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The perspective of at least one Christian…
One striking confession that I learned from Prophet Kim Clement is the affirmation “Israel is Forever!” It is easy to prove from the Bible that the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob each in turn were promised the same land grant that went from the Mediterranean sea to the Euphrates river and from the “River of Egypt” (perhaps the Bezor brook) to the borders of Tyre and Sidon which are now in Lebanon. God claims the land as his own in Leviticus 25: 23. He alone has the right to grant or revoke residence. Only during Solomon’s reign did Israel come close to possessing all of the grant, but it remains a divine land grant none the less. Many if not most of the Christian denominations have accepted some form of replacement theology (i.e. the Church has replaced Israel as God’s people), but this is a mistake. The second diaspora of Judea by Rome was a discipline, but as Paul wrote they are not cast off forever. It is true that the New Covenant teaches many if not most of the individual Jews are lost in their sin, but they still have a covenant with God. Paul uses chapters 9-11 of the letter to the Romans to assure the Gentile Church that God will not cast us off, but he proves his point by demonstrating that he has not and never will cast off his people Israel. If God could dump them, He could dump you. He will not go back on his covenants. We as individuals are responsible before God to stay connected to the vine (or the Olive tree of Romans 11:17), but the covenant the Lord made with Abraham stands forever none the less.
I read an entry on the ‘X’ platform that argued that the state of Israel is not the same as the nation of Israel. The author’s point is that the state of Israel is occupying Palestinian land, but the Bible (and history) differs. To illustrate why the argument is irrelevant, consider the return to Judea from the Babylonian/ Persian captivity. Very few of the released captives returned, established a state, and built the second temple. Most of the Judean people (Jews) stayed where they were in Babylon, Assyria, and Persia. For example, many of them were still in Iraq during the gulf war. God’s covenant with the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob remained, but his attention to salvation history followed those who returned to the land and began to reaffirm the land covenant. God blessed the second temple, and sent Jesus to minister in it as a prophet, and as Israel’s king. My point is that God always works through a remnant. That is comforting, but it can be terrifying, since the majority is almost if not always wrong! What we call Mainstream (referring to any influence stream) falls into what Jesus called the wide, easy way that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13). The narrow gate and difficult way is spoken of again in Luke 13:24 in answer to the question “Will only a few be saved”. I am not arguing that the state of Israel is walking worthy of its calling. What I am saying is that God is still working with them and will not allow the world to wipe them out. He defends them, holds them up, and causes them to triumph because he is their God even if most of the citizens do not even acknowledge him. The scriptures instruct God’s people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122: 6-9) not only symbolically, but literally. Our understanding of Bible prophecy clears up dramatically when we see God dealing not generally, but specifically with Israel in the LAND of Israel.
The Church is grafted in to the tree of Abraham. We have not replaced it, but we are privileged to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. So, I bless my brothers in Christ and I bless my Judean brothers (including all of the Hebrew tribes). God is not finished with them, so we can be sure that he will never be finished with us. None of this excuses a life of sin in that we will ALL stand in judgement before the Lord either in the first resurrection or in the second. Evangelism is still important, but we must be respectful. Remember that according to the book of Acts, the original argument was whether or not gentiles can be saved without first becoming Jews. The argument within the Church was settled by the baptism in the Holy Spirit, so we would be wise to remember our roots and hold fast to the evidence of our own election. Remain faithful, keep oil in your lamps, love the brothers, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for our peace is bound up with theirs. Shalom