Who or What is Israel?

Who or What is Israel?

by Eric C. Wheeler

The first mention of the name “Israel” comes to us from the mouth of an unidentified man, later identified in Scripture as an Angel of God (see Hosea 12:4), after he had “wrestled all night” with our forefather Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. This man/Angel, being a divine messenger, blessed our father Jacob by changing his name from Jacob which meant “a deceiver and supplanter” to Israel which meant “a prince with God” and/or “a prince of God.” Note that Jacob was given this new name because he “had struggled with God and with men, and had prevailed” – that is, he overcame (Gen. 32:28). God would later reaffirm Jacob’s name change when He appeared again to him in Bethel, saying, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name. So God called his name Israel.” (Gen. 35:10).

It is important to note two pertinent details here: 1) Jacob’s name was changed to Israel because he first “strove with God and men”. 2) And second, “he prevailed” (he overcame) in this struggle. These were the exact reasons given why God changed his name! This is a very important God-ordained point that He wants us to see. Jacob went from being a deceiver – a person who misrepresents and manipulates circumstances in order to get his or her own way by using deceit and craftiness – to a person who now believed God and fully trusted in Him to deliver him, provide for him, and reward him. It was only after this struggle and subsequent victory that he was renamed and made a prince of God! Let’s examine this truth further.

Jacob was named Jacob (“a deceiver and supplanter”) by his parents, Isaac and Rebekah, when, as he was coming out of the womb, he grabbed his twin brother Esau’s heel (Gen. 25:26). In an amazing prophecy, God had already informed Rebekah when she had previously inquired of Him regarding the “struggling twins” in her womb that there were “two nations and peoples” within her, and that the older nation/son would serve the younger nation/son (Gen. 25:21-26). Thus began a divinely appointed struggle from the womb. [Those who know their Bibles recognize that God plans, ordains, and executes things long before He forms us in the womb and even before He brings us into existence (see Isa. 44:24-28; 46:9-10; Jer. 1:4-5; Luke 1:41-45; Rom. 9:10-12,17). As it is written: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psa. 139:16).] As the twin boys grew into adulthood, Jacob continued to act deceitfully, taking advantage and manipulating situations and circumstances to his favor and for his own benefit, defrauding both his brother and his father, and even his uncle’s estate.

After getting a real taste of what his deceitful and dishonest lifestyle and selfish decisions had produced in his life – just as God promised all of us in His Word, saying, “You WILL reap what you have sown!” (Gal. 6:7) – Jacob became remorseful and repented to God. Filled with fear and anxiety by what his life and circumstances had become through the bad decisions that he had made throughout his lifetime, Jacob became greatly discouraged and afraid and cried out to God in desperation: “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac… I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant” (Gen. 32:9-10). It is interesting to note that Jacob came to this recognition and confession of his mistakes and sins, and subsequent repentance, only AFTER “meeting the angels of God as he was going his way” (Gen. 32:1). This divine encounter obviously significantly changed him. For it says, “When Jacob saw them, he said, ‘This is God’s camp.’ And he called the name of that place Mahanaim” which meant “double camp” (Gen. 32:2). There are several things of special spiritual importance and significance in these verses that we tend to just read over quickly without really seeing what the Spirit of the Lord is trying to tell us.

First of all, many people don’t realize that in the Bible the word “angel” refers to any messenger who brings divine news and/or a divine message. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a supernatural being; it can also include a human being and/or a group of beings (people) sent by God. The point is that Jacob came into fellowship with several beings (human or otherwise) who helped him to see the truth. With their spiritual guidance and influence, he suddenly became aware of his own sinful lifestyle and past immoral decisions and methods, and collectively, these “angels” helped point him in the right direction to now follow God’s ways instead of his own. Prior to this divine encounter with them, Scripture says that Jacob was still doing things his own way and journeying through life “his way” (Gen. 32:1). This is apparently why Jacob called this meeting place of godly fellowship “double camp” or “two camps”. He had to now make a choice in life: Was he going to continue doing things “his way” which up to this point had only created in him and in others great fear, hostility, anger, disappointment, and a continual sense of anxiety and frustration; or was he now going to turn to God and rely on Him and do things according to God’s Way. One could say that our father Jacob was literally at a divine crossroads. That’s why it was figuratively called “a double camp”. He was in a crisis of belief. Jacob had to now make a choice. Which camp did he want to live in? His own camp or God’s Camp? He realized he could no longer live in both. He couldn’t have it both ways. And neither can we. When God sends divine messengers (“angels”) into our life, whose presence and words convict us of our sins and our evil behaviors, how do we respond? Do we run away? Do we get angry? Do we shun them? Or, do we want to fellowship with them? Do we desire to be around them more? What is our response? Which camp do we want to permanently be in?

