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This booklet is one of the end products of several years of research into the topic of Old Testament Prophecy and its relationship to the New Testament. When I first attempted to understand these things, I thought I would use the quotes of the Old Testament found in the New Testament and try to let the Apostles show me how to interpret the Old Testament. I was soon puzzled by the occurrences I found, for Old Testament passages which referred to Israel kept popping up in the New Testament referring to the Christians. How was this possible? How did the Apostles (over and over again) apply "Israel passages" to Christians?Moving into related areas, such as the titles of the Church and titles of Israel, I found that the same terms used in the Old Testament to describe Israel are used in the New Testament to describe Christians. The only hypotheses which explains how this could be is that the Israel of the Old Testament (so-called "Racial Israel") had been replaced by the Israel of the New Testament, the Christian Church. The privileges and responsibilities of "Racial Israel" now belong to believers in Christ. A verse which demonstrates the trasition quite clearly is Mat 21:43, which reads, "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit." Here, Jesus states that "the kingdom of God", which Israel actually had in Old Testament times, was (shortly before crucifixion) transferred to anyone (regardless of race, etc.) who did the will of God.
From that time on, the Old Testament passages which had hitherto applied to the much-blessed but continually disobedient nation of Israel, now applied to the followers of Christ. In the process of transfer, however, the Old Testament was stripped of (formerly legitimate) ideas such as circumcision, geographical limits on worship, temples made of stone and wood, and racial nationalism.
As you examine the passages contained in this booklet, hopefully you will come to realize some of the marvelous blessings to which Christians (of Jewish or Gentile descent) are entitled (with responsibilities, of course!). The Christian Church will be seen as the New Israel of God, not as some unplanned activities of God while he awaits the long-delayed return to him of "Racial Israel"!
This booklet will seek to prove, using Old and New Testament Scriptures, that:
As for "2a", we may here humorously remind our readers that if someone sees a bird that looks, quacks, waddles, and feels like a duck and in the New Testament is called a duck-- then the creature so described is, indeed, a duck! As for "2b", if the Apostles say that so-and-so Old Testament passage about Israel is about the Church, we may logically deduce that the Church of Christ is the real Israel now, and has taken "Racial Israel's" place-- or else the Apostles were wrong (quite often!). As the second option is repugnant to Christians, then the first remains: the Church is Israel now.
- "Racial Israelites" who disobey God are, by the teachings of the Old and New Testaments, deposed from whatever blessings they may formerly have been entitled to by racial descent. In other words, those who are Jews by race only are not Jews at all in the eyes of God.
- The Christian Church (and we do not mean any particular denomination of Christians by this term) is now the Israel of God, according to the teachings of the New Testament. The Church is seen to be Israel by the following facts:
- the Old Testament titles of Israel are the New Testament titles of the Christian Church, and;
- Old Testament passages which clearly and indisputably refer to Israel are quoted by the Apostles of Christ as referring to the Christian Church.
Charles D. Provan
Monongahela, Pa.
September 21, 1987
These Scripture passages demonstrate that the Christian Church is Israel now because of the fact that the Old Testament titles and attributes of Israel are applied en masse to the Church in the New Testament.
Where available, we have also included various Old and New Testament scriptures which deny these same titles and attributes to disobedient Israel.
These verses demonstrate that the New Testament regards the Church as Israel, because of the fact that Old Testament "Israelite" verses are repeatedly quoted as referring to Christians.
QUOTE #1: Lev 26:11-12 / Ezek 37:27 / 2Cor 6:16
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Both the Leviticus and the Ezekiel passages prophesy a time when the Israelites will obey God. God will, in return, bless Israel by making them his people, and by putting his dwelling place among them. In Moses' and Ezekiel's times, this meant that God was going to put a literal temple inside the territory of Israel, and live there. But we see Paul in 2 Corinthians (writing to Gentile Christians who lived in Greece!) applying the prophecies to the Church of Christ. How can this be, unless Paul regards the Christians as the real Israel of God, now under a covenant which has no need for stone and wood temples, or for genealogical restrictions? God does not live in stone buildings any longer, but lives in believers. His blessings are not restricted to the geographical boundaries of a little country in the Middle East, but spread to the whole world! So God fulfills the prophecies of Moses and Ezekiel, but in a non-racial, non-geographical, non-material-building sort of way!
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QUOTE #2: Deut 30:12-14 / Rom 10:6-8
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Paul in Romans takes a passage of Scripture in Deuteronomy which is addressed to Israel and applies it to the Christians. (Some may wonder at the interpretation Paul puts upon the Deuteronomy passage, but upon closer study it may be cleared up. In context, when Paul uses the term "Christ" in Rom 10:6-7, he means "the system of doctrine taught by Christ." Paul uses the same type of terminology when he talks of "preaching Christ" in Phil 1:15.) Paul is in the Romans passage demonstrating that it is not beyond the reach of Gentiles to be saved from sin. He proves this by referring to the passage in Deuteronomy where Moses assures the Israelites that it is not beyond their reach to be saved from sin and death. This passage only makes sense if the Christians (both Jews and Gentiles) are regarded by Paul as true members of Israel. Otherwise, Paul seems to be guilty of gross distortion of Scripture.
