“Who Is the True Israel?

“Who Is the True Israel?

Today were going to talk about a sensitive topic

Israel
It’s a word that stirs emotion, loyalty, and debate all around the world.
Every time war breaks out in the Middle East,

 believers everywhere start quoting prophecy,
posting verses, and declaring their support for Israel.

The nation over in the middle east known today as israel

Is an ally of the united states of america —

so the question of wether or not we should support israel as an ally is yes

And here is why we should support Israel as an ally.

We do not stand with our allies no matter the circumstances

We stand with our allies when and if they are on the side of good

Israel has never cast the first stone

They are surrounded by terrorism

who is constantly plotting against them and attacking them
and so We stand with them against terrorism.

We stand with them as a nation

 surrounded by enemies who want to see them destroyed.

But as followers of Christ, we also have to ask a deeper question —
a biblical question: Who is the true Israel of God today?

This isn’t about taking sides politically —

this is about understanding the covenant of God spiritually.

Because if we misunderstand who Israel is, we misunderstand who we are.

Lets look into the origins of Israel

To do that

Let’s go back to where it all began — Genesis chapter 12.
God calls a man named Abram out of his homeland and says,
“Get out from your country, from your kindred, from your father’s house,
to a land that I will show you.”

And then God makes a threefold promise —

He promises a land, a nation, and a blessing.

In Genesis 17, God expands that promise.
He says, “I will establish My covenant between Me and you
and your seed after you for an everlasting covenant.”

That covenant continued through Isaac, then through Jacob —

 who was renamed Israel —
and through his twelve sons, the twelve tribes.

This was the beginning of Israel — a nation set apart by birth, land, and law.
But even then, there was a hint that the promise wasn’t just about ethnicity.

In Genesis 22:18, God says, “In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.”
That seed would come to be the Messiah — that’s Jesus —

 who would bring salvation to all nations.

So while the early promises focused on a physical people in a physical land, to bring in a physical messiah through the lineage of Abraham
the true intent was always spiritual —

 to bring all who believe into the family of faith.

Now lets look at that shift from physical to spirtual

Under the Old Covenant, the sign of belonging to israel

 was circumcision of the flesh.
But under the New Covenant, the sign of belonging to israel

is circumcision of the heart.
The old was about being born into a nation —

the new is about being born again into the Kingdom.

Romans 2:28–29 says,
“He is not a Jew who is one outwardly… but he is a Jew who is one inwardly.”
God took the covenant and internalized it.
No longer about the outward mark — now about inward obedience.

Jeremiah prophesied that this shift would happen,
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant,
not according to the covenant I made with their fathers.”
That’s exactly what Jesus fulfilled.

The true covenant people are those who are spiritually in Christ-not physically from abraham
now,
That’s not replacement — that’s fulfillment.

Jesus said I have not come to abolish the law, but to fullfill it

Paul called them “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16.
He wasn’t talking about the physical state of Israel —
he was talking about the people who walk by faith.

The ekklesia — the called-out ones — are the continuation
and fulfillment of the faithful remnant of Israel.

Israel is depicted in the scriptures as an olive tree

Romans 11 explains that the unbelieving branches were broken off,
and the believing Gentiles ( nations)  were grafted in —

 but all share the same root.
One tree, one covenant, one Lord.

So the true Israel of God isn’t about geography —

it’s about genealogy through faith.
It’s not who your earthly father was — it’s who your heavenly Father is.

That’s why Revelation 7 shows a multitude from every nation, tribe, and tongue —
all clothed in white, all redeemed by the Lamb.
That’s the true Israel.

Now if we can turn back to the physical modern state of israel again

In 1948, the ethnic people of Abraham-Israel became a nation again —

This is something many who are confused say is prophetic.
And that we are not only to support them as a democratic ally but also as the chosen people of God.
and they often quote old testament passages like

 pray for the peace of Jerusalem as Psalm 122:6 commands.

