What few church people know and even fewer believe is that JESUS CHRIST CAME TO EARTH ON BEHALF OF ISRAEL. Jesus made this clear in Matthew 15:24 when He said: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In Luke 24:21 we read that Jesus came to bring redemption to Israel. In John 11:50-52 and 1 Peter 1:2 is it written that Jesus would die for the children of Israel–God’s elect. In Luke 1:77 we are told that Jesus would bring knowledge of salvation to His people. Matthew 2:6 foretells that in the future Jesus will rule God’s people Israel. Mark 15:32 tells us that Jesus is the King of Israel–all spiritual Israelites. In Luke 1:33 we are told that He will rule the House of Jacob (Israel) forever. Surely these and previously presented Scriptures will convince even the most churchy among us that Israel was, is and will ever be God’s chosen people, and that Jesus came to earth to bring knowledge of salvation to them and to all who would embrace Him by becoming spiritual Israelites–the church–the “Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16). One becomes a spiritual Israelite by worshipping, obeying and serving Israel’s Biblical God as did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now we will examine the role Christ’s apostles had in building His church.

Recall that Jesus sent the apostles to Israelites scattered abroad throughout the entire earth. They were to find the “dispersion” and tell them the good news–the gospel–of the coming Kingdom of God. In Acts 1:2 we find Him teaching His apostles for 40 days about that kingdom which He would establish upon His second coming. On the Day of Pentecost, 31 A.D. we find Peter telling the multitude of Jews gathered in Jerusalem from “every nation under heaven” that they were to return home where they were to tell the Israelites in their home areas what they had seen and heard (Acts 2:36-39).

In Acts 13 Paul is speaking to a group of Jews whom he addressed as “men of Israel.” He told these Jewish Israelites that God had raised up their Savior Who had come to earth to remind them of the promises He had made to their ancestors, and therefore to them. Paul states in Acts 28:20 that he was being persecuted (and would later die) because of his work on behalf of Israel. In Romans 9:4 Paul states that Israel is the recipient of the adoption, the glory, the (Old and New) covenants, the (10 Commandment) Law, the service (ministry) and the promises God made to Abraham concerning his descendants. James, writing to the church, addressed his letter to “the 12 tribes of Israel that are scattered abroad.”

Perhaps the most striking passage of Scripture relative to the church-Israel connection is found in Revelation 7:3-8 and 21:10-12 where we are told that when New Jerusalem comes down from heaven, accompanied by God the Father, the names of the 12 tribes of Israel will be written on its gates and the names of the 12 apostles will be written on its foundation. Note that there is not one word relative to Gentiles. All Gentiles inside the walls of New Jerusalem will be spiritual Israelites.

Finally, in order to determine the identity of the people God would use to build His New Testament church, we need only see to whom Jesus sent His apostles. This question is answered by Jesus Himself in Matthew 10:5,6 where it reads: “These 12 Jesus sent forth, saying, ‘Go not unto the Gentiles …. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” As we will see, it was time for the Lord to begin gathering His people back to Himself. The apostles, by carrying out their assigned “ministry of reconciliation,” would do exactly that. The “remnant” who would return would constitute His end-time church.  L.J.