Is Modern Israel Biblical Israel?
With the growing conflict in the Middle East, the eyes of the world have been turning toward Israel. So it was no surprise when I was asked the question: do I believe that Modern Israel is the same Israel that’s talked about in the Bible. That question is slightly complicated and one that causes some debate in Christian circles.
Understanding the complexity of the question
To answer this question some people may argue that we must first draw a distinction between Modern Israel and Ancient Israel. There is no doubt that Ancient Israel is all throughout Scripture, and we know historically it was destroyed as a nation. The people of that ancient nation were scattered throughout the world just as God foretold as early as Deuteronomy, one of the first books in the Bible. God warned that this would happen to Israel as consequence of their sins. Known as the diaspora, the Jewish people wandered for thousands of years without a land to call their own and yet they maintained an identity. I don’t think there’s any serious dispute that these people are in fact descendants of Ancient Israel and both their culture and religion reflect these origins.
However, I don’t think anyone could say that the government of Modern Israel is the same government as Ancient Israel. The current Israeli government was influenced by both 20th century socialist and parliamentary systems rather than the monarchy of Ancient Israel. The culture of Modern Israel reflects the duality in its governmental and societal origins, and while Judaism is clearly the largest religious influence, Muslim, Christian, and Secular beliefs sway both the culture and governing decisions.
Additionally, some would say that to understand the question, we need to have a common understanding of who the Jewish people of today are. Are they the recipients of God’s promises in the Bible or simply the cultural and biological descendants of Biblical Israel? Many Christians believe that God’s promises to Israel were redirected and to be fulfilled through the Christian Church. This is known as Replacement Theology, and while there are variations, it is often used to explain the irrelevance of modern, Jewish people and as a justification for an indifference toward this people group or at it’s worst, antisemitism. The Bible clearly has promises for God’s chosen people, but believers in Replacement Theology call into question who the promises belong to: the Christian or the Jew.
Finally, we need to understand that the term “Israel” refers to a people, a nation-state, and a geographic region. The land currently called Israel was once called Palestine by the Roman emperor Hadrian to discredit to the ancient Israelites’ claim to the land. And before it was called Israel, the land was known as Canaan, named after the grandson of Noah who settled there. Now while the current nation-state of Israel occupies the land of ancient Israel, it should be noted that the full territory that God promised to Abraham has never fully materialized as a land called Israel. In fact, only a small portion of the full, promised territory was ever settled by Ancient Israel, and even that land was later divided into a northern kingdom called Israel and a southern kingdom called Judea.
- Is the modern state of Israel God’s chosen nation? (and by “chosen”, still a recipient of God’s biblical promises)
- Are the modern Jewish people God’s chosen people?
- Is the land currently called Israel, God’s chosen land?
Why should this question be relevant to me?
Obviously, if you are Jewish, the answers to the above questions are extremely relevant. It’s also equally important to people living in the region. But why should anyone else care? Well, for starters:
1. What is important to God should be important to us – The Bible talks a lot about Israel, in both an historical and prophetic sense. It’s too easy to say, “it doesn’t impact me so I just won’t worry about it.”, but if we care about God and believe that He knows what’s important, then we should respect God’s perspective and seek to make it our own. Complacency is a sin of omission.
2. What happens in Israel will impact the entire world – Nearly 1/3 of the Bible is prophecy. Some of that prophecy has already been fulfilled with amazing accuracy, but some is still unfulfilled. Much of this unfulfilled prophecy is for a nation-state called Israel, living in the promised land with origins in Ancient Israel, a nation that exists after the people have been scattered among the nations and returned to that same geographic territory.
3. The importance of God’s Promises – Quite simply: if God does not fulfill ALL His promises to Israel, why should I believe that He’ll keep His other promises, especially the ones to me? Can I trust that I’m saved by His grace or am I the exception? Can I trust that Jesus is even Who He said He is? A covenant is an eternal promise, a commitment that cannot be revoked, but if God can break His covenants, why should I keep mine? But don’t worry… God DOES keep ALL His promises! He reminds us of this throughout Scripture and history backs this up. We may fall short, but He never does!
4. Escalation requires picking a side - But even if you doubt all that the Bible has to say about Israel, you can’t deny that if tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, it has the potential to become a world war. Will you side with Modern Israel or against her? The Bible tells us that the nations of the world will be against Israel, and although there’s a lot of propaganda on both sides, it’s clear which side has tried to live in peace with their neighboring states. How many times has this Israel been attacked without provocation and how many times has Israel simply responded to the aggression of others in self-defense?
