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The Supremacy of Christ
Over the Land and Nation of Israel
By Gustavo Barros
Text: Hebrews 12:22-24 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,23 and to the assembly of the
firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous
made perfect,24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a
better word than the blood of Abel.
Introduction:
John Hagee in his article “Why Christians Should Support Israel” wrote, “God has
promised to bless the man or nation that blesses the Chosen People. History has proven
beyond reasonable doubt that the nations that have blessed the Jewish people have
had the blessing of God; the nations that have cursed the Jewish people have
experienced the curse of God… the scriptural principle of prosperity is tied to blessing
Israel and the city of Jerusalem… We support Israel because all other nations were
created by an act of men, but Israel was created by an act of God! The Royal Land
Grant that was given to Abraham and his seed through Isaac and Jacob with an
everlasting and unconditional covenant.”
More and more often we see Christians trying to promote the unity between Christians
and Jews and arguing that we should support the Jewish nation. There has been a
resurgence of Jewish customs among Christians.
Hal Lindsey, Scofield, TBN preachers, Tim LaHaye (“Left Behind” series), Jerry Jenkins,
and the Ryrie Study Bible are some names of those who support this idea. This
understanding of Israel is rooted in the Dispensation Theology and the Christian-Zionist
movement that see the nation of Israel as the chosen people of God.
This subject (of the land and Israel) is important and extremely relevant for Christians
today because it affects our theology, Christology, ecclesiology, eschatology, and even
our political-economical perspectives.
In relation to this wrong understanding of the Scriptures Bruce Waltke says, “This
evangelical partiality contributes to the Arab perception of being treated unfairly… The
wrong eschatology of the Jews in Jesus’ day led to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD
70 with horrific loss of life; the popular theology today could contribute to the same
tragic consequences both for the Jewish state and for the United States.1”
1
Bruce Waltke, An Old Testament Theology – an exegetical, canonical, and thematic approach (Zondervan), p. 559.
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Though this subject is extremely important, it is rarely understood by Christians. Here
are some important questions that deserve the Christian’s attention:
Who is God’s “chosen people?” Is there a “holy land?” Is Christ the true fulfillment of
the Old Testament? Does the New Testament emphasize the territorial land of Israel?
In this brief study I want to show how the New Testament challenges this popular
concept of the land and nation of Israel in view of the supremacy of Christ.
Outline:
I – Land Promised – The Old Testament
II – Land Fulfilled – New Testament
III – Practical Applications
I – Land Promised – The Old Testament
The Hebrew word “land” ('erets) is the fourth most frequently used word in the Old
Testament, showing us that this is a crucial topic in the Old Testament.
A biblical study of the land must begin in Genesis. In the first book of the Bible we are
told that God is the Creator and “supreme landlord” of all the earth.
The Garden of Eden represents the perfect land, because in that place man had
intimate fellowship with God. Eden was where God was present, there was rest
(contrast with the curse) and peace.
With the fall, Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:23). That
precious portion of land where they were able to experience God in an intimate way
was blocked and protected.
From Adam to Abraham there is an increasing deterioration in the relationship between
God – man – land. Cain, Adam’s son, is a restless wanderer in the land. The Table of
Nations found in Genesis 10 shows us where God, in His sovereignty, placed the nations
– it is important to notice 10:15-18, where information concerning Canaan is given. In
the story of the Tower of Babel we are reminded that God exiled the nations in order
for them not to live together.
It is only with Abraham that the promise and hope of a land arrive – Genesis 12. “The
formal promise of land is given its full shape in Genesis. 15:18-21. The promise is
repeated in Genesis 17.7-9 and then it is repeated again for his descendants Isaac
(Gen. 26:2-4) and Jacob (Gen. 28:13-15).2”
Why was the land so important? Because the land “symbolizes the transition from
disordered existence to ordered structures. More than territorial space, land is a place
of memory and meaningful existence… In biblical theology the ideal land is the place
2
Gary M. Burge, Jesus and the Land – The New Testament Challenge to the “Holy Land” Theology (Baker), p. 2.
