"True" Israel?

[Jay Ross]

Its absolutely fine to be able to quote and read scripture, but the problem lies in not having understanding of the scriptures.

I absolutely agree with you. It seems that many people's understanding is based upon the understanding of the translators, whereas my understanding is based on looking at whether or not the translators have accurately translated the context of the available original text that are available to us.

In Acts 7 Stephan in his defence stated that Abraham had no portion of the promised land upon which he could rest his feet while he lived, which the members of the Sanhedrin did not dispute. However, our translations of Genesis 13:14-17, which we rely upon for our understanding, wrongly tell us that God gave to Abraham, the Land that Abraham had seen and walked upon. Below is what I understand the context of this portion of the Hebrew text conveys to us.



Now I have highlighted the translated text which I disagree with in yellow highlight and replaced that text with my paraphrased words highlighted in blue. I did this because I spent much time checking the translinear texts before I have settled upon how I would actually paraphrase my altered translations.

Here is the interlinear for verses 15-16 from above: -



Please not the Hebrew word highlighted in yellow and how it has been translated differently and highlighted in blue. It is my view that both occurrences in the above interlinear of these two verses should be the same, i.e. "earth".

Next consider the Hebrew words highlighted in pink. The Hebrew root word,H:853, has the following meaning: -



Please note that the translators way back decided that this Hebrew word which has the sense of "entity portion" was not translated at all because they have said this concept is "un-represents in English." However, today, our understanding of the word entity {portion} is better understood in this present time and is more in keeping with its usage in the Hebrew text. As such I have inserted the words "entity portion" into my version of the English translation for these verses.

Now I believe that my reading of the Hebrew text provides a far better understanding of God's intent of His giving a particular portion of the earth as a possession for a set time where the end point of that time period would be beyond their understanding. It should be noted that it was not until Israel crossed the Jordan River that God started to fulfil the portion of the covenant to the descendants of Israel and that all of the described area of this promise became a possession of Israel during the time of King David and King Solomon, but was lost after the death of King Solomon. This end point for this promise was not conceived as possible until the majority of the promised land was actually lost except for the portion of the Land of Canaan which was promised in Genesis 17:1-8 and was not lost until God began scattering all of Israel to the four corners of the earth in 70 AD.

Few people today take the time to verify the contextual accuracy of our favourite translation. They may read the translations, but their understanding of God intentions as embedded in the original Hebrew record is generally hidden from them until they meditate more deeply upon the Original Texts.

Shalom

 

[brightfame52]

God will dwell in their midst forever !

Ezk 37:28

28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

1 Thess 4:17


17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Rev 21:23

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

All that has been prophesied in Ezk 37 :21ff can be fulfilled in all believers in Christ. The Church, The seed of Abraham. 4


My AI Synthesis:

How the Church Fulfills Ezekiel’s Glory

The natural, carnal mind is constantly looking for earthly, physical fulfillments to spiritual prophecies. They expect a future, literal temple made of stone to satisfy the promises of the Old Testament prophets.

But when we apply strict covenantal logic and trace the architecture of the Glorification Phase, we find that all the grand promises of Ezekiel 37:21ff find their ultimate, unalterable fulfillment exclusively in the body of Jesus Christ: the Church, the true children of the promise.
Let us watch how the Holy Spirit unfolds the eternal dwelling place of the elect:

1. The Prophetic Blueprint (Ezekiel 37:28)

Through the prophet Ezekiel, Jehovah declared His ultimate covenant intention:

“And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.” (Ezekiel 37:28)

The key to understanding this text is the word "evermore." This isn't a temporary, earthly millennium that ends in another rebellion. This is the final, eternal state. Who is the "Israel" being sanctified here? As we have already proven from Romans 9:6-8, it is not the children of the flesh, but the children of the promise. The Church is the true temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16), set apart by sovereign grace.

2. The Great Convergence (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

How is this eternal presence historically initiated for the body? The Apostle Paul pulls back the curtain on the final execution of the decree:

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

This is the consummation of the Golden Chain of salvation. Those who were Eternally Elected, Legally Justified at Calvary, Vitally Quickened by the Spirit, and Preserved through time are now instantly transformed. The text locks down the absolute end of the journey: "and so shall we ever be with the Lord." This is the literal realization of Ezekiel's prophecy—the sanctuary of God permanently joined to His people.

