The Israel Of God

Introduction:

1. Most professing believers hold to a dispensational, Jewish-oriented, Pre-Tribulationary, Pre-Millenial scheme of thinking.
   1. They believe physical Jews are God’s special people, prophecy and our blessings revolve around them, vast numbers will be converted, Jesus will reign in earthly Jerusalem, and He will restore Israel to world preeminence.
   2. Christ’s Second Coming will be Pre-Tribulation: before the seven-year reign of tribulation under an Antichrist.
   3. Christ’s Second Coming will be Pre-Millennial: before a 1000-year reign in Jerusalem of revived temple worship.
   4. They interpret Bible prophecies literally without regard for contradictions and obvious spiritual implications.
2. This idea of Bible interpretation was unknown prior to 1830 with Irving, Darby, Scofield, and many others being players.
3. This idea of Bible interpretation promotes a number of errors that are very dangerous and costly in their implications.
   1. The Bible is to be interpreted literally at any cost – regardless of absurdities, contradictions, or heretical concepts.
   2. A natural, carnal, earthly interpretation of the Bible is substituted for a spiritual, eternal, heavenly interpretation.
   3. The Church of Jesus Christ made of Gentile believers is an afterthought, a parenthesis, or something even less.
   4. The Destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD is totally overlooked, missed, and rejected as having much importance.
   5. Christ does not have a Second Coming; He has a Second Coming and a Third Coming separated by seven years.
   6. Jesus will come in a secret rapture and deliver believers from ever going through a tribulation here on earth.
   7. The Millenium is a carnal, earthly, physical kingdom in Jerusalem, Israel with animal sacrifices in a temple.
4. This is not to be an exhaustive study at all but rather a review of principle statements identifying the true Israel of God.
5. And it is my further objective to destroy this Jewish fable of some future restoration of Jewish preeminence (Titus 1:14).

I. The Election of Physical Israel

1. After Creation, for 2000 years only Abel, Enoch, Seth, Enos, and Noah are described favorably.
2. God chose and called Abram when living in Mesopotamia (Gen 11:27-32; 12:1-5; Acts 7:2-4).
3. God revealed Himself to Abraham personally (Genesis 12:7; 15:12-17; 17:1; 18:1-33).
4. God made covenants with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3,7; 13:14-17; 15:5,18-21; 22:15-18).
5. From Abraham came Isaac, Jacob, twelve great grandsons, and the substantial nation of Israel.
6. From the twelve grandsons came Moses to whom the Lord revealed Himself (Ex 3:14; 6:2-3).
7. God gave His glorious word or commandments to Israel (Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Romans 3:1-2).
8. It was this nation that God chose and loved above all other peoples (Amos 3:2; Deut 7:6-8).
9. For another 2000 years God gave them judges, kings, and prophets in loving His nation.
10. God made promises to Abraham and Israel as part of His covenants with them i.e. the land.
    1. Abraham never received any of Canaan (Genesis 13:14-18 cp Acts 7:5 cp Gen 23:1-20).
    2. Abraham gladly understood the “land” to be God’s heavenly country (Heb 11:13-16).
    3. Physical Israel obtained all the land ever promised (Joshua 11:23; 21:23-25; Neh 9:7-8).
    4. Why are there so many today still claiming that Israel has never received their land?
    5. Mr. Scofield contradicts the word of God with his blasphemous footnotes (SRB, p.250).

II. The Rejection of Physical Israel

1. The covenants made with physical Israel were very conditional (Deuteronomy 28:1-2,15).
2. The Lord plainly described the horrible calamities that would follow rebellion (Lev 26:27-39).
3. Jesus Christ prophesied God would take the kingdom away from them (Matthew 21:33-46).
4. Jesus told the nation plainly that their house was judged and left desolate (Matt 23:31-36,38).
5. He promised to throw down their temple and not leave one stone upon another (Matthew 24:2).
6. The Old Covenant to Israel passed away. It is gone. The New arrived (Heb 8:13; 12:26-27).
7. Paul would refer to their great covenant symbol as the concision – flesh mutilators (Phil 3:2-3).
8. But what about Luke 13:35? It was fulfilled directly in Luke 19:38. Must I look to 3500 A.D.?
9. But what about Romans 11:25-32? Isaiah’s perspective of Christ’s death was future (Is 59:20).
10. But what about Hebrews 8:7-13? Jeremiah’s perspective of His death was future (Jer 31:31-34).
11. But what about Rev 14:1-5? They symbolize the first Jewish converts (Jas 1:1,18; I Cor 16:15).
12. But what of 1948 and 1967? Were they Jews or Gentiles? Can anyone find a single blessing?
13. All prophecies to Israel (1) were fulfilled, (2) conditionally withdrawn, or (3) spiritual in N.T.

