Genesis 12:1-3 tells us, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And 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.” We later read in 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.”

It’s clear that Israel is God’s chosen earthly people. To Israel, the Lord gave the Law through Moses. The Lord, in preparing to give Moses the law said in Exodus 19:6, “These are the words which thou shalt speak unto THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.” The law was given to God’s earthly people, the nation of Israel.

Abraham was successful when the Lord tried him by instructing him to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Most of us know the story as it is related in Genesis 22. The Lord said to Abraham in Genesis 22:17, “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the STARS OF THE HEAVEN, and as THE SAND WHICH IS UPON THE SEA SHORE; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” From this, we can see that Abraham would be father of two different types of people. Israel, as the Lord’s earthly people, are represented in the ‘sand which is upon the sea shore.’ The church (comprised of Jew and Gentile, alike), as the Lord’s heavenly people, are represented in the ‘stars of the heaven.’ Abraham, therefore, is the father of all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We read in Galatians 3:6-7, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, THE SAME ARE THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM.”

Now let’s read Romans 11:17-21, “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” The Apostle Paul is addressing the Gentile believers. We learn here that because of their unbelief, Israel has been ‘cut off’ as God’s chosen people and have been replaced by God’s heavenly people, the church.

Today, we are living in the church age. Is God through with Israel? ABSOLUTELY NOT! We read in Psalms 89:30-34, “If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. MY COVENANT WILL I NOT BREAK, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Romans chapters 9-11 confirm that the Jews are still His chosen earthly people.

In a yet future day, when “the fulness of the Gentiles” has come (Romans 11:25) by the rapture of the church, Israel will become prominent once again. We read of that day in Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” We read in Romans 11:26, “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. This is in reference to the faithful remnant of Israel.

During the 7-year Tribulation Period, we read in Revelation 7:4, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” 12,000 out of each of the 12 tribes of Israel will be sent out to the world to preach the gospel of the kingdom. We read in verse Revelation 7:9-10, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”

So much more could be written about the Lord’s dealings with Israel, but we will end with this and encourage you to search the scriptures for more information and details regarding Israel. (337.2)