Why Israel Is So Important to God’s Story
The world is watching in horror as Israel and Hamas engage in bloody, brutal conflict. Thousands of people have died, including women and children. This war is historic in its importance, both due to the scope of the devastation, and because of Israel’s unique role in the overarching narrative of the Bible.
As Christians, it is important we understand Israel’s role in the Bible so we can understand what is happening in our world today, and we can learn to pray for and engage with the Nation of Israel.
While entire seminary classes are dedicated to the study of the Nation of Israel, I wanted to give you a 30,000-foot overview of their role in the Bible.
Formation of Israel
The Nation of Israel exists because of a promise God made to a man named Abraham. While the Bible is not explicit on the date of the Abrahamic Covenant, it is believed to have been sometime around 2000 B.C. In this covenant, God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation and that this nation would have a unique calling and favor from God. Importantly, God promises, that through this nation “all peoples on earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).
We see God beginning to fulfill His promise to Abraham in his son Issac and grandson Jacob, who is renamed to – you guessed it – Israel. Israel had 12 sons, who beget the 12 tribes of Israel.
A Brief History of Israel
The history of Israel is told over the course of the entire Old Testament, and clearly shows how God miraculously provided for and protected the Nation of Israel, His Chosen People. He delivered them from slavery, gave them victory over their enemies as they entered the Promised Land, and gave them a way to temporarily atone for their sin through animal sacrifices (pointing to an eventual permanent solution to sin through the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ). God granted Israel victory in battle, met their physical needs, and provided leaders to guide them. In return, He asked for their devotion and for them to follow the laws and commandments He gave them.
Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? Well, the Nation of Israel did not follow God’s laws. They worshipped idols and rejected Him. Over and over and over. They even split into two kingdoms because of their infighting – the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. God gave His Chosen People a multitude of chances to follow Him, and sent many prophets to warn them about their sin, but they fell away every time.
Eventually, God followed through on the promised punishment for their rebellion. First, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which the Bible describes as never having any good kings, fell to Assyria in 722 B.C. Then, the Southern Kingdom of Judah, which the Bible describes as having a few good kings so it lasted a little longer until it too was conquered by Babylon in 586 B.C. Even in captivity, God remained faithful to Israel, promising them they would be restored, and a coming King would save them.
About 70 years after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the King of Persia (after the Medo-Persians had conquered the Babylonians in 539 B.C.) allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding (2 Chronicles 36:22-23). As the Old Testament ends, Israel is no longer in exile, Jerusalem had been rebuilt, the temple was operating again, and the world power was the Medo-Persian Empire. During the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, no prophets of God spoke, however, God was very busy preparing the way for His Son, the promised Messiah. The Greek Empire rose to prominence, followed by the Roman Empire that swallowed up Israel, but allowed the Jews to continue to practice their religion, as long as they did not disrupt the peace in the Roman Empire. As the New Testament begins, the Jews are still awaiting their promised Messiah and conquering King to free them from being under the control of the Romans.
The People of Israel and the Messiah
Throughout the Bible, God promised Israel that someone would come from the tribe of Judah and the line of King David to redeem Israel and establish His Kingdom. Israel thought this meant that the Messiah would overthrow their Roman oppressors. While the Old Testament speaks of the Messiah as a conquering King who will establish His Kingdom and sit on the throne of David, the Old Testament also prophesizes that the Messiah will also be a suffering servant who will redeem humankind from their sin, allowing humans to be restored to a relationship with God. When Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world, Israel and its leaders were looking for a conquering King, but God’s plan was for Jesus to first come, live a perfect life for 30 years to show us how to live, spend the next 3 years pouring into his 12 Apostles so that they could continue to spread the Good News of the Gospel after He died, die on the cross to pay the debt for our sins (a debt we could not pay) as the perfect sacrifice, to be buried and rise again on the third day and ascend to heaven to sit at the right hand of God, to show that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and that His sacrifice to pay the debt for our sins was acceptable to God the Father. However, the Nation of Israel could not comprehend God’s plan to redeem us as sinners. They thought they had Abraham’s blood and did not need a Savior. They wanted a conquering King to conquer Rome and give them a kingdom, so they rejected Jesus, leading to Jesus’ death on the Cross as the one and only sacrifice sufficient to pay the debt for our sins.
The Good News for Gentiles
While the first Christians were indeed Jews, and there were (and are today) Jews who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, because the Nation of Israel largely rejected Jesus and His gift of salvation, God has opened His blessing to non-Jews, or Gentiles. During this time in history between Jesus’ First and Second Comings, which is called the “Church Age”, Gentiles have the opportunity to be grafted into God’s family by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In this way, He has fulfilled His promise to bless the world through the Nation of Israel, because Jesus, through His mother Mary (and his adopted father Joseph), is from the Nation of Israel (and both from the line of David)! I don’t know about you, but this is Good News for me! I am so grateful that God has allowed me to partake in the blessing of salvation and the promise of eternity with Him by me accepting Jesus’ payment for my debt, and my making Him my Lord and Savior.
Today, most of God’s Chosen People continue to reject the Messiahship of Jesus, though there always has been and always will be a remnant of believing Jews. However, God is not done with the Nation of Israel. God will fulfill His promise to the Nation of Israel that they will have a kingdom with a descendant of David on the Throne, which will happen in Jesus’ Second Coming.
The Rest of the Story
At the conclusion of the Church Age will come a time of great judgment called the Tribulation. (We discussed this at length in two blogs on the Olivet Discourse, which you can find here and here.) All believers living at that time will be Raptured before the Tribulation begins, and this time of suffering judgment is primarily meant to draw the Nation of Israel back to God. God will call forth 144,000 witnesses (12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel) who will proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth. At the conclusion of the 7-year Tribulation, God will fulfill His promise by putting Jesus on the throne to reign over all believers, both Gentile and Jew who come to faith during the Tribulation, for the 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom. Following the Millennial Kingdom, all believers will move into the New Heaven and the New Earth to be with Jesus for eternity.
What Does This Mean for Right Now?
How can all this background information help us understand what is happening in our world today? Here are some key takeaways:
Israel is STILL God’s Chosen People. Some people are confused by the Church Age and how God has allowed us to be grafted into His promises. We are not replacing God’s Chosen People, but are simply being allowed to join to partake in the blessing. Some promises exist only for the Nation of Israel, and they are still His Chosen People. Nobody will be able to wipe out the Nation of Israel, because God’s remaining promises to them must be fulfilled.
There are consequences for persecuting Israel. In the original promise to Abraham, God promises to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. Though we may not see it yet, standing against Israel will have severe consequences. Likewise, blessing will come to those who stand with Israel.
Some Jews will believe. While the Nation of Israel collectively rejects Jesus’ Messiahship, that doesn’t mean individual Jews can’t follow Christ. During these times of conflict, we should pray for God to call many from among the Nation of Israel to accept Jesus as their Savior. Only Jews who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior before they die will be able to live into eternity with God. If they die before doing that, they will be eternally separated from God.
Pray for God to intervene in the bloodshed. We know God loves the Nation of Israel. We also know that God loves the Palestinians who are suffering because of this conflict brought on by the evil Hamas. He wants them also to come to faith in His Son. This war grieves Him deeply, just as it does us. Pray that God will intervene in the conflict, bringing an end to the unnecessary death and destruction, that He will protect the innocent lives caught in the crossfire, and that this suffering will help bring many Jews and Palestinians to faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
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