Israel, like any word, is used in both narrow and wide contexts. What "Israel" means to you has a lot to do with your attitude and purpose.
Let me give you a practical example from personal experience. I went to an introductory meeting for a class on the Jewish roots of Christianity. The teacher, a Messianic Jew, used a name game to help break the ice and get us thinking about the Old Testament. Everyone was given a slip of paper with the name of a person from the Old Testament. We were all directed to go to others and determine their identity by asking questions that could only be answered "yes" or "no". We were all directed to be forthright and not to trick anyone with our answers.
As it happened, I got the name of Moses. A Gentile Christian asked if I was Jewish. I answered "no". He was upset when he found that I was Moses. He said, "You said you weren't Jewish!" I tried to explain that there were twelve tribes making up the house of Israel and Judah was the patriarch of the line commmonly called Jew. I said Moses was not Jewish. Though Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were Hebrew; they were not Jewish.
In the Christian's mind, and for all practical purposes, in the instructor's mind, Moses was a Jew.
This may seem like nit-picking or a flight into non-revelant bantering about words, but it is not.
The instructor could have picked up on this theme of not all Israel is Jewish, but it did not suit his purpose. His purpose was to teach the Jewish roots of Christianity. And, if those of Israel who are not Jews were lumped with the Jews, what's the harm?
And, when in the course of conversation in the class discussion my brother and I introduced ourselves as Ephraimites, it was not a subject he wanted to explore as a group or outside of the class. To be fair, the instructor was uneasy with our statements, but not unkind. But my brother and I knew we would have to watch our words in any open discussions - most Jews and Christians don't want to deal with the question of the restoration of the whole house of Israel. So, in the minds of millions, Moses, who was of Levi and Ephraim, is considered a Jew.
So, when we use the word Israel it is important to ask if we understand the current use of the word and how it is bound up with the term Jew or Jews. Gentile Christians tend to use the terms Israel and Jews synonymously. The modern Jewish nation that came into being in 1948 was almost named Judea rather than Israel. Had it been, it would have more fairly represented the modern nation. In the days of Jesus Christ the region and nation was called Judea.
Let's use another example to help us understand words in context.
Do you agree with this statement? "All Camry's are Toyota's."
How about this? "All Toyota's are Camry's."
Or - "All Toyota Camry's are cars; therefore all cars are Toyota Camry's."
I think you get my point. Words mean things and have limited application.
All Jews are of the House of Israel, but not all the House of Israel are Jewish.God's covenants/promises are to the whole House of Israel, but the blessings and promises are not exclusively to one tribe. So, when the restoration of Israel is spoken of do we take it as a done deal because the modern Jewish nation is named "Israel"?
So, we come back to the question - which Israel is real? What the word "Israel" means to any person is a matter of context. The context we place Israel in is according to our purpose, attitude, or agenda. Having said this, let me state the various contexts that the word "Israel" will be used on the Restoration of the House of Israel web site.
1. The patriarch Jacob who wrestled with an angel and received the name Israel.
2. Jacob's grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh and their descendants. These two tribal heads, Joseph's sons received a double blessing by Jacob's laying on of hands.
3. The Northern Kingdom referred to in the Old Testament. A separate entity from Judah's kingly line.
4. The children or whole house of Israel descended from the patriarch Jacob/Israel. All tribal lines.
5. The Jewish people who inhabit the modern nation poltical state called "Israel".
6. Israel as a spiritual truth principle, or state of mind, that incorporates all God given revelation of parts into a whole. In other words, the principle of prevailing in the gap of what God has fully revealed and what mankind's religions have wrongfully taken as exclusive authority when they received only parts of the whole.
Let me also state our purpose in proclaiming truths about the restoration of the whole house of Israel.
1. To help gather those who want to serve the God of Israel who has included the Gentiles through his covenant of grace.
2. To explore with you how your calling in Israel, as a Jew, or member of another tribe, or as a Gentile believer relate as parts of the whole.
3. To seek out, bless and honor the lines of Aaron and Levi as the Lord's ministers before His face.
4. To proclaim Jesus Christ as the rightful heir of the throne of David, the Lord of Israel and the Gentiles. Home page
