The Truth about God’s “Chosen People”

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With all that is going on concerning Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East at large, there is no better time for Christians to ask some pivotal questions.

How should we understand the current nation of Israel? Who are God’s “chosen people”?

I first want to state that I am heartbroken for all the families and the innocent lives who are being lost in every country involved in the current crisis in the Middle East. What follows has nothing to do with a lack of empathy for those suffering, nor it is any kind of defense of those causing the great evil. I pray for the innocent everywhere, and I am in no way supporting the wicked who cause such suffering in our world.

With this said, I want to go through many passages within the New Testament that directly speak to the core of this issue and the questions previously posed. As I will show, the beliefs being taught in most churches and by our public officials concerning Israel and its spiritual significance are not in alignment with Scripture.

In fact, these teachings are typically heretical and can even be flat out deceptive.

Please, open your mind and hear me out. Allow the truth of what follows to penetrate your thoughts, even if your local church, pastor, friend, relative, or what have you, has tried to convince you otherwise. Many today are either knowingly or unknowingly propagating false teachings, and these issues are prime examples of this fact.

Let the truth of Scripture prevail in your life.

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Who is a “Jew”?

When we investigate the NT and the writings of some of its Jewish authors, we come to understand something crucial: a “Jew” is no longer defined in ethnic or geographical terms but is defined solely in spiritual terms.

This has been the case since the coming of Christ and his subsequent ministry, death, and resurrection. Despite what many are teaching, this reality is very clear within the NT. Let’s look at the following examples to prove this point.

Paul—a Jew, Pharisee, and “Hebrew of Hebrews”—succinctly described who a Jew truly is and what it means to be one. He said this in the Book of Romans:

“For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God” (2:28-29).

Being a “Jew” is a matter of the heart and a work of the Holy Spirit rather than external factors. This fits perfectly with what Paul said elsewhere in Galatians:

“For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God” (6:15-16).

Here, Paul not only reaffirms that circumcision—that is, the outward symbol of the Jewish people who were under the Old Covenant and its Mosaic Law—means nothing anymore but that all who believe in Christ are now “the Israel of God.”

Read that again; those who are a new creation in Christ are now “Israel.” Put another way, Christ’s body (the Church) is the fulfilment of all things pertaining to Israel.

This is exactly why Paul said the following, in Romans 9:6-8:

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”

The promises made through Abraham and his offspring saw their fulfilment in Jesus. It is not the “children of the flesh”—or those who are simply the ethnic descendants of Abraham—who are God’s children, but those who believe in Christ are now God’s children.

Jesus, himself, pointed this out to the corrupt Jews of his day:

“They answered him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did . . . you are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires . . .” (Jn. 8:39, 44).

John the Baptist—while preparing the way for Jesus—preached the very same message to some of his fellow Jews:

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Mt. 3:7-12).

You see, simply being born to a certain set of parents (Jewish) has never granted one salvation. Likewise, being born in a particular land (Israel) has never merited anyone salvation. As I have pointed out in other articles, God destroyed His own people numerous times throughout the Old Testament because of their disobedience.

Let’s consider some other passages, where both Paul and Peter further clarify that ethnicity and geography have nothing to do with being a Jew, since the coming of Christ.

In Gal. 3:23-29, Paul said this:

“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Yes, there is “neither Jew nor Gentile” for “all are one in Christ.” Ethnicity has no bearing—none, zero, zip, zilch, nada—on being saved. If we are in Christ—and only if we are in Christ—are we truly the children of Abraham. It cannot be stated any more plainly.

For a final passage to consider, let’s look at 1 Peter 2:9-10:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

This message was shared with all who had accepted Christ as Savior. Christians are a “royal priesthood, a holy nation,” and a “people for his own possession.”

Many other passages could be considered that mirror this message but here is the bottom line: merely being born a Jew in Israel (or anywhere)—apart from faith and obedience to God—has never been the criteria to be a part of God’s family. It wasn’t throughout the time described in the OT and it most definitely hasn’t been after Jesus, the Messiah, entered the world.

Israel is now all who belong to the church, and a “true Jew” is one who worships Christ. It truly is that simple.

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Is Israel Still the Holy Land?