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QUOTE #3: Deut 31:6 / Heb 13:5
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The author of Hebrews tells the Christians to avoid discontent by realizing that God will never leave or forsake them. But where does he get this comforting statement? From the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses tells the Israelites that God will never leave or forsake the Israelites! Therefore, for the New Testament to make sense, we must suppose that to the author of Hebrews, the Christians were true Israelites. By the way, someone might say, "But the Deuteronomy verses state that God would never leave or forsake the Israelites, so how do you explain your idea that God actually did forsake 'Racial Israel' and replace it with the Church?" To which we would reply with a Scripture passage from the same chapter as our comforting Deuteronomy verse, namely, Deut 31:16-17: "And the Lord said to Moses: 'You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I make with them. On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed.'" So, unless we say that God contradicts himself, we must come to the conclusion that the promise of God to "never forsake" Israel was (from the very beginning) conditional upon Israel's obedience to God. And so it is with Christians. As long as we obey God, we may be assured that God is always with us.
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QUOTE #4: Deut 32:36 / Pss 135:14 / Heb 10:30
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Deuteronomy and Psalms both assure the Israelites that God will judge "his people" the Israelites. Hebrews warns the Christians that God will judge "his people" the Christians!
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QUOTE #5: Pss 22:22 / Heb 2:12
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In Pss 22, the Christ is prophesied to "declare God's name to his brothers" who are Israelites. Yet the author of Hebrews says that the Christ's brothers are "those who are made holy" (Heb 2:11), that is, Christians! Once again, unless we concede that the quote in Hebrews is woefully out of context, we must conclude that the Church is Israel according to the New Testament.
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QUOTE #6: Pss 44:22 / Rom 8:36
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Paul quotes a verse which talks about the persecution of Israelites and refers it to Christians undergoing tribulations.
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QUOTE #7: Pss 95:7-11 / Heb 3:7-11
QUOTE #8: Pss 130:8 / Titus 2:14
QUOTE #9: Isa 28:16 /
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Note that this verse says that the "stone", the "tested stone", the "chief cornerstone" (that is, the Messiah) will be a sure foundation IN ZION. The New Testament is quite fond of this verse, using it at least three times in the following passages. However, instead of locating the fulfillment of the passage in Palestine, the fulfillment is seen to be in the entire world among Christians of Jewish and Gentile origin. How is this possible unless Zion is now devoid of all geographical connotations, and refers to the Church?
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Rom 10:11 / Eph 2:20 / 1Pet 2:6
QUOTE #10: Isa 49:8 / 2Cor 6:2
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In 2 Corinthians, Paul quotes Isa 49:8 to tell the Corinthians that right now is the proper time to be concerned about salvation. The interesting thing about this quote is that Isa 49 is about the coming of the Christ, and in Isa 49:8, God promises to answer the requests of the Christ and help him in the "day of salvation." In the same verse, God also promises to "restore the land" of Israel and "reassign its desolate inheritances." Verse after 49:8 talk about the regathering of the Israelites to the desolation of Israel, which then prospers and is comforted by God. Now, is this what happened in the times of Christ and the Apostles? No, it was not. The literal land of Israel was devastated during two massive wars, and finally the Jews were expelled from Jerusalem altogether. How is it possible, then, for Paul to say that Isa 49 referred to the times in which he lived? Because when the passage is taken away from 'Racial Israel' and given to the Israel of God, it is talking about the building up of Spiritual Zion, the Church. It is talking about repairing the desolate spots of the world by conversion to Christ. Wherever a conversion to Christ takes place, there a "captive" is set free, as Isa 49:9 says.
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QUOTE #11: Isa 52:7 / Rom 10:15
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Isaiah the prophet prophesies a time when the "good news" (the gospel) will be proclaimed to Jerusalem (Isa 52:7). But let us look at this "good news" more closely. In Isa 52:1, we are told that the uncircumsized will not enter into Zion. In Isa 52:2, we see that the enslaved Israelites will be freed. The Lord will return to Zion (Isa 52:8), and the ruins of Jerusalem will be rebuilt. All this may be seen by reading our Old Testament selection. But Paul quotes Isa 52:7 and refers it to those who spread the "good news" about Jesus the Christ. In Isaiah, the messengers go to desolate Jerusalem, and in the New Testament, the messengers go into the world of sinners, resulting in conversion! Once again, Paul has stripped the Isaiah passage of its geography and its race-consciousness, and referred it to the New Israel, the Christian Church. Further, it is the spiritually uncircumcised who are not allowed into the Church of God, and the physical member no longer has anything to do with entering into Jerusalem.
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QUOTE #12: Isa 54:1 / Gal 4:27
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Isaiah prophesies a time when Zion will greatly expand, and will conquer foreign nations (Isa 54:2). Paul says that the passage refers to the Heavenly Zion (the Christian Church) which is having many children. Once again, a passage in the Old Testament has been taken from "Racial Israel" (because of sin, as we learn from other passages) and applied to Christians.
