Does Israel Still Exist?
Or Has God Finished with His Chosen People?

Israel is very much in our national news today. Despite their amazing return to their homeland and their miraculous military victories, times are very hard for them over there. The Israelis are surrounded by enemies who wish them all to be dead, and who are trying very hard to accomplish it.

Christian people here in the West are divided over the issue of whether we should be defending Israel and helping them economically and militarily or not. Some see Israel as a has-been relic out of the Old testament past with no reason for even existing anymore --- because everything they have ever been is now seemingly being fulfilled in the universal Christian church. Others see Israel as God's truly chosen nation -- as much chosen now as they ever were, and an important part of God's end-time scenario for the world.

Some argue that the "middle wall of partition" between Jew and Gentile has now been broken down and we are now all one in the kingdom of God. This is no doubt true as far as church fellowship is concerned, but that does not answer the question of whether Israel is still God's chosen nation. In today's Christian world we find Christian Jews and Gentiles sometimes worshipping together in harmony. But does that mean that the Jews are no longer Jews?

There are many indicators that show us Israel is still under the hand of God and that He intends for them to be fully reestablished among the nations of the world. Actually, the rebirth of Israel as a nation after about two thousand years of exile from their homeland is one of the most amazing events of human history.

SO ARE JEWS STILL JEWS?

Did Jews stop being Jews after the sacrifice of Christ on the cross? No. As evidence of that, some of the New Testament writings were addressed directly to Jews who were believers, such as James 1:1. The Apostle Paul stated his own Jewish origin and noted that he was of the tribe of Benjamin. And in Romans 11:25 we learn that blindness to the gospel has happened in part to Israel until some future time. If they don't exist anymore, how could they be blinded?

Yes, Israel does still exist, and God is at work among them, bringing many of them to belief in their Messiah Jesus Christ (or Yeshua, as they call Him). These very active congregations of Jewish believers call themselves "Messianic," and they are spreading fast, even into places like the city of Jerusalem itself. There are several of them here in our state of Georgia, USA. Just a few years ago there were none. Something that distresses some Gentile Christians about Israel is that their government tends to be as humanistic and secular as most western governments are. And there has even been in the past some discouragement of Christianity by the Israeli powers that be. They do not publicly speak of God, and much less do they mention their true and living King, Jesus Christ.

When we consider that God's original design for Israel was that they should be a godly theocracy, this is a serious problem. However, if they should happen to establish an official priesthood and a king, would our United States still support them as much as we do? Probably not. This would violate our much ingrained idea of "separation of church and state." Islamic countries may be expected to acknowledge and call upon God in public, but as we all know, "Christians" countries do very little of it. And if Israel were to revive their Old Testament form of government without acknowledging their King Jesus, that also would be a problem.

TYPES AND SHADOWS

There is really no understanding of the nation of Israel apart from the Bible's system of "types and shadows." For example, we learn in the New Testament that the Hebrew priesthood served only as an example (or model) of heavenly things (Hebrews 8:5) -- that animal sacrifices were only a figure of spiritual realities (9:9 KJV) --- that these articles were only patterns of heavenly things (9:23) --- and that the Old Testament worship was a shadow of New Testament truths (10:1). In other words, the whole temple worship of that old time was a finely detailed model of the kingdom of Jesus Christ and His accomplishments in redeeming His people from sin.

The nation itself, the Jews, was also a model. They were and still are a model of the total blood-bought church of Jesus Christ that has been redeemed through-out all ages of time. To be born a Hebrew is just a model or example of being born again into God's spiritual family. Truly it is a glorious model, but it is a far more glorious reality as all born-again believers (Jew and Gentile alike) have come to know.  The mission of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth was to fulfill these models, and He was committed to this task as he lived, died and rose again. Israel was and is the beautiful, detailed blueprint of this project, but He was in process of producing the actual building itself. For instance, the reason He generally refused to minister to Gentiles during His walk on earth was because the Gentiles were a model (type) of those people whom He called the children of the devil, and he was committed to the fulfillment of all Old testament types. When He said He came to fulfill the law, He meant more than just the righteousness of the law. He also meant all the types, shadows and prophecies contained in it. In fact He said, "... till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law until all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18).

Here is an important truth: Types and shadows are never spiritual themselves, they just represent and explain spiritual things. Israel probably did no better or worse job of keeping God's law than any other nation would have done. After they had sinned against His law so greatly, God could justifiably have never brought their nation back from their seventy-year captivity in Babylon. But he did do it, and one reason for it was so that the symbols in the law could be preserved until their fulfillment should occur.

