The Israel of God

The following article was written by Wade H. Phillips, Presiding Bishop. There is only one "Israel of God." The Israel of the Old Testament became the Israel of God under the terms of the New Covenant. This transformation occurred through a "remnant" of Jews under the Old Covenant...

​who believed the Gospel, accepted the lordship of Christ, and became the new Israel of God (Mt. 3.8-10; 21.43; Jn. 1.11-13; 8.38-44; Rom. 9.1-8; 10-11.36; 11.1-7, 22-23). This divine plan fulfilled numerous prophecies, including the engrafting of the Gentiles into the true vine (see Is. 10.22-23; Amos 9.11-12; Micah 2.12-13; 5.7 Zeph. 2.7, 9; 3.13-14; Hag. 1.12, 14; Acts 6.7; 10.45; 11.17-18; 15.16-17; Rom. 9.27; 11.4-5). Therefore, the only hope for the state of Israel and for Jews and Gentiles everywhere is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God does not have one plan for Israel and another plan for everyone else. Christ fulfilled God's one plan to save the world and transform us into His holy image. Jews were the first called, and those who had faith and believed were incorporated into this one plan of God (Jn. 1.12; 8.12-59; Rom. 5.1; 9.1–11.36; Eph. 2.8; Heb. 11.8-40; Rev. 22.17). There are not two "peculiar peoples" or two "holy nations"; there is only one, and that is the church under the New Covenant (Ex. 19.5-8; 1 Pet. 2.9). There is one vine, one body of Christ, one bride of Christ. The Father and Christ are not separate in having a special people or bride. It is foolishness to think otherwise. Just as there is "one God and Father of all," one Holy Spirit, and one Lord; there is only one faith, one body of Christ, and one temple of God (Eph. 4.3-6).

Both Jewish and Gentile believers became the true "Israel of God" by faith under the terms of the New Covenant (Gal. 6.16) in contrast to "Israel in the flesh" (1 Cor. 10.18; Rom. 9.1-7). Jews who rejected the Gospel were "cut off" and became merely a political state and an apostate religious entity. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof" (Mt. 21.43) in reference to the Jews who did not believe the Gospel and refused Christ as the prophetic Messiah. On the other hand, Jews who believed and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior became the foundation of the church of God under the terms of the New Covenant. They also became heirs of the coming Kingdom of God.

Origin of the name, “Israel”

The term "Israel" symbolizes all those who, like Jacob, wrestle and struggle with the Angel of the Lord until they are quickened to newness of life by the Holy Spirit through faith and grace. These individuals continue in the New Covenant (Jer. 31.31-34; 32.40; 33.14-16; Heb. 8.8-12; 10.16-17; Is. 55.3). They acknowledge Jesus as the prophetic Messiah, the only begotten Son of the eternal Father, and they hunger and thirst for Him with their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. They worship Him and accept His headship (Jn. 1.1-3, 14; Col. 2.9; Heb. 8.8-12; Rev. 1.8).

Christ is the Angel of the Lord whom Jacob wrestled with throughout the night and would not let go until he was blessed (see Hosea 12.2-5). As a result, the Lord changed Jacob's name to "Israel," meaning "prince of God" or one who wrestles with God with a holy "violence" until a true spiritual transformation is  realized (Gen. 32.22-28; 35.10-12; Mt. 7.7-8; 11.12; Lk. 16.16; Jn. 3.3-8; 2 Cor. 5.17; Phil. 3.13-14).

Thus, Jacob became "Israel" (Gen. 32.22-32). He was quickened through faith and reborn at Bethel [Gen. 28.10-22; Hos. 12.3-6; Heb. 11.20-21], then was sanctified near the brook of Jabbok that flows into the Jordan River northeast of Shiloh. ["I will not let thee go except thou bless me"]. He thus named the place where he was sanctified Penuel/Peniel, meaning "face of God" [32.22-32; ref. Hosea 12.4], for through Christ, he came "face to face with God" (v. 30). He thus became the first Israelite, for he "strove with God" in faith until he received the blessing and got a glimpse of the eternal city of God and became an heir of the heavenly kingdom [Gen. 28.10-22; Heb. 11.8-16].

