Written By: C.R.
Featured Image by Justin Graphics
Introduction
Welcome to Part 3 of A Series of Important Doctrine
In Part 2, the phrase “House of Israel” was used to define YHWH’s people over time. In this article, we will look at Israel in the Scriptures and define who Israel is. There are people today who read the Bible and think that the modern state of Israel is synonymous with the Israel in the Scriptures. Is this true? Why does a proper definition of Israel matter? How does it relate to the Tribulation and the Return of Yahushua? Understanding the identity of Israel in Scripture is one of the keys to unlocking the truths of End Times prophecy.
This truly is one of the biggest topics of our age because those who misunderstand Israel will fall into deception.
While covering other topics, our website has addressed the topic of “Who Is Israel?” Two of our most popular writings define Israel according to the Scriptures. In this article, I will share excerpts from both of these teachings along with some commentary.
Defining Scriptural Israel
In the first chapter of our book, The Call to Jordan: An Invitation for Messiah’s Bride, we define Scriptural Israel. The following is an excerpt from Chapter 1, pp. 6-7:
“When we read the Scriptures (from beginning to end), we find that our true home is not scattered among the nations where every government is in opposition to the righteousness of YHWH. We become aware that we have an identity with the scriptural nation of Israel. By Scriptural Israel, I am not referring to the modern state of Israel. Scriptural Israel is defined by those in covenant with YHWH through the blood of Yahushua Messiah.”
Ephesians 2:11-13 Therefore remember that you, once nations in the flesh, who are called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called ‘the circumcision’ made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Yisra’ěl and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no expectation and without Elohim in the world. But now in Messiah יהושע [Yahushua] you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.
Anyone who is not in a relationship with YHWH through the blood of Messiah is NOT a part of Scriptural Israel; the veil remains. In Messiah, a veil is taken away so that we might understand the Torah, Moses’ writings, and the writings of the prophets of old.
2 Corinthians 3:14-16 But their minds were hardened, for to this day, when the old covenant is being read, that same veil remains, not lifted because in Messiah it is taken away. But to this day, when Mosheh is being read, a veil lies on their heart. And when one turns to the Master, the veil is taken away.
When a person accepts Messiah and His covenant, they can find the literal adventure that awaits them in the Torah. It is in the first few verses of Deuteronomy 30. The journey is specifically for the people who have a testimony of Yahushua and who keep His commands—Scriptural Israel.
In these Scriptures and excerpts, we see that it is through Yahushua that someone becomes a part of Scriptural Israel. We also see that without acceptance of Yahushua as Messiah, a veil remains over the eyes of those who read the Torah.
Furthermore, in our teaching titled “As In the Days of Noah,” we see what the Hebrew word “Israel” means.
The Hebrew word Israel in Scripture means “to contend with El and overcome” and “the Ones who are straight or right with Elohim.” These are the righteous ones, not the wicked. Noah is an example of this.
In Exodus 19, YHWH enters into a covenant with Israel (the righteous ones). The covenant or agreement between YHWH and Israel could be summarized in this way: if you obey My commandments, I will bless and protect you. Does this sound similar to something Yahushua said to his taught ones? Yahushua said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you shall guard My commands.”
Ephesians 2:19-20 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens of the set-apart ones and members of the household of Elohim, having been built upon the foundation of the emissaries and prophets, יהושע Messiah Himself being chief corner-stone.
Here Shaul is telling his listeners that even though they were formerly gentiles, they are now citizens of Israel by the blood of the Messiah, and therefore, partakers of the covenants of the promise. What this means is that the blood of Yahushua Messiah is the only thing that brings someone near to Elohim and into the covenant. Notice in verse 19 that the nation is made up of the set-apart ones.
Again, what is the true definition of Israel? Israel is the household of Elohim that is in covenant with YHWH with the Messiah as the chief cornerstone.
Scriptural Israel Is Based on Covenant, Not Ancestry
YHWH has always chosen righteous people to do His will, regardless of their nationality or ethnic background. One of the most prominent examples is Job. Job’s ancestry is linked to the Edomites. He was a descendent of Esau, not Jacob! And what are we told about Job? YHWH Himself said Job was His servant and that he was straight and perfect.
Job 1:8 And יהוה said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Iyoḇ [Job], that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and straight man, one who fears Elohim and turns aside from evil?”
Another example is Caleb. Caleb and Joshua were the two most prominent people in the written history of the Israelites who entered the Land after Moses led them into the wilderness. Caleb was not even a native Israelite! According to Numbers 13:6 and Joshua 14:6, Caleb was the son of Jephunneh the Kennizite. Kenaz was a descendent of Esau. Caleb’s ancestry was likely of a mixed ethnicity. The point is that Caleb was grafted into Israel through the tribe of Judah. His faith and obedience to YHWH qualified him to become an important leader in Israel.
