Israel of the Flesh, Israel of the Spirit
An age old question of vital import and relevance...
“13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”
— Isaiah 28:13-16 KJV
The events of the last week in the land called Israel have certainly led to a myriad of reactions within American society, and the Church as a whole. I have purposely remained silent on this publication as the fog of war has already made many a prognosticator look like a fool with the benefit of hindsight. Perhaps my fellow countryman have forgotten about the lies surrounding the USS Maine, Pearl Harbor, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, Nayirah al-Sabah, mythical WMD’s in Iraq, or the Ghost of Kiev; I, on the other hand, have not. Already, there are many Israeli propaganda narratives that have utterly fallen apart, such as the alleged mass beheading of infants by Hamas.
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To me, what is significantly more important than being first is being correct, and even more so, truthful. I have seen far too many men of God — many of whom I once respected — call for the violent destruction of the pagan nation of Palestine; that an Old Testament-style judgement should be carried out by the physical nation of Israel; a people whom they claim are of God. Cries to “Pray for Israel” have turned into “Kill Them All!” in a matter of days. This is not just a perverse twisting of scripture to justify a modern day genocide, but it flies in the face of the clear teachings of Christ and by extension, His Apostles.
Many promises and covenants were made with the seed of Abraham, a set aside people who themselves descended from the gentile Abram. Before Abram ever made a covenant with God, he was set aside through his faith, and not the works of the flesh; a presaging of the covenant that Christ would establish through His sacrifice (Luke 22:20). This was the fulfillment of the covenant which all of the prophets foretold (Hebrews 8), such as Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:33-34), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 11:19-20), and Isaiah (Isaiah 59:21).
These promises, most pertinently seen in Genesis 12 and Genesis 17, are just as important today as they were those thousands of years ago. To whom do these promises apply, and what does that mean for those of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ? Is Israel solely a people and a physical nation, or is it a faith? I will be adding as little commentary as I possibly can, for the Word of God more than speaks for itself.
Firstly, it is crucial to establish that all of the prophets of old — inspired men of God whom the Holy Spirit spake through — foretold that the gentile nations would be blessed and reconciled to God through His son, Jesus Christ (all emphasis below is mine):
10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
— 1st Epistle of Peter 1:10-11 KJV
That grace of course is the redemptive gospel of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us. This is a point Paul emphasizes as well in his letter to the Church at Rome:
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
— Epistle to the Romans 1:1-2 KJV
Indeed, Christ explicitly states this reality Himself:
46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.
— Gospel of John 5:46 KJV
Despite learning at the foot of our Savior, even the Apostles did not fully understand this truth until Christ Himself opened their understanding after His resurrection:
44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
— Gospel of Luke 24:44-47
Peter, filled with The Holy Ghost, once again makes this abundantly clear:
17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
— Acts of the Apostles 3:17-26
The plan for the salvation of the physical Israel, spoken of through the prophets of old, is no different than that of His Church: we all must repent, believe on Him, and call Him Lord. Paul makes this same point in his letter to the Church at Ephesus:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
— Epistle to the Ephesians 3:3-6 KJV
It is only through The Holy Spirit that this mystery of Christ was revealed unto His Apostles. There aren’t different salvation paths for different peoples: all must call Christ their King. These promises were never meant for one ethnic group alone, even under that First Covenant, which the Book of Jonah (Jonah 1:2) and the Book of Esther (Esther 8:17) make clear.
The eventual fate of the earthly kingdom of Israel was foretold by John the Baptist:
7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
— Gospel of Luke 3:7-9 KJV
Christ too likens the eventual fate of the physical Israel to the tree that refuses to bear good fruit:
6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
— Gospel of Luke 13:6-9 KJV
We this same symbolic judgement of the fig tree (i.e. Israel) in Mark 11:12-14, as well as Matthew 21:18-22. This concept is further expounded upon by Christ when he speaks to the Pharisees:
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
— Gospel of Matthew 21:33-45 KJV
The Pharisees understood quite clearly what Christ meant, and it truly speaks to the decrepit state of the Church that most of us now do not. Paul too likens the believer to the husbandry, or the fruits, of God:
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
— 1st Epistle to the Corinthians 3:6-9 KJV
The following verse is often brought forth as proof by Dispensationalists that these distinctions have not been done away with within the Kingdom of God:
32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
— 1st Epistle to the Corinthians 10:32 KJV
Now if their interpretation of the above verse is the correct one, why would Paul distinctly point out the “Israel after the flesh” earlier in that same chapter?