New Covenant Israel is the Church

New Covenant Israel, the church, started with a remnant of Twelve Jews (Mt. 10.1-5; Mk. 3.13-16; Lk. 6. 12-16), then grew to 120 by Pentecost, then increased to thousands, then millions. The New Covenant was first offered to the Jews [Mt. 10.5-8; 15.24-28; Acts 13.46], but only a remnant believed and came under the terms of the New Testament. Only then was the door opened to the Gentiles [Acts 10.44-48; 11.1-18]. Dispensationalists disdainfully call this "replacement theology," but we have deemed it more accurately "fulfillment theology," for the church fulfills what God had planned for Israel to be and to do, namely, to be the embodiment of God and the light of the world (Is. 49.3-6; 60.1-5; Mt. 5.14; Rom. 9.1-11.36; Eph. 2.14-16; 3.6).

"Replacement Theology?" One of the tragic aspects of dispensationalism is regarding biblical interpretation. Most particularly, dispensationalists negate scores of passages in the Old Testament that find their ultimate fulfillment in the church under the New Covenant. They thus relegate the fulfillment of these passages to Israel as a national entity, both before and after the Babylonian Captivity in the Old Testament, and after the Rapture of the church during the Tribulation Period and the Millennial Reign. Therefore, according to this error, God deals with Israel in a special way to the exclusion of the church and the Gentile nations. As such, dispensationalists have labeled the long period between the time that Jesus established the church in the New Testament to the Rapture as the dispensation of the "church age." Accordingly, Old Testament prophecies that have their ultimate fulfillment in the church in this present age, pertain only to Old Testament Israel, or to Israel during the Tribulation period, or to Israel during the Millennium. As such, many of the prophecies in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Minor Prophets do not pertain to the church.

This scenario contradicts the plain teaching of Jesus and the apostles and the Old Testament prophets. Paul, for example, says plainly in Gal. 4.27 that Is. 54.1-3 is fulfilled in the New Testament church. And Jesus declared that the moment He "stood up for to read" in the synagogue at Nazareth, He fulfilled Is. 61.1-3; see also Is. 11.2-4. So, it is with scores of passages in Is. 52; 53; 54; 55; 56; 58; 60; 61; 62; 63; and other books of the Old Covenant. Many of these prophecies find their ultimate fulfillment in the church, the new Israel of God. So again, the church does not replace Israel; it is "the Israel of God" under the New Covenant!

Now regarding the backslidings and apostasy of Old Testament Israel, John the Baptist said, "the axe is laid unto the root of the tree." Because of unbelief, the great majority of Israel was "cut off" or "broken off" from the Vine (Mt. 11.8-12; see also Mt. 21.33-43; Rom. 11.17-19, 22, 24; [See Peter's sermon to the Jews: Acts 2.11-42; Stephen's sermon to the Jews: Acts 7.1-5, 51-54; and Paul's sermon to the Jews: Rom. 9.1-11.36]. And so, Israel today remains "broken off." She desperately needs to repent and accept the Gospel, for she, like every nation, is full of carnality and sinfulness: fornication, homosexuality, blasphemy, atheism, filthy works of the flesh, and every evil thing!

Middle Wall of Petition Broken Down: Jew and Gentile Oneness

Notwithstanding that the old tree [Old Israel] was cut down, it was not uprooted, for the roots sprouted again with Jewish and Gentile believers and became a great tree, spreading its branches throughout the world (See Is. 52.8-10; 54.1-8; 60.1-5; Zeph. 3.14 with Gal. 4.22-29). Jew and Gentile believers became one through faith and repentance, fulfilling God’s eternal plan (Eph. 2.13-16; 3.2-10). The temple wall—the middle wall of partition that separated Jews and Gentiles—was broken down: Gentile believers now flooded into the “Holy Place.” Indeed, they became the temple of God (1 Cor. 6.19; 2 Cor. 6.16; Eph. 2.18, 20-22). The original builders rejected the “Chief Cornerstone,” so the Lord built up the new Zion on the foundation of Christ without respect to race (Ps. 87.2-3; 118.22; Is. 28.16; 60.14; Mt. 21.42; Rom. 9.33; 1 Cor. 3.9-11; 1 Pet. 2.4-10).