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where I AM (the Lord God) chooses to be uniquely present to provide for and protect
His people.3” The land represents the place of fellowship with God and covenant fidelity
between both parties.
Land and Covenant:
It is crucial to notice that as the promise of the land is further developed there is always
a link between the promise and covenant obligations – Gen. 17:8-9. It is only with
Moses and Joshua, when they are about to enter and conquer the promised land, that
God gives clear covenantal stipulations in order to keep the promised land – see Lev.
18:24-30 [v.28 lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that
was before you]; 20:22-26 [v.22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do
them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out].
As Burge puts, “The land is not a possession that may be enjoyed without reference to
God. Possessing the land is contingent on Israel’s ongoing faithfulness to god and
obedience to His law. The land therefore is a byproduct of the covenant, a gift of the
covenant. It is not a possession that can be held independently.4”
The covenantal obligation is a crucial aspect in order to understand the Promised Land.
In other words, “Adam is expelled from Eden because of his disobedience; Abraham
must be obedient in order to receive the land of promise.5”
Those who support the Dispensational theory argue that the promise of a land to
Abraham was unconditional – that is, the Jews deserve the land of Palestine no matter
what - but this is not true.
Deut. 4:25-27 When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you
act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of
the LORD your God, so as to provoke him to anger,26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you
today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You
will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed.27 And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples,
and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you.
The prophets spoke over and over again about the conditions and stipulations in order
for the Jewish nation to remain in the land. As Waltke puts it, “Covenant fidelity is the
condition for taking the Land (Josh. 1-12), possessing it (Josh. 13-21; Deut. 9:26; 18:1; Josh.
24:1-27; 2 Sam. 20:19; 21:3; Jer. 2:7; 16:18), and retaining it (Josh. 22-24).6”
The Land Belongs to God:
The entire earth belongs to God and it is Him who decides and establishes the places
where nations should live – Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world,
3
Bruce Waltke, pp. 534-535.
Burge, pp. 3-4.
5
J.McKeown in Desmond Alexander and David Baker, Dictionary of the Old Testament – Pentateuch (IVP), p. 488.
6
Bruce Waltke, p. 544.
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and all who live in it; Acts 17:26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the
face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.
God emphasizes His ownership over the land of Israel. The land doesn’t belong
primarily to the Jews, but to God – Lev. 25:23 The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the
land is mine.
That territory belongs to God just like the entire earth belongs to Him. He gave that
portion of land to the Israelites as a “usufruct” – “they may use their lands for
maximum enjoyment, but God reserves the right to remove the people from their lands
if they are wicked… nations of any place do not have an unconditional claim to their
lands. God both roots people in a place and uproots them from it, yet never terminating
humankind or the earth.7”
In His grace and sovereignty God chose a place to dwell and reveal His glory – the
region of Canaan. But that portion of land never had the intention of being the
permanent place of the revelation of His glory.
“Holy” Land?
We often hear the expression “holy land,” this expression is found in Psalm 78:54 and
Zechariah 2:12. The reason for the land to be called “holy” is because it was the
dwelling of a holy God. The land could only be holy because the holy God had chosen
to uniquely dwell in that place. The holiness of the land was completely connected to
God’s holy presence – Numbers 35:34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst
of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.
With the destruction of the temple and the departure of God’s glory from the land, that
territorial space ceased to be the holy land.
According to the New Testament there is no such territorial place called the “Holy Land”
because the holy presence of God is found within those who believe in Jesus Christ.
According to the New Testament interpretation of the Old, Christians are the “Holy
Land” because by faith they are found in Jesus Christ – the true “Holy Land.”
Land and Rest:
According to Deuteronomy 12:9, the Promised Land was a place of rest for Israel8. This
rest could only be accomplished because God would dwell among them. As the author
of Hebrews says, this rest was never fully achieved because it was pointing to Christ –
Heb. 4:8. A territorial space cannot give true rest. True rest is found only in Christ!
A Dangerous Land:
Even though the land was supposed to be a blessing, God knew that it could become a
temptation in itself. “Without retaining a firm hold on the Giver, the gift itself seduces
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8
Bruce Waltke, p. 537.
