Spiritual Israel

In the inauguration of the New Covenant through Jesus, the Body of Christ has become a new type of Israel. In comparison to God’s natural Israel, spiritual Israel finds residence not in earthly Jerusalem, but in heaven (Galatians 4:26; Philippians 3:21; Hebrews 12:22). We experience God through the power of the indwelling Spirit of Jesus. Circumcision, an physical act done that ceremonially sets Jews apart, has now become a circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 2:29). The Holy Spirit calls God’s people into a new humanity - God’s spiritual Israel (Galatians 6:15-16).

The coming of the Holy Spirit, the empowering personal presence of Jesus, fulfilled the prophetic promises that God would one day initiate a new covenantal relationship with His people. The prophets foretold that this covenantal relationship would not be based on external rules and regulations, but on God’s unconditional love, total forgiveness of sin, and an experiential knowing of Him (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Isaiah 59:21). God’s people are now guided by the presence of the Holy Spirit, not rules and regulations (2 Corinthians 3:17). The sons and daughters of God obey Him because they love to, not because they have to.

The heavenly inheritance of spiritual Israel is concealed in the Old Testament as types, shadows, and patterns. God had chosen a particular people, the Israelites, to be be His special family. He would use these people as a chosen instrument to steward the prophetic promise of the coming Christ. The entire Old Testament reveals Jesus, because He is the ultimate Word of God (John 1:1; Revelation 19:13). The Old Testament foreshadowed the realities of Jesus’ spiritual kingdom. Jesus is the incarnation of the Old Testament (Luke 24:27; John 5:39).

In the first century, the Jews were expecting a messianic figure who would sweep in and overthrow the oppressive Roman regime. Their interpretation of the prophetic promises of the Old Testament led them to believe they would experience a deliverance from all oppression in the natural realm. Instead, Jesus, meek and mild, appeared. His purpose was to free humanity from evil spiritual forces empowering all sin and darkness in the world. He accomplished this goal on the Cross, where, as a representative of all humanity, He submitted Himself to these forces in order to win our victory once and for all (Ephesians 3:10; Colossians 2:15).

The giving of the Spirit to both Jews and Gentiles was a fulfillment of God’s original promise to Abraham that his offspring would fill and bless the earth. God made this promise to Abraham before the establishment of the Jewish nation, implying that one day, all peoples, Jew and Gentile, would have access to the promises of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:8). Through Him, we are able to share in God’s blessings and promises originally made to Israel (Romans 10:12-13; Romans 11:17; Ephesians 2:19). God’s promises still remain for the Jewish people and natural Israel (Romans 11:29), but all have been gloriously given full access to the riches of heaven through Jesus. God’s people no longer constitute a natural kingdom, but a spiritual one.

The Old Testament was written by prophetic authors who empowered by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21. By these men, the Spirit was foreshadowing the coming of Christ and His kingdom. Their writing contains layers and layers of meaning. Prophetic promises are multi-dimensional and timeless. We can apply the principals, promises, and prophecies given to Israel in the Old Testament to us, God’s spiritual Israel.

We are a people for God’s name, elected by God through our association with Christ. God’s election does not refer to individuals, but to a people who have been chosen by God specifically for His purposes (1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Colossians 3:12; Ephesians 1:4-5, 11). We are not merely a continuity of the chosen people of the Old Testament, but a succession of them.

The defining characteristic of spiritual Israel is our lavish experience of the Holy Spirit, who is transforming us corporately and individually to represent Jesus and advance God’s purposes on earth. We are a new humanity, living in a world that has been judged by Christ and is in the process of passing away (1 Corinthians 7:31; 1 John 2:17).

We are destined for heaven, but have limitless access to its glorious inheritance now by the Holy Spirit. Our individual and corporate purpose as spiritual Israel is to advance the kingdom of heaven on earth as we wait for the coming of Jesus and the end of the ages.