The central importance of Israel in God’s plan for the redemption of humanity is clearly revealed within the very first book of the Bible.
God instructed a man by the name of Abram (later changed to Abraham) to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees and journey to Canaan (Genesis 12:1). God said to Abraham:
God instructed a man by the name of Abram (later changed to Abraham) to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees and journey to Canaan (Genesis 12:1). God said to Abraham:
… 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).
God promised Abraham fruitfulness and blessing, descendants as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5), and an everlasting land grant (Genesis 17:8). Ever since, Israel has been “the apple of [God’s] eye” (Zechariah 2:8).
Compelling evidence of this can be seen in the continued existence of Israel. History is replete with detailed accounts of nations, kingdoms, and empires attempting – and failing – to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. In some cases, the attacking nations themselves were destroyed.
Another evidence of Israel’s special place in God’s heart is that after nearly 2,000 years of being scattered across the earth, God miraculously brought her back to the very same piece of real estate she had occupied in the days of her antiquity – along with the same ancient language. No other nation can make this claim.
Tragically, however, many within Christendom today believe Israel has little or no relevant role to play in God’s future plan for the world. They believe Israel’s relevance has come and gone with the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus – who was, of course, Jewish, and resided in Israel.
It’s true the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ is not just for Israel, but for all of humanity – even to the furthest corners of the earth. But it’s equally true that God has never rescinded the unconditional promises He made to Abraham and his descendants.
Later, God also made a covenant with Israel’s King David that was built upon the earlier Abrahamic Covenant. God promised He would establish an everlasting dynasty that would one day be ruled by David’s greater Son – an ultimate reference to Jesus Christ at His Second Coming when He returns as King to rule the world from Jerusalem. These unconditional covenants established by God with His Chosen People remain just as real, relevant, and rock-solid today as the day He made them.
Compelling evidence of this can be seen in the continued existence of Israel. History is replete with detailed accounts of nations, kingdoms, and empires attempting – and failing – to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. In some cases, the attacking nations themselves were destroyed.
Another evidence of Israel’s special place in God’s heart is that after nearly 2,000 years of being scattered across the earth, God miraculously brought her back to the very same piece of real estate she had occupied in the days of her antiquity – along with the same ancient language. No other nation can make this claim.
Tragically, however, many within Christendom today believe Israel has little or no relevant role to play in God’s future plan for the world. They believe Israel’s relevance has come and gone with the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus – who was, of course, Jewish, and resided in Israel.
It’s true the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ is not just for Israel, but for all of humanity – even to the furthest corners of the earth. But it’s equally true that God has never rescinded the unconditional promises He made to Abraham and his descendants.
Later, God also made a covenant with Israel’s King David that was built upon the earlier Abrahamic Covenant. God promised He would establish an everlasting dynasty that would one day be ruled by David’s greater Son – an ultimate reference to Jesus Christ at His Second Coming when He returns as King to rule the world from Jerusalem. These unconditional covenants established by God with His Chosen People remain just as real, relevant, and rock-solid today as the day He made them.
They are the bedrock of God’s future plan for the world, and yet sadly, such teaching about Israel and God’s covenant promises to her is rare or non-existent in many of our churches. Even more troubling is a theological view known as “Replacement Theology” – also known as “supersessionism” – which advances the belief that the Church has replaced (superseded) Israel – and that the promises given to Israel in the Old Testament have been somehow transferred to the Church.
How disastrous! Such a misinterpretation or outright disregard for the central role of Israel in both history and prophecy has caused significant confusion among Christians and immeasurable harm to the Church. Where many Christians regard Israel as having no current or future relevance, God deems Israel as crucial to His future plan for the ultimate redemption of humanity. Even as Israel has strayed from God throughout her history, she remains the unyielding object of His love, care, and preservation.
With this in mind, let’s look at several passages (though not exhaustive) of what God Himself says about Israel.
Israel as God’s Chosen People
Deuteronomy 7:6: “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
Psalm 105:6: “O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.”
Isaiah 44:1: “Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen ...”
Note: 1 Peter 2:9 refers to believers in Christ as a “chosen generation,” which we are. We share this responsibility and honor with believing (redeemed) Israel today.
God’s Purpose for Israel
Exodus 19:5-6: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”
Note: This condition and promise will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom.
Isaiah 43:10: “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he …”
Israel Blessed
Isaiah 43:1: “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
Isaiah 61:9: “And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.”