15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
— 1st Epistle to the Corinthians 10:15-18
In the physical realm there are certainly still the plain distinctions between those who call themselves Jews, the unbelievers (Gentiles), and those who profess Christ as savior (the Church of God). However, those distinctions are of an earthly sort; they are clearly not applied to the spiritual Body of Christ, which every believer is a part of. Paul makes this abundantly clear just two chapters later in this same letter:
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
— 1st Epistle to the Corinthians 12:12-14
Within the full context of both the chapter and the epistle as whole, it is clear that this is a fleshly distinction maintained by those outside of the Church, as we are all of one body in Christ Jesus. Paul’s teaching is not some new doctrine of his own making, it is merely a clarification and expounding upon of what Christ had already taught:
46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
— Gospel of Matthew 12:46-50 KJV
Quite simply put, it is those who do the will of the Father that are of the family of Christ.
Now if the Dispensationalists are correct in their interpretation of I Corinthians 10:32, how does that square with the clear reading of the following verses?
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
— Epistle to the Romans 2:28-29 KJV
Circumcision was always meant to be of the heart, and not of the flesh (Duet. 10:16). This exact point is made by Paul in Philippians Chapter 3 as well:
3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Throughout the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Rome, this point is made again and again:
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
— Epistle to the Romans 4:11-12 KJV
It is through that same faith, which Abraham demonstrated while yet uncircumcised, that we are made the sons of God:
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
— Epistle to the Romans 8:6-16 KJV
This is made even more clear by Paul in the following chapter:
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
— Epistle to the Romans 9:6-8 KJV
Not all of those who claim to be of the carnal Israel are of the Israel of God, for the LORD has cut those natural branches off:
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For 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 fulness 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:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.
— Epistle to the Romans 11:15-28 KJV
This evocative analogy hearkens to Christ’s own parables on this same subject. That said, a vital distinction and point is made by Paul here. The Jews, or the Israel of the Flesh, are not forever cut off. They can be grafted into the Kingdom once again, but as Christ also states, they must first recognize him as their Lord:
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
— Gospel of Matthew 23:37-39 KJV
In addition to the letter to the Church at Rome, Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus further clarifies this very clear doctrine spoken of by the prophets of old:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
— Epistle to the Ephesians 2:8-22 KJV
Peter too makes this same point: that we who are in Christ are His holy nation, living stones in the spiritual house of God, sanctified by the shedding of Christ’s blood on the Cross:
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
— 1st Epistle of Peter 2:4-10 KJV
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul once more makes this point more than clear for us:
5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
— Epistle to the Galatians 3:5-9 KJV
Again, it is made manifestly clear by Paul that the scriptures and the prophets foretold of that coming day when the gentiles of the flesh would be made the children of God. We who are of the faith are blessed with Abraham, a point made even more explicit at the end of this same chapter:
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
— Epistle to the Galatians 3:24-29 KJV
Not only are we blessed like faithful Abraham, but we are of his seed, and heirs according to those same promises:
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
— Epistle to the Galatians 4:6-7 KJV
As Paul expounds upon this in later chapters, it is those who walk in that same faith, the one true faith, that are the Israel of God:
15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
— Epistle to the Galatians 6:15-16 KJV
The Israel of God are those who call him Lord and walk in faith, thereby being made heirs to the promise. It is simply not germane to build doctrines that hinge upon a myopic reading of a solitary verse, all whilst ignoring the parts of the very chapter and epistle that refute that same notion. It should be manifestly clear by this point that using I Corinthians 10:32 to justify this ongoing distinction between the Church of God and the Israel of God is not only fallacious, but it forces one to ignore vast swathes of very clear scripture; from the words of Paul, to Peter, to John, and most importantly, Jesus Christ.
The promises of Genesis 12 & 17 to Abraham are not only partially fulfilled through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16), but they are also given to us as seeds and heirs of that same promise (Galatians 3:29). ALL of the prophets — from the beginning of the world — prophesied of this glorious reality where all the nations of Earth would worship the risen Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The same mistake being made today was the mistake being made by the Pharisees, Judeans, and even for a time the Apostles: the promises and prophesies of the coming Kingdom were interpreted through a carnal lens. Without The Holy Spirit, it was impossible for the fleshly Israel to understand that these prophesies were of a spiritual nature.
The Church of God is not the replacement of Israel:
It is the FULFILLMENT.