Exodus 33:14; Deut. 3:20; 25:19.
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Israel to forget I AM and to think they have won it by their own merits and strength.”9
– see Deut. 8:12-17. Many Jews held the land and the temple as signs of invincibility.
The land became an idol.
Not All Israel Are the True Israel:
The Old and New Testament make it clear that not every person born in the community
of Israel was a true Israelite. “Even in Old Testament times, to make a straight
identification between Israel as the 'people of God' and then the nation state in any of
its stages was questionable: the idea of a faithful 'remnant' is found as early as the time
of Elijah (1 Kings 19:18). In the New Testament the idea that membership of the
national community was enough in itself truly to belong to the people of God is denied,
by John the Baptist (Lk. 3:8), by Jesus (Jn. 8:33-44) and by Paul (Rom. 2:28, 9:6ff.).
Thus those who today make such a direct identification (either in terms of the whole
Jewish ethnic community, or that part of it living in territorial Israel) are open to the
charge that they are misunderstanding the Old Testament and short-circuiting the
New.10”
Prophecies of Expulsion from and Expansion of the Land:
The prophets of Israel gave severe warnings about the reality of the Jews being
expelled from the land. “Virtually each of the prophets repeats the same warning given
by Elijah to Ahab: murder and the misuse of the land will be severely judged.11” One of
the most vivid pictures of this reality is found in Isaiah 5 – the parable of the vineyard.
The fulfillment of the physical destruction of the land came in 586 BC when the
Babylonians armies destroyed Jerusalem and deported the Jews.
The prophets didn’t speak only of doom in relation to the land they also spoke of a
future restoration and the expansion of the land. They foresaw God expanding the
place of worship and bringing people from many nations to worship Him in His holy
mountain – see Isaiah 2, 54, and Daniel 2.
It is this idea of the land being expanded that the New Testament develops.
II – Land Fulfilled – The New Testament
It is with the coming of Jesus – His birth, death, resurrection, and ascension – that the
Old Testament finds its true fulfillment. Jesus revealed the mysteries about the
Kingdom of God. All the shadows of the Old Testament go away with the light of
Christ’s coming.
9
Bruce Waltke, p. 544.
Chris Wright, “A Christian Approach To Old Testament Prophecy Concerning Israel” http://www.theologicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/jerusalem_wright.pdf
11
Burges, p. 7.
10
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The key to understand the Old Testament prophecies is Jesus Christ! Different from the
Dispensation theory, the key to interpret prophecy and the Old Testament is not Israel
but Christ. It all comes down to your view of the Bible, if it is Israel-centered or Christcentered. Dispensationalists hold an Israel-centered hermeneutic.
Jesus is the key to interpret the land and the people of Israel. “The Christian
understanding of the Old Testament is determined by the christocentric focus by which
the New Testament writers interpreted the Hebrew Scriptures. Therefore it is essential
for a Christian to discover the principles and procedures according to which Christ and
His apostles understood and expounded the writings of Moses, the Psalms, and the
Hebrew prophets. Otherwise he is in grave danger of reading the Old Testament
prophecies in an unchristian way and hence of misinterpreting and distorting the biblical
prophecies simply by not interpreting the Old Testament by the New Testament key.
The Old Testament is no longer the last word on end-time prophecies since the Messiah
of prophecy Himself has come as the last Word. The New Testament has been written
as the ultimate norm for the fulfillment and interpretation of Israel’s prophecies. A
Christian would deny his Christian faith and Lord if he reads the Old Testament as a
closed entity, as the full and final message of God for Jews irrespective of the cross and
resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, and apart from the New Testament explanation of
the Hebrew writings.12” And that is the mistake that Dispensationalists make.
