No 19

(Does the Church Fulfill Israel’s Program?)

Many volumes have been written in answer to this question because there are two very distinct possible answers and students of Scripture have had to choose between them. They are:

1) God’s program for Israel is fulfilled in the Church. The Old Testament is reinterpreted by the New Testament and the prophesies for Israel in the Old Testament must not be taken literally but applied to the Church. God made specific promises to Abraham in Genesis 12: 1-3 “1 Now the LORD said to Abram, Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” Abraham’s descendants include Jews, Christians and Moslems; therefore, there is no distinction between Israel and the Church; both are recipients of God’s salvation by grace. Prophesies for an earthly kingdom must not be taken literally; the kingdom is in heaven.

2) God has two different programs – one for Israel and one for the Church   The Church is not mentioned in the Old Testament (a mystery – Ephesians 5:42) and it is not a nation but rather an open fellowship of people who believe that Jesus is the Messiah. A sharp distinction must be made between the descendants of Abraham in general and the descendants of Isaac (Jacob – Jews and Esau – gentiles). The Church was created to be the channel of God’s grace since Israel failed miserably to do this. However, God has not forgotten His people and will bring them back to the land one day. Romans 11: 25, 26 says “25 or I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. 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:”

The LORD knows His agenda – may we be faithful in proclaiming His name to the lost, including the Jews.