Is Israel The Chosen People of God Today?

Marvin L. Weir
Each time there is a new conflict in the Middle East involving Israel numerous references are made regarding the nation being "the holy land" or "God's chosen people." Such remarks reveal the tremendous depth of ignorance of God's Word that exists throughout the world. Friends, the truth of the matter is that the so-called "holy land" (Israel) is no more holy today than any other tract of land in the world! All people today live in the Christian age (no apology or exception to the Muslims or to anyone else), and God authorizes no one to worship Him under Patriarchal or Mosaical law (Heb. 8:7-13). There is no particular race of people or geographical area of the world that God exalts above all others!

The apostle Paul makes clear Christ's purpose for dying on the cross in saying, "Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands; that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in the flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, [so] making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" (Eph. 2:11-16 ASV, emph. MLW).

The chosen people of God today are those who are "in Christ" and are "made nigh" and "one" by the "blood of Christ." To the Galatians the apostle Paul said, "There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one [man] in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise" (Gal. 3:28-29 ASV). One has to be blind to the truth, biased, or wed to preconceived ideals to not understand that any person today can be "Abraham's seed," but only by obeying the gospel and being found in Christ Jesus!

Men's theories regarding Premillennialism influence more people today than the Word of God. Premillennialists have long believed that the church will have to endure what they call "the great tribulation." The dispensational premillennialist believes that the church will be "raptured" and removed from this world before the great tribulation. This latter dispensational view of premillennialism is the most popular one today.

Now that Israel has invaded Lebanon because of the kidnappings and attacks by Hezbollah, many remarks are once again being made about Israel being God's chosen people. It is true that at one time in history Israel was God's chosen people through which the Messiah was to come (Gal. 3:16; Matt. 1:1-16). God has fulfilled every promise He made to Israel, and Israel rejected the Messiah who was their only hope. The apostle Peter, a Jew, privileged to preach to fellow Jews on Pentecost, said, "Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified" (Acts 2:36 ASV, emph. MLW).

God gave His Son (John 3:16), and Christ willingly gave His life for the sins of all mankind (Heb. 9:25-28). But Jewish leaders of Jesus' day rejected Him as being the Messiah — just as most Jews do today — and looked for a temporal kingdom even though the Lord taught that His kingdom would not be of this world (John 18:36)!

False premillennial conclusions influence presidents, congressmen, native citizens, and the media in America to cry that today it is God's will that special consideration be given to the nation of Israel. Not so! The nation of Israel today is no more "holy" than America, and most citizens of Israel and America are not God's people (cf. Matt. 7:13-14). False premillennial conclusions either condemned or not supported by the Bible are these:
  1. God today has a plan for national or physical Israel.

  2. This plan will have its fruition in Jerusalem and the "holy land" of Palestine.

  3. Land promises to Israel were never fulfilled.

  4. The kingdom that prophets saw in the Old Testament is not the church Jesus built [Acts 2].

  5. The Jews thwarted Jesus' plan to establish His kingdom at His first coming.

  6. After Israel surprised the Lord and rejected the kingdom [Plan A], Jesus established His church [Plan B].

  7. The kingdom will be established at Jesus' second coming.

  8. This can only mean that Christ's first coming was a failure, and His second coming will accomplish what He could not accomplish at His first coming.

  9. Christ is not now on David's throne; He will occupy David's throne at His second coming.

  10. Living righteous saints will be "raptured" at Christ's second coming and dead saints resurrected.

  11. The seven years of tribulation follows the "rapture," and toward the end of the seven years the battle of Armageddon will occur.

  12. Jesus will reign on earth from David's throne in earthly Jerusalem for one thousand years [national or physical Israel will be ruling the world].

Let us now notice the fatal flaws in these premillennial conclusions:
  1. God's plan for national or physical Israel today is the same as for any other nation. All people [both Jews and Greeks] must obey the gospel to be saved (Rom. 1:16). The gospel is to be preached in all the world — including Israel. One who does not obey the gospel will be eternally lost (2 Thess. 1:8-9).