Christ brings the fuller revelation of the Old Testament. Everything changed with the
coming of Christ – He said that His kingdom is not of this world. The war we wage is
not political but spiritual. The Holy Spirit does not empower people for military battles,
instead He empowers us to proclaim the Word of God that brings victory. “This changed
style of warfare is part and parcel of the redefinition of Land from terrestrial reference
to a spiritual reference.13”
Let us look at the New Testament and see how the New Testament writers interpreted
the promises of the land, temple, Zion, throne of David, and the true Israelites!
The Gospel of Matthew:
According to Matthew, Jesus is the true Israel. In the opening genealogy, for example,
Matthew links Jesus to Abraham and David in order to show that the promises of
blessing given to Abraham and David are now being fulfilled in and through Jesus, the
true Son of Abraham and the true Son of David.
Matthew’s favorite word is the verb “to fulfill” because he wants to demonstrate how
Jesus is the true fulfillment of the Old Testament. Matthew does what Dispensationalists
strongly reject – he sees the Old Testament prophecies for Israel as finding their
fulfillment in Christ14 - e.g. 2:14.
12
Hans K. LaRondelle, The Israel of God in Prophecy: Principles of Prophetic Interpretation (pg. 8)
Bruce Waltke.
14
See - Keith Mathison, Jesus and Israel: One Covenant or Two?
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Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to
abolish them but to fulfill them.
The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus fulfill the entire Old Testament.
Jesus makes it clear that He came to fulfill all the promises and types of the O.T.
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (land).
The Sermon on the Mountain reveals the reverse and the true interpretation of God’s
desire for His people. With a shocking statement Jesus declares that those who are
humble are the true heirs of the land. The words “inheritance” and “land” together
unmistakably refer to the “promised land.” In Jesus words, those who are humble
before God are the true heirs of the land. As He shows, this “land” or “earth” is not
physical and geographical but spiritual. The Lord Jesus scandalizes His listeners by rearranging the giving of the land!
In Matthew 24 Jesus clearly states that the old system is passing way. The physical
temple in Jerusalem is voided of its significance because of Christ’s body. The physical
destruction of the temple is the consequence of the spiritual destruction brought by the
death of Christ.
The Gospel of John:
One of the most powerful verses that prove that a physical location (Palestine) no
longer has importance in God’s economy is found in John15.
John 4:19-24 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where
people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on
this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.22 You worship what you do not know; we
worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to
worship him.
In Jesus’ own words true worshippers do not worship in a particular geographical place
– Jerusalem. “The place of worship has been universalized to any place where the Spirit
resides in true worshippers.16” Jesus Christ inaugurated the new creation – a new
temple and a new location have been established! In His coming all the glory of God
was dwelling in Him (the true tabernacle) – not in Jerusalem! He said that He was the
true temple.
As Gary Burge writes, “The earliest readers/hearers of John’s Gospel would have been
surprise to meet Christians who claim a territorial theology. They would have been
surprised to think that Christians still believed they could find in the land blessing or
promise or life apart from the divine life located in Jesus… Not surprisingly, Christians
15
16
For a great exposition of this subject in John see, Gary Burge, pp. 43-57.
G.K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology – the unfolding of the Old Testament in the New (Baker), p. 767.
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refused to fight for the land in the great war of 66-70 AD… Not did Christians fight for
the land in the Bar Kokhba rebellion of AD 132-5. The vineyard they loved was centered
on Jesus and his life and this could be gained in any country.17”
Jesus the True Israel:
The picture that the Gospel writers paint is of Jesus being the true Israel of God. By
being the true Israel, Jesus is the true fulfillment of the temple, of land, and of the
nation of Israel.
The temptation in the desert for 40 days – Jesus overcomes where Israel failed.
Jesus chose 12 disciples – “The twelve represent the microscopic true Israel under their
leader Jesus.18”
The healings and deliveries – speak of the conquering power of Christ.
Jesus is the true vine – the vines symbolized Israel in the O.T.
Jesus is the true source of forgiveness – before it was the temple and its sacrifices.
Jesus said that He was greater than the temple (Matt. 12:6).
Jesus alone can offer true rest – not the temple or the land (Matt. 11:28-30).
Jesus accepts those who were forbidden to enter in the temple.
Jesus has the true living waters – fulfilling the promises of Ezekiel in relation to the
temple.