Another thing that is connected to the previous section is the matter of the land itself. Is there still special significance to the physical land that God gave to the Jewish people in the Old Testament era?

Jesus and the apostles answered this question for us as well, and in undeniable fashion. Focusing on Jerusalem, the “Holy City,” they explained that things once again had changed after the coming of Christ. Just as what it means to be a “Jew” had been transformed, so too did the definition and importance of Jerusalem.

In John 4:19-21, Jesus met with the Samaritan woman at the well. Among other things, here is a bit of their conversation:

“The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.”

Do you grasp the significance of what Jesus told her? In no uncertain terms, worshipping God would no longer be about travelling to Jerusalem, or about visiting a specific location at all. Jerusalem has no present spiritual significance, and that is from the very mouth of Jesus! This, in effect, means that the land of Israel has no spiritual significance, either.

The author of Hebrews goes on to explain this reality in more detail, saying:

“For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’ But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:18-24).

Being participants in the New Covenant that Christ, the Messiah, established means that we no longer look to the earthly Jerusalem. We now look to the “heavenly Jerusalem.”

Paul explains exactly how this works in Galatians 4:21-26:

“Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.”

Paul goes on to affirm these words and settle the case, once and for all, later in the passage:

“So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman” (4:31).

Do not miss the significance of this teaching. The “present Jerusalem” is currently in slavery and spiritual bondage! In fact, it has been since Jesus came and was rejected by most of his own people. This is exactly why Jesus mourned for the people of Jerusalem, remarking that he had tried to gather them together, but they would have no part of it (Mt. 23:37-39).

The earthly Jerusalem has no further part to play in God’s plans for the world. Instead, it is the “Jerusalem above” that believers belong to, and she is free; she is our mother.

Adding to this, it is Hebrews’ “heavenly Jerusalem” and Paul’s “Jerusalem above” that Revelation describes as our ultimate home:

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (21:2).

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Conclusions

Ask yourself two very important questions: What was the purpose of God calling Israel to be His chosen people, and why did God grant them the Promised Land?

As I have shown, this was entirely about bringing salvation to all the world. As Isaiah prophesied, the Messiah (Jesus) would be a “light to the Gentiles” (Is. 49:6). Israel was God’s vessel to bring forth salvation to all nations. That was their main purpose, and that was fulfilled in their Messiah—in the world’s Messiah—Jesus Christ. Thus, the promises made to Abraham have been fulfilled in Christ and his body (the church).

If everything I have said thus far is true, then what can we make of the current nation of Israel and all that transpires with her?

This is where I will really put my neck out on the line and make an extremely bold statement. Given everything mentioned here and my research into many other factors, my verdict is this:

The current state of Israel is a Satanic counterfeit.

The notion—despite all the biblical evidence already mentioned—that the “Israel” which was established in 1948 is “God’s chosen nation” is a manufactured lie. It’s a lie that is meant to confuse, bewilder, and lead astray not just those who follow Christ but the entire world.

To fully understand why I feel this way, please see my article entitled, Is Israel God’s Chosen Nation. It goes into much more depth about why this is so terribly misunderstood.

More to the point, understand that Satan has made his deception with the current nation of Israel obvious. In fact, it’s so obvious that it is literally staring us in the face.

But what do I mean by this?

Imagine for a moment that the national symbol—the official logo—of Israel were a Satanic symbol. How incredible would that be? How shocking?

Well, we don’t have to imagine; Israel’s national symbol is Satanic in nature. As I try to point out frequently, Satan always leaves his calling cards.

The so-called “Star of David” is clearly and demonstrably not a symbol of virtue and holiness; it has nothing to do with David and everything to do with Satan. Please see my article entitled, The Truth Behind the Star of David. This is undeniable.

In closing, understand that things are not what they appear to be. Not only is much of the world—including most churches—errantly teaching that Israel is God’s chosen nation and that the Jews are still His chosen people, but they are spreading an outright lie.

All who follow Christ are “God’s chosen people,” and we are citizens of the “heavenly Jerusalem.” Any teaching to the contrary is not only antithetical to Scripture but is nothing short of a Satanic deception.

Please, really investigate this for yourselves. Don’t be deceived.

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If you want to take a serious dive into the origins and purpose behind the current nation of Israel, then watch this video. Warning: it is not for the faint of heart.