Thankfully, Scripture shows that Jacob chose correctly, and consequently repented. He turned to God in prayer, confessing and acknowledging his sins, wholeheartedly repenting. And notice that this repentance occurred immediately after this divine encounter and fellowship with the “angels [messengers] of God” while he was encamped at the ford of Jabbok (Gen. 32:21-22). This is prophetically significant because “Jabbok” in Hebrew literally means “God will empty” and/or “to be emptied”. It is at this very place that God “emptied” (humbled and brought low) Jacob by choosing to reveal His holy and powerful Presence to him. That is why Jacob called the name of that place “Peniel” which means “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” (Gen. 32:30). It was here that Jacob wrestled with God being in the form of an Angel. And it was here that God blessed Jacob and forever changed his name to Israel after he had refused to let Him go, Jacob relentlessly holding on to God even after He had severely wounded him by permanently dislocating his hip. In hurting Jacob in this manner, God was testing Jacob’s resolve and commitment to his conversion and giving him a continual lifelong reminder that he was to no longer walk his own way and according to his own strength. God was truly emptying Jacob of himself – that is, emptying him of his own self-reliance. The Lord was literally breaking Jacob and emptying him of his human pride and futile carnal strength, while at the same time, commending and confirming his enduring prevailing faith.

Jacob was now ready for a name change. He was no longer going to be a deceiver, a manipulator, a cheat, and a thief. Instead, he was now going to be a son of God, a prince. One who had overcome. One who had been converted. A changed man. He was now “ISRAEL” – a prince of God! He was no longer going to rely on himself, in his own craftiness, and in his own unrighteous and evil ways and methods. Instead, he was now going to enjoy and have a lifelong reliance on God – a continual leaning on the Lord to be his daily strength and assurance as he walked through life here waiting for the promises of God to be ultimately fulfilled. Like his fathers Abraham and Isaac before him, Jacob had to continue to live and persevere in these same promises by faith, traversing this earth as a pilgrim and a sojourner looking for and waiting for the heavenly country and “city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (see Heb. 11:8-16). The book of Hebrews states that in faith our father Jacob remained a cripple all the days of his life and faithfully endured, waiting upon God till the time of his death. For it says Jacob was still worshipping God and doing His work and blessing his sons all while “still leaning on his staff” (Heb. 11:21). Truly, our father Jacob righteously and faithfully held on to God through all the pain and suffering, trials and challenges, as well as in all of the blessings and abundant surprises that the Lord our God walked him through while he lived out his steadfast faith on this earth. It was because of his overcoming and prevailing faith that God prophetically changed his name to Israel! God not only did this for our father Jacob, but He promises that He will also do this same thing for every one of us who overcomes, as we shall soon see.

Immediately after this name change, Scripture says that Jacob, now called Israel – “overcomer and prince of God” – crossed the ford of Jabbok which was a shallow stream that emptied directly into the Jordan River “as the sun fully rose over him” (Gen. 32:31). This is in accordance with what God promises will happen to the righteous who turn to Him and reject evil: “To you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in its rays. Then you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.” (Mal. 4:2). If you don’t realize it by now, this account of Jacob’s life is a prophetic demonstration of our divine calling and potential human destiny!

Jacob’s Name Change Signifies His Conversion!

Let’s break down Jacob’s story: He began his life with a prophecy. A pre-determined declaration from God that he would begin his existence engaged in a great struggle, even while yet still in the womb. And though he would be considered second, the lesser brother, he would eventually become stronger than his older brother and was predestined by God to one day rule over him (Gen. 25:22-23). He was born into this world still engrossed in this prophetic struggle with his twin brother Esau – representing his “fellow man” – even stooping so low as to utilize aggressive and supplanting methods, exemplified by the grasping of his brother’s heel during childbirth from which he got his name, Jacob. He would continue this campaign of self-promotion and deceptive manipulation well into his adulthood, until he came to a place of complete and total emptiness, spiritually referred to as Jabbok. It was at this crossroads of emptiness that God sent divine messengers into Jacob’s life to show him the error of his ways and to point him in the right direction. Faced with this life-changing truth, Jacob had to make a decision! Which way would he go? He chose to repent and then was symbolically “baptized”. That is why it says that “he crossed the stream” (the Jabbok) which completely emptied into the Jordan River and thereby, he entered the Promised Land. This “Promised Land” represents the Kingdom of God to us, which during Jacob’s day was continually being watered and cultivated by the Jordan River, spiritually picturing the free-flowing Holy Spirit. It was immediately after this repentance and true heart change (Jacob’s complete conversion) that God changed Jacob’s name to Israel – and not any sooner!