The Book of Acts:
In the book of Acts the idea of a special land has clearly vanished. Dispensationalists
believe that the church must be taken away in order for Christ to return and rule for a
thousand years from Jerusalem. The book of Acts shows us that Jesus Christ is
sovereignly reigning from His throne in heaven. Christians can worship God in all
corners of the world.
For Luke, Jerusalem, once it served its purposes, became the point de depart.
Christians move out of Jerusalem to preach the Gospel.
Burges writes, “At no point do the earliest Christians view the Holy Land as a locus of
divine activity to which people of the Roman Empire must be drawn. They do not
promote the Holy Land either for the Jew or for the Christian as a vital aspect of faith.
No Diaspora Jew or pagan Roman is converted and then reminded of the importance of
the Holy Land. The early Christians possessed no territorial theology. Early Christian
preaching is utterly uninterested in a Jewish eschatology devoted to the restoration of
the land.19”
17
Burge, p. 57.
G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission – a biblical theology of the dwelling of God (IVP), p. 174.
19
Gary Burge, p. 59.
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The “throne of David,” a very important aspect of the Old Testament prophecies in
relation to the land is found in heaven where the Lord Jesus is seated and reigning –
Acts 2:33-35.
According to Acts 15 the restoration of the Tabernacle of David, spoken by Amos, is
also fulfilled with Christ’s coming and ascension – Acts 15:14-20.
Paul’s Teachings About Land and Jerusalem:
Waltke writes, “Land or Jerusalem, which had once been center of salvation history in
the old age, disappears entirely from its radar screen in the new. The contrast between
the Old Testament prophecies and the New Testament teachings of the apostles
regarding the Land is so striking that it becomes a tour de force that the New
Testament redefines the concept… It is surely unsettling that if there is a continuing
role for Jerusalem, the most formally educated apostle in Jewish literature never
mentions temporal Jerusalem vis-a-vi salvation history. Indeed, the great apostle
identifies Jerusalem with Hagar and her rejected seed, who opposed and persecuted
the people of God (Gal. 4:25).20” It is surely amazing how rarely Paul speaks of the land
or Jewish nationalism.
Abraham’s Seed:
One of the most used arguments by Dispensationalists is that the promise of God to
Abraham is for his descendants – the Jews. The “seed” of Abraham has the right to the
land, they affirm. According to the New Testament, who is the seed of Abraham?
The Book of Galatians:
The letter to the Galatians was written because Judaizers had come to those churches.
They taught that Christians had to embrace Judaism in order to be fully accepted by
God. Paul writes this letter to confront this false teaching.
Gal. 3:6-9 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then
that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would
justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the
nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Everyone who believes in the Gospel is a son of Abraham (v.7). All the blessings
promised to Abraham are partaken of by those who believe in Christ!
Gal. 3:16-18 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to
offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.17 This is what
I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God,
so as to make the promise void.18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by
promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
20
Bruce Waltke, p. 573.
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Paul clearly states that the true heir is Jesus (v.16). God has only one family through
Abraham and this family is not the Jewish nation, but Christ and all those who trust in
Him.
Gal. 4:24-26 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from
Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she
corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.26 But the Jerusalem above
is free, and she is our mother.
Paul says that the sons of the flesh (the Jews) do not have the promise. For Paul,
Judaism without Christ is just like Ishmael! Christians are the true sons of the promise!
The Book of Romans:
Romans 11 is one of the most used passages in order to try to argue for the importance
of earthly Israel today. Like with every text of the Bible this section must be read and
interpreted in its larger context. God has not rejected Israel in the same way He has not
rejected any group of people. There are chosen people among the Jews, Hindus,
Muslims, Roman Catholics…
Romans 11:1-2 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a
descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.2 God has not rejected his people whom he
foreknew.
Within Judaism there are those whom God foreknew in eternity past – Paul is one of
them! According to the context of the letter, the “people of God” are not only Jewish
Christians but all the Gentiles who trust in Christ alone (9:25-26).
