Is the Nation of Israel Still God’s Special Nation?

I. Introduction: With the war against Islamic militant terrorists and the possibility of a war with Iraq in the near future, many people are wondering if Jesus is coming to reestablish Israel

II. Millennial Quotes about Israel

A. “The one event which many Bible students in the past overlooked was this paramount prophetic sign: Israel had to be a nation again in the land of its forefathers” – Hal Lindsey; The Late Great Planet Earth, 1970 p.43.

B. “

III. The Jews and the land

A. “The Jews never received the land”

1. Genesis 15:18 – Promise to Abraham
2. Cities of Refuge
   • Deuteronomy 19:7-10 – If the promise is fulfilled, 3 additional cities of refuge will be established
   • Joshua 20:1-9 – The three additional cities were granted
3. Joshua 21:43-45 – Key verse: All was given
4. 1 Kings 4:21 – Solomon reigned over the land promised to Abraham (map)
5. Nehemiah 9:7-8 – God had given the land promised to Abraham
6. Any argument that claims that God never gave Israel all of the land therefore the promise was not fulfilled, is ignorant of the Biblical record.

B. “The Jews were promised the land forever”

1. “Why should Israel, whose world numbers in 1976 were 14.15 million (only one-half of one percent of the world’s population), be the special object of the Lord’s gathering? Because God keeps His promises (Quotes Genesis 12:1-2 and Genesis 17:8).” John Wesley White, WWIII, 1977, p.155)
2. Genesis 13:15
3. Exodus 32:13

C. The promise to inherit the land was unconditional; the promise to retain the land was not.

1. The promise to retain the land was contingent on the faithfulness of the descendants
   • 1 Chronicles 28:8
   • Ezra 9:11-15
   • Jeremiah 7:5-7
   • Jeremiah 17:4
2. The conditional nature of the promise was part of the covenant, Deuteronomy 28:63.

D. The “everlasting possession”

1. Circumcision
   • Genesis 17:13 – An everlasting covenant
   • Galatians 6:15; 5:2 (Acts 15) – No longer binding
2. Passover
   • Exodus 12:14 – An everlasting ordinance
   • Colossians 2:13-17 – Not binding under the new covenant
3. The Earth
   • Ecclesiastes 1:4 – The Earth abides forever
   • 2 Peter 3:10-11 – The Earth will be destroyed
4. Everlasting means age lasting. As long as God had a purpose for Israel and they kept the conditions of the covenant, they could possess the land.

E. Conclusions

1. Therefore, any argument that demands that God must restore the land of Israel to the Jews fails to realize the conditional nature of the promise.
2. The Bible and history shows that the Jews were disobedient to God’s covenant and the covenant was abolished, including the land promise.

IV. The Jews as God’s special people

A. The Jews were God’s people by covenant

1. Exodus 19:5-6
2. Note that this relationship was contingent on their obedience

B. The Jews did not keep the covenant and God dissolved it

1. Hebrews 8:7-13
2. Jeremiah 31:35-36 (first part quoted in Hebrews 8)

V. The Church as God’s special people

A. New Israel

1. Romans 9:6-8
2. Galatians 3:26-29 – Heirs of Abraham through obedience
3. Hebrews 12:18-24

B. Old Israel could be his special people as they unite under Christ

1. Romans 11:1
2. Must give up the Old Law
   • Romans 10:1-4
   • Romans, Hebrews, Galatians emphasize the requirement to cast off the Old Law and obey the gospel of Jesus.

VI. Millennialism and reestablishing the Old Covenant

A. Cast off the bondwoman, Galatians 4:21-31

1. From the story in Genesis 16.
2. Hagar, the bondwoman, represents physical Israel.
3. Sarah, the freewoman, represents spiritual Israel
4. The children of promise are not so by physical birth but are spiritual heirs through Jesus, Galatians 3:26-29.
5. We are children of the freewoman, therefore, cast out the bondwoman, the law, and serve Jesus.
   • Galatians 5:1-6 – If we strive to keep the Old Law we will be estranged from Christ
   • Galatians 5:7 – If we strive to keep the Old Law we will be hindered from obeying the truth

B. According to millennialism, in the future, the bondwoman will come back and cast out the freewoman.

1. We will become entangled again to the yoke of bondage.
2. We will be estranged from Christ.
3. We will fall from grace.
4. We will be hindered from obeying the truth.