What is Israel?
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. (Jer. 31:31-34)
Sounds like an exact people are being referred to here, namely the descendants of Jacob, ethnic Israel. Especially in the sentence-“It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.”
Jesus established a new and everlasting covenant with the world (not just one race or nation). Heb 9:15, John 3:16. Notice that Paul describes the New Covenant to the Hebrews and clearly states that its promises are applicable to them.
Yes He did, agreed. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world(John 1:29). But remember, “…for salvation is from the Jews.”(John4:22) There has always been a believing remnant. And some of that remnant was faithful and obedient to Jesus Christ for bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles also.
The pre-trib/dispensational/rapture system says that the Jews are not supposed to partake in the New Covenant.
Does not. In fact it stresses that the Gospel of Christ should be taken to the Jews first if it is possible.
Yup
Moreover, the OT prophets said that the New Covenant would be established with Israel. It was actually established with the entire world. So, is there really a difference between Jews and Gentiles anymore?
And it was established with them, and still is.
The nations(gentiles) are grafted in with the remnant of Israel(chosen people/believers in the gospel of Jesus as the Son of God, etc.) which make up the Church, both are one in Christ.
In Christ there is no difference. Outside of Him, well, yes and no.
Romans 11:32 declares of all men-
For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. On hardened Israel and the godless nations-
Acts 4:23-26
On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.
But the differences are at the second advent of Jesus to Israel. The hardened, broken off nation of Israel will be saved by Jesus from the nations. The gentiles at that time, what are known as the survivors of the nations(Zech14:16) will be let into the Kingdom reign of Christ on Earth by Christ because they treated His brethern well who were in need(Joel 3/Matthew25:31-40).
The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The same thing that she has always been–the People of God, whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free. Israel is the Church.
Because “all Israel” at this time is not saved but will be saved, the Church are the remnant of believing Israel are joined and made one with believing Gentiles in Jesus Christ. The Church has the distinction and honor of being the bride of Christ, and we proclaim the truth of the Gospel starting at the Pentecost after the ascension of Christ until the pre-tribulation rapture, which is a imminent event. Sometime after that, the last seven years alotted for Israel to finish(Daniel9:24) will begin, in which that time the Church marries her Bridegroom in heaven(Rev19:6-9). And in short, the 7 years will end with Jesus coming back a second time to save unsaved Israel
(Then all Israel will be saved) and to judge the nations, then the 1000 year reign on earth, then the judgement of the dead at the white throne and then eternity.
A precise picture of the relationship between the Gentile Christians and the Jews is given by Paul, with an olive tree as a metaphor:
The Gentiles are grafted into Israel. But this is nothing new; go and ask any rabbi if Israel has ever been restricted to Abraham’s lineal offspring. The answer is no.
And what a wonderful picture that is. Jew and Gentile equal, made one in Christ. So long as the wild shoots by nature do not become conceited over the broken off natural branches.
It is eminently clear that dispensationalism/pre-trib rapturism rests on an unbiblical distinction between Israel and the Gentiles which Jesus Christ died to erase.
Nothing I wrote above is “unbiblical”. Christ did take down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. But outside Him, well prophecy of scripture states exactly what comes of the two at the end of the age.
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This number is symbolic and ancient Jews (and those who converted to Christianity) used a numerical system called gematria. That is also why they used this number system to hide the name of Nero (his name added up to 666),