Job and Caleb are examples of those who are not native-born Israelites (i.e. not an ancestor of Jacob) but are received as part of Scriptural Israel. To be part of Scriptural Israel, you have to be grafted in by Yahushua, regardless of your ancestry.
Isaiah 56:3-8 “And let not the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to יהוה speak, saying, ‘יהוה has certainly separated me from His people,’ nor let the eunuch say, ‘Look I am a dry tree.’ ” For thus said יהוה, “To the eunuchs who guard My Sabbaths, and have chosen what pleases Me, and are holding onto My covenant: to them I shall give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters – I give them an everlasting name that is not cut off.
Galations 3:28-29 There is not Yehuḏi nor Greek, there is not slave nor free, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Messiah יהושע. And if you are of Messiah, then you are seed of Aḇraham, and heirs according to promise.
Major Differences Between Scriptural Israel and the Modern State of Israel
1. Relationship with Yahushua
The main religion that presides in the modern state of Israel is Judaism. Most sects of Judaism reject Yahushua as the promised Messiah. Of course, there are Messianic sects of Judaism; however, the religious majority in the modern state does not accept Yahushua.
We have known people who have visited the modern state regularly, especially during the Jewish feast times. These people have been highly influenced by the religious majority who possess an anti-messiah spirit. We have seen friends reject Messiah as part of an attempt to be accepted by “brother Judah” and the modern state of Israel. It has been very sad to witness. Some of these friends loved the modern state of Israel more than Yahushua, to their downfall and destruction. (2 Peter 2:1-3)
Further, we ourselves have been proselytized by religious leaders. We have been approached by people pushing the “Noahide” laws. We have been welcomed in the homes of Israelis who eventually influenced others we knew to deny Yahushua. The attempt to prey on “religious zealots” arriving in Israel, especially Jerusalem, is very active.
Furthermore, people from around the world listen to the teachings of rabbis from Israel. What do they know of their teachings? What do they know about their relationship with Yahushua? And their character and way of life? Many believers in Yahushua Messiah will sit under the teachings of rabbis from Israel, even if the teachers do not believe in Yahushua, supposing a teacher from Israel to be on some level of religious superiority. People around the world are being influenced by the anti-messiah spirit active in Israel through Judaism. Even though the End Days Anti-messiah has not yet manifested, the spirit of it has always operated. (2 John 1:9)
A massive falling away from Yahushua is a prophesied End Time event, and it seems, from our perspective, that the religious entities of the modern state are helping to accelerate this with their propaganda. (Matthew 24:10)
2. The Modern State Rejects Most of the Tribes of Israel
Those controlling the government and laws of citizenship in the modern state of Israel associate themselves with the tribe of Judah. But to this day, those who are ancestors of the eleven remaining tribes (collectively known as the House of Ephraim) are rejected from becoming part of the modern state of Israel. All prophecies about the Ingathering during the End Days and the return to the land include ALL the tribes; none foretells the return of Judah first.
Jeremiah 50:4 “In those days and at that time,” declares יהוה, “the children of Yisra’ěl shall come, they and the children of Yehuḏah together, weeping as they come, and seek יהוה their Elohim.”
The modern state will take your money as a tourist and encourage visitors to build their economy. Tours of Israel are encouraged all around the world. But it will not welcome the large majority of the tribes of Israel to become a part of the country. This is interesting to say the least. The modern state of Israel is interested in ancestry, whether a person is a bloodline “Jew;” Scriptural Israel, on the other hand, is interested in a person’s faith in Yahushua, their commitment to the covenant, and whether a person is grafted into Israel.
Right now we have a nation going under the name “Israel.” The scriptural meaning of the word Israel is the covenanted people of Elohim grafted into the nation through Yahushua. This modern nation rejects the large majority of those with an “Israelite” heritage to live in the land. Further, the nation of Israel is not prophesied to be brought into the Land by YHWH until Yahushua’s Kingdom.
3. The Modern State Does Not Use God’s Laws, Scriptural Israel Does
YHWH Himself founded the initial nation of Israel. He was their Elohim and His righteous Laws (the Torah) were their national laws. Israel in Scripture formed their entire legal system, court system, judges, military, and priesthood upon the laws of Elohim, not any other laws from secular nations. Today’s modern state of “Israel” does not practice almost any of the Torah of Elohim. Neither does any other nation on earth! Every nation on earth is about as far from Elohim’s laws as can be.
