Gog and Magog:
Revelation 20:4-10 ESV
[4] Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
[5] The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. [6] Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
[7] And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison [8] and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. [9] And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, [10] and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
After reading this passage in Revelation chapter 20, we can see that the battle of Gog and Magog (also mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and 39) will take place around the end of a thousand years of Jesus’ reign on the Earth, just before God's judgment day for every human being in existence. This is why Israel was living in peace during that time under Jesus’ Kingdom regime, not before that.
● When we study the history of the Jews in the Bible, we can see that when they refused to repent of their idols, God sent the Babylonians to punish them. Eventually their temple was destroyed. Jeremiah was a prophet at that time. But after 70 years, they were able to rebuild their temple, which was a work of God because the people had repented and wanted to follow God's laws with all their hearts.
We see after this that the Jews rejected their Messiah and as a result, their temple was destroyed in the year 70 by the Romans and the Jews were exiled everywhere. But it will be God's work to restore Israel, when they repent and turn again to God and when they recognize that Jesus is truly the promised Messiah. We believe this will happen at his second coming. Then Jesus will restore Israel.
In Ezekiel 36:2-27, God will gather the scattered Jews and they will be cleansed from their iniquity and God will give them a new heart and put his Spirit within them. It feels like a new spiritual birth.
The Jews of the present government of Israel have nothing to do with God, as they are not following Jesus’ Words of working for peace among all mankind. Instead they have continually perpetrated vengeance and killing since the occupation in 1948.
Many sincere Orthodox Jews who follow the Torah and are in exile do not accept this secular government. They are waiting for the coming of their Messiah who will put everything back in order. And by the grace of God, many will see that Jesus is in fact the true Messiah. Hallelujah!
● OUR CONCLUSION:
We are strangers (foreigners) and pilgrims (nomads) on this earth waiting like Abraham for a better country, a spiritual one, the new Jerusalem from above, not the earthly Jerusalem.
Not all Jews are Jews but the ones of the promise concerning Jesus, and the ones who are circumcised in the heart.
In Jesus we are all reconciled to God and are part of the spiritual Israel–the Israel of God–, whether we are Jews or Gentiles.
According to the prophecies of Ezekiel, God will bring back the dispersed Jewish believers from the nations and will give them a new heart, and Jesus will be their Deliverer and Eternal King. We believe that it will happen during the Millenium, when Jesus will come back and rule over the Earth. At that time, the Jews will recognize Jesus as their true Messiah. Hallelujah!
This is our current understanding about the spiritual Israel of God, and we pray that we can all come to the truth and knowledge of God concerning these events. May God our Father and Jesus our Lord give us more and more understanding as we are approaching the coming of the true King and Ruler of the whole Earth. Amen.
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