What Does the Bible Teach about the Jewish People and the Nation of Israel?

The nation of Israel is unique in the role God chose for it. In the creation there was Adam, and then there was Noah who survived the Flood. From Noah's child, Shem, came a family out of which was born a man named Abram (Abraham). He was called by God to journey to a foreign land, which is now Palestine. God said to him, "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3CloseGenesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). From Abraham came Isaac and then Jacob, later called "Israel." From Jacob came twelve sons whose families became the twelve tribes comprising the nation of Israel.

To this nation was given the revelation of God, His nature, His laws, and His history. Israel was entrusted with the Bible, and because of these people all the nations of the earth have been blessed.

But the greatest blessing by far that was entrusted to Israel was the bringing forth of the Messiah who would die for the sins of mankind, to restore man to the fellowship with God that he lost at the Fall. For two thousand years the children of Abraham were sheltered, set apart from the nations, and instructed in the ways of God. Then in what the Bible calls "the fullness of time," God sent to the Jewish people Jesus of Nazareth, who was the Messiah or "anointed one"--the Christ (seeGalatians 4:4CloseGalatians 4:4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). The message of His coming, His death, and His resurrection has been the true means whereby all the nations of the world have been blessed.

The people of Israel are still precious to God. The Old Testament promised that the nation of Israel would be restored in the last times (seeEzekiel 11:17CloseEzekiel 11:17 I, the Sovereign LORD, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.' OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). This prophecy was fulfilled in 1948. Even though Israel was destroyed and its people scattered abroad because of their unbelief, God said He would rebuild the nation just prior to the end of the age. At the climax of history the Israelis will turn to God, and the nation will once again become a center of God's revelation to all mankind (seeZechariah 12:10CloseZechariah 12:10 "Then I will pour out a spirit* of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). The law will go forth from Jerusalem, and all the nations will come to Jerusalem to learn the law of the Lord (seeIsaiah 2:2-3CloseIsaiah 2:2-3 In the last days, the mountain of the LORD's house  will be the highest of all—  the most important place on earth.It will be raised above the other hills,  and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say,"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,  to the house of Jacob's God.There he will teach us his ways,  and we will walk in his paths."For the LORD's teaching will go out from Zion;  his word will go out from Jerusalem. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). At that time, the natural sons of Abraham will be exalted, along with those who, through faith in Jesus Christ, have become sons of Abraham after the Spirit. So in the last days the Jews and the church will share a wonderful glory (seeRomans 11:25-26CloseRomans 11:25-26 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters,* so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,"The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,*  and he will turn Israel* away from ungodliness. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ).

The nation of Israel as a whole did not accept Jesus when He was on earth. The apostle Paul said that even their unbelief became a blessing to the rest of the world, because they were temporarily cut off from God's salvation and the Gentiles took their place. When the Jews refused to believe, the rest of us were offered a chance. But when they return to faith it will be equivalent to the resurrection of the dead (seeRomans 11:1-32CloseRomans 11:1-32 I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, "LORD, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."* And do you remember God's reply? He said, "No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!"* It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel* have remained faithful because of God's grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. And since it is through God's kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God's grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved. So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened. As the Scriptures say,"God has put them into a deep sleep.To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see,  and closed their ears so they do not hear."* Likewise, David said,"Let their bountiful table become a snare,  a trap that makes them think all is well.Let their blessings cause them to stumble,  and let them get what they deserve. Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,  and let their backs be bent forever."* Did God's people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God's offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too. But some of these branches from Abraham's tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. "Well," you may say, "those branches were broken off to make room for me." Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn't believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won't* spare you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong. I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters,* so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,"The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,*  and he will turn Israel* away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them,  that I will take away their sins."* Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God's mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share* in God's mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). Some people think that a certain sign of the return of Jesus Christ to earth will be the restoration of the Jewish people to an understanding of God's full revelation in Christ.

Excerpt taken from Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions, Copyright 1984 by Pat Robertson.