This material is a brief introduction to what the Bible teaches about Israel and the Jewish people. Throughout almost all of church history, the continued role of Israel in God’s plan of salvation has been misunderstood and at times completely dismissed through what is often called replacement theology. It is as if a veil of confusion has covered the church up to the present day, resulting in a lack of understanding of God’s Word in this area. This has led to many denominations today having no theology or teaching about what the Bible says regarding this people.

The purpose  is to help you understand Israel from the perspective of God’s Word. It is written simply and concisely, supported by relevant biblical references. This way, you will quickly become familiar with the Bible’s teachings about Israel—both in the Old and New Testaments.

I am excited to take you on this journey through the eight main chapters. Each chapter contains an important truth that, together, will help us understand how the Bible presents Israel’s role in the history of salvation.

The chapters are followed by questions for reflection and discussion. If you take the time to reflect on them and use these questions in conversations about the topic, you will gain the maximum benefit from the book.

My prayer is that Psalm 119:130 will become a reality through this material:

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”

Happy reading!

Dag Øyvind Juliussen,
Director of ICEJ, Norway
November 2024

Genesis 12:3 “… In you, all families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Salvation for Humanity
God is the creator of everything. He is both almighty and good, and His spoken Word brought everything into existence out of nothing. What He created was good. In the first ten chapters of the Bible, a two-thousand-year-long story is described about how people lived and acted before God. It is fascinating to see how God is engaged in a project spanning thousands of years, while we are so easily influenced by the tides of time. If we try to see the world through God’s perspective in the Scriptures, we will be surprised at how His eternal Word also guides us in the time we live in now.

In these first chapters, many of our fundamental existential questions are answered. Where do humans come from? How did everything come to be? Is there a God? Important truths are established within the first pages of God’s Word.

As the crown of creation, He shaped humans in His image. Humans were different from all other creatures that would live on land, in the sea, and in the air. Humanity was given a fundamental free will, a mandate to have dominion over the earth, and an opportunity to commune with the Creator Himself. It didn’t take long before humanity rebelled and turned its back on God. The result was that humanity was driven out of the Garden of Eden and had to leave the perfect harmony and beauty. Humanity’s fundamental calling and purpose to live in fellowship and community with a loving God was destroyed.

The following chapters reveal that humanity, without God, diminishes itself, engages in evil, and is lost. As Paul describes in the letter to the Ephesians: “You who were once far off, without God and without hope in darkness.” Humanity’s wickedness goes so far astray. In our late modern times, where people are accustomed to defining their own truth, we often struggle to acknowledge this side of ourselves. Noah grew up in a society where God had neither space nor place; instead, human hearts, thoughts and schemes were evil. The earth became corrupt, and God was filled with sorrow.

God begins anew with a new human lineage through the righteous Noah. Eight souls in the Ark survive the flood. From these eight, a new lineage grows on earth. Nevertheless, we don’t read more than two chapters before we see that humanity is again on the wrong path. Now they want to build the Tower of Babel and become like God Himself.

In Genesis chapters eleven and twelve, the Bible’s description of history changes quite dramatically. Now the story zooms in, and the upcoming books of the Old Testament focus on Abraham and his physical descendants through his son Isaac and the lineage of his son Jacob, which constitutes the Jewish people.

It is in this reality that the Jewish people and the nation of Israel enter the stage of history, long before the Great Commission and long before the first church of Gentiles would come into existence.

In Genesis 12:1-3, God reveals the entire purpose of why He chooses Abraham and the people who come from his descendants:

“The Lord said to Abram: ‘Go from your country and from your family and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you! I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse. In you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”

In the second part of the third verse, God gives the promise that through this people, the world lying in evil shall be touched by a good God: “In you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

In Galatians 3:8, Paul describes the blessing that God promises through the Jews:
“Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘In you, all nations shall be blessed.’”

This “good news” is the gospel. From the very beginning, God’s purpose with Israel is clear. The gospel of salvation for humanity is woven into the nation’s calling and purpose.

