The Daily Word of Righteousness

Israel Is the Church, #4

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27)

If a Jew wishes to know what the term church actually means he should seek out a true Christian man or woman, a fervent believer, who recognizes that while he may be in a Christian organization, this is a temporary arrangement destined one day to fall away like scaffolding.

When the Jew encounters a true Christian he will discover someone who loves the Jewish people and who is a true Jew in the finest sense of the word. The true Christian looks on the Hebrew Scriptures with the same reverence as the devout Jew. In fact, the fervent Christian and the Orthodox Jew are closely related in numerous ways, and worship the same God. This is not true of the god of the Muslims who apparently hates the God of the Jews.

In the day in which we are living the true Christians are in spiritual travail as Christ is being formed in them. Because Christ is coming forth in the true Church there is entering the devout Christians a desire to return to the physical land and people of Israel in accordance with the prophecy of Micah.

Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. (Micah 5:3)

The nation that shall be born "at once" is the Body of Christ. It is a holy nation made up of both Jews and Gentiles. The believing Jews and Gentiles have in common that Christ is being formed in them.

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)

Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (Isaiah 66:8)

As the history of the descendants of Jacob progressed it became clear that many of the Lord's chosen people were behaving wickedly. As Christ said, they were not children of Abraham but of Satan. Their behavior proved this.

Isaiah spoke of a remnant of Israel who would be saved, indicating that then as now the true Church, the true elect of God, was only a remnant of the multitude of people who were called by the name of the Lord.

Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: (Romans 9:27)

Now we come to the time of the Lord Jesus. To this point the Kingdom of God, the Messianic Kingdom, had remained within the land and people of Israel. But here comes the God of Sinai, the Olive Tree, true Israel, the King of the Kingdom.

The following statement is an extremely important point if one desires to understand the oneness of spiritual Israel: the first Christian Church was thoroughly, totally Jewish. The original Body of Christ was Jewish. Not only was it Jewish, the Jews were Orthodox as we would use the term today. The first believers did not understand the new covenant for they were careful to keep the Law of Moses.

To be continued.