  2. When the Lord comes again the entire world will be burned up — Jerusalem and Palestine included (2 Pet. 3:10, 12).

  3. Land promises made to Israel were fulfilled. The extent of the land promise made to Abram is recorded in Genesis 15:18-21. The promise was fulfilled during Joshua's rule over Israel. Listen carefully: "So Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And Jehovah gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; Jehovah delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not aught of any good thing which Jehovah had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass" (Joshua 21:43-45 ASV, emph. MLW). The Bible, God's Word, makes it very clear that King Solomon ruled over what millennial false teachers claim Israel never possessed. 1 Kings 4:21 ASV affirms, "And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought tribute, and served Solomon all the days of his life" (cf. to the promise made in Gen. 15:18-21).

  4. The kingdom the prophets saw in the Old Testament (Dan. 2:44; Isa. 2:2-3; Micah 4:1-2) is the church that Jesus built (Matt. 16:18-19). Christ did not promise to build His church and then give Peter the "keys" to something that would not exist until the Lord's second coming.

  5. The Jew's did not thwart Jesus' plan to build His kingdom, and the church was not "plan B."

  6. Christ knew the Jews would reject him as such rejection had been prophesied. The Psalmist declared, "The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner" (Psa. 118:22 ASV). The church is God's eternal plan (Eph. 3:10-11) and was purchased with the precious blood of Christ (Acts 20:28). The apostle Paul preached the kingdom (Acts 20:25), but admonished the Ephesian elders to "feed the church" (Acts 20:28). The church and the kingdom are one and the same!

  7. The kingdom was established on the first Pentecost in Jerusalem after the resurrection of Christ. Jesus said that some living during His earthly ministry would not die until they saw "the kingdom of God come with power" (Mark 9:1). The kingdom came with power on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Brethren living during Paul's day had been "translated... into the kingdom" (Col. 1:13).

  8. Christ was not a failure at His first coming as His kingdom was established.

  9. As promised, Christ is now sitting on David's throne. The Scriptures say, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David" (Luke 1:32 ASV). This is a spiritual throne in Heaven and not an earthly throne in Jerusalem as is made clear by the Lord's statement in John 18:36. Jesus' ascension to David's throne "would not come through military power, political change, or earthly favor; but it would be accomplished by his resurrection from the dead" (Coffman, Luke 1:32; cf. Acts 2:30-31).

  10. Where does the Bible teach that the righteous saints will be "raptured" at the second coming? It doesn't! But the Bible does teach, "that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:15-17 ASV).

  11. The "seven years of tribulation" is to follow something that does not exist — the rapture! It should frighten one to subscribe to a doctrine that cannot be found in the Word of God.

  12. Jesus is now reigning on David's throne in Heaven — it is a spiritual and not a physical reign! The apostle Peter alludes to this reign when preaching his sermon on Pentecost (Acts 2:26-31). The fact that Christ is now reigning over His kingdom on David's throne — spiritual, not physical — is not a matter of dispute for people who believe God's Word. The Bible says, "Then [cometh] the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death" (1 Cor. 15:24-26).
People today would do well to remember that every promise made by God to Israel was fulfilled or else forfeited by Israel's disobedience. God's promises are always conditioned on obedience. Jeremiah 18:7-17 makes this truth very clear to Israel. People would also do well to remember these Scriptures: "So that the law is become our tutor [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now faith that is come, we are no longer under a tutor. For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one [man] in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise" (Gal. 3:24-29 ASV).

The majority of the Jews — Israel — do not believe that Jesus is Deity and God's only begotten Son. Jesus told the Jews of His day that unless they believed He was the Messiah that they would die in their sins (John 8:24). Unless one will confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead, he cannot be saved (Rom. 10:9-10). If one is not "baptized into Christ," he cannot "put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27).

One must be in Christ to be "Abraham's seed" and "heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29). How can people who reject the Christ by refusing to believe He was/is Deity, refuse to make the good confession, and refuse to be baptized into Christ for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38) be the chosen people of God? The truthful answer is that those who do such cannot be God's people!



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