III. The Corruption of Physical Israel

1. There is not a Jewish race in existence today by scientific research and their own admission.
   1. The Jews have always married interracially (Gen 16:4; I Kings 11:1-3; Neh 13:23-24).
   2. Even in Ezra’s time, there were some who could not prove their lineage (Ezra 2:59-63).
   3. Assyria, importing other nations, created the Samaritans (II Kgs 17:24-29 cp John 4:9).
   4. Intermarriages with Gentiles of all races and nations continued unabated to our times.
   5. Various Jewish sources confirm the Jews have truly been scattered and diluted away.
2. The Ashkenazim Jews, which constitute 90 percent of world Jewry, are actually Gentiles.
   1. This designation is their designation, and this information is from their own admissions.
   2. Ashkenaz was the Gentile grandson of Noah’s Japheth (Genesis 10:1-5; I Chron 1:5-7).
   3. Ashchenaz was a kingdom in the vicinity of Ararat and Minni – Armenia (Jer 51:27).
   4. The Khazars, tracing back to Ashkenaz, became a significant kingdom in this area.
   5. Around 740 A.D., the Khazar Empire was almost entirely converted to Judaism.
   6. Defeated by the Russians (1000 A.D.), the Khazars moved to eastern Europe.
   7. These Gentile converts to Judaism made the Yiddish-speaking Jews of eastern Europe.
   8. It is these Ashkenazim Jews that created the Zionist movement to restore Israel.
   9. Accusations of anti-Semitism are hilarious, as those crying it are self-admitted Gentiles.
   10. 10. The real victims of anti-Semitism are the Arabs who have been pushed out of their land.
3. Is there additional Scriptural proof of these assertions? Does the Bible justify these facts?
   1. Jesus said Jerusalem would be under Gentiles until this time was fulfilled (Luke 21:24).
   2. If Jerusalem must be under the Gentiles, then the “Jews” there must be Gentiles.