But we must not confuse the modern political state

with the spiritual covenant of God.

The modern state exists by political promise — not by faith.

But the bible also says, “God is able to graft them in again.”

That’s our hope — that the descendants of Abraham
will come to faith in their own Messiah.

So yes, we stand with Israel against terrorism.
But spiritually, we stand with everyone who bows the knee to Jesus,
because those are the covenant people.

 now I want to talk about the fallacy of premillenialism

It teaches that when Christ returns, He’ll set up a literal kingdom on earth,
rebuild a physical temple, reinstate animal sacrifices,
and that the Jewish people will finally accept Him as Messiah.

But friends, that’s not what the Bible teaches.
That’s not the gospel of the kingdom —

that’s a return to the shadows Christ already fulfilled.

First.  The Kingdom Is Already Established

Jesus didn’t come to plan a kingdom — He came to establish it.
Mark 1:15 — “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand.”
Not future — but now.

Luke 17:20–21 — “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation…
for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

The reign of Christ began at His resurrection and ascension.
Acts 2:30–36 says He now sits on David’s throne, reigning in heaven.
We’re not waiting for a future earthly kingdom —

we’re living under the heavenly one right now!

Secondly The Temple Is No Longer Physical

Premillennialism says the temple will be rebuilt.
But Scripture says, we are the temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16 — “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?”
Ephesians 2:21 — “All the building fitly framed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”

To rebuild a physical temple would deny the finished work of Messiah.

Hebrews 10:4–10 — “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.
Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever.

thirdly The Throne of David Is in Heaven

Some say Christ will one day sit on David’s throne in Jerusalem.
But Peter said on Pentecost that God already raised Him up to sit on that throne.
David’s throne was never about a golden chair — it was about righteous rule.
That reign is happening now — in the hearts of those who submit to Him.

fourthly The Thousand Years Is Symbolic

Revelation chapter 20s mention of a thousand years is symbolic —

Symbolic of the complete reign of Christ
From His ascension until His return for judgment.

During this time, Satan’s power is restrained

and the gospel conquers the nations.

Ephesians 2:6 — “He has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places.”

Number 5.  The True Hope Is Eternal, Not Earthly

Premillennialism expects a future thousand-year kingdom before eternity.
But 1 Corinthians 15:24–25 says,
“Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father…
For He must reign till all enemies are under His feet.”

The return of Christ doesn’t begin His reign — it completes it.
He’s reigning now. He’ll return once — to judge the world and usher in eternity.

Premillennialism promises a physical kingdom in a fallen world.
The gospel promises an eternal kingdom in a redeemed creation.
One looks for a rebuilt temple — the other looks to a risen Lord.
One goes backward — the other goes forward.
And the true Israel belongs to the latter.

So when we look at modern Israel, we can support them politically,
but never confuse their nation with God’s eternal kingdom.
That kingdom already exists, it’s advancing now,
and one day when Jesus returns, it will be revealed in its fullness —
not in Jerusalem, but in the new heavens and new earth.

When Jesus stood before Pilate, He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
His kingdom is made up of those redeemed by His blood —
men and women from every race, tongue, and nation.

That is the Kingdom of Israel God promised Abraham —
not a border on a map, but a people bound by faith.

So while we support Israel politically, we don’t worship Israel religiously.
Our loyalty is to the King of Israel — Jesus the Christ —

and to His eternal kingdom.

The covenant was never about soil — it was always about soul.
The true Israel isn’t defined by borders but by belief.

the question for each of us is simple:
Are we part of that Israel?
Have we entered the covenant through Christ?

Because in Him — Jew or Gentile — we are one.
One Kingdom.
One Faith.
One Lord.
One eternal Israel of God.

In the prophets, God often promised to “restore” Israel.

But every restoration in Scripture was tied to repentance — not politics.

📖 Deuteronomy 30:2–3

“If you return to the Lord your God… then the Lord your God will turn your captivity and have compassion upon you.”