Now observe: the church is the temple of God; its members are lively stones (1 Cor. 3.16; 6.19; Eph. 2.19-22; 1 Pet. 2.5-9). Both Jews and Gentiles come together in the eternal Father through Christ by the Holy Ghost, forming one building, one city, one temple, one church, one corporate habitation of God, one bride, one body of Christ (Jn. 10.16; Rom. 16.1-16; 1 Cor. 12.28; Eph. 2.14-22).

Thus, like Jacob, the true "Israel of God" must seek for the "second blessing," sanctification! Jesus and the apostles admonish us therefore to "seek," "strive," "press," "wrestle," "fight," and "struggle" for the blessings of the Lord—namely, regeneration and entire sanctification (See Mt. 7.7; Lk. 13.34; 16.16; Rom. 7.22-25; 8.1-41; 15.30; Eph. 6.10; Phil. 3.14; 1 Thess. 5.23). God's church will be built and perfected with Jews and Gentiles who are sanctified and made holy by His blood through faith! (Ps. 29.2; Is. 35.8; Acts 20.28; Heb. 8.1–9.28; 12.10, 14; 1 Thess. 5.23; Eph. 5.27; Rev. 19.7-8). There is now no difference nor spiritual distinctions between Jew and Gentile believers, between the circumcision and uncircumcision (Gal. 3.28-29; 5.6). Indeed, "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing..." (1 Cor. 7.19). "Neither availeth anything" (Gal. 5.6; 6.15). Christians are now the true circumcision (Phil. 3.3; Col. 2.11), whose hearts have been circumcised without hands, that is, those who have been regenerated [“born again”] by grace through faith and continue until they receive the "second blessing," sanctification (Rom. 6.1-7; 7.22-25; Eph. 2.5, 8; 1 Thess. 5.23; Heb. 8.1–9.28; see also Deut. 30.6; Jer. 4.4; Col. 2.11).

Jews and Gentiles are called and "builded together" to form one "habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2.19-22), and to live together in the power of Holiness which makes believers fit to adorn the wedding garment in one bride of Christ! (Ps. 45.9-14; 87.2; Mt. 22.2-4, 9; Jn. 14.1-3; Rev. 19.7-9).

Origin and Meaning of the term, "Jew"

The term "Jew" began to be used after Solomon's reign as King. The Kingdom was divided by Jeroboam and Solomon's son, Rehoboam. Ten tribes formed the Northern Kingdom under Jeroboam which later became known as the "ten lost tribes of Israel." Two tribes [Judah and Benjamin) formed the Southern Kingdom. They became known simply as Judah. This is the origin of the term "Jew." Judah equates with "Jews." During the Babylonian Captivity of the Southern Kingdom [Judah], they more strictly began to be known as "Jews." All the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob became known as "Israelites" or "Jews." Whereas, the descendants of Abraham through Ishmael became known as "Arabs" or "Ishmaelites." Those in and about Palestine became known in relatively recent years as "Palestinians."

The term "Jew" is also a relatively new term linked with a political and cultural identity, but also a religious identity. Christians are called "Jews" in the strict sense of the term [Col. 2.11; Phil. 3.3], that is, they are in the spiritual sense true Jews. Recall the apostle's illuminating words:

"... they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are countedfor the seed" (Rom. 9.6-8).

"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; 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)

Likewise, recall Jesus' reproof of the church at Smyrna:

"I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 2.9, see also 3.9).

