With whom did God make His New Covenant? The Institutional Church (Catholicism/Protestantism) believes that the New Covenant was made with Gentiles who became God’s chosen people by default. For centuries church people have been told that, because God divorced both the House of Judah (tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi, called “Jews”) and the House of Israel (the other tribes, called “Israel”) (Jer. 3:8), that Gentiles had become His chosen people. This universally-accepted doctrine is called Replacement Theology. Those who study God’s Word as Truth know that Gentiles have not replaced Israel in the heart of God, and that Israel always has been, is and always will be His chosen people. All who wish to come to Him must become part of the Commonwealth of Israel–the Church–the “… Israel of God” (Eph. 2:12/Gal. 6:16). The church says, “not so.” Once again she has judged God’s Word and found Him wanting (Rom. 3:4).

If past experience holds true, this is the point at which I will lose many readers. Of all of God’s doctrines that contradict church theology and cause church people to reject Him, His condemnation of Replace- ment Theology ranks at the top of a long list. But God’s Word is Truth (Jn. 17:17), and that Truth is not affected by the faithlessness of people. Faith comes from hearing (or reading) the Word of God (Rom. 10:17. You who continue with me will find God’s Word, complete with references, laid out before you. Rejecting me is irrelevant; rejecting God’s Word, thereby rejecting Him (Jn. 12:44-50), is deadly. Please proceed with caution.

Throughout both Old and New Testaments/Covenants God states that in the last days He will call (reconcile) the 12 Tribes of Israel back to each other, then back to Himself. Scripture also confirms that during the “latter days” Israel will return to Him “… one of a city, two of a family” (Jer. 3:14). This tiny remnant now forms THE BODY OF CHRIST–GOD’S CHURCH–the “few” who have entered the strait gate and are walking the narrow way that leads to eternal life. The “many” have entered the wide gate and are walking the broad way that leads to destruction (Mat. 7:13,14). The “many,” called “the church,” are global in scope, politically powerful and socially accepted. The “few,” called heretics, are tiny in number, politically powerless and socially rejected. See Persecution for more details.

God brought the Children of Israel (Jacob) out of Egypt after 430 years and gave them His Ten Com- mandment Law as His rules for living (Exo. 20/Deut. 5). Because they broke His moral Law, God made a second (“added”) law (Gal. 3:19) for them to observe. The added (sacrificial, ritualistic) law was designed to keep Israel focused on Him until He would come to earth as a man–Jesus of Nazareth. See Jesus Christ–God, Man or God-man? It was this “added” law–their “schoolmaster” (Gal. 3:24,25)–that was done away with by the Lord. Israel’s continued rebellion against His Moral Law caused Him to eventually divorce both Houses of Israel and to scatter them throughout the world (Eze. 4:13/Zech. 7:12-14;10:9) where most of them, unknown though numbering in the hundreds of millions, remain to this day

Did God, as we are told, permanently abandon Israel? Paul asks the question then answers it with one word in Romans 11:17-25–“No.” Throughout the Old Testament the Lord promised to offer the Tribes of Israel the opportunity to return to Him spiritually and physically in the latter days. Many believe that the “latter days” will come into being sometime in the future. But God tells us precisely when they began. Those with ears to hear will do so and believe.

According to Peter and Joel, God began His latter day regathering of the Children of Israel on the Day of Pentecost A.D. 31. In Acts 2:16-18 Peter is speaking to the crowd of Jews who had gathered outside the upper room following the commotion caused by the outpouring of God’s Spirit on those gathered there: “… THIS IS THAT WHICH WAS SPOKEN BY THE PROPHET JOEL, ‘… and it shall come to pass in the LAST (LATTER) DAYS, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; … I will pour out My Spirit in THOSE DAYS ….” The outpouring of God’s Spirit on the Jews, then on the other ten tribes, then later on the Gentiles began on that day some 2000 years ago. Peter was quoting Joel 2:27-29 where the prophet was prophesying about the day when God would begin to gather His Israelite people back to Him by pouring out His Spirit on them. Later, He would offer salvation to biological Gentiles. As Scripture reveals, following the offering of eternal life to the Jews of Judea, God sent His apostles out to offer life to “… the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel” (Mat. 10:5,6). By my calculations, some 12 years later He opened the door to salvation to the Gentile nations. A respected Jewish historian puts the gospel first being made available to Gentiles some 15 years after the founding of the New Covenant Church. However, another equally qualified Jewish historian contends that the call to Gentiles did not come until some 20 years later. I will concede to their more learned calculations.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost marked the beginning of the fulfillment of Joel 2:27-29, Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:8-12. Jeremiah told the Israelites that in the latter days God would make a NEW COVENANT with the HOUSE OF JUDAH AND THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL–THE ENTIRE TWELVE TRIBES. Joel explained to Israel what would take place when the Spirit came on them. Later, Peter explained to the Jews gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost what was happening at that time (Acts 2:16-18). Then later, Paul would remind the Israelites/Hebrews (God’s church) that God had fulfilled His promise to make a NEW COVENANT with THEM. Nowhere in these passages are Gentiles mentioned relative to the New Covenant. To be continued. L.J.