The story of Israel is the story of a merciful and gracious God intervening in human history and calling a man and a people to save back millions upon millions of His children, who shall be brought into His kingdom for eternal life. This story is not over; it continues today. If you have received Jesus, you have also become a part of this story that began almost 4,000 years ago.

Reflection Questions – Purpose

1. – How would you describe Abraham’s calling and selection?
2. – Why is Abraham called the “father of faith”?
3. – How do you understand Abraham’s blessing in light of the New Testament?
4. – Which Bible verses spoke specefically to you?

Genesis 15:18 “On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram…”

It is sometimes claimed that God’s selection of the Jewish people is rooted in the covenant He made with them at Sinai, and that it was through this event that the Jews became God’s people. However, Paul writes in Galatians 3:17: “What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.”

Which covenant is Paul referring to that came 430 years before the law, and that the law could not alter? The law could neither replace nor change this covenant.

The covenant Paul is talking about is the one that takes place in Genesis 15:1-6. Here, God and Abraham have a conversation:

“After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’ But Abram said, ‘Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.’ Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.’ He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

It is here that Abraham believes and is justified.

God Enters a Covenant with Abraham

The next thing the Bible describes in this chapter is how God makes the covenant with Abraham. In Abraham’s time, a covenant was made by cutting several animals in half and placing the pieces opposite each other. The people entering the covenant would walk between the halved animals, while reciting the covenant. This carried the following meaning: The one who breaks this covenant must die like these animals. For example, two tribal leaders could enter a mutual defense pact, promising to defend each other.

Personally, I entered a marriage covenant with my wife, Ingunn, on August 6, 1994; here, I gave my “yes” to her, and she gave her “yes” to me. We are both mutually responsible for this covenant. In the New Covenant, there are also two parties entering the covenant. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” This means that Jesus, by His grace, made the finished work available to all people, but only those who believe partake in the work of salvation and become part of the New Covenant in His blood.

This was different in God’s covenant with Abraham. We read that Abraham was not involved in any way when the covenant was made.

Genesis 15:7-18:

“He also said to him, ‘I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.’ But Abram said, ‘Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?’ So the Lord said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.’ Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut it in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation, your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.’

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants, I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.’”

The Covenant is Maintained by God Alone

It was God alone, sovereignly and independently, who entered His covenant with Abraham. It is fundamentally important to understand this truth, as it means that neither Abraham nor his descendants can ever break this covenant. It is entirely different from the Mosaic covenant at Sinai. In fact, only God Himself can break His covenant with Abraham and the Jewish people, and He cannot do so because, in that case, He would have to die. Of course, that will never happen, just as He will never break the covenant.

The reality of the covenant is that no matter what Abraham’s descendants did, they could not change the covenant. This covenant is the very foundation of God’s great plan of salvation. The New Covenant does not change the covenant with Abraham. On the contrary, we could say that the New Covenant builds upon this covenant.

In the Abrahamic Covenant, God promises salvation for a lost humanity; in the New Covenant, this salvation is made accessible.

In Deuteronomy 7:6, we read: “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”

The phrase “a holy people to the Lord your God” describes a people who are set apart from the world and dedicated to be used by God. This is precisely the case with the Jewish people. God has set them apart collectively as a people and a nation to carry out His own will here on earth. He uses their natural/supernatural history for His will. The mystery is that He uses them in both their obedience and their disobedience. When they received the law, it was according to His will. When they broke the law, it became a tutor to bring them to Christ. When Jesus was born, it was according to God’s will. When they crucified Jesus, it was also according to God’s will, as Paul says in Romans 11:30: “… now you have received mercy as a result of their disobedience.” This is very different from how God uses His church in the New Covenant.

Replacement Theology is Incorrect

If God were to break His unilateral covenant with the Jews, how could we then confidently claim that the New Covenant will save us? Replacement theology, which argues that God is finished with the Jews after their rejection of Jesus as Messiah, is gravely mistaken. It not only dismisses those who brought us salvation but also portrays God as unfaithful. Yet our God is not unfaithful:

Psalm 105:7-11: “He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, the word He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.’”