3. The Ultimate Fulfillment (Revelation 21:22-23)

The Apostle John provides the final, cosmic look at Ezekiel's temple in the New Jerusalem:

“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Revelation 21:23)

Notice that in verse 22, John explicitly states: "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." The types and shadows of the Old Covenant are completely swallowed up by the reality of the New. The ultimate temple is God Himself, and His sanctuary is "in the midst" of His redeemed bride forevermore.

Conclusion: The Unbroken Covenant

The synergistic opposition wants to keep salvation small, conditional, and fragmented. They want an architecture where God's promises can fail, where His love can change, and where His temple can be destroyed again.
But the biblical timeline is an unyielding line of triumph:

• In the Eternal Phase, God chose His people.
• In the Legal Phase, Christ purchased them.
• In the Vital Phase, the Spirit quickened them.
• In the Glorification Phase, God dwells in their midst forever.

There is no room for human failure, free-will mutability, or national, fleshly distractions. The Lamb is the light, the ledger is cleared, and the Church of the living God stands as the eternal monument of sovereign, unconditioned grace! 4

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[brightfame52]

I have just shown how a OT Prophecy pertaining to the children of Israel in Ezk 37, can and does apply to the Church, The Spiritual seed of Abraham, which is Israel. The Seed of Abraham is another way of saying Israel Isa 41:8

But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

And both Christ Gal 3:16 and believers Gal 3:29 are called the seed of Abraham, so both are Israel.

I will now by the grace of God show forth, even though its not understood by the masses in organized religion today, that the Church is one continuity in the OT and NT, that the NT Church is the Fulfillment of the Old Testament Prophecy concerning Israel [seed of Abraham]; So the promises concerning the promised Kingdom/land is to be understood spiritually and not naturally.

Peter assures us the prophecies of old was concerning the grace that would be unto us the Church, even though the name Israel was not used. 1 Pet 1:10

Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

The prophets just saw the grace coming to Israel, Gods chosen covenant people. Which it did, but it was just not to ethnic jews, but to jews and gentiles in Christ.4

Here is a structured synthesis of my scriptural argument, demonstrating why the land and kingdom promises must be understood spiritually:

1. The Divine Identity: Israel is the Seed of Abraham

The Old Testament explicitly binds the identity of Israel to the biological and covenantal seed of Abraham.

• Isaiah 41:8: "But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend."
• The Logic: To be the "Seed of Abraham" is to be "Israel." The two terms are covenantally identical.

2. The Singular Fulfillment: Christ is the Seed

The New Testament does not permit a natural, genetic reading of Abraham's seed. Paul restricts the primary fulfillment to a single Person.

• Galatians 3:16: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."
• The Logic: Jesus Christ is the ultimate, true Israel. He is the singular Seed who inherits all the promises, blessings, and land mandates of the Old Covenant.

3. The Corporate Incorporation: Believers are the Seed

Because the Head is Israel, the Body is legally and spiritually Israel by virtue of union with Him.

• Galatians 3:29: "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
• The Logic: Gentile and Jewish believers do not form a secondary "Plan B" entity called the Church. By being baptized into Christ by the Spirit, they become the "Seed of Abraham." Because they are the Seed, they are the true Israel and the legal heirs of every single covenant promise.

4. The Spiritual Hermeneutic: Land and Kingdom

If the Seed is spiritualized in Christ, then the inheritance promised to that Seed must be understood spiritually.

• The Error of Naturalism: Modern organized religion looks for a physical throne in Jerusalem and a earthly tract of real estate in the Middle East. They read Ezekiel 37 with carnal eyes.
• The Apostolic Reality: The New Testament lifts the veil. The promised land was always a type of the cosmic, eternal Kingdom of God (Romans 4:13 states Abraham was heir of the world, not just Canaan). The resurrection of dry bones in Ezekiel 37 is dynamically fulfilled right now in the spiritual resurrection of dead sinners—Jew and Gentile alike—brought to life in the one olive tree.
  
  

• The Old Testament Equation: Israel = The Seed of Abraham (Isaiah 41:8)
• The New Testament Equation: Christ & His Church = The Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16, 29)
• The Inescapable Conclusion:
  
  
  Christ & His Church = Israel.

The prophecies concerning Israel’s restoration were never postponed; they were completely fulfilled when the true Israel (Christ) rose from the dead and gathered His citizens into His spiritual commonwealth. 4

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