Notice that Scripture shows that this too is our calling and our proposed destiny! I use the term “proposed” because Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen [selected]” (Matt. 22:14). God is offering this same opportunity and divine privilege to be His son and daughter to anyone and everyone who is willing to put forth the effort and perseverance to engage in their own human struggle with both God and man, and then, to overcome. Here “man” represents our struggle with our own flesh and carnality, as well as our constant battle and struggle against society’s sinful pulls and temptations. This struggle is represented by Jacob’s struggle with his twin brother Esau – “his fellow man,” as well as with his lifelong struggle with his own flesh and carnality, beginning in the womb. And his “struggle with God” represents his natural human mind not wanting to submit to God and to God’s ways. As it is written: “The carnal [fleshly] mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:7-9). This lifelong struggle is what every human being who is brought into the world (brought into existence) MUST come to learn. We each must come to learn this individually by experience! That is, by experiencing both good and evil. This IS the purpose of this present age. This is what this whole life right now is about! [For more information on this, please click on this link: Why Are We Here? What is the Purpose of this Life? – Sharing The Way]. By experiencing both good and evil in this life, we each must come to a decision, a choice – our own “Jabbok” (place of humbling/emptying) and our own “Mahanaim” (double camp/crossroads), so to speak, and choose to either totally and completely surrender to God, and willingly and trustingly obey God and submit to Him and His will, or to keep on going our own way, which ultimately leads to fear, frustration, disappointment, disillusionment, depression, and death. God gives us the freedom to choose. He gives us this world and its experiences of both good and evil to decide for ourselves what we want. It is His desire and will that we choose to follow Him of our own freewill and volition. That is, that we happily, willingly and trustingly, in and by faith, because we’ve come to know Him by firsthand experience, to not only believe in Him, but to actually – BELIEVE Him. Simply put, we’ve come to TRUST Him because we truly know Him!

Physical Parallels Revealing Spiritual Truths

Jacob’s life story is a physical illustration of our divine calling – God’s proposed plan for us of redemption, salvation, and offered reward. As the Bible declares, “First comes the physical, and then comes the spiritual” (I Cor. 15:46). And again, it tells us, “All these things happened to them [to the ancient Israelites] as examples to us, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (I Cor. 10:11). Let’s look at a few parallels from Jacob’s life in light of some New Testament Scriptures:

1) Jacob was prophesied to struggle from the womb.

The same is true for all of us. We must engage in this great struggle with our own human nature, sin, society’s pulls and temptations, and our understanding and perception of God. Notice these verses:

“I have been evil from the day I was born; from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.” (Psa. 51:5)

“Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on (and strive) to know Him!” (Hos. 6:3)

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Luke 13:24)

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life to which you were also called…”  (I Tim. 6:12)

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (II Tim. 2:3-4)

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (II Tim. 4:7)

2) Jacob met angels (messengers) of God who brought him into Mahanaim (into a “two camp” mindset and crisis) which then led him to Jabbok (the place of spiritual emptiness) where he encountered God.

We must all come to know and to understand through personal experiences and by divine intervention that our ways only lead to worry, fear, sorrow, suffering, purposelessness, and death. This realization should then lead us to the Truth – that is, it should lead us to God/Jesus who alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). It is through this knowledge and belief (faith) that we subsequently repent (we renounce and turn away from our own ways), get baptized (fully surrender to God), and receive His Holy Spirit which then leads, directs, and corrects us daily, as we seek to obediently follow God all the days of the rest of our life until death, despite the pain and the scars.

“So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:30-31)

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?… So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:14-17)

“Looking to Jesus [as our example], the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame [considering the shame of the cross as nothing], and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2)

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…” (Phil. 3:7-10)

“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection…” (Rom. 6:3-5)

3) Jacob endured through the struggle, persevered through the pain, and steadfastly held on to God in faith, until God ultimately blessed him by changing his name to Overcomer and Prince of God. Likewise, we too are called to the same destiny! Notice these Scriptural promises:

“To him who overcomes… I will write on him My new name.” (Rev. 3:12)

“To him who overcomes… I will give power over the nations to rule them.” (Rev. 2:26-27)

“Come out from among them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Do not touch [partake of] what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (II Cor. 6:17-18).

