If You Are Confused About Israel, You’re Confused About the Bible

To fully grasp the Bible, it is essential to understand the unique and central role of Israel. The nation of Israel, also referred to as the Jews, is distinct among all the nations of the earth. If people are confused about Israel, they are inherently confused about the Bible itself.

The importance of Israel is emphasized by its frequent mention across Scripture: the name Israel or Israelite appears over 2,500 times in the Old Testament and 79 times in the New Testament. The term ‘Jew’ appears 84 times in the Old Testament and 192 times in the New Testament. In contrast, the term ‘Christian’ occurs only three times in the New Testament.

Israel’s Uniqueness: Distinctive Biblical Identity

The sources emphasize that Israel is a unique people, unlike any other nation. This distinctiveness is rooted in God’s direct actions and covenants with them:

• Redemption as a Nation: God redeemed Israel as the “one nation on the earth” for Himself, making a name for Himself by “great and awesome deeds” by driving out other nations before them, as David recognized in his prayer (1 Chronicles 17:21). No other nation was set out by God to be redeemed from other nations in this way.
• A Kingdom of Priests: Before giving them the law at Mount Sinai, God promised Israel that they “shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). God has never spoken these specific words to any other nation.
• Never Describing the Church: The name Israel, in its 79 appearances in the New Testament, never once describes the Church.

The Unchallengeable Privileges of Israel (Romans 9:4-5)

The Apostle Paul lists numerous exclusive features and blessings that apply only to Israel and the Jews (Romans 9:4-5):

1. The Adoption: God adopted Israel as a nation to be His people.
2. The Glory: This refers to the manifest supernatural presence of God that was with Israel when they walked in obedience.
3. The Covenants: All covenants in the Bible, except those made before Israel existed as a nation, were made with Israel.
4. The Giving of the Law: The Law was given exclusively to Israel.
5. The Priestly Service of God: This service was assigned only to Israel.
6. The Promises: The promises pertain solely to Israel.
7. The Fathers: The patriarchs—including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—are all descended from this specific stock and no other.
8. The Messiah: The most distinctive feature is that the Savior, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came to the world “according to the flesh” through the Jewish people/Israel.

Jesus Christ: The Eternal Jewish Identity

The identification of Jesus Christ with the Jewish people is not temporary; it is eternal.

• The Lion of Judah: Even years after His death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus is identified in heaven by the title, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” (Revelation 5:5).
• Eternal Identity: The word ‘Jew’ comes from ‘Judah’. The fact that Jesus is still called the Lion of the tribe of Judah proves that His identification with the Jewish people was not limited to His earthly life and ministry. He not only was a Jew but still is a Jew.
• The Roaring Lion: Believers are reminded that there is a Lion—a Jew—in heaven who will one day roar, and “woe to the enemies of the Jewish people” when this happens.

Salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22)

Jesus Himself declared the ultimate source of spiritual blessing when He told the Samaritan woman, “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).

This five-word statement is profound: No Jews, no salvation. Every spiritual blessing enjoyed by non-Jewish believers (Gentiles) is owed entirely to one people—the Jewish people.

Without the Jewish people, the world would have no patriarchs, no prophets, no apostles, no Bible, and no Savior.