Is National Israel God’s Chosen And Holy Nation?

I believe this is such an important topic and I was thinking the other day, why should we not be able to have reasoned conversation without being bullied and labeled with venomous and hateful words? And do others resort to such conduct because they are afraid of the truth or maybe they are unable to reason from the Scriptures their point of view?

Does it make any difference that many look to physical Israel for Biblical fulfillment while others look to spiritual Israel? Is it unimportant? Does it really not matter that some look to the natural world while others are looking at the spiritual state of things?

I believe if we look to the natural for the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, the Church will be deceived. And that the Church must stop looking to national Israel for the fulfillment of biblical prophecy concerning the new covenant era. The Church is the Israel of the new covenant. Paul says, we are "THE ISRAEL OF GOD". That seems awfully synonymous to "SPIRITUAL ISRAEL".

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16 AND AS MANY AS WALK ACCORDING TO THIS RULE, PEACE BE ON THEM, AND MERCY, AND UPON THE ISRAEL OF GOD." (Gal 6:15-16)

What "rule" is Paul speaking of? The rule of "being a new creature in Christ", where circumcision is not of the flesh but of the heart.

I may be wrong but the Scriptures seem to teach that Biblical prophecy relating to the new covenant era is about spiritual Israel, not national Israel. It is about the true and false, or apostate Christians, not true or false national Israelites. The testimony of the scriptures is clear about them during the new covenant era.

Matt 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

Prophecy concerning God's people is no longer about national Israel, but rather spiritual Israel, which is composed of all those of every race and nation who claim to be Christ's own.

It is difficult at best to get around Joshua 21:43-45. All the promises relating to physical land and other matters were fulfilled under Joshua, but because of the Jews’ continual and chronic rebellion against God, "He amputated all of the land He had given them during the Roman/Jewish war of 67-70 A. D." Let it be noted that God never promised to give Israel land, or anything else, BUT ON THE CONDITION OF OBEDIENCE.

"And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass." (Jos 21:43-45)

Not Finished Yet
"But is God finished with Jews as a race? Absolutely not! No more than He is finished with Gentiles as a race. God has not forsaken Jews or Gentiles. He wants all of them to come to His Son for deliverance and salvation. My entire thrust in this feature has been that He is finished with the Jews as a holy people and nation or as a religious and political state. We ought to accept the reality that God has only one "Israel” today, and she is the family or one body of believers." (Eph. 4:4).

All believers, regardless of race, are the children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 26-29).
All believers, regardless of race, are God’s chosen children (Eph. 1:3-6, Titus 2:11-14).
All believers, regardless of race, are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, "a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9).
All believers, regardless of race, are the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16, 2 Cor. 6:16).
All believers, regardless of race, are currently in God’s spiritual kingdom or reign (Col. 1:13-14).
All believers, regardless of race, are called the circumcision (Phil. 3:3).
All believers, regardless of race, are called Jerusalem, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2-12).

The Whole Matter In A Nut Shell
If Old Jerusalem has been replaced by New Jerusalem (grace era or Christian system); if the Old Temple has been replaced by the New Temple; if the Old Priesthood has been superseded by the priesthood of all believers; if the Old Sacrifices were succeeded by the Perfect Sacrifice; if physical circumcision was replaced by spiritual circumcision (of the heart); and if New Israel (the Christian community) replaced Old Israel, then...Why would God, at some future date, restore the old carnal regulations and practices when something far better, with transcendent promises, has arrived? God has made everything new! The new order eclipses the old regulations and practices, which were only shadows of the good things to come (Heb. 10:1).

To put it another way, why would God return to the Old after having created the New? This would be regression, not progression. Or, why would God retreat by reinstating the carnal when He has resurrected the spiritual? Why would any believer want to surrender his spiritual status in this new age and return to the carnal, external, and legalistic arrangement under Moses””a system that was incapable of abolishing sins? Well, why?

For more: http://www.mindspring.com/~renewal/Israel.html

Here a little to truth to counteract the lies about God's dealings with Israel

Jeremiiah 33
6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure; and I will cure them and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.

7 And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to cease, and will build them as at the first.

8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against Me; and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against Me.

9 And it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and an honorbefore all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them; and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I provide unto it.’

10 "Thus saith the Lord: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place (which ye say shall be desolate, without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast),

11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, "Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good; for His mercy endureth for ever”””and of those who shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captives of the land, as at the first,’ saith the Lord.

12 "Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘Again in this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof shall be a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.

13 In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the South, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that counteth them,’ saith the Lord.

14 "‘Behold, the days come,’ saith the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

Jer 33:14 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

And what is the "good thing" that God promised but Jesus the Messiah, Himself.