Restoration has always been conditional — not automatic.

God was not promising an unconditional political revival, but a spiritual return to covenant faithfulness.

Ezekiel 36:26 says,

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.”

That’s not talking about a political rebirth in 1948.

That’s the new birth through the Holy Spirit.

When Peter preached in Acts 3:19, he said:

“Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

That’s the true restoration — not a physical return to a land, but a spiritual return to the Lord.

Throughout history, Israel was scattered for unbelief.

But through Christ, the true Israel is gathered — not to a geographic nation, but to a spiritual kingdom.

📖 John 11:51–52 says,

“Jesus would die… to gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.”

That’s the gathering of the true Israel!

The scattering was national.

The gathering is spiritual.

The old covenant scattered through disobedience.

The new covenant gathers through faith in Christ.

Isaiah 11:10 prophesied this:

“In that day there shall be a root of Jesse… to it shall the Gentiles seek.”

That’s the Gentile inclusion into the covenant — the grafting in of nations into one holy people.

When Jesus said in Matthew 23:37, “How often would I have gathered your children together,” He was not longing for a political unity, but a spiritual family united in Him.

Modern prophecy teachers talk about a coming Third Temple, animal sacrifices, and a reinstituted priesthood.

But think about it — would God ever return to a system of animal blood after His Son’s perfect sacrifice?

Hebrews 9:12 says,

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

To rebuild the temple would be to deny the cross.

To re-establish animal sacrifices would be to trample on the blood of the Lamb.

The true temple is not in Jerusalem; it’s in the hearts of the redeemed.

The true priesthood is not Levitical; it’s spiritual — “a royal priesthood,” as Peter says (1 Peter 2:9).

The true kingdom is not of this world; it is the reign of Messiah in the hearts of His people.

Who then is Israel?

Paul answers in Galatians 3:29:

“If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

That means the covenant belongs to all who are in Christ — Jew or Gentile, bond or free.

The line of promise is not traced through DNA but through faith.

The sign of belonging is not circumcision of the flesh but the seal of the Spirit.

So the true Israel today is not a national flag — it’s a faithful fellowship.

Not a political boundary — but a spiritual body.

Not a people who live in Canaan — but a people who live in covenant.

Where is all this heading?

Not to a rebuilt temple in old Jerusalem,

but to a new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven.

📖 Revelation 21:2–3

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

That’s the final home of the true Israel — the redeemed from every nation.

Notice it’s not the old city rebuilt — it’s a new creation.

The first covenant gave them a land flowing with milk and honey;

the new covenant gives them a world flowing with righteousness and glory.

📖 Hebrews 11:16 says,

“They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.”

That’s where Abraham’s faith was pointing all along — not to the dirt of Canaan but to the city of God.

So what does this mean for us today?

It means we’re called to live as citizens of that kingdom right now.

To walk by faith, not sight.

To love God and keep His commandments.

To show mercy, justice, and humility — the marks of the covenant people.

You don’t have to move to Israel to be part of the covenant —

you have to move your heart toward Christ.

When you repent and believe the gospel,

you are grafted into that ancient promise God made to Abraham.

You become part of that one people — one flock, one Shepherd, one King.

The question remains:

Are you part of the true Israel?

Not by bloodline, not by heritage, but by new birth.

Not by the old covenant of law, but by the new covenant of grace.

Because in Messiah, the dividing line disappears — and the family of God stands as one.

And that is the Israel that will endure forever —

the people redeemed by the blood of the Lamb,

the nation not built with hands,

the temple not made of stone,

and the kingdom that cannot be shaken.

So let the nations rage.

Let kingdoms rise and fall.

The true Israel of God stands secure —

not in a fortress, but in faith.

Not under a flag, but under the cross.

Not in the shadow of Mount Zion below,

but in the light of the heavenly Zion above.

That is who we are.

That is who God called us to be.

That is the Israel of God.