The Wrong Israel
Why do some Christians get excited about one particular nation, who hates Jesus, and considers them to be God’s chosen people?
“Israel,” the name is loathed by most of the world. Yet, there are some Pentecostals, Fundamentalists, and Evangelicals who think the future of the world hinges on a mislabeled group of Jews, who formed themselves into a nation state, recognized by other nations in 1948.
Is the nation state of ethnic Jews, residing uncomfortably on a small swath of disputed land in the Middle East the chosen people of God? Despite the fact that most of them hate Jeshua Ha’Masheach (Jesus the Messiah), does God have an alternative plan of salvation for those who have rejected the one and only Savior of sinners?
Sadly, there is a significant group of Christians in the United States who believe the answers to these questions is, “Yes.” Their error, as with most errors in Christian doctrine, is found in the process of Bible interpretation.
When God revealed His purpose in election to Abraham, some 2,000 years before Christ, there was already a clear distinction between those who hated God (ie. Cain, Nimrod, Pharaoh, etc.) and those who were trusting in Him (ie. Abel, Seth, Noah, etc.). These two groups, one believing and the other not believing, were simply the manifestation of God’s elect and God’s reprobate from eternity.
God revealed the elect and the reprobate, even in Abraham’s family. Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau represent the dichotomy. The line of those in the covenant of grace went: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. The covenant of grace is God’s eternal covenant, revealed in time to Abraham (Gen 12, 15, 17). The meaning of the covenant is captured in God’s intent, “I will be your God and the God of your seed (offspring), and you and your children will be my people.”
The unfolding of the history of Jacob’s twelve sons demonstrates that the Israelites (also called Hebrews and Jews) were just as sinful and wicked as the nations around them. This is true of them, today.
Israel, the nation, like so many elements of the Old Testament served typologically for the realities to come. The true Israel, of course, is Jesus Christ (Is 49:3). Our Lord was the fulfillment of the shadows and types, as well as the prophecies, revealed by God to the Jewish prophets, who wrote these things down for our benefit.
Paul makes the argument in Romans 2 that the Jewish people, sinful law breakers, are just as much deserving of the wrath of God as their Gentile neighbors (Rom 1:18–32). Despite their having the promises, the law, the prophets, and the temple cult, the Jews were objects of God’s wrath at times. God made sure this was included in the history of Israel in the Old Testament.
The apostle Paul continues to help us understand that the name, “Israel” does not just apply to his Jewish brethren. When he wrote, “Not all Israel is Israel (Rom 9:6),” he was demonstrating that there remains elect and reprobate, regenerate and unregenerate, believers and unbelievers in the midst of ethnic Jews. So, we must conclude that not all ethnic Israel is saved by Jesus the Christ, who is God our Savior (Titus 1:3; 3:4–6).
The Bible does encourage us that, “all Israel will be saved.” Hence, we must also conclude there is another group of people in the world who rightfully call themselves, “the Israel of God.” Paul clearly revealed that identifiable name to the Galatians in 6:16. The Israel of God is the church of Jesus Christ, which has been comprised of Jewish and Gentile believers since at least Acts 10. The argument can be made that Gentile God-fearers in the Old Testament should be included in the term “church” or the term “Israel.”
When God reveals that a remnant of Jews will always be preserved, He also means a remnant for Gentiles, too. The reason is that He is not only the God of the Jews, but the God of the Gentiles, too. He is the redeemer of His people, Israel. As we have seen, this elect, regenerated group of people — a remnant from all nations is the true Israel (Rev 7:9) — Christ being the head and the church being the body…together, Israel (Col 1:18; 1 Cor 12:13).
In conclusion, we must reject the false teaching that overstimulates Christians to get excited about the current occupants of Palestine. For the most part, they remain prime haters of Jesus Christ. For Christians to call them, “God’s chosen people,” is contrary to Scripture. Korah was a Jew, but he did not belong to the Israel of God. The same is true for Judas Iscariot. The same is true for Pharisees and Sadducees and the high priests who killed Jesus. Men are not saved by their blood lines (Jn 1:13), which remains the root error of evangelical Zionists. Men are justified by Christ’s blood alone (Rom 5:9), through faith alone, because of grace alone, from God alone, revealed in the Scriptures alone.
Israel has one God, who has revealed His one covenant of grace, to one elect people — both Jews and Gentiles, and He has redeemed them by one Savior, Jesus, and has revealed this by one Holy Spirit, who fills one Church, which is the one body of Christ, the one holy nation, a kingdom of priests known as…”Israel.” This is God’s one plan of salvation.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
March 14, 2022