The Book of Hebrews:
The letter to the Hebrews was written to a Hebrew (Jewish) audience in order to
strengthen their faith in the midst of suffering by showing the supremacy of Christ over
all the Old Testament.
With the supremacy of Christ in mind the author emphasizes that the land and the
temple have no practical purposes now. The focus is taken away from earthly
Jerusalem and it is placed on the heavenly city!
Hebrews 11:9-10, 13-16 By faith he [Abraham] went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign
land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.10 For he was looking
forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God… 13 These all died in faith,
not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having
acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.14 For people who speak thus make it
clear that they are seeking a homeland.15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had
gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is,
a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a
city.
11
We are told that Abraham had his eyes on another land. Abraham and his descendants
were looking for something better – a true and everlasting homeland (v.14). He
understood that the everlasting land was not a territorial space in Canaan, but a
spiritual city built by God Himself! He was waiting for the true fulfillment of this
promise, that is, Jesus Christ! He understood that God had promised a “heavenly city”
(v.16).
Hebrews 13:10-14 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.11 For
the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice
for sin are burned outside the camp.12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the
people through his own blood.13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he
endured.14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
After affirming that Christians have a better altar than the Jewish system, the author
goes on to encourage the Christians to leave the “camp.”
Jesus suffered outside the city – His body was placed with the carcasses of the
sacrificial animals, sanctifying outside the city gates.
“Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp” (v.13) – Here we find a clear mandate for
those Jewish Christians to forsake the physical Jerusalem – Judaism – leave behind the
“camp” – the “promised land” and go to Jesus outside the city. The reason (“for”) is
that we have a better place!
Hebrews 12:22-24 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are
enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,24 and
to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the
blood of Abel.
Once the Jewish Christians hold strong to Christ by faith and leave the old Jerusalem
behind – leave the camp – they come to the Heavenly Jerusalem!
We have a new pilgrimage, not toward physical Palestine – but toward the true Mount
Zion. Every Christian has the accessibility to the city of God – the heavenly Jerusalem.
“The effect of this on the believer who was located far from Jerusalem must have been
astounding… for a territorial religion like Judaism it was enormous. No longer is a
geographical place a destination of religious faithfulness.21”
We conclude that “The New Testament redefines land in three ways: first, spiritually, as
a reference to Christ’s person; second, transcendentally, as a reference to heavenly
Jerusalem; and third, eschatologically, as reference to the new Jerusalem after Christ’s
second coming. By ‘redefining’ we mean whereas ‘Land’ in the Old Testament refers to
Israel’s life in Canaan, in the New Testament ‘Land’ is transmuted to refer to life in
Christ… the New Testament skins like a banana the Old Testament references to the
21
Gary Burge, pp. 98-99.
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Land as real state in order to expose its spiritual food… ‘The New is in the Old
concealed, and the Old is in the New revealed’… Land in the Old Testament is a type of
the Christian life in Christ.22”
III – Practical Application:
As we come to the end of this brief study:
1 – Who are God’s Chosen People?
The New Testament clearly teaches that the church of Christ – Christians from all tribes,
languages, and nations – are the chosen people of God – I Peter 2:9-10 But you are a
chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim
the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.10 Once you were not a
people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received
mercy.
Here we find all the titles given to the nation of Israel now given to the church!
The church doesn’t replace Israel, instead it is the expansion of Israel.
The Dispensation theory teaches that there is a distinction between Jews and
Christians23. They teach that the church is “plan B” in God’s plan of salvation. This is
absurd and lacks Scriptural evidence.
2 – Are We Wrong in Christifying the Old Testament Prophecies?
As I said before one of the main accusations brought by Dispensationalists is that we
(Amillennenialists) don’t interpret the prophecies literally and that we allegorize the Old
Testament prophecies. The truth is that we simply follow the steps of writers of the
New Testament. Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Old Testament and we must
believe He did it!
We must look for the fulfillment of the promises to Israel in Christ – Luke 24:27 And
beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning himself.
The spiritual fulfillment of the prophecies in Christ and in the church is the literal and
true fulfillment.
