Due to current (November of 2023) geopolitical circumstances I am obliged to write about this very controversial matter (seems like everything I write about is highly controversial 😊). As I am writing this article there is a war raging in the Middle East between the state of Israel and the terrorist group Hamas. Most evangelical Christians in the USA and elsewhere staunchly support Israel regardless of the morality of the actions undertaken by the Zionist state. These Christians base their unconditional support for the Jewish state on the following verse told to patriarch Abraham by God Himself:
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Genesis 12:2-3
Since the nation of Israel claims to be descendants of Abraham, evangelical Christians, in their majority, believe these verses apply to the modern Jewish state. Is this so? Absolutely not, according to the Bible itself. The Bible reveals very clearly who the real Israelites are, and most people who live in the modern state of Israel do not qualify. Let’s see what the Bible says.
We’re going to look at the issue from the Biblical perspective, so this entry is more for believers than non-believers; however, the Biblical perspective is the one that matters, because it’s God’s view, and that’s the one that counts. We’re going to answer several questions from the Biblical perspective. Here we go:
- Who is the true Israel of God?
We will answer this question, as all the rest of them, from the scriptural standpoint. Let’s see what the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Romans:
28 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”
Romans 2:28-29
6 “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”
Romans 9:6-8
And to the Galatians, he said the following:
“Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.”
Galatians 3:7
26 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:26-29
In these verses, the Apostle Paul states very clearly that the real children of Abraham, the true Israel of God, are not those who can claim genetic lineage to Abraham through the tribes of Israel, but they are THOSE WHO HAVE FAITH IN MESSIAH CHRIST JESUS.
On the other hand, those who rejected, or reject, Jesus, regardless of their genetic ancestry, ARE NOT PART OF THE TRUE ISRAEL OF GOD. In fact, Jesus Himself told as much to the Jews themselves, something that infuriated them. Let’s see some examples:
“Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”
Matthew 21:43
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Matthew 23:37-39
In these verses Jesus was directly addressing the unbelieving Pharisee religious rulers of the Jews, who rejected Him. In other words, he was telling them that from that moment, the moment of their rejection, which would culminate with the stoning of Stephen in 34 A.D., the oracles of God, and the people of God would transfer to another Nation, not physical based on genetic heritage, but a spiritual Nation based on faith.
Can the unbelieving Jews of today be the “people of God”? Not unless they acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah and believe in Him for the forgiveness of their sins, just like any other person.
Paul reinforced that point in Romans 11:23, when he put forth his beautiful metaphor of the church as one olive tree, where some natural branches (the unbelieving Jews) were cut off because of unbelief, and branches from wild trees (the gentiles) were grafted in:
“And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.”
Romans 11:23
Read the whole metaphor given by Paul in Romans 11, it is beautiful and very didactic. And read again what Paul says in verse 23: IF THEY ABANDON THEIR UNBELIEF, then, and only then, can they return to be part of God’s people.
Can God move through His Spirit among the people of the modern state of Israel and spark a massive conversion of unbelievers there? Of course, He can, and it’s likely that He might do just that; but until then, the unbelieving majority in the state of Israel DOES NOT BELONG TO GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE. PERIOD. They must repent of their sins and turn to the true Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, in faith for the forgiveness of their wrongdoing, just like every other human on this wretched world.
I am not trying to be antisemitic or pick any side in the ongoing conflict; just to see things from God’s perspective by looking at the Scriptures.
2. How can you get an Israeli “citizenship”?
The Apostle Paul answers this question very clearly also in his epistles, let’s see:
11 “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
Ephesians 2:11-13
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”
Ephesians 2:19
“For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”
Philippians 3:3
Can it get any clearer than that? Paul clearly states that we, the gentiles, who in the times before Christ were not part of Israel, now, and THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST, are part of the commonwealth of Israel, and considered circumcised, spiritually, which is the only way it counts. On the contrary, someone who rejects Jesus, cannot be part of Israel. It’s as simple as that. I will ask the same question I asked before: can the unbelieving Jews of today be the Israel of God? Not according to the Bible.
Let’s read also from the mouth of Messiah Himself what is required to be part of God’s Nation and inherit eternal life:
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
John 17:3
So according to Jesus Himself, Salvation, eternal life, which are synonyms with citizenship in God’s Kingdom can be achieved by faith in the ONLY TRUE GOD, God the Father, AND in his Son Jesus. Very clearly stated by Jesus Himself. Notice how there’s only one true God, and one Son which we are required to know, not a third person. I wrote about this issue in a previous article: “Who is God?”
The previously mentioned writings by Paul in Ephesians 2 establish clearly that we as gentile believers can be part of God’s true Israel, fellow citizens, not second-class citizens.
3. What is God’s mystery?
Paul speaks about “God’s mystery” in the same letter to the Ephesians.