IV. The True Israel of God

1. There are several Israels we must identify and consider as we search for the true Israel of God.
   1. National/physical Israel is clearly the first Israel. These are the natural, biological, flesh descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob making a physical nation (Romans 9:1-5).
   2. Paul divides national Israel by identifying an elect remnant within it (Romans 9:6-8,27).
   3. Paul further divides elect Israel by identifying a blinded portion of it (Rom 11:25-29).
2. Identifying the true Israel of God is a mystery revealed by God to Paul (Eph 2:11-22; 3:1-12).
   1. Without knowing Jesus Christ’s bloody sacrifice, Gentiles were without hope (2:11-13).
   2. The ordinances were for Israel, but Jesus Christ created one body by death (2:14-17).
   3. There is now one kingdom of God for Jews and Gentiles through the Spirit (2:18-22).
   4. There is one large body of all the elect (21), and there was a local Ephesus body (22).
   5. Uniting elect Jews and Gentiles in one body as fellowheirs had indeed been a mystery (3:1-12), as this was a preposterous idea to Jews still dreaming of national supremacy.
   6. The kingdom of God, the nation, the church, the body, the house, the temple, and the family of God are now elect Jews and Gentiles in one spiritual body under Christ Jesus.
   7. We are united with the Old Testament saints as fellowcitizens in a new kingdom-nation.
   8. The true Israel continues as a spiritual nation of elect Jews and Gentiles saved by Christ.
   9. Shall we not earnestly contend: what God hath joined together let not man put asunder?
3. Jesus spoke of this mystery Himself when describing one fold and Shepherd (John 10:16).
4. Jesus foretold He would take His kingdom from Jews and give it to Gentiles (Matt 21:33-46).
   1. The parable of the householder plainly describes the Jews’ rebellion against the Lord.
   2. The Pharisees accurately ended the parable by stating destruction and new husbandmen.
   3. And they accurately applied it to themselves, but rather than submit they chose anger.
   4. The kingdom of God was taken from the Jewish nation and given to the Gentiles.
   5. How say some that the kingdom is the Jews? Let them show us another transfer!
5. Even Caiaphas the high priest ignorantly prophesied of a combined nation (John 11:47-52).
6. Jews tried to make Jesus King, but He rejected their fleshly idea (Jn 6:15; 18:36; Lu 17:20-21).
7. Jesus and Paul used Israel carefully (John 1:47; Gal 6:16). But see fleshly Israel (I Cor 10:18).
8. The true Jew was and is a spiritual child of God without regard to race (Rom 2:28-29; 9:24-26).
   1. These two verses could not be plainer. Physical genealogy is worthless and deceptive.
   2. Jesus boldly explained this problem to the Jews themselves (John 8:37,39,41,44).
   3. John the Baptist had already warned against false confidence in Abraham (Matt 3:9).
   4. Paul further identifies the true circumcision as spiritual as opposed to flesh (Phil 3:3).
   5. Outside of Jesus Christ, fleshly Jews are hated and lying Satanists (Revelation 2:9; 3:9).
   6. The Lord Jesus will bring them to worship Gentiles as the beloved of God (Rev 3:9).
9. Rebuilding of the tabernacle of David was Gentile conversions (Amos 9:11-12; Acts 15:13-18).
   1. Scofield claims this is the most important dispensational passage in the New Testament.
   2. The context, application, and immediate conclusion of the council make this so simple.
   3. James defined the fulfillment of rebuilding David’s tabernacle as Gentile conversions.
10. The kingdom and church of Jesus Christ is the promised son of Abram by Sarah (Gal 4:21-31).
    1. Paul enlightens us here with an allegory from Abraham’s two sons – Ishmael and Isaac.
    2. The fleshly union of Abraham and Hagar resulted in a son, but not the son of promise.
    3. The union of Abraham and Sarah also resulted in a son, but it was by spiritual promise.
    4. Believers are the accepted (though persecuted) heirs of promise by the freewoman.
    5. And those fleshly descendants of Abraham were rejected from any inheritance at all.
    6. The bondage of Hagar represents fleshly Israel; and Sarah’s heir represents believers.
    7. Jerusalem on earth is in bondage and has been rejected; our Jerusalem above is free.
    8. And we should not be at all surprised at persecution from them born after the flesh.
11. The church of Jesus Christ is the spiritual fulfillment of everything of Israel (Heb 12:18-29).
    1. We have come to Mt. Zion, a city named Jerusalem, and the general assembly of Israel.
    2. All aspects of the heavenly kingdom gloriously come together in Jesus Christ (22-24).
    3. We’ve received this final kingdom of God where He is worshipped acceptably forever.
    4. And the former things – Israel after the flesh – has been taken away as only temporary.
12. Peter also described this spiritual new nation of Israel as a complete replacement (I Pet 2:4-10).
    1. Believers in Christ are a spiritual house and holy priesthood with spiritual sacrifices.
    2. Observe that Israel after the flesh was appointed to their disobedience and stumbling.
    3. Believers – even Gentiles – are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and the people of God.
13. The hope of Israel (Acts 28:20) is not a future fleshly nation but the resurrection (23:6; 26:6-8).
14. Gentile believers are the true Seed of Abram and inherit the promises (Gal 3:7,16-18,26-29).
    1. The promises made to Abraham were not to his descendants but to his Seed – Christ.
    2. The promises to Abraham were spiritual in nature and realized by us in Christ Jesus.
    3. Isn’t it amazing how modern versions corrupt “seed” to “descendants” in Genesis?
    4. Shall we ascribe it to ignorance, stupidity, or deception they would deny themselves?
    5. In Christ Jesus there is no distinction of Jew and Greek. Why do they howl for one?
    6. If there is no Jewish distinction in Christ, then why create one for a future millenium?
    7. Even the land is ours, for the land is the heavenly country and city built by God.

Conclusion:

1. We deny the arbitrary and heretical dispensations of Darby and Scofield. We admit three (Rom 5:14; Luke 16:16).
2. Let every man be on guard against Jewish fables. Let no man deceive you by any means. The church is true Israel.
3. Let us be sober as we read Scripture in either testament to consider the spiritual fulfillment in both Jews and Gentiles.
4. The revelation of such a gracious mystery should cause thanksgiving and fear and zeal (Romans 11:18-22).