3 – Does the Bible Teach that Christ Will Reign in Jerusalem for 1,000 Years?
There is no verse in the New Testament stating that Christ will establish a Jewish
kingdom on earth. The idea that the church must be removed in order for God to fulfill
His promises to Israel is never heard in the New Testament. “None of the New
Testament writers – who are guided by the Spirit into all truth – foresees a future regathering of ethnic Israel in the Land.24”
22
Bruce Waltke, p. 560.
Ephesians 2:11-21.
24
Bruce Waltke, p. 586.
23
13
What about the formation of the state of Israel in 1948? Jesus is on His throne and He
is controlling nations and peoples, in His sovereign will He chose to allow the reestablishment of the nation of Israel. Whatever reason God had we know from His
revealed Word that it is not to fulfill any Abrahamic promise, because the promise to
Abraham is fulfilled in Christ. Could He have allowed the formation of Israel to have
more Christians saved from the Muslim and Jewish regions?!
4 – Should Christians Be Supporting Israel and the Jews?
There is absolutely no biblical evidence for Christians to support financially, politically,
or militarily the Jews based on the Old Covenant. We should see them as Paul tells us in
Galatians, they are enslaved to a religious system and they need the Gospel! Jews are
not better than Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah Witness, Hindus… they are enemies of
God. They hate Jesus Christ and see Him as a blasphemer!
As Bruce Waltke puts, “Zionists who claim the Land on the basis of the Bible wrongly
fail to distinguish between the cursed Canaanites and non-cursed Palestinians, between
holy war and secular war, between covenant fidelity and the denial of its relevance, and
above all, between being politically ‘in the Land’ and its fulfillment of being spiritually in
Christ.25”
5 – What is the Importance of that Territory in Palestine - Jerusalem?
I agree with Gary Burge when he said, “Location is valuable because history is
important…Because of the great deeds of salvation found in the land, Christians have
wisely cultivated a reflex of veneration and respect for this land. This is not to say that
this land is superior to other lands around the world; but this land has value because of
the story that it tells… This does not mean that the Holy land conveys spiritual promises
which are unavailable elsewhere. Baptism in the Jordan is not more efficacious than
baptism in Paris or Boston.26”
Conclusion:
Hebrews 12:22-24 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are
enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,24 and
to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the
blood of Abel.
Let us go and proclaim this beautiful truth that in Christ Jesus we have an everlasting
city and a better country! We don’t need to worry about political issues in the Middle
East because our Lord Jesus is already reigning. We must go and spread the Gospel of
Jesus to the whole world in order that the Mountain of God be extended to all the
nations and more and more people may come to worship God in Spirit and in Truth!
25
26
Bruce Waltke, p. 515.
Gary Burge, pp. 126-128.
14
Forgiveness of sins and true rest cannot be found in a land or in a place, they can only
be found in Jesus Christ!
Resources:
Gary M. Burge, Jesus and the Land – The New Testament Challenge to the “Holy Land” Theology, (Baker).
T. Desmond Alexander and David Baker, Dictionary of the Old Testament – Pentateuch, (IVP).
G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission – a biblical theology of the dwelling of God, (IVP).
G.K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology – the unfolding of the Old Testament in the New, (Baker).
Bruce Waltke, An Old Testament Theology – an exegetical, canonical, and thematic approach (Zondervan).
T.D. Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land – An Introduction to the Pentateuch – Second Edition (Baker).
T.D. Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem – An Introduction to Biblical Theology (Kregel).
Online:
http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/the-latest-post/2008/4/1/amillennialism-101-jesus-christ-the-true-israel.html
http://beginningwithmoses.org/bt-articles/183/abraham-israel-and-the-church
http://www.monergism.com/topics/eschatology/israel-eschatology
http://www.the-highway.com/articleFeb98.html (Lee Irons - Paul’s Theology of Israel’s Future: A Nonmillennial Interpretation of
Romans 11)
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/10/06/what-you-must-believe-if-you-are-a-premillennialist/ (Sam Storms –
problems with premillennial view)