— The Crucifixion (Luke 23:34-35), 1875, ill. by Gustave Doré
“8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
— Epistle to the Galatians 1:8-9 KJV
This idea that Christ’s Church and the Israel of God are somehow separate entities is a rather old line of thinking made new again. This fallacious belief was one of the most pernicious problems that plagued the early Church, which is why so many epistles and Apostles touch on the subject. This misguided and false doctrine was introduced into the modern Church by John Nelson Darby, as well as Cyrus I. Scofield: the progenitors of Dispensationalism. A proper analysis and refutation of these men’s seriously misguided, if not outright heretical, doctrine is outside of the scope of this article. It is one I will be addressing at length at a later date, for this poisonous Zionist fruit lies at the heart of so many problems that now plague Christ’s Bride.
What is to be said then of modern day Israel, both of the flesh and the nation? The same that is to be said of any peoples or person who denies Christ:
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
— 1st Epistle of John 2:22 KJV
How much worse then are those who not only deny Him, but preach utterly vile things about our Lord such as this:
Onkelos then went and raised Jesus the Nazarene from the grave through necromancy. Onkelos said to him: Who is most important in that world where you are now? Jesus said to him: The Jewish people. Onkelos asked him: Should I then attach myself to them in this world? Jesus said to him: Their welfare you shall seek, their misfortune you shall not seek, for anyone who touches them is regarded as if he were touching the apple of his eye.
Onkelos said to him: What is the punishment of that man, a euphemism for Jesus himself, in the next world? Jesus said to him: He is punished with boiling excrement. As the Master said: Anyone who mocks the words of the Sages will be sentenced to boiling excrement. And this was his sin, as he mocked the words of the Sages. The Gemara comments: Come and see the difference between the sinners of Israel and the prophets of the nations of the world. As Balaam, who was a prophet, wished Israel harm, whereas Jesus the Nazarene, who was a Jewish sinner, sought their well-being.
That is but a small sample of the truly damnable blasphemies hurled at our Savior by the carnal Israel in their Talmud, which almost every sect of Judaism holds in higher regard than the Torah.
I ask my brothers and sisters in Christ who yet cling to Scofield’s doctrine: do you truly think God will bless a people who preach the most abominable heresies imaginable about His Son? That He would bless a people such as this?
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If those who bless “Israel” will be blessed, and if those who curse them will be cursed, answer me this: is America better off after pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into this foreign land? Is our country currently harvesting fruits of blessing, or are these fruits cursed? By any objective standard, America has not been blessed by their alliance with the pagan nation of Israel. This alone refutes the insipid notion that a nation or people must be lauded no matter their sins or their blasphemies.
I ask my brothers and sisters in Christ, who is the Synagogue of Satan spoken of by our Lord if not this carnal and pagan Israel?
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
— Revelation 2:9 KJV
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
— Revelation 3:9 KJV
It truly beggars belief to suggest that this country is somehow imbued by God with a divine mandate to wipe away the Gazans from their shores. The physical Kingdom of Israel was destroyed for far less severe blasphemies than the ones we see on display within its synagogues and streets on a weekly basis.
So should we as the Church pray for the pagan nation of Israel?
Yes, of course.
But that prayer is no different than the prayers that should be prayed for any pagan land that refuses to acknowledge Christ as the Risen King: that they would repent, humble themselves before their Messiah, and believe on Him for everlasting life.
“If you call a synagogue a brothel, a den of vice, the Devil’s refuge, Satan’s fortress, a place to deprave the soul, an abyss of every conceivable disaster or whatever you will, you are still saying LESS than it deserves.”
— Saint Jerome of Stridon
Further Research
The Holy Bible (1611 KJV w/ Apocrypha)
The Incredible Scofield and His Book by Joseph M. Canfield
Jesus in the Talmud by Peter Schäfer
The Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation by Philip Mauro
Reading this important post, I finally understand what the hullaballoo is about 'Dispensationalism'. I don't personally study Scofield, and didn't fully get that it was his erroneous teachings were behind this 'Israel can do no wrong' heresy. (A nonsense, BTW, that has caused me no end of frustration with the Church in America. The Nikki Haleys, Ted Cruzes, John Hagees, and a whole host of online preachers who want to blame all the world's ills on the Christian nation of Russia.. or a host of other 'baddies', who all frustrate the grace of God - and this writer - no end). I thought the term - dispensationalism - referred to those of us who recognize the distinction in 'time frames' that are clear from Biblical records - that some call 'dispensations'. As for me and my house - we study the Scriptures and have little time for political foils like Scofield, or his field of lazy lackey devotees. (lazy because the most cursory study of Scripture with the holy spirit alongside, would refute for them Scofield's doctrines.)
