Answer: God's Plan For The Nation Of Israel - Northern KY Church Of Christ

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Q: The nation of Israel suffered persecutions since the time of the Greek and Roman empires down to time of Germany under Hitler. Biblically speaking, Israel is the nation of God which He brought out of Egypt, from which nation also came the Messiah. But what do you think is God's plan for them? Will they be spared as a nation in the course of time and win wars over the Muslim world? Or someday will they accept Christ finally? Will God save their souls while holding to Judaism and not Christianity?

A: As can be seen in the Old Testament writings, the persecution which came upon the nation of Israel was sometimes because of their being blessed of God and having His favor. Other nations, jealous or fearful, would lash out (e.g. Exod 1:8-14). A New Testament writer indicates this persecution as essentially inevitable (2 Tim 3:12). On the other hand, some of the persecution which befell the nation was because of their lack of favor with God. That was exactly Jeremiah's message (Jer 29:18, 19). Most importantly, as you mention, in spite of the persecutions and unfaithfulness of the nation of Israel, God saw to it that the promises that he made to Abraham and to David concerning the Messiah were fulfilled through that nation. Christ is the culmination of these things; He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory." Eph 1:3-12

(Emphasis in all quotes is added).

Fulfillment is the end of a process. For example, when one pursues the studies that are necessary to achieve a master's degree for a certain major in college, the successful execution of all the prescribed courses and internships results in the award of the master's degree. This marks the end of the pursuit of that master's degree. So it is with Christ. Everything God intended to bring about through the nation of Israel is completed in Christ (Matt 5:17; Jn 4:34). No wonder Jesus' last words on the cross were "it is finished," knowing all had been fulfilled (Jn 19:28-30). If there is yet more that God must accomplish through the nation of Israel, then Christ is not the perfecter of those things (Heb 2:10). If, however, Christ is the fulfillment, then there is nothing more that God must bring about through the nation of Israel.

So then, what do the scriptures say now becomes of the nation of Israel? Clearly, it still exists. However, Israel was not only a political entity but also a religious one. Concerning its religion, we have seen that Christ is its perfection. Due to this, the covenant of the nation of Israel, that is, the Law Of Moses, has been superseded, that is, transformed into a new covenant. Note the following passages that bear this out:

"Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh -- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands -- that at that time you 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 you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." Eph 2:11-22
"And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." Col 2:10-15
"Therefore the law [of Moses, see verse 17] was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal 3:24-29
"But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.' That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed." Rom 9:6-8
"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.' Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,' and 'A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.' They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." 1 Pet 2:4-10

From these scriptures we see that the Israel of God today is a spiritual household (1 Pet 2:5), not earthly. It is the one body reconciled by the cross of Christ (Eph 2:16) which is His church (Eph 1:22, 23). Members of His body are fellow citizens in this spiritual nation (Eph 2:19). Their mark is not circumcision of the flesh but of the heart (Col 2:11). This is the new Israel, the one that was in God's plan from the beginning (Eph 1:4). This plan has been completed, perfected, and fulfilled in Christ and His church.

As a matter of fact, the writings of the prophets of the nation of Israel foretold that this would come about. Note these key verses:

"'Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'when 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 lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,' says the LORD. 'But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,' says the LORD: 'I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, "Know the LORD," for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,' says the LORD. 'For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.'" Jer 31:31-34

The fulfillment of this prophecy is found in Christ and His church (Heb 8:8).

"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever." Dan 2:44

Here in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, God revealed future world empires in the figure of a statue of mixed materials. The head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar (vs 38), representing Babylon, the dominant world empire at that time. They had conquered Israel and Assyria. The breast and arms of silver would be the empire that defeated Babylon: the Medo-Persian. The belly and thighs of bronze would be the Greek empire. The feet and legs of iron and clay would be the Roman empire. It was in the days of the Roman empire that Christ established His kingdom, the church: the rock which struck the image of the world empires. This rock was cut without human hands (vs 34), suggesting that the church did not come about by the effort of man. That the stone became a mountain and filled the whole earth (vs 35) suggests that the sovereignty of His church is worldwide and embraces all the nations to the uttermost parts of the earth (Mic 4:1-3). This kingdom, the church, will endure forever; it will not be succeeded by another (Heb 12:28).

So where does this leave Israel as a political nation today? It is just another nation like any other. In former times, they were a special people of God for two reasons: (1) through them, and in Moses, God's law was delivered, and (2) through them, the Messiah came into the world. Now that the Messiah has been revealed and the Law Of Moses has been superseded, the special purpose God had for the nation of Israel has been fulfilled. Being fulfilled, there is no more activity to bring it about: all has come to pass as God had determined for Israel. Political Israel thus has no more this unique relationship with God. Whether or not they will continue as a political entity or how they will fare militarily with the Muslims in the future are matters about which the scriptures do not speak.

Incidentally, the new nation, spiritual Israel, the church, is not a carnal nation. Its swords have been "beaten into plowshares." Hence, it does not bear arms today or engage in physical, political, or military battles. Its only sword is the word of God:

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;" Eph 6:10-17

Turning our attention again to the religion of Israel, scripture indicates that those who adhere to the Law of Moses and reject Christ today have no hope of eternal salvation (Jn 8:24). God's desire for citizens today of the political nation of Israel is for them to accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah (Romans 10:1-4). It is not politically correct in today's society to suggest that any people or religious group not conforming to the law of Christ are out of favor with God and lost in their sins without hope. Nevertheless, we cannot but state that which God has stated regarding this in His word:

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." Galatians 2:16
"Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:10-12

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