The modern term "messianic Jew" is therefore confusing and misleading. For a Jew who believes and is transformed by God's grace is a "Christian"! If one speaks, therefore, of a "messianic Jew," he can only mean a Christian by new birth and a Jew according to the DNA of Abraham. But see, one can be saved only by becoming a Christian—which means one who is "born again" or "born of God" through faith and the operation of the Holy Ghost (Jn. 3.3-8; 1 Pet. 1.23; 1 Jn. 2.29; 3.9; 4.7; 5.1, 4, 18).

In the New Testament, most of the Jewish leaders and Jewish people under their influence denied that Jesus was the Messiah and especially "God's only begotten Son." They also denied the Trinity and thus, like Muslims, denied that God has a Son, and accordingly became hostile to Jesus and His ministry. Israelites thus became identified simply as "the Jews," lumping together believing and non-believing Jews, and in the process obscuring the important distinctions between them (Jn. 4.9; 5.16, 18; 6.41; 7.1, 13; 20.19; Acts 9.23; 10.22; et al).

It was only gradually, therefore, [about a thirty-year span of time in the New Testament] that "Judaism" became clearly distinguished from Christianity. This is an important principle of biblical interpretation.

In any case, Judaism was, and is today, grounded in the Old Testament and the Talmud, the oral tradition of the rabbis (Mt. 5.21–7.29; 15.2-6; Mk. 7.3-13; Gal. 1.13-14); whereas Christianity is grounded in Christ and His teachings. Jews who accepted Christ on the basis of faith and grace, but then tried to force Gentiles to accept the law and traditions of Judaism as a condition of salvation became known as "Judaizers" (Acts 15.1-29). Paul also labeled them "the concision" (Phil. 3.2). The Jews, like those in the Galatia church, who at first accepted Christ and the Gospel, but then backslid and required Gentile believers to be circumcised and come under the law, were according to the apostle seduced by a "bewitching spirit" (Gal. 3.1-3, 8-14).

"God's Chosen People"

Regarding the Jews as God's "chosen people," this can only mean Jews who accept Christ as their Lord and Savior and unite with believing Gentiles in the church under the grace and terms of the New Covenant. The state of Israel is not "God's chosen people," nor the aggregate of Jews scattered throughout the world! Non-believing Jews are simply sinners and have no favored status with God. They are unbelievers. To justify any claim of being "God's chosen people" and the "apple of His eye," Jews must repent and turn to Christ in faith, boasting only in the grace of God, not the law nor their fleshly descent from Abraham! They forfeited their right to any royal claim and identity by rejecting Christ.

Still, though Jews were "cut off," they were not necessarily "cast away," for they can still repent and believe the Gospel and become part of the New Testament church (Rom. 11.1-5, 21-24). The apostle Paul himself stands out as a perfect illustration of this mystery (Phil. 3.1-9).

Accordingly, God's chosen people are not a bloodline going back to Abraham, but a faith-line. If having the DNA of Abraham were all there was to it, that is, a bloodline or fleshly relationship with Christ, then the Arabs and Palestinians would be the children of Abraham, and as such, the children of God. This is made plain in Jesus' argument with the Jewish leaders and Jewish people of His day [see Jn. 5.16-18; 6.41-52; 7.1; 8.12-24, 31-59], and thus also Paul's argument (Rom. 9.1-8). Only born-again believers are the seed of Issac, that is, Christ—Gal. 3.16, 29. They are the true spiritual "seed" [children] of Abraham, who are "born again, not of corruptibleseed, but of the incorruptible word of God" (1 Pet. 1.23). Accordingly, the church is now the "chosen nation" of God, not the political state of Israel, nor the aggregate of Jews scattered throughout the world (1 Pet. 2.9; see also Jn. 6.70; 15.16, 19; Gal 4.22-31; 6.16).