2 “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel…”
Ephesians 3:3-6
This was a mystery and very hard to understand for the Jews who accepted Jesus in the first century, and even for the Apostles themselves, as we can read in Acts 1:6-8:
6 “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
The disciples were still keen in the restoration of Israel as an earthly nation, even after being with Christ for 3.5 years, and even after the resurrection. Jesus told them clearly that the reach of God’s kingdom was not to be limited by geographical borders. The disciples were shocked when gentiles were converted because in their mind, Messiah was only for them, for the genetic children of Jacob. But that was not God’s plan…
Regrettably, this is still a mystery for many Christians who believe that citizenship in Israel is by genetics, and that God’s chosen people are in a country in the middle East. It is truly a tragedy that gentile believers think like this, and do not recognize their true citizenship.
Citizenship in God’s Nation, Israel, is not by race or by genetics, but by faith in Christ Jesus.
4. What are the times of the Gentiles?
This is something Jesus mentions in the gospel of Luke:
“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
Luke 21:24
This is a verse that has given rise to multiple theories and interpretations, many of them false.
Believers in futurism, theory about which I wrote in “Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy”, think this verse means that when the times of the gentiles are fulfilled, Jerusalem will be rebuilt with a Temple as the center of worship of God. But what event follows the times of the gentiles according to Jesus, a few verses later in the same gospel of Luke?
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Luke 21:27
What follows the times of the gentiles is not a rebuilding of Israel but the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The times of the gentiles are fulfilled when Jesus returns. And that event is really the end, the end of the world as we know it, not a restoration of fleshly Israel.
It is the time when God gathers all his children from all over the world, the true Israel of God, by the preaching of the Gospel, and then the end will come.
Paul talks about the same period in Romans 11:
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Romans 11:25
The fullness of the gentiles comes in during the time of the Gentiles, when the Gospel is being preached, and we can see in Luke, as we already read, that the next event is the Second Coming and the end of the world.
Most futurists believe that at the end of the times of the gentiles the secret Rapture of the Church will happen. This is a popular doctrine that is nowhere to be found in the Bible. The Second Coming will be seen and heard by the entire world.
No secret rapture will come. No earthly millennium during which the Jews can be saved will come either. There is only one church, one tree, as Paul depicted in Romans 11. There’s not a Christian church and a Jewish one. The Bible simply does not teach that.
And finally, what does all this mean for you and me? It means that by faith in Jesus Christ we can have citizenship in the nation of God, no matter the color of your skin, your gender, or your age. If you believe in Him for the forgiveness of your sins, you belong to Him and are a citizen of the Israel of God. This is the gospel message; this is righteousness by faith. Paul put it in a beautiful way in his letter to the Galatians:
26 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:26-28
There’s no preference or advantage, there’s no higher status based on race or gender. We’re all the same level citizens in His Kingdom.
Now, this is not to say that by believing in Him you’re free now to do as you please and keep sinning. Oh no! A couple of verses in Revelation 12 and 14, describe who are the special people of God, those who have citizenship in His Kingdom. Let’s read them:
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Revelation 12:17
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Revelation 14:12
Those are the two characteristics of the citizens of the kingdom: They have the faith of Jesus, and, consequently, they keep the commandments of God. Which commandments? All ten of them, plus a few extra ones from the Law of Moses prescribed in Acts 15, but that’s the subject of another entry. Those two key aspects are what confers citizenship in the Israel of God. The real Jew is that who believes in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and keeps the commandments of God.
Also in Revelation, the Lord warns twice about a group of people that deceive the world by saying they are Jews, but they are not. Let’s read:
“I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.”
Revelation 2:9
“Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”
Revelation 3:9
Anyone who claims to be a Jew, in a Middle East country, or elsewhere, who does not have the two key aspects we have discussed, obedience to the Commandments, AND the faith of Jesus Christ, is a liar. That’s not my opinion, that’s God’s opinion.
With this I’m not justifying hatred of any group of people, I’m just stating what the Word of God declares: mere profession of being a Jew, or genetic lineage does not make a person a true child of God.
You might ask me which side I’m on in the ongoing conflict: my answer: I am not on either side, because this is a war between two sides who do not know the true Messiah, Christ Jesus. I’m on the side of the Kingdom of grace, the Kingdom of love and peace, the Kingdom of forgiveness; The Kingdom of God. That’s where my allegiance is. The Leader that I follow is the Prince of Peace; the cause that I support is the kingdom of His grace. And the people who I support are all those in need of these, on both sides of this conflict. I’m definitely not on the side of hatred, revenge, retaliation, murder, bloodshed, and death; no matter which side is doing it. Whoever is committing these acts, are on the same side, the side of Satan.
I pray that looking at things from God’s perspective will inspire you to know what we have in Jesus, and to strengthen your faith in Him.
I want to thank my brother and teacher Nader Mansour for the inspiration and content of this entry. Please check him out, you won’t regret it.
May God the Father bless you richly through His Son Jesus.
Dios escucha 
Israel has been nothing but trouble since it’s inception…
Just lime Vermin and Pestilence
LikeLike
Many orthodox jews are against the modern state of Israel because it was created by secular socialists, and that goes against Torah.
LikeLike