The Distinction Between Israel and the Church

The Distinction Between Israel and the Church or separation between Israel and Church and the bases for Pre trib rapture

Chris from Rapturforums gives us the perfect example of Dispensationalism at work.

http://www.raptureforums.com/forum/prophecy-end-times-chat/85917-tribulation%92s-purpose-vs-church%92s-nature.html

Points to remember :

• The Church and Israel are not interchangeable, they will always be two distinct people
• The Church is a new creation that began at the out pouring of the holy spirit during Pentecost and will continue until the rapture
• The promises made to Israel are fillfulled to Israel and not the Church
• The word Israel always means Israel in scriptures, the church always means church.
• Israel always refers to Jewish people
• Nature of Israel and the Nature of the Church

Lets first address the nature of Israel and the Church and How Raptureforum gets to his amazing “point” Therefore, no purpose is served by having the Church endure the Great Tribulation.

A People Called By My Name (Israel): God says that Israel is a “people called by My Name”  (2nd Chronicles 7:14, 6:5-6, 1st Kings 8:16, Nehemiah 1:9, Isaiah 43:7, Jeremiah 7:12, 7:30, Acts 9:15). 

Firstly what is God’s name? Jehovah or Yahweh?

Israel was never called by that name. They wouldn’t even say that name.  Israel was called by the name Israel.  Those who are God’s people are Israel.

Genesis 32:22-32 tells us the story how Jacob received his new name Israel. Jacob wrestled with a man who is God. In fact all scholars agree and scriptural fact Jacob was wrestling with Jesus Christ.

The name Israel means “he struggles with God.”  Who else do you know struggles with God? Jesus Also struggled with God and with man to overcome our sin.

Israel can mean several things. First, it often denotes national Israel--the nation whose citizens are physical descendants of Jacob/Israel. Second, it can mean those physical descendants of Jacob who have not responded to the call of God (Romans 9:31, 11:7). Third, it can mean those Jews (the remnant) who have trusted in the promises of God.

It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. (Romans 9:6-7; italics added)

Being a physical descendant of Abraham, while it does bring an advantage (Romans 3:1-2), does not mean one is automatically a spiritual descendant of Abraham (Romans 2:28-29; John 8:39; Matthew 3:9). "Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel." A person can be part of national Israel, and yet not be part of remnant Israel. There is an Israel within Israel, a subset of physical-and-spiritual Jewish people (remnant Israel) among the group of physically Jewish people (national Israel).

A People Called By My Name (Church): Historically understood the ekklesia mentioned in the NT was founded by a Torah observant Jew and began with the Jewish people (Gal 4:4; Rom 15:8). The first followers of Jesus were all Jews. The 12 Apostles were Jews and the very writers of the NT.

The Church, please pay attention was born amongst the Jewish people, how can it possible be separated from the Jews?

The bible throws the entire NT book at Dispensationalism. Jesus who was born a Jew died on the cross destroyed any distinctions between Jews and Church.

Why the Seperation, what happend?

In the early years of the ekklesia of Jesus was a tolerated subset within larger Israel. Until the distruction of the Jewish Temple in 70AD which Jesus prophesied would happen. We historically can see formal Jewish persecution of the followers of Jesus. Evidence of this can be found in the infamous Birkat HaMinim which invoked a curse on the followers of Jesus. Further a rift between the followers of Jesus and Rabbinic Judaism was intensified in the Bar Kokhba Revolt.

With the rejection of the ekklesia of Jesus by ethnic Jewish Leaders more and more Gentiles came to faith and slowly the Jewish roots of Jesus began to be forgotten.

Various Gentile Christian Teachers of the first few centuries advocated severing the ekklesia from its historic jewish roots. We then start to see a Gentile Church becoming distinct entity from Israel with its own mission and purpose, the ekklesia of Jesus became Gentilized.

Example:

Marcion of Sinope (110-160 AD) wanted to separate Chrsitianity from any connection with Judaism

Justin Martyr (100-165 AD) Israel was no longer valid and was replaced by the Gentiles

Tertullian (160 -220 AD) blamed the Jews for the death of Jesus Christ

And the list goes on; the point is early Church leaders rejected the Jewish roots of Christianity very much what we still see today by Dispensationalism and Replacement theology

There has been times when the Reformers tried to return the Church to its early Jewish roots but sadly they missed the mark completely and did not return it to the ekklesia of Jesus.

This is why Dispensationalism is so popular as its the state which man has created the Church to be from the early Christian leaders. We are divorced from each other. Jews and Gentiles are divorced. We separated.

The holy spirit did not create the church we see now, man did. The separation of Church and Israel is caused by man.

The holy spirit created the ekklesia of Jesus.