So, the apostle emphasizes this important point by distinguishing "Israel after the flesh" and "Israel after the Spirit." Or we might say, political or national Israel "after the flesh" over against spiritual Israel, "the Israel of God," which is the church [Gal. 6.16; 1 Cor. 10.18; Rom. 4.1-12; 9.3; Gal. 3.16, 29]. Contrast Paul's "my brethren after the flesh," that is, his new identity as a Christian, over against his natural Jewish roots. After his conversion, he identified Gentile believers as his "brethren in Christ" and labored to show that there is only one true Israel of God, one church composed of Jews and Gentiles, the redeemed of all nations who confess Christ and the authority of the New Testament [Mt. 24.14; 28.19-20; Rev. 21.1-2, 24-26].

Jews and Gentiles are saved by faith, not by the law! All born-again believers are inwardly true Jews, over against unbelieving descendants of Abraham who are not true Jews [Note, Rom. 2.17-29]. The apostle stated this with such boldness that he felt compelled to make further explanation of it in Rom. 3.1-20. Compare also Mt. 3.9; Jn. 8.39; Rom. 9.6-7; Gal. 6.15; Rev. 2.9; 3.9. Accordingly, Christians "born of God" are true "Jews."

In the Christian church, the distinctions between "Jews" and "Gentiles" are wiped away (Gal. 3.28; Col. 3.11). The middle wall of partition in the Tabernacle [Temple] that separated Jews and Gentiles is broken down in Christ (Eph. 2.14-16). It is now "whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22.17). Everyone, without respect to persons, may now enter through sanctification, the Most Holy Place in Christ!

Now observe: A true Jew is one who has faith in Christ, is delivered from sin [including the sin of unbelief], and "continues in His Word" (Jn. 8. 31-47). To fail to see in God's eternal plan the union of believing Jews and Gentiles in one body is to raise again the middle wall of partition.

Notice the "if" factor regarding how Israel stood with God in the beginning when the children of Jacob were incorporated as a nation under Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19.5-8; Rom. 11.20-23; Col. 1.6-11, 23; Heb. 3.6). The covenant was mutual and predicated on an "if": "... 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" (Ex. 19.3-5; see also Deut. 4.20; 7.6; 14. 2, 24, 26; and cp. 1 Pet. 2.9).

Witness the recent self-incrimination of Israel as being merely a "democracy" over against the traditional view of Israel as a theocracy. Israel, "the church in the wilderness" [Acts 7.38], apostatized when the elders and the people said, "Give us a king to judge us like all the nations" (1 Sam. 8.3-22). They rejected God as their King and traded away their status as a "peculiar people" unto the Lord. Like Esau, they sold their birthright for a mess of pottage!

Recently, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke of Israel as a democracy and democracy as the hope of the world over against communism and radical Islamism. He sees the United States and Israel [called by fanatical Muslims the "Great Satan" and "Little Satan"] as key democratic states to maintain civilization over against Russia and China [atheistic communism] and Middle East nations that foster fanatical Islamism. What is at stake, according to Netanyahu, is civilization, which will in turn bring in a new "Dark Ages." But by the term "Dark Ages," he means the stifling of political freedom and intellectual enlightenment, not spiritual darkness. For if he meant the latter, he would be indicting his own state of Israel and Jews everywhere, for Israel after the flesh is in darkness and has been for two thousand years (Rom. 10.1-3; 11.7-10, 25).
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Should we stand together with Israel in her present war with Hamas? Yes,as a political ally, for eliminating the political state of Israel is the door for Arabs under the control of radical Islamists to dominate the Middle East and, in turn, attempt to rule the whole world. On the other hand, the elimination of Ukraine is the door for Russia to control Europe and, in turn, the whole world. Therefore, though we agree that civilization may be at stake regarding the present wars going on in Israel and Ukraine, our aim as God's church is to reach every nation with the full Gospel, including Israel, Middle East nations (Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, etc.), Ukraine, Russia, China, and every other nation. For eternal life in Christ, on one hand, and everlasting damnation on the other, are at stake for every person. For what if Israel and Ukraine, with the support of the USA, succeed in winning these wars and preserving civilization?

