Covenant ברית-Brit (Part Two)

“Yeshua answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”-Matthew 15:24

I am going to make a bold statement that is going to undoubtedly draw some controversy. G-d never did make a covenant with the Gentiles. Even the new covenant of Jesus Christ never had any group of people other than the nation of Israel as the object of His salvation. Furthermore, this truth is made explicitly clear in both the Old and New Testaments. Let’s take a look at what the Old Testament says from the book of Jeremiah.

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.-Jeremiah 31:31-33

Now where in these verses does it say G-d is going to make a covenant with any other nation than Israel? It specifically says the House of Judah comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and the House of Israel (or Ephraim) comprised of the other ten tribes. These two houses together form the whole nation of Israel. It doesn’t say I am going to establish a covenant with Ethiopia or America or any other nation but the Jewish nation for that matter. So this leads us to the $64,000 question, well if I’m not part of Israel, how in the world can I get in on these covenants? The answer is simple; Join Israel by accepting His Messiah Yeshua. That’s the only way to be saved! I joyously reiterate, join Israel! I swear that if you stand against Israel you are doomed.

“So are you saying I have to become Jewish?”

In a sense, yes. Let me explain. In the world today, from a biblical perspective there are only two physical groups of people; Jews (or Israelites) and the Gentiles (non-Jews or non-Israelites). However, outside of these two groups, there is a third group that G-d considers to be spiritual Israel. Let me say that again, so that it really sinks in. Outside of the physical Jews and Gentiles living in this world, there is a third group called spiritual Israel or as the Apostle Paul states, the real Jews. So what comprises this spiritual Israel? The answer is the true believers in Jesus the Christ or in Hebrew Yeshua Hamashiach of both Jewish and Gentile extract. Let’s see what the Apostle says about this

“Just because you live like a Jew and are circumcised doesn't make you a real Jew. To be a real Jew you must obey the Law. True circumcision is something that happens deep in your heart, not something done to your body. And besides, you should want praise from God and not from humans.” - Romans 2:28-29

So here the Apostle Paul clearly states that just because one can boast of being physically Jewish, the real Jew is one who has been circumcised in his heart. It’s his spiritual position from G-d’s perspective that counts, not his genetic background. However, what is one’s spiritual position based on? It is based on the provisions in G-d’s covenants with Israel. Period! In other words, if you are a Gentile (a non-Jewish person) reading this, in order to enter G-d’s Kingdom you must spiritually immigrate to Israel per se. In other words, you have to join Israel, not vice versa! And if you are a Jewish person who has accepted Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel, congratulations, your faith, the faith given to your forefathers on Mount Sinai has been completed. Please don’t ever fall prey to the false teachings that state that by accepting Jesus, you are no longer Jewish. The opposite is true. You will find that your Jewish identity will strengthen hundredfold and many Jewish believers can attest that that is exactly what has happened.

In addition to the heretical position that the Church has replaced Israel, for too long, the Christian church has taken an arrogant and condescending position towards the Jewish people because of their initial rejection of Christ. The Apostle Paul in the following verses issues a stern warning to those who would adopt such an attitude:

“I am now speaking to you Gentiles, and as long as I am an apostle to you, I will take pride in my work. I hope in this way to make some of my own people jealous enough to be saved. When Israel rejected God, the rest of the people in the world were able to turn to Him. So when God makes friends with Israel, it will be like bringing the dead back to life. If part of a batch of dough is made holy by being offered to God, then all of the dough is holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, the rest of the tree is holy too. You Gentiles are like branches of a wild olive tree that were made to be part of a cultivated olive tree. You have taken the place of some branches that were cut away from it. And because of this, you enjoy the blessings that come from being part of that cultivated tree. But don't think you are better than the branches that were cut away. Just remember that you are not supporting the roots of that tree. Its roots are supporting you.
Maybe you think those branches were cut away, so that you could be put in their place.20That's true enough. But they were cut away because they did not have faith, and you are where you are because you do have faith. So don't be proud, but be afraid. If God cut away those natural branches, couldn't he do the same to you?

Now you see both how kind and how hard God can be. He was hard on those who fell, but he was kind to you. And he will keep on being kind to you, if you keep on trusting in his kindness. Otherwise, you will be cut away too.

If those other branches will start having faith, they will be made a part of that tree again. God has the power to put them back. After all, it wasn't natural for branches to be cut from a wild olive tree and to be made part of a cultivated olive tree. So it is much more likely that God will join the natural branches back to the cultivated olive tree.

My friends, I don't want you Gentiles to be too proud of yourselves. So I will explain the mystery of what has happened to the people of Israel. Some of them have become stubborn, and they will stay like that until the complete number of you Gentiles has come in. 26In this way all of Israel will be saved” – Romans11:13-26

The “all of Israel” in the last verse is referring to the “spiritual Israel” I mentioned earlier consisting of both Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ.

L-rd, I vigorously pray that all Gentile believers in Jesus would come to understand that their true spiritual heritage lies in Israel and greatly look forward to the day when all of Israel, all believers in Yeshua, both Jewish and Gentile dwell together in peace in Your Holy Kingdom.

“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” – Ephesians 2:11-13

Amen!