Israel is Israel?

[~Shalhevet~]

Thanks for the kind reply nebula. It is starting to make a bit more sense now. Ekklesia (assembly of Christians) is Israel. The church (the building) is not. Do I finally understand?

[nebula]

Ekklesia (assembly of Christians) is Israel. The church (the building) is not. Do I finally understand?

Well, not quite.

You are correct that the building is not the ekkklesia.

However, Jesus' ekklesia and Israel are not synonymous terms.

Israel has a unique calling from the Lord - which is why we see the Jews going through the greatest refining fires the world has ever seen.

It is a great mystery that we Gentiles can be joined into the Covenant of Abraham (but not the Covenant of Sinai - which Israel is under), which might be adding to the confusion.

So when the Bible says "Israel" it means "Israel", not the ekklesia.

To what degree the Gentiles in the ekklesia are joined into Israel can be debatable, but we are not "Israel."

[~Shalhevet~]

I will have to study and pray about this. I'm still confused.

[nebula]

Why are you confused?

When the Bible says "Israel" it means "Israel."

When the Bible says "church" it means ekklesia - the fellowship of the Lord Jesus.

[~Shalhevet~]

I think I am confusing four things. The Israel of God, the physical descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the modern nation state of Israel, the New Israel mentioned in Peter and Revelation, and the Church Christ spoke of establishing in Matthew using a future tense.

I think this is the reason I am confused too.

[~Shalhevet~]

Israel has a unique calling from the Lord - which is why we see the Jews going through the greatest refining fires the world has ever seen.

Are you saying that the Jews are unique from the Gentiles even today?

I apologize if I annoy you with questions. I just try to understand but for some reason I'm having a hard time with this one.

[Guest shiloh357]

Israel has a unique calling from the Lord - which is why we see the Jews going through the greatest refining fires the world has ever seen.

Are you saying that the Jews are unique from the Gentiles even today?

All races are unique. The different Gentile races are unique from one another. "Unique" does not mean better, it simply means "different." God has a special calling on Israel to be a light to the nations. He has never rescinded that calling and will fulfill it completely during the Millennium when Jesus returns to earth to restore the Kingdom to Israel and rule the nations on the throne of David.

Satan hates Israel, and even now seeks to destroy them as God is restoring them to their Land. The Land of Israel is central to God's eternal covenant with Israel and that is why it is hotly contested. That is why the city of Jerusalem is so hotly contested and why the enemies of Israel seek to take it away from the Jewish nation.

Jerusalem has no natural resources. The city has no oil, coal, or natural gas. It does not have any precious metal or precious stones under its crust. Jerusalem does not even have its own water source. Water has to be piped in from outside of the city. From a purely geo-political standpoint, Jerusalem is a worthless piece of land. It just sand and rocks. The only value it has spiritual. It is part of the covenant land that God gave Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and if you recall, Abraham built four altars in the area we call "the West Bank" (which the Bible calls Judea and Samaria).

The enemies of Israel are attacking her at the precise locations that are at the heart of God's covenant with Israel. No land, no Israel, no light to the nations, thus no "Israel" for the Messiah to return to.

[~Shalhevet~]

All races are unique. The different Gentile races are unique from one another. "Unique" does not mean better, it simply means "different." God has a special calling on Israel to be a light to the nations. He has never rescinded that calling and will fulfill it completely during the Millennium when Jesus returns to earth to restore the Kingdom to Israel and rule the nations on the throne of David.

So this "unique" calling does not include me?

Again, I apologize if these questions sound stupid.

[Guest shiloh357]

All races are unique. The different Gentile races are unique from one another. "Unique" does not mean better, it simply means "different." God has a special calling on Israel to be a light to the nations. He has never rescinded that calling and will fulfill it completely during the Millennium when Jesus returns to earth to restore the Kingdom to Israel and rule the nations on the throne of David.

So this "unique" calling does not include me?

Again, I apologize if these questions sound stupid.

If you are not Jewish, it would not include you. Given what Israel has had to endure, as a result of that calling, it is not something you should covet.

Think of it like this: A father has two sons. One son is told to the mow the yard. The other son is told to wash both cars. Is one son more favored than the other? No. They simply have different responsibilities. God has a unique calling for you and a plan for your life.

No, your questions are not at all "stupid." Ask all you want.

[~Shalhevet~]

What if I cannot trace my roots? So it all comes down to whoever has Jewish blood has this "unique calling"? That would not include a lot, the majority, of Christians today.