Remember, God is the King (Mal. 1:14; I Tim. 1:17). He is royalty and is called Majesty (Heb. 1:3; 8:1). Therefore, His sons and daughters are royalty too. They are princes and princesses. This is why Jacob’s name was changed to “a prince of God” when he overcame all his carnal (human) and spiritual struggles and obstacles, learning instead to look to God and to trust in Him. As an Overcomer, he is adopted as a son and inducted into the Family of God (Rom. 8:15-17; Heb. 2:10-13).

4) As a prince and a son of God, Jacob was now entitled to enjoy the blessings, rewards, and benefits (the “inheritance”) of being a part of God’s Family.

Immediately after God changed his name to Israel and blessed him, Jacob called the name of that place Peniel (meaning, “Face of God”) declaring, “I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved.” Whereupon the darkness of night suddenly subsided, and “he crossed Peniel as the sun rose upon him.” (Gen. 32:31). God promises the same for us who overcome and become His children.

“To you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in its rays. Then you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.” (Mal. 4:2)

“They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be no more night there: they need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 22:4-5)

“To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Rev. 2:7)

“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the Temple [the House] of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God – the new Jerusalem – which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” (Rev. 3:12)

‘Israel’ is a Spiritual Change not a Physical Descendancy

As a result of persevering and overcoming, Jacob was declared by God as being spiritually victorious in his struggle with both men and God. He became a prince of God that day – literally, a son of the King! God was now his King and his Father. He was part of the Royal Family now – the Family of God. This is who and what Israel means!

As the Bible reveals, God has ordained that each of us learn by hard experience – that is, by experiencing both good and evil (“wrestling”) – to choose the good (that is, to choose God, “who alone is good,” Jesus said) and to reject the evil. Thereby, in and through our wrestling in this life, we are presented with the opportunity to come to know God, to trust in Him, and to willingly submit ourselves to Him, so that we are able to humbly walk in constant fellowship with Him. As it is written: “He has shown you, O man, what is good: for what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8). It is in and through this faith in Him that we are reborn through the waters of baptism – symbolizing our death and burial – and subsequent baptism of His Holy Spirit – enabling our new life and resurrection that we now have in Christ. Receiving this baptism of the Holy Spirit (also known as the Spirit of Christ) is what now makes us a son or daughter of God (a prince or princess of God)! The Holy Spirit is God’s seed – His spiritual DNA, so to speak, placed within us (I John 3:9). It’s what makes us His children! It is the Spirit of sonship and daughterhood. It is how we are adopted into His Family, and through whom we cry “Abba, Father,” as Jesus did (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). It is at this divine conception that we begin growing and maturing in the womb of the Church – meaning, we are in constant fellowship with other believers growing together in the Word, who is both Jesus and the Bible. As it is written: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (II Pet. 3:18). And “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (I Pet. 2:2-3). I am not advocating here that a person becomes a member of some corporate religious organization that people mistakenly call “a church” or “going to church”. But rather, I am speaking about growing up in the womb of “Sarah” – the new Jerusalem – the “mother of us all”. Please let me explain. Or rather, please let me show you the Scriptures that clearly explain these things, so that your faith will not be built on human words and/or clever arguments, but rather, our common faith will be built on the words of God as taught by the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever wondered why God changed Sarai – Abraham’s wife and Jacob’s grandmother – to Sarah which meant “Princess”, and during the same time prophetically declared, “She shall be a mother of nations; kings of people [royalty] shall come forth from her.” (Gen. 17:15-16)? The Apostle Paul specifically noted this when he said that we as believers are spiritually descended from her – the free woman, and not from Hagar, Sarah’s slave (Gal. 4:31). He stated that Hagar and her descendants are spiritually considered slaves who are currently still in bondage, but we, as descendants of her master Sarah, according to both God and Scripture, are considered royalty and free (see Gen. 17:15-16; Gal. 4:21-31). Paul further explained that Sarah represents heavenly Jerusalem (true Israel), but Hagar represents physical Jerusalem (current Israel) “which now is, and is in bondage with her children” (Gal. 4:25). Even Jesus referenced this clear distinction when He told the Jews of His day – those who were the physical descendants of Abraham and Jacob (the “Israelites”) – “I know you are Abraham’s [physical] children, but you seek to kill Me, because My Word has no place in you… If you [truly] were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But you seek to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. [Instead], you do the deeds of your [real] father… You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your [real] father you want to do!” (John 8:37-44).