In Acts 3:25, Peter speaks to Jews who do not believe in Jesus and makes it clear that God’s covenant with them still stands. It has therefore not been annulled after Jesus’ death and resurrection:

“You are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’”

Reflection Questions – The Covenant

1. A covenant must be made between two parties; why does God make the covenant with Himself as we read in Genesis 15:7-18?

2. Does the covenant that God made with Abraham still apply, and if so, why?

3. What is meant by replacement theology, and why is this perspective incorrect?

4. Which Bible verses spoke specefically to you?

Genesis 48:4: “… I give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.”

The physical land is central to God’s choice of Israel. From the very beginning, when God revealed His will and plan of salvation for humanity to Abraham, the land was part of that plan. That God has given the Jewish people a specific land can be challenging for many, but the land has been the hub of this salvation plan all along. The fulfillment of God’s plan largely depends on the people’s presence in the land. Since Abraham’s time, the land has remained the same, although its borders and extent have varied.

The land is situated at the intersection of three continents—Africa, Asia, and Europe. It was a strategic location for a Gospel that would be preached from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. The perspective the Bible gives us regarding the land is that it belongs to God, who then gives it to the Jewish people. The Bible is overwhelmingly clear; in Genesis, we read:

Reference Bible Verse

Genesis 12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring, I will give this land.”

Genesis 13:14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, “Lift your eyes and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.”

Genesis 15:7 “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to inherit.”

Genesis 15:18 On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants, I give this land…”

Genesis 17:8 “The land where you dwell as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, I give to you and your descendants as an everlasting possession.”

Genesis 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, … swore to give this land to my descendants.”

Genesis 26:2 The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.”

Genesis 28:4 “May He give you the blessing of Abraham, to inherit the land which God gave Abraham.”

Genesis 28:13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give to you and your descendants.”

Genesis 28:15 “I am with you … and will bring you back to this land.”

Genesis 35:12 “The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I give to you. And to your descendants after you, I give this land.”

Genesis 48:4 “He said to me, ‘… I give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.’”

God’s Word confirms that He will give them the land:

Reference Bible Verse

Exodus 32:13 “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, … and said, ‘I will give your descendants all this land, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

Deuteronomy 11:9-12 “… you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey … a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”

Psalm 105:8-11 “He remembers His covenant forever, the word He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as your inheritance.’”

Isaiah 14:1 “But the Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again He will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land.”

Isaiah 62:4 “… the land shall no longer be termed Forsaken. But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.”

Jeremiah 23:8 “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel back from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them, they will live in their own land.”

Ezekiel 28:25 “When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, the land I gave to My servant Jacob.”

Amos 9:15 “I will plant them in their own land, and they shall never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

Reflection Questions – The Land

1. – God clearly emphasizes the importance of the land, explaining it repeatedly throughout the Bible. Why do you think God stresses this?

2. – How has the land played a role in the history of the Jewish people?

3. – What is your perspective on modern-day Israel?

4. – Which Bible verses spoke to you personally?

Matthew 5:35: “… it is the city of the great King.”

In Matthew 5, Jesus says we should not swear by the earth, for it is God’s footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. It’s interesting that Jesus refers to the earth as God’s footstool, but He calls the city of Jerusalem His own city. Jerusalem is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible—600 times in the Old Testament and 200 times in the New Testament. Jerusalem—“Jerushalaim” in Hebrew—means “city of peace.”

All the major events in God’s plan of salvation take place in this city. When God called Abraham and tested his faith, He instructed him to go to Mount Moriah, where he was to demonstrate his faith in the Lord, who “gives life to the dead.” Following God’s instruction, Abraham saddled his donkeys, took his son Isaac and his servants, and set out for the mountain.

The Bible tells us that after several days of travel, Abraham arrived at Moriah. At the foot of the mountain, he left his servants and donkeys behind, and he and his son ascended. He built an altar and lifted the knife over his promised son, Isaac, fully believing in the God who raises the dead.