That said, your post should be a book - or 'video' (which is all some folk ever seem to study) .. something that can reach the unreached ignorant masses sitting in church pews being fed obsequious Israeli mush and going about their oblivious days whilst the End of all things draws to a close -as will their judgment.
"Cries to “Pray for Israel” have turned into “Kill Them All!” in a matter of days. This is not just a perverse twisting of scripture to justify a modern day genocide, but it flies in the face of the clear teachings of Christ and by extension, His Apostles." Exactly so. Which liars and war mongers such as Halley, Hagee, Graham, DeSantis et al, foment in everything they say. WHEN did the Church fail to see that we are to PRAY for Jerusalem (Where all the descendants of Abraham live) not for the peace only of Israel, and that the verse does not say BOMB for the peace of Israel.. As if war ever ended war.
"Now in the physical realm there are certainly still the plain distinctions between those who call themselves Jews, the unbelievers (Gentiles), and those who profess Christ as savior (the Church of God)." Paul explains this perfectly in II Corinthians 10:32, that there ARE 3 groups of people according to the view of heaven - Jews (ie.. that have never come to Christ), Gentiles - all nations on earth, and the Church of God - into which when the Jew or Gentile flows - he loses the previous moniker. He/she is now a Christian. The name first assigned to the Church in Antioch of Syria.
(I WISH TO ADD.. It always irritated me to meet a 'Messianic Jew'. I would say to them, 'You're not a Jew of any name, you are now a Christian'.. And they would blow their stack. The Bible recognizes 3 groups, Jew, Gentile, and Church of God - (called Christian now) - not 4 groups -so that the 'Messianic Jews' can feel themselves somehow different or superior. It is exactly this sort of hubris that messes up the whole program.)
THEN there is Israel, which explains the fact that BEFORE there WAS a Church of God, or a ONE BODY, there has been an ISRAEL of God since Abraham first became the 'Father of ALL those who believe', regardless of time frame (or dispensation!) Today, it would be right to assume that ALL who are in the Church of God are 'of Israel'. The original Israel, as Jeringjuilla suggested, is still in existence thanks to Jehovah's covenant with David, and will be judged according to their upholding the law. Who they are and where they are is understood to be - to this day - scattered - until GOD restores them to the land. As Paul said in Romans 11, after the birth of the Church of God on Pentecost - .. 'Even so, then at this present time, there is a remnant [of Israel] according to the election of grace'.
"It is this poisonous Zionist fruit lies at the heart of so many problems that now plague Christ’s Bride.
If those who bless “Israel” will be blessed, and if those who curse them will be cursed, answer me this: is America better off after pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into this foreign land? Is our country currently harvesting fruits of blessing, or are these fruits cursed? By any objective standard, America has not been blessed by their alliance with the pagan nation of Israel. This alone refutes the insipid notion that a nation or people must be lauded no matter their sins or their blasphemies."
You not only nailed it, but dare to beg the question, HOW IS IT.. that the false prophets of our day continue to blather on about 'God's CONTRACT' with America,.. and the culpability of EVERYONE but themselves for leading the unbelievably gullible Church in America to play the blame game, instead of looking in the mirror at the atrocities that we, that is the USA, have committed, and continue to commit around the world - MUCH of which is at the behest of the nation that calls itself 'ISrael' and likes to brag that THEY wag this dog. Indeed they do, but both nations - BTW CALLED OUT TOGETHER in the 2017 Eclipse - are racing to a dreadful denouement.
At least Israel will one day be restored.. according to the Scriptures - America will not.
All evidence would suggest that not only do the Rabbis of today's Judaism reject Christ and Christianity but they have actually done a switcheroo and replaced the God of the Bible with Satan himself. That is what I see when I look at where all of this was heading over the last 2000 + years. This all culminated in the setting down of these new "traditions" in the 13th century Zohar with its 72 names for G-d. Not God but G-d. These 72 names very nicely coincide with the 72 names of actual demons in the Ars Goetia of 15th century Europe. Ancient Jewish "tradition" was the root of all this according to many scholars.
Jesus wasn't kidding when he referred to what all this would finally become. What else but a "Synagogue of Satan" could you call it? My biggest question about all of this is what percentage of Jews are actually aware this switch was made?
Outstanding piece of writing Scipio. Worth the wait!!!!!