Romans 9:6-8 but it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, (7) nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac, your seed shall be called." (8) 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.
The subject matter of this series is the first in a series that deals with biblical prophecy, specifically as it relates to the nation of Israel. For us to have a scriptural understanding of this particular subject, however, we need to recognize that scripture reveals to us that there are two Israel’s’. Sadly, because of their lack of understanding of this fundamental truth, many bible scholars misinterpret biblical prophecy in this area. And so the question is asked, with regards to bible prophecy, why is it important for us to understand the biblical truth about the two Israel’s? The main reason is because both Israel’s feature in bible prophecy; and what is prophesied about the one, invariably does not apply to the other, and visa versa. And so because most bible scholars acknowledge only one Israel, i.e. the nation of Israel; they therefore apply all bible prophecy to that Israel, thus creating a completely distorted picture about the future of that nation. An analogy that helps us to understand this concept would be the Jews acknowledging only one coming of the Messiah. Because Jews do not understand the biblical truth about the first and second coming of the Messiah, they therefore apply all biblical prophecy about the Messiah’s coming to one event, thus creating a completely distorted picture about that event. So in this series, we want to discuss the biblical truth that there are two Israel’s, and what the difference is between the two. The subject matter dealing with the two Israel’s is substantial, and to do it justice requires a lot more detail than is recorded in this series. Nevertheless, in this series, I have dedicated three sections to the subject, primarily so that we can correctly interpret bible prophecy pertaining specifically to the nation of Israel. In the above-quoted passage of scripture, the apostle Paul introduces us to the biblical truth that there are indeed two Israel’s; for in this passage, he says that they are not all Israel who are of Israel. In other words, Paul is saying that not all the direct descendants of Israel (Jacob) are part of Israel. And so we see that even though all Israelis can prove, through their ancestry, that they are part of the nation of Israel; Paul speaks about another Israel, which to be considered part of, requires a qualification other than ancestry. Paul goes on in this passage to allude to the qualification required to be considered part of second Israel; i.e. being “children of the promise”. And so having introduced the concept of the two Israel’s in scripture, we will now explore that concept in more detail in this series. Let me say at the outset; that this teaching does not align with the unscriptural doctrine of “Replacement Theology”. So what is Replacement Theology, or “Supersessionism” as it is also known? Briefly, the doctrine states that the church has replaced the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people. In other words, this doctrine maintains that God has discarded the nation of Israel and the church has become the new Israel. Although there is an element of truth in this doctrine; because it only acknowledges one Israel, i.e. the church, it therefore applies all bible prophecy to that Israel, thus creating a completely distorted picture about the future of the church. The correct interpretation of scripture, however, teaches us that there are two Israel’s; i.e. the church and the nation of Israel, and God has a separate plan for each one. As an aside, the two Israel’s discussed in this series are not to be confused with the division of the nation of Israel into the two separate kingdoms, as recorded in the Old Testament; i.e. the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. I discuss the subject of those two kingdoms in the next series.
Michael E.B. Maher
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