Physical descendancy (that is, physical lineage) from Abraham means nothing. Even John the Baptist noted this truth, saying, “Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” (Matt. 3:9). For God had even stated that He was going to give Abraham many descendants, making him a “father of many nations and peoples” (Gen. 17:4-5). Yet, some of these very nations and tribes would become exceedingly wicked: the Edomites, the Midianites, the Ishmaelites, and at various times, God would even say, the entire physical house of Israel, just to name a few. So physical descendancy from Abraham therefore means nothing to God. As Scripture soundly declares: “Only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.” (Gal. 3:7); and only those who do the actual works of Abraham are his true sons (John 8:39).

Sadly, many so-called Christian pastors and churches today are ignorant of the Scriptures and falsely teach that the modern state and nation of Israel should be looked upon as holy and shown special favor because they are “God’s special chosen people”. They mistakenly apply the Bible verse that God personally spoke to Abraham (formerly known as Abram) when God first called him to come out of his pagan country and his father’s idolatrous household to know and follow the One and Only True God. God said to Abram, “Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:1-3). Referring only to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the psalmist later stated: “When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no one to do them wrong. Yes, He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, ‘Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm’.” (Psa. 105:13-15). God was specifically referring to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob here – not their physical descendants, the Israelites. This is obvious because the verses that come right after this statement go on to say that God Himself turned Egypt’s heart against their descendants: “He [God] turned their heart to hate His people and to deal craftily with His servants.” (Psa. 105:25). Therefore, it is clear that this promise given to Abraham regarding the blessing or cursing of nations based upon how they voluntarily treat or mistreat Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s descendants is no longer in effect.

The apostle Paul even makes mention of this too when he says that God hardened Pharaoh’s (Egypt’s) heart in order to show His power, glory, and mercy to all the inhabitants of the earth. It wasn’t Pharaoh’s choice regarding how he treated the Israelites (see Rom. 9:15-24). In further making this point, Paul directly referenced Jacob and his brother Esau: “For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls, it was said to her [Rebecca], ‘the older shall serve the younger.’ As it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” (Rom. 9:11-13). In other words, it is no longer a matter of cause and effect! Nations are no longer blessed or cursed based on how they treat Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s descendants. Rather, it is about God masterfully and creatively directing His will and cleverly working out and manifesting His great eternal hidden plan here in our midst, and yet, many do not see it or realize it. Just as it says: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and set aside the understanding of the scholars.” (I Cor. 1:19). “So then, it is not about him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” (Rom. 9:16). “So that no flesh shall glory in His presence.” (I Cor. 1:29).

Too many biblically ignorant, albeit well-intentioned, pastors and teachers are pushing a false teaching that we should “bless the modern state of Israel” because they are the physical descendants of Abraham and Jacob (Israel). Yes, we should bless the physical nation of Israel, but not to the exclusion of all the other nations of the earth! The modern state of Israel is no better or worse than all the other nations. Abraham is the father of many nations – pagan and otherwise. Jesus told us to love everybody, even our enemies. He told us to bless those who curse us; to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who spitefully mistreat us and persecute us (Matt. 5:44). He didn’t tell us to show partiality and favoritism towards any nation or group of people. In fact, the Bible forbids it. We are NOT to show partiality or favoritism towards anybody (Jam. 2:1-4). God Himself does not, and neither should we (see Acts 10:34-35; Gal. 2:6; Deut. 10:17). The so-called Bible teachers and pastors of today who push this “bless Israel” narrative are obviously ignorant of the very Scriptures they claim to teach. Here is what the Bible actually says regarding the ancient and modern physical descendants of Israel:

• They have been set aside by God until their future physical resurrection.

“Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said: ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you [Jews/Israelites] first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.’” (Acts 13:46)

“For if their [the Israelites] being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Rom. 11:15)

“And if some of the [natural] branches were broken off, and you [Gentiles], being a wild olive tree, were grafted in… God is able to graft them in again… For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery…that hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins’.” (Rom. 11:17-27)

“The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed, they were very dry. And He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ So I answered, ‘O Lord God, You know.’ Again, He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: ‘Surely, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.’ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also, He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!” Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’” (Ezek. 37:1-14)

“Then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” (Zech. 12:10)

“And some will say to Him, ‘What are these wounds in Your hands?’ Then He will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends.’” (Zech. 13:6)

Jesus told the Jews of His day who rejected Him, “You will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I Am, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24). Yet later, He declared further, “If anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” (John 12:47-48). He then informed them that they would rise in the judgement (the Resurrection) with others from past generations, and they would feel a sense of condemnation (guilt, shame, embarrassment, and remorse) because they were given a greater witness during their lifetime in the form of Jesus than the generations before them (see Matt. 11:20-24; 12:41-42; Luke 10:12-16; 11:31-32). As mentioned in the verses above from Ezekiel and Zechariah, they will then get the chance to truly know Jesus their Savior when they are physically resurrected to life again. As it is written: “Then all Israel shall be saved!” (Rom. 11:26).

• They are currently slaves and in bondage to a number of things: to an old obsolete covenant; to other pagan nations and empires; and to sin and death.

“Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar – for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children…” (Gal. 4:22-25)

“They [the Jews] answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, “You will be made free”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.’” (John 8:33-34).

It’s really surprising that the Jews [Israelites] would say this to Jesus – that “they have never been in bondage to anyone” – because at that very moment in time they were not only the slaves of sin, as Jesus pointed out to them, but they were also the conquered subjects of Rome. Prior to that, they were in bondage to the Greco-Macedonian empire; and before that, the Medo-Persian empire; prior to this, they were the captives of the Babylonians; and before that, the Assyrian empire. And before those empires, God gave them into the hands of the Syrians, the Philistines, the Ammonites, the Midianites, the Canaanites, and the Moabites, at various times in their history because of their national sins. Not to mention, they were once slaves to the Egyptians! Throughout history, Abraham’s physical descendants – the Israelites, were almost always in bondage, and the apostle Paul said they still are (Gal. 4:25)! As Scripture attests, they never left Egypt in their hearts (Acts 7:39). They are still in bondage to man, to empty traditions, to false religion, to sin, and to death. They have not been truly set free because they refuse to believe God and obey Him. Just as Jesus said to them: “You are not willing to come to Me that you may have life… Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you…If you do not believe that I Am, you will die in your sins… Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps [believes] My word, he shall never see death… He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.… Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 5:24,40; 6:53; 8:24,36,51)

^“But now He [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: ‘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 when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them,’ says the Lord. ‘For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ says the Lord: ‘I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Heb. 8:6-13)

As Christians, we are actually told to leave the current city of Jerusalem behind, not bless it: “For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore, Jesus also, that He might set apart the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate [of Jerusalem]. Therefore, let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here [in Jerusalem] we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come” (Heb. 13:11-14). Additionally, the author of the book of Hebrews writes, “We have an altar from which those who serve at the tabernacle [in Jerusalem] have no right to eat” (Heb. 13:10). It is because they don’t believe that Jesus Christ is the once-and-for-all atoning sacrifice and Messiah.

• Even though Abraham was the father of many nations and peoples, only those who are of faith are counted as the seed – his sons and daughters! Physical lineage to Abraham means nothing.

“For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham… 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)

Circumcision of the flesh means nothing to God. In other words, “the flesh profits nothing,” as Jesus said (John 6:63); only the spiritual circumcision of the heart means anything to God: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Gal. 5:6)

“For he is not a Jew [a descendant of Jacob/Israel] who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not from men but from God.” (Rom. 2:28-29)

In closing, I think it is very telling that the apostle Paul actually stated in the Bible that “being Israel” is having the understanding that in Jesus Christ the flesh means nothing; but that what matters is being a new creation in Jesus. For this is what he wrote in his letter to the Galatians: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them – the Israel of God.”  (Gal. 6:14-16). Paul understood that truly being the “Israel of God” was spiritual and not physical. And it was for this very teaching that he claims he was persecuted (Gal. 5:11; 6:12). Paul realized that it was about a heart change – a circumcision of the heart, a conversion only made possible by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ – and that it was not about some fleshly act and physical descendancy.

As the Bible clearly reveals, this is who and what it means to be “Israel.” May we all persevere then and overcome just as our forefather Jacob did. And in and through Jesus Christ, may we, like Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel, also receive a new holy name from God welcoming us into His Royal Family!

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