Genesis 22:11: “But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he answered, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him! For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me.’” Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush nearby. Abraham went and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

It’s quite possible that Abraham, at this moment, saw prophetically into the future—to the day when God would sacrifice His own Son. Perhaps he saw, on the same mountain, God’s own sacrificial lamb hanging on the cross and declaring, “It is finished.” In any case, Jesus says, “Abraham saw my day and rejoiced.” Most likely, Mount Moriah is located in what later became the city of Jerusalem.

The First Temple is Built in Jerusalem

A thousand years later, King David makes Jerusalem the center of the Jewish nation, and here the temple is built where God dwells among His people. Inside the temple’s court and the Holy Place was the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence resided as the Shekinah glory cloud. It was this cloud that caused the priests to fall on their faces when Solomon dedicated the temple (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).

Jerusalem, the Epicenter of God’s Salvation Plan

A thousand years later in the city’s history, what Abraham saw is fulfilled—the event that would become the epicenter of God’s salvation plan. After carrying the cross through the city’s streets, God’s perfect sacrifice, Jesus, is crucified in our place, in Jerusalem. “It is finished!” This couldn’t happen in Nazareth, Bethlehem, or Jaffa; it had to happen in God’s own city. Jesus is buried and rises again in this city.

Shortly afterwards, He ascends to the Father from the Mount of Olives overlooking this city. Later, as the disciples and believers gather in the Upper Room, the Holy Spirit descends upon them. The streets of this city bear witness to this historically significant outpouring of the Spirit. From Jerusalem, the Gospel spreads to the ends of the earth (Acts 2:1-4).

The Church awaits the day when Jesus will return, as it is written that every eye shall see Him. There is no question about where He will return. Acts 1:8-11 says:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After He said this, He was taken up before their eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. As they gazed intently into the sky while He was going, suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”

The prophet Zechariah puts it this way in chapter 14, verse 4: “On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem.”

God has chosen this city to be His own, where He accomplishes His perfect work of salvation and His salvation plan.

Reflection Questions – Jerusalem

1. – What biblical events have taken place in Jerusalem throughout history?

2. – What promises have been spoken over the city of Jerusalem?

3. – Will the city of Jerusalem play a role in the future?

4. – Which Bible verses spoke to you personally?

Romans 11:11: “… their transgression brought salvation to the other nations …”

The main message of the Bible is reconciliation – Jesus’ suffering, substitutionary death, and resurrection. Simply put, the cross sheds light on all other truths described in the Bible.

More than 700 years earlier, Isaiah prophesied about Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross and said:

Isaiah 53:4-5: Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed.

At their first meeting, John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the atoning sacrifice.

John 1:29: The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Throughout church history, the accusation “You killed Jesus” has driven the persecution of the Jewish people. The well-known Church Father John Chrysostom (349–407 AD) preached:

“Jews are the most worthless of all men … They worship the devil, their religion is a disease. The Jews are the stinking murderers of Christ, and there is no forgiveness for having taken the life of God, no tolerance or grace. Christians need not refrain from their thirst for vengeance, and the Jew must live in servitude for the rest of his life. God has always hated the Jewish people, and it is incumbent upon every Christian—that is, every Christian’s obvious duty—to hate the Jews.”

Unfortunately, Chrysostom did not represent the exception but rather the rule. Large parts of the church were marked by contempt and hostility towards the Jewish people. We also see that a flawed and distorted understanding of Biblical texts can lead to horrific consequences for the spread of anti-Semitism, as expressed in Chrysostom’s quote. Therefore, in this chapter, we will examine some of these texts more closely and see how the Bible itself sheds light on them. Today, there is an awakening and repentance among Christians worldwide across denominations. They recognize that salvation comes from the Jews and that we are indebted to them.

The apostles Peter and Paul had a completely different understanding of the Jews and Jesus’ death. What we are about to look at, Paul describes as a mystery or a secret:

Romans 11:25: I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

The prophet Ezekiel does not use the term hardening but rather that God has hidden his face:

Ezekiel 39:28-29: Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.