Individuals are still lost for eternity unless they repent and believe the Gospel! Civilization cannot save anyone. One can be civil and a model citizen and yet not be born again by faith in the resurrected Christ. The only thing that can save a lost world is God’s Son and the witness of His church—His "holy nation," not the state of Israel, nor the United States of America, nor any nation, nor any coalition of nations!

Netanyahu implies he is not looking for a coming messiah, like the "fanatical Muslims," but rather to the USA's superior military power and financial aid. He seems to trust more in the "arm of the flesh" than the arm of God. To be sure, the modern state of Israel remains blinded by Satan [Rom. 13.8-10; 2 Cor. 4.3-4] and will remain so until she repents, acknowledges Christ as her Lord and Savior, and calls upon Him for salvation and spiritual victory. Will she do this? We can only hope so, for the end-result remains predicated upon an "if!" (Rom. 11.22-23; Heb. 3.5-11). We can only pray in the spirit of the apostle Paul, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer for Israel is, that they might be saved" (Rom. 10.1).

Will there be a wholesale repentance by the nation of Israel somewhere in the future, before or after the Rapture? Not likely, for "now is the day of salvation," and it is a personal matter more than a corporate one (Rom. 9.33; 10.4; Rev. 22). While one can hope for a mass evangelization of the Jews, in the final analysis, the Jews like every nation must be evangelized on a personal basis, and only those who are truly converted and regenerated will be saved (Ps. 91.1-2, 14-15; 102.1; Ezek. 18.4-9, 20; Rom. 10.4; Rev. 22.17). It is a sobering thought, therefore, that natural Jews—Jews according to the flesh—are dying every day without Christ!

"Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell [Old Covenant Israel], severity; but toward thee [God's church, 'the Israel of God'], goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou shalt be cut off. And they [unbelieving Israel] also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again" (Rom. 11.22-23).

Again, believers are all saved and sanctified by faith, kept by faith, and remain standing by faith (vv. 13-24; see also 5.1-2; 10.1-4, 8-15; Col. 1.6-11, 23; Heb. 3.6). Again, we can pray therefore in the spirit of Paul:

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved... For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth" (Rom. 10.1, 4).

Summation and Final Word

Old Testament Israel's purpose in God's eternal plan was to bring us to Christ through the law and to evangelize the world with the Gospel. But when the fullness of time came, Israel rejected the Gospel and saw themselves simply as a national entity connected with the promised land of Canaan [Palestine]. Called to be God's church, Old Israel rather became isolated, self-centered, self-preserving, and non-evangelical. They understood not their nature nor their mission in the world, illustrated by Jonah and his resistance to the call of God to go to Nineveh. The church under the New Covenant, on the other hand, is universal and international: a habitation of God composed of believers through the Spirit; it is a divine institution, a city set on a hill, called and commissioned to reach every nation on earth with the message of the glorious Gospel of Christ and His Kingdom (Mt. 24.14).

The Lord's answer to this seemingly impossible task is to call upon Him through prayer, seek His face, and press ahead in His grace and power to fulfill His divine commission, which includes the prophetic vision of the church. See 2 Chron. 6.24-27; 7.14; Is. 30.1-8; Hab. 2.3; Eph. 3.9-11; 5.22-32; Jas. 4.10-11, 14; et al. Yea, we are looking to our conquering King to abide with us and enable us for the final victory,which includes His promises that we will rule and reign with Him in the Millennium and that He will finally create a new heaven and new earth, and we will dwell together with Him eternally. Until then, we both labor and rest assured by God's Word and the whisperings of His Spirit that Christ will make us overcomers and more than conquerors in and through Him (Rom. 8.37; Rev. 19.11-21). He is our sufficiency, the Rock of our salvation, the Author and Finisher of our faith! (Ps. 61.2; 62.2, 6; 2 Cor. 3.5; Mt. 28.20; Jn. 15.4-5; Heb. 12.2).