Isaiah 62:6-7: “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
Israel Protected
Isaiah 41:11: “Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.”
Jeremiah 31:35-37: “Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.”
Israel Set Above All Nations
Deuteronomy 10:15: “Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.”
Isaiah 2:2-3: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains [of Israel], and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
Israel Not Rejected
Isaiah 41:9: “Thou [Israel] whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.”
Romans 11:1: “I say then, Hath God cast away his people [Israel]? God forbid.”
Israel Redeemed and Restored
Psalm 130:7-8: “Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”
Romans 11:25-27: “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 [Zion] the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
An Israel-Centered Bible
Those who cast Israel aside, or believe Israel is no longer relevant to God’s future plan for the redemption of humanity, will struggle in vain to deny the profusion of biblical passages which prove God is not yet done with Israel.
Some claim the vast majority of these proof-passages are from the Old Testament, but that’s an unconvincing argument. God voiced His regard for Israel irrefutably and explicitly in the Old Testament, and nowhere in the New Testament has He disavowed it or declared it null and void.
What is clear is that God has a deep and abiding love for Israel. Sadly, many of our churches (with some notable exceptions) are doing little to instill this into the hearts of believers. Yes, God loves His blood-purchased children in Christ, and churches are quick and right to teach this. But God also loves wayward Israel and looks to the day when He will restore her to Himself. Regrettably, the Church is often mute when it comes to teaching the flock to love her as well – that is, to love what the Lord loves.
"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my [God's] kindness shall not depart from thee [Israel], neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee" (Isaiah 54:10).
How disastrous! Such a misinterpretation or outright disregard for the central role of Israel in both history and prophecy has caused significant confusion among Christians and immeasurable harm to the Church. Where many Christians regard Israel as having no current or future relevance, God deems Israel as crucial to His future plan for the ultimate redemption of humanity. Even as Israel has strayed from God throughout her history, she remains the unyielding object of His love, care, and preservation.
With this in mind, let’s look at several passages (though not exhaustive) of what God Himself says about Israel.
Israel as God’s Chosen People
Deuteronomy 7:6: “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
Psalm 105:6: “O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.”
Isaiah 44:1: “Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen ...”
Note: 1 Peter 2:9 refers to believers in Christ as a “chosen generation,” which we are. We share this responsibility and honor with believing (redeemed) Israel today.
God’s Purpose for Israel
Exodus 19:5-6: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”
Note: This condition and promise will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom.
Isaiah 43:10: “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he …”
Israel Blessed
Isaiah 43:1: “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
Isaiah 61:9: “And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.”
Isaiah 62:6-7: “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
Israel Protected
Isaiah 41:11: “Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.”
Jeremiah 31:35-37: “Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.”
Israel Set Above All Nations
Deuteronomy 10:15: “Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.”
Isaiah 2:2-3: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains [of Israel], and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
Israel Not Rejected
Isaiah 41:9: “Thou [Israel] whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.”
Romans 11:1: “I say then, Hath God cast away his people [Israel]? God forbid.”
Israel Redeemed and Restored
Psalm 130:7-8: “Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”
Romans 11:25-27: “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 [Zion] the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
An Israel-Centered Bible
Those who cast Israel aside, or believe Israel is no longer relevant to God’s future plan for the redemption of humanity, will struggle in vain to deny the profusion of biblical passages which prove God is not yet done with Israel.
Some claim the vast majority of these proof-passages are from the Old Testament, but that’s an unconvincing argument. God voiced His regard for Israel irrefutably and explicitly in the Old Testament, and nowhere in the New Testament has He disavowed it or declared it null and void.
What is clear is that God has a deep and abiding love for Israel. Sadly, many of our churches (with some notable exceptions) are doing little to instill this into the hearts of believers. Yes, God loves His blood-purchased children in Christ, and churches are quick and right to teach this. But God also loves wayward Israel and looks to the day when He will restore her to Himself. Regrettably, the Church is often mute when it comes to teaching the flock to love her as well – that is, to love what the Lord loves.
"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my [God's] kindness shall not depart from thee [Israel], neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee" (Isaiah 54:10).
"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my [God's] kindness shall not depart from thee [Israel], neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee" (Isaiah 54:10).
May our churches recognize and affirm Israel’s rightful place as God’s chosen, central, and beloved people – even as we pray that her eyes will be opened to receive her coming Messiah,
the Lord Jesus Christ!
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