Obviously the name Israel is found all through the bible, almost on every page of the Old testament after Genesis 32. As everyone should know, the OT always refers to Israel as the people who are descended from Jacob (Israel), the nation or land belonging to that nation. So let us consider the New Testament usage of the term ‘Israel’ to see if that changed in any way to refer to the ‘Church’.
The word ‘Israel’ is used 73 times in the New Testament as follows:
Matthew ”“ 12 times.
Mark ”“ 2 times.
Luke ”“ 12 times .
John ”“ 4 times.
In all 4 gospels ‘Israel’ is always used of the nation, land or of Christ as King of Israel. There is nothing here to indicate any other use or change of use to mean ‘the church’. Jesus never once called His church ‘Israel. In fact He always used ‘Israel’ to mean His national, ethnic people.
Acts ”“ 21 times. Always used to mean the people and nation of ethnic Israel.
Interestingly Peter preaches to the ‘men of Israel’ that they were part of the group that conspired to kill Jesus and that they needed to repent. Does not sound like Israel is used to mean the church yet!
Romans 9:6 ”“ "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel”. Ah, so is this where we find a statement that the church is Israel? Don’t be so fast to say that! Look at it carefully. They are not ALL Israel that are OF Israel. It does NOT say, as some would read it ‘ they are not Israel, who are Israel’. BUT IT DOES say NOT ALL, WHO ARE OF ISRAEL. So Paul is clearly saying not all Israelites are ‘true Israelites’, but only those Israelites who are born of the promise (i.e. believe). There is no indication here that Israel means the church in a general sense. Instead Paul is explaining what makes a Jew a true Jew. This is made clear as we follow Paul’s argument down to verse 27.
Romans 9:27 "Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved”.
A remnant of who? It can only mean national Israel. If Israel here meant the ‘church’, it would mean only a small number of the true ‘church’ would be saved!
Romans 10:1;19 &21 ”“ All these verses talk about the disobedience of national Israel (not the church).
Romans 11 - Paul continues with his argument from chapters 9 and 10 in explaining how ethnic Israel has not be cast away, but God has still has His remnant that He can graft back in.
Romans 11:25-26 "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. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
A BLINDNESS IN PART TO ISRAEL? Can Israel here be the church? No! It is ethnic Israel and ethnic Gentiles making up the church. Then ALL Israel will be saved when the Lord turns ungodliness away from JACOB. Paul makes it very clear when he deliberately uses the name ‘Jacob’ here for Israel. There can be NO mistake who he means. ‘All Israel’ here means the same as in Romans 9:6. All those true Israelites that are OF ethnic Israel.
So far ALL the references to Israel we have looked at in the NT mean Israel the nation, people or land. This is also true of all the remaining verses in the NT. However let us consider two specific verses that are often quoted to support a replacement theology view to see if that is true.
Galatians 6:16 "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”
Paul as we know is writing to the Galatians about not being brought under the bondage of the Law by Judaizers (i.e Jews who taught justification by works of the law). He says in the preceding verse "neither circumcision or uncircumcision mean anything, but only a new creation.” Circumcision or uncircumcision means Jew or Gentile. So note he distinguishes these two peoples here in verse 16, "peace be upon them (the Gentile Galatians who walk as a new creation) AND upon the Israel of God. The ‘Israel of God’ is a consistent thought that Paul used as we saw in Romans to mean true believing Israelites. There is nothing here to suggest he is introducing this term to now refer to the church.
Ephesians 2:11-12 "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; 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: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
So us Gentiles who were aliens from the common wealth of Israel and strangers from the promise, have now be brought into the promise by the blood of Christ. It does not say that there is ‘no natural Israel’ It says that we have been brought into the promise given to Israel.
Eph 2:14-15 "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;”
So yes all who are ‘in Christ’ are now one new man, praise God! BUT there is nothing here saying that Israel as a nation has been replaced by the church. It is actually talking about the separation caused by the law between Jew and Gentile. Like Galatians it is to do with the Law. It has nothing to do with promises given to Israel as a nation. God’s plan for Israel was always based on faith and the New Covenant promise of writing His laws on their heart. A covenant He has promised to complete in them in the last days, when the remnant, All Israel will be saved.
I trust that it can be seen that there is no justification from the scriptures for stating that Israel means ‘the church’. It is a false premise and a false teaching.