TYPES MUST ENDURE

As bad as the Jewish rulers were, Christ readily recognized their God-given authority (Matthew 23:2-3). As bad as the high priest was, his authority remained intact until Christ Himself, the real High Priest made His single offering. As bad as King Herod was, God had him to renovate the Hebrew temple in a magnificent way so that when all the spiritual things that it stood for were accomplished by Christ at the cross, God could rip the veil in two pieces and say that this too is finished. So here is another important truth: We see that Old Testament types must remain intact and in good condition until their fulfillment is accomplished.

Now this question: Have all Old testament types and shadows been fulfilled? Are there any left yet to be fulfilled? We know that the work of Christ in redemption , with all of its types and shadows, has been finished. There is no question about it, Jesus Christ fulfilled God's the law that was given by Moses.

But consider this, there were other types and symbols that existed before the era of Moses, the greatest of them being the creation of the nation of Israel itself. What did God mean when He began to make a nation of people from Abraham and Sarah? Why is it important that God "chose" them? Paul, looking beyond the physical nation itself, wrote this: "For he is not a Jew who 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..." (Romans 2;28-29). He added to that in 9:8, writing: "They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of promise are counted for the seed."

One might think that Paul was not being a good Jew here. But he meant what he wrote, that the greater Israel is not the physical Israel but rather the spiritual nation --- which is all of the born-again people of God out of all nations and all times. The other one is called Israel too, but it is only a natural symbol of a much greater spiritual entity.  There are many Christians who understand this principle and reality and therefore choose to believe that God is totally through with Israel today. What they do not understand is that the type and shadow -- which is the physical nation --- must remain a viable nation until the fulfillment of the type has finally taken place. When will that be? On resurrection day it will happen. Our redeemed bodies will rise and be ready to possess and inhabit our inheritance.

Christ said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." That is when we will live again and reign with Christ over this earth that was made for the spiritual children of God -- just as the land of Israel was made for the natural children of Israel.

And that is why Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:14 that we have the Spirit of God sealing us "...until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory." Yes, the Spirit of God shows us our spiritual identity as we wait for our bodies to be glorified at resurrection. Coming into one's inheritance is a wonderful thing, both for the Israelis who are regaining their promised land -- and for the redeemed universal church of Jesus Christ who will be coming into theirs.

The two outstanding promises that God gave to Abraham were that he would be the father of a nation of people and that they would possess a land of inheritance. Neither of those promises has been totally fulfilled in the church yet. There are still people being born into Christ's kingdom (that's the people) and we do not yet have our resurrected bodies and a place for them to be put (that's the land). So we need to watch the type of Israel very closely as we wait for the fruition of these things.

SEEK THE PEACE OF ISRAEL

Therefore it is proper and necessary that the Israelis should repossess their country in these last days. Their God-given land is symbolic of the inheritance of all of God's saints. They must be in possession of it in order for us to begin to possess ours. Is this not ample reason to pray for the people of Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem? Is this not good reason to admire their biblical customs, to help them, work with them and to worship with those of them who know their Messiah? Remember that there are born-again Jews just as there are born-again Gentiles, and they have a double blessing of possessing inheritance.

But praying for the peace of Jerusalem is not as simple as it may sound. There is reason why Jews have been scattered over the earth for such a long time. There were prophecies stating that it would happen -- but also that they would be brought back. The Lord Jesus spoke what appears to be a curse over Jerusalem shortly before He was crucified. He said, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you that you shall not see Me henceforth until you shall say blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:38-39).

We Christians have largely lost sight of the God who places curses, even though the Bible shows this function of God very clearly. He also removes curses, and He kills and makes alive. He is God, and He doesn't have to make apologies to us.

For long centuries now the Jewish people as a whole have refused to receive this Jesus person who came in the name of the Lord. Now, after such a long time, belief in Him as the real Messiah is spreading into the fabric of Jewish life. True, it has a long way to go, but the process is under way.

What will have to happen for this curse to be finally set aside and the desolations of Israel and Jerusalem, which includes the Palestinian problem, to come to an end? The answer should be obvious. What they must do is to acknowledge their Messiah in some kind of public way. Since He is their King, I would assume that the government would have to make some kind of proclamation. Could that ever happen? It would be a miracle, would it not? But does not God do miracles?

Will Israel ever reconstruct their temple and reestablish their ceremonial worship as given by Moses? I don't think so. Those things are among the types that have already been spiritually fulfilled. What is not yet fulfilled? The promises that God made to Abraham have not yet had their spiritual fulfillment. So just come then, Holy Father and Lord Jesus, and finish your work of fulfillment in us your people.

Loren Wilson