Bridges for Peace is a Christian organisation that is very pro the modern state of Israel and they say on their website:
“Through programs both in Israel and worldwide, we are giving Christians the opportunity to actively express their biblical responsibility before God to be faithful to Israel and the Jewish community. Israel is central to God’s plan for mankind. Pick up your Bible and leaf through the pages. It won’t be long before you see Israel. God chose to reveal Himself to the world through the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. We were blessed through them to receive the Word of God; our Messiah, Yeshua; and salvation. While some Christians have the idea that God is finished with Israel and is now only embracing the Church, that is not God’s idea.”
Bridges for Peace view themselves as Christian Zionists and teach that the modern state of Israel is the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and vital to the unfolding of the plan of God for the world. They would say that God has one plan for the church and another plan for Israel.
One plan of God
The Bible tells us in many places that God has a wonderful plan to call rebellious people to himself and that this plan was formed before the creation of the world.
God could have rejected humans after Adam and Eve rebelled against him, but he didn’t. In grace, God called Abraham. God promised Abraham many descendants, that they would live in their own land, and that they would bring blessing to people from all the nations of the world. (Cf. Genesis 12:1-3)
Abraham believed God’s promise and went where God sent him. In other words, Abraham had faith – which is the right response to God. (cf. Genesis 15:6)
God’s great rescuing plan was in action: God revealed himself to Abraham in order to bless people from all the nations of the world through Abraham’s descendants.
Abraham’s descendants were known as Israelites.
After many years in the Promised Land, God raised up an important king, King David, to rule over the Israelites. God promised King David that one of his descendants would be a great king and he would save his people from their enemies and his kingdom would last forever. (Cf. 2 Samuel 7:12-13) David was an Israelite and therefore the great, promised king who would be a descendant of Abraham and David.
The prophets in the Old Testament made numerous prophecies about this future King and his Kingdom. How he would reign from a renewed temple and a restored Jerusalem. How the word of God would go out from Jerusalem to people of all the nations of the world. (Cf. Isaiah 2:1-5)
Son of Abraham
After the close of the Old Testament period, God was silent for 400 years. On one seemingly ordinary day, a baby named Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The first sentence in the New Testament is very significant:
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)
The New Testament tells us that Jesus’ coming was the high point of the plan of God to bless (save) people from all the nations of the world. Jesus is the descendant of Abraham and the king in the line of David whose kingdom will never end. (Cf. Luke 1:30-33)
Jesus came to save people from their most deadly enemies (sin, death and Satan) and the resultant judgment of God. Jesus died to take the penalty and judgement for our sins. He rose again out of the dead to give new life to all who put their faith in him. He ascended into heaven and promised to return. When he does return, God will bring every human being into judgement.
If anyone has not put their faith in God’s promise they will need to bear the judgement of God themselves – an eternity in hell separated from God. (Cf. John 3:36)
Since the first coming of Jesus, we live in the gospel age, the last era of world history. Or “the last days” as the New Testament call it. (Hebrews 1:1-2) God is delaying Jesus’ return to give people an opportunity to repent and turn to him in faith. (2 Peter 3:9)
When Jesus returns, this present age will come to an end and the age-to-come will be upon us. God will establish the renewed universe (Revelation 21:1) and people from all the nations of the world will dwell with God forever. (Revelation 7:9-10)
The original promise to Abraham will be completely fulfilled and Eden will be restored, an even better Eden. God’s people will be in God’s place living under God rule.
Temple
During his earthly ministry, Jesus said he himself was the renewed temple. (John 2:19-22) The Old Testament temple simply pointed us to and was a mere shadow to the reality of Jesus. We don’t need a temple in Jerusalem to meet with God anymore. We meet with God in Jesus – our temple, priest and sacrifice. (Hebrews 7:22-25 etc.)
Jerusalem
Hebrews 12:22-24 says that when people from all the nations of the world come by faith to Jesus we come to the heavenly Jerusalem; therefore, we don’t expect a renewed earthly Jerusalem.
Indeed, all the Old Testament types and institutions were mere pointers and shadowy shadows to our ultimate, overwhelming, spectacular, reality in Jesus. Our hope is in the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly Jerusalem. Indeed, the Word of God has gone out of Jerusalem as the gospel spreads. (Acts 1:8ff)
One people of God
Many Christians still believe that there are two People of God: the Church and Israel. However, the (one) people of God has always been and will always be those who believe God’s promise. One of the earliest members of the people of God was Abraham because he believed God’s promise. The people of God includes you, if you believe God’s promise.
Listen to God’s promise:
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36)
The Jewish people have largely rejected the greatest expression of God’s promise – Jesus. It will shock you to know that in Revelation 2:9 Jesus calls a synagogue of Jews the synagogue of Satan. Why? Because they rejected God’s King – the One to whom the entire Old Testament points.
The fundamental question is this: who are the people of God?
Galatians 3:29
Galatians 3:29 contains an important truth:
“If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Who are Abraham’s offspring and therefore the heirs of God’s promises of land, descendants and blessing? (Cf. Genesis 12:1-3) The Israelites? The Jewish nation? No. The Apostle Paul says in Galatians, “If you are Christ’s”.
The People of God have always been those who believe God’s promise. The people of God are those (Jews and Gentiles) who believe in the fulfilled promise of Jesus. Christians are the people of God. The Church is the new Israel.
Jesus illustrated this when he chose 12 disciples as foreshadowed by the 12 tribes of Israel. The Apostle Peter demonstrated this when he referred to Christians using Old Testament language reserved for God’s People (“chosen race”, “royal priesthood”, “holy nation”, “a people for his own possession”) cf. 1 Peter 2:9, Exodus 19:5-6.
The birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, reign, future return and eternal kingdom of Jesus fulfill all the Old Testament promises and prophecies. (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:20). God has always had one plan, not two, and it’s achieved in and through Jesus. (Ephesians 1:3-4)
The Holy Land
If you would like to go on a tour to Israel and get baptised in the Jordan River go right ahead and be encouraged! But don’t think it will make you a better Christian.
- Jesus is the place where we meet with God. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
- We look to the heavenly Jerusalem not the earthly. (Revelation 21:2)
- We look to the new heaven and the new earth, not to the earthly state of Israel. (Isaiah 65:17-25)
All the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in and through Jesus, not in Israel. Jesus explained this to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24:27)
You can of course support the modern state of Israel, but do it out of personal preference; not because the Bible says you must or should.
The Bible says that we must love all people, including Jewish people.
The Bible says that all those without Christ need Christ to be saved, including Jewish people.
God has made an everlasting covenant with Old Testament Israel, and it is being fulfilled in and through King Jesus and his everlasting Kingdom.
One God. One plan. One people. One way.