"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and JERUSALEM SHALL DWELL SAFELY: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness." (Jer 33:15-16)

Jerusalem above now dwells safely in Christ. She (the Church) is the only one that "shall be called, "The Lord our righteousness", for the Lord is her righteousness!

And the Israel of God, now dwells safely in Christ.

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and ISRAEL SHALL DWELL SAFELY: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Jer 23:5-6)

Who calls and declares the LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS but the CHURCH of Jesus Christ, only!

A little more truth from Jeremiah 33

25 Thus saith the Lord: ‘If My covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth,

26 then will I cast away the seed of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will cause their captivity to cease, and have mercy on them.’”

Jeremiah 32

37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries whither I have driven them in Mine anger and in My fury and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely.

38 And they shall be My people, and I will be their God;

39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me for ever, for the good of them and of their children after them.

40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me.

41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul.

42 "For thus saith the Lord: As I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.

43 And fields shall be bought in this land whereof ye say, ‘It is desolate without man or beast. It is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’

44 Men shall buy fields for money, and sign evidences and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return, saith the Lord.”

The Old Testament is full of types of the "land", "city", "country", "dwelling place" and "habitation" that we dwell in now and are spoken of in the New Testament as Jesus Christ and His Body. You cannot separate the two, for they are one and they represent every nation and kindred and tongue.

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. AND MANY NATIONS SHALL BE JOINED TO THE LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. (Zec 2:10-11)

In whom ye also are builded together for an HABITATION OF GOD through the Spirit. (Eph 2:22)

The Lord is our habitation.

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the HEAVENLY JERUSALEM, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Heb 12:22)

FOR IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. (Act 17:28)

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: (Jer 31:31-32)

It is important that the Church makes natural Israel jealous and that they are grafted back into the Vine. But, what seems to be happening today, is that natural Israel is making the Church jealous and causing the Church to be like them for the Church is adopting Old Testament ways.

Very good points, Oracio.

What really interests me is what will be the fruit of those in the church both in attitude and actions that look to physical Israel for the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy?

Many say persecution is coming. Will Christians who believe in carnal warfare be part of the company of men that persecute the Israel of God (Gal 6:16)?

Ant-semitic and religion without the Holy Spirit.
A deadly mixture.

by Notdarkyet on 2015/11/22 9:48:51

Ant-semitic and religion without the Holy Spirit.
A deadly mixture.

Notdarkyet, If you can't present your beliefs in a reasoned way, I would ask you to cease and desist with the hateful accusations and labels. We oppose a theological concept, not people. If you cannot control yourself, I would ask Greg and other moderators to talk to you about it.

One thing the link I gave presents very well is how false your accusations are: read it and cease your verbal attacks.

"Anti-Semitic?” Really?
In Israel, My Glory journal (June, 2006), the Editor, Elwood McQuaid, notes that any person who is anti-Israel is, "at the same time, anti-Semitic.”

This Editor’s loose generalization lacks substance and is void of reality. It is like saying that anyone who is anti-Nazi is, at the same time, anti-German, or that anyone who is anti-United Nations is, at the same time, opposed to all nations. There are many elements about National Israel I oppose, particularly the theology that she is God’s holy nation and special people and should be supported””financially and otherwise.

But am I anti-Jew because I oppose this theological concept? I oppose factors within America’s political system, believing it is largely pregnant with corruption. Does that make me anti-American?

It bugs me beyond words when these evangelical Editors and other writers, who lend their allegiance to National Israel "because she is God’s holy nation,” take pot-shots at those of us who cannot adopt their theological stance, and accuse us of being anti-Semitic. God has only one holy nation today, and she is the Christian community or the one body of believers. The divine testimony so affirms. Yet these evangelical Editors and their staff writers will point to a nation of atheists, National Israel, and affirm that she is God’s holy entity. Nothing could be farther from the truth. And so I say to Editor McQuaid: Get off your soap-box, cast aside your anti-ism, and face reality.

Enough is enough. Another staff-writer of Israel, My Glory told about the many ways Israel can be blessed. He referred, of course, to National Israel, not the community of the redeemed. This in spite of the fact that National Israel is 85% atheistic. So how in heaven’s name can we bless a nation of atheists? How in heaven’s name can God bless a nation of atheists? Yes, God no doubt has a remnant among the Jews in National Israel, as He has a remnant among all races. But to encourage Christians to bless an atheistic nation is beyond my ability to understand. I’d better close this section before I get all wound up and someone falsely accuses me of being anti-Semitic.

Is there anything in the Bible that you actually believe?
Or do you just invent things as you go along?