Here, we are invited into God’s own heart and sense the pain it must be for a Father to hide his face from his children, whom he loves so dearly—the people He chose to bring God’s Savior to the world. Against this backdrop, Peter’s speech to the Jewish assembly after a lame man was healed gains meaning:

Acts 3:12: When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?”

Peter continues:

Acts 3:13-15: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

Notice how his speech continues. It is completely free of accusations, and instead, he addresses them as brothers:

Acts 3:17: Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. (NO 2011)

He goes on to explain that this was foretold by the prophets and how God’s purpose was fulfilled in this way:

Acts 3:18: But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.

Providing a reasonable explanation as to why God chose to do it this way may not be possible. Paul refers to it as a “mystery” or “secret” that has been revealed. Paul uses the word “mystery” 27 times in the New Testament to describe great truths in God’s kingdom, such as salvation (Romans 16:25), the Gospel (Ephesians 3:1-9), and the Church (Ephesians 3:1-9 and 5:32), to name a few. Although we may not always comprehend the depths of these mysteries, Paul wants us to know them, saying, “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited …” (Romans 11:25). God does not reveal anything that we cannot see or understand. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s plans and purposes, just as we can understand by faith how the world was created by God’s word (Hebrews 11:3).

When Peter explains the Jewish people’s involvement in Jesus’ death, we must understand that it is not intended to hold them solely responsible, as we might be accustomed to thinking. Peter makes this clear when he speaks to the church during the prayer meeting after threats from the high priests and elders:

Acts 4:27-28: Indeed, Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

As we see, Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all involved. Isaiah’s prophecy that began this chapter continues to describe this as follows: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6). Ultimately, we are all guilty! The key to understanding the great drama represented by Jesus’ death on the cross is, as Peter expresses, “They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” Ultimately, no one could kill Jesus, as Jesus himself states to his disciples: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:18). What a Savior we have!

When we accept that God made a choice, that is, the mystery of hiding His face from the Jews so that salvation would come to the Gentiles, it becomes easier to understand Israel and the Jewish people in God’s great plan of salvation – as Paul writes about in Romans chapters 9–11.

The speech also reveals significant future events:

Acts 3:19-21: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

It is hard to interpret the text above in any way other than that this people must turn back to God and believe in His anointed—Messiah/Christ—before the Father can “send the Messiah appointed for you, Jesus.” This illustrates how God is not finished with this people.

The Apostle Paul teaches in Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11 about the Jewish people. In chapter 11, he explains to the church in Rome about the fall of the Jews, which brought salvation to us. He addresses this topic five times in the same chapter, delivering an unequivocal message to the church that should fill us all with humility. He poses a thoughtful question to capture our attention and simultaneously gives a clear answer:

Romans 11:11: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles …

Romans 11:12: But if their transgression means riches for the world …

Romans 11:15: For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world …

(The Bible – God’s Word, Hermon Publishing)

From the Greek grammar in this verse (v. 15), one could argue that it refers to either their rejection of the Messiah or that God has rejected them. But from the overall message of the text, it aligns with the rest of the chapter, where it is clear that it is the Jews’ rejection of the Messiah that led to reconciliation for the world.

Romans 11:28-30: As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience.

As the apostles explain it, we can say that the majority of the Jews said no to Jesus so that we could have the opportunity to say yes.

Psalm 118:22-24 proclaims:

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Jesus sums up the central role of the Jews in the great story of salvation in John 4:22: Salvation is from the Jews.

Reflection Questions

1. – Why does Peter say in Acts 3:13-15 that it was the Jews who crucified Christ?

2. – In what way can we understand that this was God’s plan from the beginning?

(See Romans 11:11-12)

3. – What role does this revelation play in the history of Israel and the Jews?

Ezekiel 36:24-25: “I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.”

It has never before happened that a people were exiled from their homeland, only to return nearly two thousand years later. But this is the story of the Jews.

