In Genesis 17:1-7 we find God promising faithful Abraham that He would establish an everlasting (eter- nal) covenant with him and his descendants (the 12 Tribes of Israel/Jacob). This covenant would be in effect as long as an Israelite existed–until the end of the world/age. He promised never to abandon the children of Israel, noting that they would be His people forever. His covenant with them would be a covenant of salvation (1 Sam. 12:22/2 Sam. 7:24/1 Chron. 17:22-24/Ps. 89:35-37/;105:6-10/Isa. 45:17).

God uses many other Scriptures to show that He will gather Israel back to Himself and back to the Holy Land from the remotest parts of the world. In Isaiah 49:1-3;51:4,5 He calls Israel His SERVANT, His PEOPLE, His NATION. He then said: “He (God) Who scattered him (Israel) will gather him as a shep- herd gathers his flock.” In Ezekiel 36:26-28 God tells us that, because of Israel’s sins, God scattered them among the heathen (Gentiles) where they profaned His holy name. He then looked to the future when He would use them to bear witness of Him to the Gentiles among whom they lived. He would sanctify (set aside for holy use) those Israelites who returned to Him. He would (at the end of the age) gather them back to the Holy Land (Eze. 36:19-24). He promised to give them a new (human) spirit and a new heart (mind). He promised to give them His Holy Spirit which would enable them to obey His statutes and judgments–Law–which He would write in their new hearts (Jer. 31:31-33/Heb. 8:8-12). Then He promised that He would be their God and they would be His people once again (Eze. 36:26-28).

That Jesus would eventually reconcile Israel back to Himself is noted in John 10:16: “I have (already possess) other sheep (the scattered Tribes of Israel) that are not of this fold (the Jews of Judea), them I must bring (back to Himself) also.” By “bringing” them together unto Him He would make them “… one flock with One Shepherd” again (Eze. 37) by grafting them into His “good olive tree” again (Rom. 11: 17-26). Jesus promised to offer salvation to all Israel because “… the gifts and calling of God (to Israel) are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29). Salvation has always been Israel’s inheritance. We must understand that THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN TO AND ABOUT ISRAEL. The only time Gentiles are mentioned in Scripture is when they came in contact with Israel. God promised in Ezekiel 37 that He would bring the two segments (houses) of Israel back together and back to Himself. Since the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D. this has been an ongoing progress as Israelite believers living among the heathen/Gentiles have returned to Him in the form of His New Covenant Church–“the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:,15,16). These are those who are created anew–the “new man” “new creation”–who walk according to His rule (Law). Upon them He has promised to have mercy.

Just as the whole of Israel comprised the Old Covenant “Church in the (physical) wilderness” of Sinai with Jesus (the Word–Jn. 1:1-4) at her head (Acts 7:38/1 Cor. 10:4), the modern day descendants of those Israelites–the Israelite “remnant”–comprise the New Covenant Church in today’s spiritual wilderness which is headed by the same God–Jesus Christ. The primary differences between the Old and New Covenants are that 1) the blood of Jesus has replaced the blood of animals, 2) the Law written in stone is now written in the hearts of saints, 3) God’s Spirit is now available to all men, 4) circumcision is now of the heart, 5) the required sacrifice is now of the heart, 6) the Temple in Jerusalem has been replaced by the believer himself and 7) sins of the mind are equal to sins of the flesh. Now let us examine God’s relationship with the goi–biological Gentiles/heathen.

That God allows Gentiles to be adopted into the Commonwealth of Israel and thereby qualify for salva- tion was revealed in the New Covenant by Peter’s visit to the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:9-16,28). Earlier, God (the Word–Jesus Christ) had allowed Gentiles to join Israel in their escape from Egypt. Then later we find a woman named Ruth leaving her religion and joining the Children of Israel (more about Ruth later).

Jesus said in John 4:22 that all other (Gentile) religions are false, that “… salvation is of the Jews,” that we (Jesus and His disciples-saints) are the only people who worship the true God. He said in Romans 11:11-24 that in order for Gentiles to be converted and have “… the hope of (for) salvation” they must first be broken off from their “wild olive tree” (Gentile religions) and grafted into His “good olive tree”–His New Covenant Church based on the Law-Jer. 31:31-33/Heb. 8:8-12). His church obeys the Ten Commandment Law which covers every sin man can commit. By breaking any one of the Law’s commandments man breaks the entire Law, making him a worker of iniquity (Gr.-Lawless) (Jam. 2: 10-26). Jesus describes His reaction to those who reject His Word/Law when they come before Him at judgment, who will call Him their ‘Lord’ and remind Him of the “wonderful works” they have done in His name. To them He will reply: “I never knew you; depart from Me ye workers of iniquity” (Mat. 7:23). To be continued. L.J.