Have you heard Christians say, “We should always stand with Israel”? It’s a common statement—especially when we hear about conflict in the Middle East or when people talk about prophecy and the end times.But here’s the real question:
Is modern Israel the same as biblical Israel?
And more importantly: Who IS Israel according to Scripture?Stick around…because what you believe about this can shape your understanding of prophecy, politics, and even the Church.
Covenant Theology vs. Dispensational Theology
Before we define who Israel is, we need to understand two major theological systems that shape how Christians answer that question:
Now let’s see which view actually lines up with Scripture.
Israel in the Old Testament
In Genesis 12, God makes a covenant with Abraham:
Genesis 12:2–3 “I will make of you a great nation… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This covenant forms the foundation of Israel. But here’s what many people miss: Israel in the Old Testament was never purely ethnic.
From the beginning, Gentiles were included among God’s people:
Ironically enough both Rahab and Ruth are mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1.
Deuteronomy 29:10–13 includes both native Israelites and sojourners in the covenant.Conclusion? Even in the Old Testament, Israel was defined more by covenant loyalty rather than biological descent.
Fulfillment in Christ
In the New Testament, Paul clarifies that the promises to Abraham were not ultimately about ethnicity—but about Christ.
Galatians 3:16“ Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say ‘and to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.”
Then he says something radical:
Galatians 3:29 “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Let that settle in:
If you belong to Christ—whether Jew or Gentile—you are part of true Israel.This matches the Old Testament pattern. Israel always included both Jews and Gentiles united by faith in God’s covenant.It was never merely about race. It was always about being a covenant keeper versus a covenant breaker.Now, in Christ, that reality has come into full view.
The True Jew is Spiritual
Paul pushes this even further in Romans 2:
Romans 2:28–29 “No one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly… But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit.”
So what defines the people of God?
Not blood, not nationality, not location—but the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart.In Romans 9, Paul also writes:
Romans 9:6 “Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.”
Because again—true Israel has always been the faithful remnant.This is exactly why Paul uses the olive tree metaphor in Romans 11. Unbelieving Jews (natural branches) were broken off, and believing Gentiles (wild branches) were grafted in—into the same tree.
God didn’t switch trees. He grafted people into the one tree of covenantal blessing. Why? Because Israel, again, was never purely about bloodline. It was about the remnant—those who believed. And that remnant includes Gentiles.There is one people of God—and it’s rooted in faith.
The Church Was Always the Plan
Dispensationalists say the Church is a “parenthesis” in God’s plan. But Scripture says in Colossians 1:26 that the Church is the mystery hidden for ages—not plan B, but the plan all along.
Ephesians 3:6 “The Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
Paul doesn’t say the Church gets new promises. He says we’re partakers of the same promise—the one made to Abraham, fulfilled in Christ. And in 1 Peter 2:9–10, Peter calls the Church: “A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…”
These were Old Testament titles for Israel (Exodus 19:6). Now, they apply to the multi-ethnic Church in Christ.
This isn’t “replacement theology.” (which is a pejorative term used by dispensationalists for anyone not dispensational in their theology). What is actually taught is fulfillment theology. The more official term is Supersessionism…
Think of a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly. The butterfly doesn’t replace the caterpillar, but the caterpillar becomes the butterfly which is now fully formed in what it was supposed to be from the beginning.
Refuting Key Dispensational Claims
Let’s push back on three common dispensationalist claims. These are typically the claims I hear from Dispensationalists…
Claim 1: “Israel always means ethnic Jews.”
Nope. Paul redefines Israel in Romans 9:6, and calls the Church “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16.
Claim 2: “God must still fulfill the land promises literally.”
But Hebrews 11 says Abraham looked forward to a heavenly country—not an earthly one. The land was a shadow of the coming kingdom.
Regarding the land fulfillment….God did fulfill it in Joshua 21:43-45 ”Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. … Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”
Claim 3: “The temple will be rebuilt in the end times.”
Not true…Why would we return to a shadow when the substance (Jesus) has already come? What need would there be for a physical temple now that the once-for-all sacrifice has already been made for us.
We see that Jesus is the true temple.
John 2:19–21 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
And the Church is now His dwelling.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
Conclusion
So—Who is Israel?
Not just a modern nation. Not just a genealogical line. Israel is the covenant people of God—those who are in Christ by faith.
If you’re in Christ—you are part of the true Israel.
This isn’t about replacing Israel—it’s about fulfilling what God always intended: a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation gathered around the throne of the Lamb.
So next time you hear someone say, “We should always stand with Israel,” ask this:Which Israel are we talking about? The one born from the flesh—or the one born of the Spirit?