Throughout the diaspora period (the exile, when the Jews were scattered worldwide in 70 A.D.), the Jews have prayed, “Next year in Jerusalem.” The reason for this prayer has been rooted in the promises that one day they would come home, as nearly all the prophets in the Bible speak of.

It is sometimes claimed that the Bible’s promises to bring the Jews back to their land refer to the return from the Babylonian captivity in 538 B.C., not to today’s immigration of Jews to Israel. It is true that the Bible speaks of the Jews returning from Babylon after 70 years of captivity; these are the prophecies from Jeremiah that Daniel reads in Daniel 9:1-2:

“In the first year of Darius, son of Ahasuerus, who was of Median descent and had become king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years that Jerusalem would remain in ruins according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah. It was seventy years.”

However, the Bible’s prophets speak of a gathering of the Jews that will take place from many nations, from “the ends of the earth.” This return does not match the prophecies concerning the end of the Babylonian captivity. Rather, they fit well with today’s situation, where Jews are returning home from almost the entire world.

Isaiah 43:1-6: “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west, I will gather you. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up,’ and to the south, ‘Do not withhold.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth.”

Jeremiah 31:8-10: “See, I am bringing them from the land of the north, and I gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them are the blind and the lame, pregnant women and those in labor; they return in great throngs. They come with weeping, and I lead them with consolation. I bring them to flowing brooks, on level paths where they will not stumble. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn son. Hear the word of the Lord, you nations, proclaim it in distant coasts and say: He who scattered Israel will gather and keep it like a shepherd keeps his flock.”

The prophet Amos concludes chapter 9 with these words:

Amos 9:14-15: “I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel. They shall rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine. They shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the Lord your God.”

These promises confirm the understanding that God has promised to bring the Jews back from the worldwide dispersion that began in 70 and 135 A.D. It was not only the return from the Babylonian captivity that the prophets spoke of, but also the diaspora that has lasted until today. The prophet Amos writes here that they shall never again be uprooted from their land, indicating that he is not referring to the return from Babylon.

The British preacher Charles H. Spurgeon, known as the “Prince of Preachers,” spoke at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Newington in 1864:

Charles H. Spurgeon also said:

“If there is one thing promised in the Bible, it is this. I cannot imagine that you can read the Bible without clearly seeing that there will be a restoration of the children of Israel. A day is coming, yes, it is already on its way, when the whole world will see the true dignity of the chosen race and seek fellowship with them. For the Lord has blessed them.” The covenant God made with Abraham, through which the whole world would be blessed by his descendants, has not been revoked. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the chosen nation shall not be removed from the ‘book of remembrance.’ The Lord has not abandoned His people; He has not given them a certificate of divorce. He has not cast them away. In a little wrath, He hid His face from them, but with great mercy, He will gather them. O time, fly on swift wings and bring this blessed day.

— Charles H. Spurgeon, December 6, 1863, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

A native government will rise again; there will once again be a concrete political state; a native government will be established, and a king shall reign. Israel is now estranged from its own land. Her sons, though they never forget the holy dust of Palestine, die in hopeless exile from her sacred shores. But it shall not remain so forever, for her sons shall once again rejoice in her; her land shall once again be called Beulah, for as a young man marries a virgin, so her sons shall marry her. ‘I will place you in your own land,’ is God’s promise to them.”

— Charles H. Spurgeon, June 16, 1864, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

And so it happened: on May 14, 1948, the state of Israel, the Jewish homeland, was restored after 2,000 years of exile.

The Bible promises that when God brings the Jewish people home, He will first restore them as a nation, and then a spiritual restoration will follow. A picture of this process can be seen when God created humanity in Genesis 2:7: “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” First, God created a body, then He breathed life into it.

The prophet Ezekiel describes this in chapter 36:23-28:

“I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. The nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.”

God will thus reveal His holiness to the nations when the Jews return home:

“I will take you from the nations, gather you from all countries, and bring you into your own land.”