I've been "sitting" on this post to YOU, praying, pondering, and I believe in the final analysis is what we have here is a pearls before swine dichotomy.

you sent a slim simple arrow flying:

"Anti-Semitic and religion without the Holy Spirit.
A deadly mixture."

and you witnessed the reaction, with verbiage of

quote:

"Notdarkyet, If you can't present your beliefs in a reasoned way, I would ask you to cease and desist with the hateful accusations and labels. We oppose a theological concept, not people. If you cannot control yourself, I would ask Greg and other moderators to talk to you about it."

the dread irony is so thick you can cut with it a knife, in a different time and age, this "to talk to you about it." would be the stake, a pile of oak brush and the flame for you.

You unpack Jeremiah's Book of Consolation, (Chapters 30-33) in an attempt to "reason"....and that where the pearls before swine dichotomy comes in....there is no reasoning there, only a hard brittle form of "religion" cast back at you.

Heaven forbid, you speak and search out, with heart knowledge lensed thru the God the Holy Ghost, the Four "Suffering Servant Songs" of Isaiah, would you receive a hearing salted with love?.....or should we search out the Seven Penitential Psalms, that formed an early liturgy of the Early Church, known as The Way?

and then I ask myself, and I ask God, "what would be the fruit?"...its really just a barren tree, that's the error of replacement theology, or british-israelism....which then leads further into a dark denhole entitled "Christian Identity"....which basically says that all the Blessings of the Old Testament "belong" now to the "church", and all the curses, belong to the Jews.

Its a tortured twisting reading of The Story of God, which in the final analysis is One Glorious Continuum, not "fence-lined" off into "them" and "us".

Now, as you can see in the Writings, 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, all of what happened, Godly and ungodly, is fearlessly recounted AND Canonized....yes?

I wonder how the "history" of the "church"(es...plural) over the last 1700 years would read like?....seeing as much of the New Testament was locked into Canon under the aegis of that scarlet whore of Rome, that is the Roman Catholic "Church", and its two cousins, the Greek and Russian Orthodox "churches", all "resplendent" with their priestcraft, their superstitions, their idolatry, the absolute wickedness of a MAN terming himself the "vicar" of Christ, said man the "papa, the "pope", who is even titled "holy father" by souls trapped in that institution fashioning itself as a "church".

Brother NDY, even engaging in this "posting" to you is causing me so much soul grief as I type, because when my soul gazes at the BIG PICTURE......what power do these men have?

Just words written on a cyber forum, lacking the Sweet Fragrance of Jesus, lacking ANY anointing, just lonely men with nothing better to do, then to hijack an internet ministry, with a single minded attempt, and tenacity, almost as if they were whipped by an unclean spirit to post post post...yet I can read the invariable response, "ugly accusations".....but let me tell you, I wrote a loving personal intimate testimony on How God was pleased to crush me, and in a supernatural Sovereign Way, reveal His Son TO me and IN me, wrote to brother Blaine (bearmaster)...and NOT five minutes had past since I hit the "post" button, it was not Blaine, who answered, but the seeming ringleader Julius, and he did not address anything I wrote, nor shared in my joy, but wrote a post that was full of "inquisition" (fully reminiscent of the Inquisitors of Spain)

it was terrible, who would want to even deign to post in such an environment? Its terrible, one feels like a pack of feral dogs awaiting the "meat" of others posts, to tear them apart and that's what I mean by "hi-jacking" this forum, and the result of all that will be; it will bring great reproach on a ministry, that my brother Greg has lovingly labored on for over 13 years.

But much to his horror, Greg will find out, once you let the wolves in the sheepfold, they are ravenous, and will make shipwreck of a website, that had "true Biblically based Revival" at the heart and center of this once redeemed website...and that grieves me no end.

This is all I can bear to write brother NDY, I just was led to write you, and tell you in love, you're not alone in what you so clearly discern, In Jesus love, neil

please allow me to send you a compilation Jesus and I edited together in 2003(?) entitled a "A Kingdom of Priests" which my brother Greg so lovingly hosts here. I was led to cut this together for my then 8 year old precious son, who was, at his own request, water baptized together with me....the Holy Spirit impressed upon me the NEED for my son to KNOW who he IS in Messiah Jesus, and now I send it for your edification, its 12 minutes long, and God willing profitable, to just close your eyes, and let the Wind of the Spirit in....MY PRAYER is that these men also listen and realize that I don't "hate" them....or "dislike" them, but I will not countenance error, nor sit still, when I feel a Godly forum hijacked.

"Kingdom of Priests"
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=12043

Ephesians 2:12-14
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.

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Ephesians 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath BLESSED US WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN HEAVENLY PLACES in Christ:

Galatians 3:28
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.