You might think the weekly Sabbath is kept in Israel as a national holiday. However, after visiting Israel a few times, I can say there are countless examples where the Sabbath is openly violated and not guarded. Outside of Jerusalem, most tourist sites and normal commerce continue on the Sabbath. Buying and selling continue throughout the entire country. In addition, border crossings with all their charges, are open on the Sabbath. The military’s operations are in full swing on all of the Jewish calendar’s Sabbaths; their Sabbaths seem to be some of the most chosen times for military attacks. If the law of Elohim was the national law, the Sabbath would be honored as a national law throughout the country, with no exceptions.
It may come as a surprise to some that the large majority of the country of Israel is extremely secular. A Pew Research study that was conducted in 2019 showed that Israel is the most secular country in the world, with 62% of the country saying that religion or personal faith is NOT important to them!
Here are just a few more of the abominations that the modern state of Israel tolerates. Israel is known for its large tolerance of homosexuality. The capital city of Tel Aviv has quite a homosexual population and Israel has been shown hosting public gay pride events on numerous occasions. Israel also had one of the highest rates of mandatory COVID-19 MRNA injections amongst citizens 12 years and older, stated to be 78% of the population. Israel is also known for having a high rate of abortions performed. In addition, the laws for entry into the military and warfare in the modern state do not reflect any of YHWH’s laws. The list could go on and on.
I simply share this to show that the modern state of Israel is very far from the laws of Elohim as stated in the Torah. Of course, government leaders like Netanyahu quote Scripture out of context to support the same evil practices that YHWH judged ancient Israel for. The sins that are practiced in modern Israel today are the exact things that got ancient Israel removed from the Land originally, and it will bring judgment on them again. Modern-day Israel, like all other nations today, is far from a country that is favored by Elohim or walks in His ways.
The Bride That Comes From Scriptural Israel Will Be Gathered and Protected In The Wilderness, Not the Modern State of Israel
If you have been a reader of this site, this should come as no surprise. In Part 4 of this series, we will go into this further. For now, it is worth stating that this is a significant distinction of utmost importance for those who will survive the Tribulation and be part of Yahushua’s earthly Kingdom. Aiming to go to the modern state of Israel and bypassing the wilderness experience is extremely dangerous and can cause you not to inherit the Kingdom of Yahushua. His followers are gathered in the wilderness and eventually brought into the Land under His leadership, not the secular leadership of any modern government.
Scriptural Israel ≠ Modern State of Israel
If you have typically opened the Bible and seen the word “Israel” and have equated it with the modern state using that name, I hope you can see the error. It is a different entity altogether and can be deceptive because it goes under the same name.
The Bride Is Scattered Around the World INCLUDING IN MODERN ISRAEL
After distinguishing the modern state from Scriptural Israel, I want to say that there are sincere believers who will be part of the Bride currently living in the modern state, just like there are sincere followers of Yahushua in every other nation in the world. The Bride will come from around the world and be protected from the Anti-messiah’s brief reign. Please do not misunderstand this. Nationalities and ethnic backgrounds, even religious backgrounds, will not end up mattering. What matters will be those who will confess Yahushua as their Master and follow His laws. These people are currently living around the world and some of them may even be currently practicing various religions as well. All those who become the Bride will convert from all false religious doctrine and traditions and come into the fullness of Yahushua and His Torah. Praise be to Him!
The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel
When Yahushua sent out the twelve disciples on their first outreach, He instructed them to NOT go to the surrounding nations, nor were they to go to the city of Samaria. Rather, they were to go to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 10:1-7) They were being sent locally, within the region of the tribal inheritance of Israel, but the people in this region were considered “lost.” They were not lost in the sense of geography but in the sense of their relationship with their Creator, the Elohim of Israel.
On another occasion, Yahushua was in the area of the cities of Tyre and Tsidon. These cities are located in the south of the modern country of Lebanon. A woman approached Yahushua calling out for compassion. His disciples did not understand Yahushua’s compassionate nature toward a woman who was identified with Canaan, and they told Yahushua to send her away. Yahushua told them, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:21-28) He proceeded to grant the woman’s request there by showing that He accepted this woman as one of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Though she was not a bloodline Israeli, the woman’s faith had proven her identity.
So it is today. Whether a person is living within the borders of the tribal inheritance of Israel, in other words, the modern state of Israel, or a neighboring country such as Lebanon, or any other place in the world, they are lost sheep who must come to Yahushua by faith. Being a lost sheep of the house of Israel is not an issue of ethnicity or citizenship in a modern nation. A true lost sheep of the house of Israel will enter into covenant with Yahushua through His blood. Currently, the lost sheep are scattered throughout every nation. Soon they will be gathered in the wilderness as described in Ezekiel 20.
Be looking for the next article in this series, as this article lays the foundation for our next topic.