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QUOTE #13: Jer 31:31-34 / Heb 8:8-12
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Jeremiah the prophet says that the Mosaic Covenant will be discarded in his future because of continued Israelite disobedience to God (Jer 31:32). In place of this covenant God will make a "new covenant" (Jer 31:31). And with whom does God make this covenant? With "the house of Israel and the house of Judah"! Even the New Testament quotes that part of the prophecy, and yet refers the prophecy to the Christians! Again, how is this possible, unless the author of Hebrews viewed the Christians as the true Israel?
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QUOTE #14: Hos 1:10 & Hos 2:23 / Rom 9:25-26 / 1Pet 2:10
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In Hoseah, God announces that the people of Israel, due to sin, are not the people of God any longer. However, God hasn't finished with Israel yet, and prophesies a time in the future in which the Israelites will again be called people of God (Hos 1:10, 2:23). Paul and Peter both quote the Hosea passages as referring to Gentiles who became converts to Christ, a position which is impossible to hold unless the privileges of Israel now apply to anyone, regardless of physical descent, so long as he or she is willing to repent and obey God's word. So, the Church is the real Israel now.
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QUOTE #15: Hos 13:14 / 1Cor 15:55
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Many people quote Paul's passage on the resurrection, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?", without realizing where this saying comes from. Its origin is in Hos 13:14, where it refers to God resurrecting Israelites from the grave, the land of the dead. However, in 1 Corinthians, Paul uses it to prove the resurrection of those who inherit the kingdom of God, that is, the believers in Christ. It is not possible to get this proof out of Hos 13:14, unless we presuppose that the Christian Church is now the Israel of God.
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QUOTE #16: Joel 2:32 / Rom 10:13
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Joel the prophet says that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." A lot of people know this phrase, but know it only from Rom 10:13. Notably, Joel gives the location of where people will call upon the Lord: "on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem," places which are quite remote from Rome, where the people Paul was writing to lived. Paul makes no sense applying this passage to Christians, unless (once again!) this passage has been taken from "Racial Israel" and now belongs to true Israel, that is, the Church.
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These verses demonstrate that the New Testament regards the Church as Israel, because of the fact that Old Testament ethical commands to Israel are repeatedly quoted as referring to Christian rules of conduct.
QUOTE #1: Exod 16:18 / 2Cor 8:15
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What is stated as a fact regarding the gathering of manna by Israel is regarded as a standard for Christian charity by the apostle Paul (!), and with not one word of explanation as to how this can be. How can Paul figure on the Corinthians accepting his exegesis, unless both he and they suppose the Christian Church to be the Israel of the New Testament?
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QUOTE #2: Lev 11:45 & Lev 19:2 / 1Pet 1:16
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Peter instructs Christians to be holy in all actions, because of God stating to Israelites in Leviticus: "Be holy, because I am holy." Look at the sources for this declaration by God, and you will notice a surprising (or, perhaps, not so surprising!) circumstance. Namely, this declaration by God was used in order to instruct the Israelites about the seriousness of abstaining from unclean foods. In our second Leviticus passage, God says: "Be holy..." at least partially in regard to sabbath keeping, a command of God which is now abrogated (Col 2:16, at least in regard to the day of the week). We can see that, although the particular ceremonial rules of conduct have changed, the idea that Israel must be holy, because God is holy, is constant, Old or New Testament.
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QUOTE #3: Deut 5:16 / Eph 6:2-3
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Paul quotes the commandment on honoring father and mother, and then the blessing of the commandment, from Deuteronomy. In Ephesians, however, the blessing is somewhat changed from the original. While in Deuteronomy God promises a long life in "the land the Lord your God is giving you," that is, in the land of Israel, Paul says that God promises a long life to anyone anywhere "on the earth," an interesting fact in that the Church is non-geographical, as John 4:19-24 states. So the moral command of Deuteronomy is retained, but without the geographical qualifications!
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QUOTE #4: Deut 17:7, 19:19, 22:24 & Deut 24:7 / 1Cor 5:13
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Paul quotes from an oft-repeated verse in Deuteronomy: "Expel the wicked man from among you," and, without a word of explanation, says to the Christians of the city of Corinth (a Gentile city) that this principle of Israel applies to them.
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QUOTE #5: Deut 19:15 / 2Cor 13:1 / 1Tim 5:19
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Paul says that all offenses tried in a church court must be validated by two or three witnesses, which coincidentally is the same rule which was in effect in the courts of Old Testament Israel.
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QUOTE #6: Isa 35:3 / Heb 12:12
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The author of Hebrews takes a passage which in Isaiah is referring to Israelites on the way to Zion, and refers it to Christians.
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QUOTE #7: Isa 48:20 & Isa 52:11 / 2Cor 6:17
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The Prophet Isaiah tells the Israelites in Babylon to leave Babylon, touching no unclean thing and taking with them the temple vessels, to restart the worship of God in Jerusalem's temple. Paul says that the passage proves that Gentile converts to Chrisianity should leave the fellowship and institutions of paganism. Once again, Paul has quoted a verse greatly out of context, unless the Christians are Israel now.
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