5. Our actions impact our blessing - One of God’s promises to Abraham is that He will bless those who bless Israel and curse those that curse them. Numerous times in the Old Testament, God promises to curse those who have turned against Abraham’s progeny, and we can see historically the truth of that promise.
Complicated rather than complex
Sometimes it helps to decompose something to understand it better, and sometimes that decomposition complicates understanding. I could address each of the questions posed above, but I believe a better and faster approach is to first ask: “How does the Bible refer to the term ‘Israel’”?
Does the Bible draw a distinction between the land, the people and the nation? I don’t think so. Instead, they are all interwoven. The land, people and nation is imperfect, being continuously refined into something more than they’ve ever been. History, in accordance with the biblical promises of God, demonstrates that the land prospers or suffers based on the behavior or the people. When the people were scattered in the diaspora, the land became desolate. There is also a link between the nation and heart of the people: the nation is given leaders that the people deserve. If the people are following God, they are given just and godly leaders, but in their disobedience, they are given oppressive masters. The Land, the people and the nation are one.
Now some argue that we need to segment these issues since the current nation-state of Israel by virtue of its modernity is more complex. But why would we assume that Ancient Israel, the Israel discussed in Holy Scriptures, was somehow less complex in its make-up than Modern Israel? We know historically and scripturally that some people were more faithful to Yahweh than others, and the land included foreigners who served other gods.
So why do we complicate the question now? For about two-thousand years, there was no land or nation-state called Israel. If I assume good intentions, then it’s easy to believe people started doubting and in their doubt tried to explain the paradox of God’s promise to an Israel that no longer existed, assuming allegory where none was intended and finding explanations that did not include the full counsel of God’s Word, the Bible. While elements of Replacement Theology can be traced back to the 1st century, it gained momentum in the early 20th century as Pope Pius XII proposed that the New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant. This perspective minimizes the importance of Old Testament Scripture and can reduce it to children’s stories rather than the rich and relevant storehouse that it truly is. It also overlooks the full truth that can be found in both biblical testaments.
The Olive Tree Branches
For example, if looking at only select verses, we see how the natural branches of the Olive Tree representing Israel will be destroyed because they broke the covenant (Jeremiah 11:15, Romans 11:21). But if we read the full chapter of Romans 11 or the entirety of Jeremiah’s scripture (Jeremiah and Lamentations), we understand that God has never forsaken Israel and has a plan to bring them back. This is further emphasized by other prophetic scriptures such as Zephaniah 3, where God promises to remove His judgements against Israel (verse 15) and restore its fortunes as He gathers the people back to the land (verse 20). Likewise, we see in Romans 11:11 & 23 that God’s plans for Israel are to restore them.
We might wonder if the conclusions came from a simple misunderstanding, a cognitive bias, or from bad intentions, but it doesn’t matter. We know that we don’t struggle with flesh and blood, but against principalities. We know that we are called to live in the truth and love. And we know that we have an Enemy who wants to create confusion and afflict those whom God loves.
Sometimes you know you are on the right path by the resistance you feel along the way, and the vitriol against the Jewish people is evidence of this. They are an imperfect people, a stubborn people, and the very name Israel means “Struggles with God”. But God has used that stubbornness to refine them during the diaspora and is bringing them back to the promised land to further fulfill His promises, not because they are worthy, but because Yahweh is a loving and faithful God! He picked an imperfect people and is in the process of grafting them back to the Olive Tree as He is also pruning branches of the apostate church, those who have fallen away.
Is it really that complex?
So looking at the more detailed questions:
Yes, God never declared them “unchosen” and has affirmed His commitment to restore them.
2. Is the land currently called Israel, God’s chosen land?
Yes, but it is still only a fragment of the full territory that the nation-state will grow into during Jesus’ millennial reign!
3. Is the modern state of Israel God’s chosen nation?
Yes. While its not currently the same governmental structure, it is populated for the people He has chosen in a land He has chosen.
I’m sure other questions can emerge that can seem to complicate things further, but the bottom line is that the land, the people and the nation are inexorably linked to each other within the Bible and any segmentation is artificial and misleading. The nation-state of Israel is the modern, instantiation of Israel as promised in the Bible, and we will continue to see biblical prophecy unfold around this country and it’s beloved city, Jerusalem. There are troubles ahead still, but the Bible is clear that Israel will not be destroyed and neither will the Jewish people.
So I stand in support of an Israel that defends itself against both terrorists and aggressive nations. So should you if you want to receive the blessing God has promised.
Moreover, the LORD says, "Sing for joy for the descendants of Jacob. Utter glad shouts for that foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard. Then say, 'LORD, rescue your people. Deliver those of Israel who remain alive.'”Jeremiah 31:7
copyright ©2024 Mitchell Malloy (http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/)