Then He will do His work in their hearts:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all impurities and from all idols. I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh instead. I will put my Spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and observe my laws. Then you shall dwell in the land I gave to your ancestors; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

The restoration of Israel is linked to the harvest (the salvation of the Gentiles). Paul confirms in Romans 11 that this will happen:

Romans 11:12, 15: “Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean? 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”

Romans 11:25-26: “I want you to understand this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not claim to be wiser than you are: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way, all Israel will be saved; as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.’”

Paul describes here that a partial, temporary hardening will be removed from the Jewish people when the Gentiles have “come in full number.” Then all Israel will be saved. This is a tremendous promise that Scripture gives about this people’s future, and it aligns with other promises in God’s Word.

The People Will Welcome Jesus

Jesus Himself prophesied in Matthew 23:37-39: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Jesus himself prophesies that a day will come when this people will say,

“Baruch haba beshem Adonai”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The prophet Zechariah says in chapter 12, verse 10:

“But over the house of David and over the inhabitants of Jerusalem, I will pour out a spirit of grace and supplication. Then they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced. They shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

The prophets, Jesus, and the apostles are clear that this people has a promise of a spiritual revival and salvation like no other nation.

Reflection Questions – The Restoration

1. – What does restoration mean according to God’s word?

2. – What would be required for us to say that Israel is fully restored?

3. – What does the Lord say about the restoration of the Jewish people as a people and Israel as a land?

4. – Which Bible verses spoke to you specific?

Psalm 83:5: “They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation, so that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’”

The first time we encounter the Jewish nation as a people is in Exodus chapter 1, where they are enslaved by a cruel Pharaoh. Throughout the history of this people, there have always been forces seeking to destroy and eradicate them. In the Bible, we read about the Amalekites, Goliath, and Haman. In the book of Nehemiah, we encounter Sanballat and Tobiah, who were displeased that a man had come to help the Israelites.

Hatred of Jews, or anti-Semitism, is sometimes referred to as the “eternal hatred” or “the oldest hatred.” As long as there have been Jews, this hostility against them has existed. This hatred appears in various parts of society, different religions, political extremes, and among different ethnic groups. There is no rational explanation for this phenomenon. Sometimes it is the need for a scapegoat, but not always. Sometimes it is envy, but not always. This ancient hatred is driven by a spiritual battle against this people.

Psalm 83:1-5: “A song. A psalm of Asaph. O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God. See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.’”

Asaph illustrates a connection between the hatred of God and the hatred of the Jews. It is difficult to understand hatred against Jews without recognizing the spiritual battle they face.

In Exodus 17:8-15, we read about the Amalekites attacking the Jews, where Moses had to be assisted by Aaron and Hur to keep his hands lifted for Israel to prevail. This event concludes with verses 15-16: “Moses built an altar and called it ‘The Lord is my Banner.’ He said, ‘Because hands were lifted up against the Lord’s throne, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.’” In the Bible, the Amalekites symbolize hatred and hostility against the Jews, and God promises to protect His people.

The Word of God provides several examples of this battle against the Jews. During their exile in the Persian Empire, a decree was issued to exterminate them. In the Book of Esther:

Esther 3:8-9: “Then Haman said to King Xerxes, ‘There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.’”

Esther 3:13: “Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.”

Nehemiah describes the period when the Jews returned from captivity to rebuild Jerusalem. These texts have many parallels with what we observe today.

Nehemiah 2:10: “When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.”

Nehemiah 4:1-3: “When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, ‘What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?’ Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, ‘What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!’”

Nehemiah 4:7-8: “But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.”

The Biblical Explanation of Irrational Hatred

In Revelation chapter 12, a war is depicted between a dragon and a woman:

Revelation 12:1-5: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.”

In the Bible, the serpent or dragon often represents Satan. The woman is depicted giving birth to a male child who will rule all nations. The child is clearly Jesus, but who is the woman? She is clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of stars—reminiscent of Joseph’s description of his family, the Jews. The woman who gives birth to the male child is likely the Jewish people, from whom Jesus came. The dragon attempts to “devour the child,” but later in the chapter, it becomes clear that the dragon also attacks the woman.

Revelation 12:13-17: “When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.”

The dragon, Satan, persecutes the woman—the Jewish people who brought forth the child, Jesus. The Jews were instrumental not only in bringing salvation to humanity but also in crushing the serpent’s head, as prophesied in Genesis 3:15. Thus, this people have become a target for the evil one. God made a collective covenant with them, and they serve as His instruments in the world. Consequently, the enemy wages war against them, manifested through anti-Semitism throughout Jewish history. In verse 17, it is mentioned that the dragon also wages war “against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” These “other offspring” must be Christians. Both the Jewish people and the Church find themselves in a spiritual battle.

Jesus has already won the victory over the enemy’s forces once and for all on the cross. The Bible’s detailed description of the end of this war highlights the Lord’s sovereignty from beginning to end.

Reflection Questions – The Battle

1. – Does anti-Semitism exist today, and how does it manifest?

2. – How would you describe the causes of anti-Semitism?

3. – Which Bible verses spoke to you the most?

Romans 15:27 – They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.

If God has made a covenant with the Jewish people, if they are the vessel through which God’s kingdom and salvation have been brought to the world, if God is bringing them home in our time, and if God’s Word urges us to pray for them, then it is clear that Israel is relevant to us. Paul teaches in the Book of Romans about the role of the Jews in God’s plan of salvation, concluding that we as Gentile Christians owe them a debt. He collects offerings for “the saints in Jerusalem” and writes:

Romans 15:25-27 – Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.

Paul points out that since the church has received spiritual blessings from the Jews, we are indebted to them; in fact, we owe (some translations say we are “obligated”) to help them in practical ways.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son. The story compellingly portrays the father waiting for his returning son, but a bitter taste remains when we read about the elder son who refused to welcome his brother. This can resemble how the Christian church reacts to the Jews returning to Israel today. Despite the fact that the return of the Jews and the restoration of Israel are among the most prophesied events in the Bible for our time, many parts of the global church remain indifferent to Israel.

The Church’s Calling

As followers and disciples of Jesus, we are called to be co-workers with God. What matters to Him should matter to us. God’s Word says in Jeremiah 32:41: “I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.” When God brings the Jews back home and plants them in the land with all His heart and soul, it should touch and move every church. Historically, forced conversions by Gentile missionaries have damaged the relationship between Jews and Christians. Today, almost no Messianic Jews in Israel use the term “Christian” for themselves or refer to their congregations as “churches,” illustrating the lingering challenges.

However, genuine love and care have transformed the relationship between Christians and Jews in Israel in recent decades. When the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) was established in 1980, there was deep skepticism toward Christians. Forty-one years later, Israel’s President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Defense Minister, and Tourism Minister send their greetings and thank-you messages to the ICEJ’s Feast of Tabernacles event in Jerusalem. They unanimously express gratitude for the Christian love and support.

The Bible shows that we have received salvation and God’s Word from the Jewish people, suggesting a special connection in God’s plan between the Jewish people and His church. We are called to offer them comfort, prayer, and blessings.

The Call to Pray and Speak

A stark illustration of the importance of this is that if the church had not been influenced by replacement theology and antisemitism, the Holocaust likely would not have occurred in the Christian continent of Europe.

This people and this nation concern all Christians, both individually and as churches. God invites us to be His co-workers in this area too. We must not remain silent spectators when hostility toward the Jews arises. Let us stand up boldly with compassion and care for this people who have suffered so much. They have borne the heavy burden of the enmity and rejection of the nations throughout history, a burden no other nation has had to bear. They have paid this price so that God’s promise to Abraham could be fulfilled: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Reflection Questions – The Church’s Calling

1. – Can we say that the church owes a debt to the Jews?

2. – How can the church bless Israel?

3. – What can you do to support God’s plan for Israel?

4. – Which Bible verses spoke to you specifically?